Peyton Manning: Lackluster Preseason Numbers Are Irrelevant to Broncos' Future

Preseason games are meaningless. Even if you're Peyton Manning and you're trying to prove to the world that you're still the same future Hall-of-Fame quarterback you were before neck surgery derailed your career.

It's still the preseason. It's still a bunch of games that don't count. And that still means that even though Manning's Broncos are 1-1 in exhibition play, it is utterly irrelevant to the Broncos' chances of winning the AFC West and vying for a playoff spot four months from now. 

Some expected Manning to storm into this preseason with a vengeance and pick apart each of his opponents just like he used to do to the Patriots and the Steelers and every other team he helped the Colts destroy in the past.

That isn't exactly what has happened.

In his Broncos debut—an eventual 31-3 win over the Bears—Manning barely played, going 4-for-7 for 44 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. In his next outing, a 30-10 loss to the Seahawks, he played a bit more, but his numbers were equally uninspiring: He went 16-for-23 for 177 yards, zero touchdowns (again) and two more picks.

So here we are, heading into Manning's third (preseason) game as a member of the Broncos, and we have yet to see him throw a touchdown pass.

But it doesn't matter.

Manning is one of the most competitive guys in the league, and most likely, he still has a competitive threshold he hasn't yet hit because this is the preseason—even if he did miss 2011, and even if he does have a lot to prove. When the games start counting, it will be a whole different game for him.

But the best part about Manning is that even though this is the preseason, he's holding himself accountable. All of those interceptions are a concern, even though they don't count, but Manning is the last person in the world who will make excuses for any of them.

Those picks may not end up in his statistical breakdown at the end of the season, but he's treating them like they will. And you can't say that about every QB in the league.

After Saturday's loss to Seattle, Manning told the Associated Press, via Boston.com:

"

Two interceptions. Two in the red zone, two weeks in a row. Just can't have it. Tipped balls, whatever it is. Can't have it. Got to find a way to protect the ball better, ensure we get some kind of points when we're down there in the red zone.

"

Manning is already this intense, and the games don't even count yet.

There is no doubt that once it actually matters, Manning is going to do whatever it takes to make sure this team wins—even if it means keeping his receivers at the practice field until the sun goes down, even if it means working his teammates like "dogs," as former backup quarterback Jim Sorgi claims Manning did to him. In a recent interview with the NFL Network's "NFL AM" show, transcribed by NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Sorgi said:

"

I tell you what, I had to get there at 7 o’clock in the morning, watch film until meetings, after practice watch film until 9 o’clock at night and then I’d go home. During the season Peyton worked me pretty hard, so I wouldn’t say it was the easy job in the world.

"

But that, after all, is why the Colts were one of the toughest teams to beat in the NFL for 11 of the 14 years Manning was in Indy (and that's counting 2011, when he didn't play at all). That's why Manning has a Super Bowl ring and four MVPs. He knows how to put in the work required to win, and he knows how to instill that work ethic in his teammates.

And that's why Manning will turn the Broncos into one of the most formidable teams in the AFC. When the games start counting.