The football lives of Peyton and Eli Manning couldn't have been more different this past year. One misses the entire terrible season and is dumped by the team after fourteen mostly terrific seasons together. The other leads his team to their second Super Bowl win in five seasons. The latter is cruising into perhaps the best years of his football career. The former is at a football crossroads.
Sports Illustrated's Peter King wrote a terrific article about the journey Peyton Manning took between his release from the Indianapolis Colts and his decision to play for the Denver Broncos. The media played a big role in the journey because they followed him everywhere. He often had to take ridiculous measures to avoid the wolves. Why can't they let a person be? The media would regularly be where they shouldn't and Manning, as he's always done on the field, would make decisions on the fly to avoid them. The media made a difficult decision even more difficult. They made something private way too public. Many have asked, fans and media alike, why Denver? Manning isn't one to join a team without doing the work to find the best place. He won't do it for money as many players routinely do. So, the better question is why not Denver? Personally, I thought that it would be San Francisco. That team just seems to be becoming a football monster. With head coach Jim Harbaugh and players like Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and now Randy Moss the 49ers have created a strong football workplace. When you look at Manning's three finalists (Denver, San Francisco and Tennessee) you find football people that likely connect well with the quarterback. John Elway, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Munchack. Each have unique a connection to Peyton Manning. Harbaugh preceded Manning as the Colts quarterback. Elway is a Hall of Fame quarterback that finally won Super Bowls late in his career much like Manning is trying to do. Munchack was starting his Hall of Fame career on a Houston Oilers team that just happened to have Archie Manning leading it. The move by Denver that likely sealed Manning's choice was one made by Elway. Instead of pushing Manning, Elway thought of how he'd have felt if the Broncos had dumped him late in his career. With those feelings in mind he treated Manning accordingly. That went a long way in Manning's decision process. The Broncos courting obviously worked as the 49ers and Titans did nothing to hurt their respective chances. He simply chose the Broncos.
The most interesting thing to me that came out of King's article involved a team that no one knew was in the chase, the Washington Redskins. They may not have known that they were even in it themselves. Manning learned of the Redskins trade with the Rams to likely draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III while he was visiting the Broncos. Elway told him. The interesting part was that Manning was shocked to hear of the trade. It sounds like the Redskins were on his short list of possible teams. This shoots holes in the thoughts of many that Manning wanted no part of the NFC East and his brother. Many felt that he'd avoid the NFC as a whole, yet San Francisco nearly had him. The media just never really understood who they were following.
It's a bit early to crown the Broncos as AFC West champs but some have. San Diego still has a bunch of talent. Kansas City was terrific two years ago but were rocked by injuries last year. Those players should be healthy now. New coach and decision makers in Oakland make the Raiders unpredictable. The Broncos made the playoffs with Tim Tebow throwing footballs with his feet. Peyton Manning makes them better but they still have to play the games.
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