Peyton Manning: Lack of Explosion at WR Will Haunt Broncos QB in 2012

The Denver Broncos' lack of explosion at wide receiver will haunt Peyton Manning in 2012.

Denver's leading receiver from a season ago was Eric Decker, who caught 44 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns. Not terrible, but hardly a threatening presence on the outside. 

During the offseason, the Broncos have added two dependable but far from phenomenal tight ends in Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen, and a 36-year-old veteran in Brandon Stokley.

Sure, it's understandable that the Broncos would add pieces Manning is comfortable with like Tamme and Stokley, but they aren't going to win anything significant with those pieces being their top options. 

Although the Broncos are just 1-1 this preseason, Manning is a combined 20-for-30 for 221 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Clearly the Broncos lack the downfield targets that the Indianapolis Colts boasted during the Peyton Manning era, and clearly it's been a problem for the future Hall of Famer this summer.

Denver was the NFL's No. 1 rushing team in 2011 and the league's second-worst passing squad. With that said, it's no surprise that completions, yards and touchdowns won't come easy for Manning this fall.

The Broncos are a team built to run the football. John Fox and the Denver coaching staff created an offense to bring out the best in Tim Tebow last year, and now Manning and the Broncos offense are struggling to adapt.

Of course, if any quarterback in today's game could possibly take an aerial assault from worst to first, it would have to be Manning, a brilliant football mind who can manipulate defenses and control all 11 offensive players.

But at age 36 and coming off very serious neck surgery, Manning may be in over his head in Denver. The Broncos lack the explosion that the Colts once featured and No. 18 will have to make up for that by playing the best football of his career following a lengthy time off from the sport.

Now more than ever before in his career, Manning needs his teammates to step up, but that looks unlikely based on the players the Broncos are running onto the field at wide receiver and tight end. 

It will take multiple summers of retooling before Manning will have the weapons he needs to be successful at his disposal.

That being the case, the Broncos' lack of a star-studded receiving corps will be the cause of Manning's downfall in 2012.

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