The Decision: Peyton Manning Version

When the Denver Broncos reached out to Peyton Manning on Wednesday Night, there was some thought that the Broncos were a long shot to get the future Hall of Famer. That thought changed as the weekend kicked off with ESPN showing live footage of Manning in a private jet flying into Denver with John Elway, John Fox, and Brian Xanders on Friday afternoon. I'm not going to lie here. To see Manning being flown in to Denver on Pat Bowlen's private plane really gave me goosebumps. The idea of Manning coming to Denver became a reality. From the airport, Manning and the Broncos higher ups drove to the Broncos Dove Valley complex where Manning toured the facility, met with owner Pat Bowlen, met with coaches, watched film, and then went to dinner with Elway and Fox on Friday night. Manning stayed over in Denver on Saturday, and he headed to Arizona Saturday night to meet with the Cardinals and their staff as he continued his free agent tour. On Wednesday I thought the Broncos were long shots and by Friday night, I had a feeling that Manning could really become a Bronco. As of Sunday Night, Manning left Arizona to head back to Miami, and it is not known if he will meet with the Dolphins or any other team on Monday. ESPN reported that the Broncos and the Cardinals were the frontrunners to add Manning, and people in Denver feel that Manning was very impressed with what the Broncos had to offer. The Broncos feel that they have a very good chance to get Manning, but so do the Cardinals. At this point, the only person who really knows which team will get Manning is Peyton Manning, but put it this way: The Broncos have a really good shot. They have as good as a shot as anyone would have dreamed. This weekend has been very crazy. I haven't stopped thinking about the possibility of the Broncos getting Manning. I have been checking Twitter, Broncos Country, Profootballtalk, and every other possible media outlet out there to get the updates on what is going on with Manning. I have thought about every possible scenario, and I even sent out a text polling all of my closest friends trying to get their thoughts. Every single person that I have talked to said the same thing: You would be crazy not to want Manning in Denver next year. It already confirmed what I had been thinking: This is a good move for Denver, and if Manning signs with the Broncos, then the Broncos will become a real, legitimate Super Bowl contender for the first time since John Elway retired after Super Bowl XXXIII. Let's break down the positives and negatives of the Broncos going after Peyton Manning.........

Positives:

1-Peyton Manning is the best QB in the NFL if he is healthy. From everything that I have read, Manning's neck is not the concern. It is the regeneration of the nerves in his throwing arm. Manning has steadily progressed, and although he is not 100% right now, by the time training camp or the season starts, Manning should be ready to go. He has already come a long way, and it will continue to get better. It is a risk but if even if he is 90%, he is better than 95% of the other quarterbacks in the NFL. Manning would instantly make the Broncos a Super Bowl threat. He would take an 8-8 team, and transform them into an 11 to 12 win team overnight. He would make Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker big time receivers, and he would give the Broncos a huge recruiting advantage to sign other players like Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Vincent Jackson, and Dallas Clark. Eddie Royal is a free agent, and you think Royal wouldn't mind resigning with Denver knowing that he had a chance to catch balls from Manning?

2-The Broncos would continue to be a marquee franchise going into the 2012 season. Tim Tebow helped restore the excitement in Denver in 2011, but Manning would certainly make the Broncos one of the most attractive teams in the NFL. The Broncos got back on the map of the NFL scene last season, but it would be nothing compared to the hype and excitement that they would generate with Peyton under center. Manning's new Broncos jersey would be an instant top seller, and they would garner a multitude of primetime and "must see" matchups. This certainly won't hurt at the box office and with the cash registers and all that equals big bucks.

3-With all due respect to the 2005 Broncos, this would be the first time since Elway retired that the Broncos would be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They would be one of the few teams mentioned as a real Super Bowl contender, and that is the bottom line in the NFL. It is about winning Super Bowls, and without Manning they are probably not there yet. With Manning, the AFC West tilts in our favor, and you can start thinking about division championships, playoff games, and playing the final Sunday of the season in February with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. Think about this: From the 1986 season to the end of the 1998 season, the Broncos made the playoffs eight times in 13 seasons. They made the AFC Championship a total of six times, the Super Bowl five times, and they won two Lombardi Trophies. From the 1999 season to the end of the 2011 season, the Broncos made the playoffs five times in 13 seasons, played in only one AFC Championship Games, only won two playoff games, and no Super Bowl appearances. With Manning, there is a really good chance the Broncos would be back where they belong: In the playoffs and in Championship games with a realistic shot to win the Super Bowl. You can call us Broncos fans spoiled, but we were used to the idea in being in the mix for a title, and we haven't felt that way in a long, long time.

4-As a Broncos fan, I would know that John Elway and Pat Bowlen were committed to winning another Super Bowl for this franchise. Elway would show that he is not here just to be the voice or face of the franchise, but that he is going to do whatever it takes to bring a championship back to the Mile High city. Critics have gotten all over Bowlen in the past few years as a man who has lost touch with the Broncos, and people have suggested he has gotten cheap, and doesn't know what the hell is going on with this team. All that would be put to dead with this move. Elway will prove that he will make whatever move possible to try and get the Broncos that elite, franchise QB, and Bowlen will prove that winning division titles is not what he wants-he wants Super Bowls. Manning to Denver answers those questions about those their motives and desires.

Negatives

1-What would the signing do to the financial structure of the Broncos. I know the Broncos have excess of over $40 million to spend under the salary cap, but does Manning's signing affect them down the line and in the future? Can they resign their top players like Von Miller and Ryan Clady when their contracts are up in the upcoming seasons? Can they still pursue other free agents to help bolster the roster with Manning the next few years? What happens when Manning leaves? Are the Broncos starting from scratch again? These questions must be answered and the future of the Broncos to be a competitive team post-Manning must be answered.

2- Tim Tebow is the biggest and saddest casualty of the Manning signing. If Manning signs, then Tebow is almost certainly shown the door. You can't have two rockstars leading the same band-especially when one of them is an icon. I feel bad for Tebow, and I will never forget what he did for this franchise in 2011. He reinvigorated a fanbase, revitalized a dead organization, and he turned around a lousy 1-4 team into a playoff team and division champion. He pulled off one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory, played brilliantly against the Steelers, and gave the Broncos their first playoff win since 2005. He gave hope to a fanbase that was stuck in the midst of a really bad era. The Broncos were a joke and a laughingstock through the hole Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton regime, and Tebow saved the franchise and made it fun to be a Broncos fan again. Tebow put the Broncos back on the map in the NFL, and his future with the Broncos was something that Denver fans really could hold on to. The 13 week run that he gave us Broncos fans will never be forgotten, and if he leaves town, then I hope he has a long and successful career as an NFL QB and proves all of his critics wrong. Is it worth giving up on Tebow after one season? Is is worth it given the fact that Manning might only play two seasons in Denver? What happens if Peyton doesn't deliver that Super Bowl, and Tebow becomes a star somewhere else? That fact has been keeping me up at night all weekend long.

Final Thought

When it is all said and done, the only person that could take Tim Tebow's spot in Denver in 2012 became available this past week. The Broncos showed interest and Peyton Manning showed interest back. When a player like Manning is available and he shows an interest in your team, you have to go for it. Unfortunately, Tebow will be cast aside, but as unfair as it is, Peyton Manning is just too good to pass up. You would be doing a disservice to your franchise not to take a shot at him. With everything that I have watched and read, I think the Broncos are going to get him. The Broncos haven't been to a Super Bowl since the end of the 1999 season-a span of 12 seasons. If Manning comes to Denver, there is a really good chance that that streak will end. For a franchise that used to be a frontrunner every season, the Broncos would finally be back at that level. It might have taken John Elway a view from the fan's point of view to see how valuable a real franchise QB is to a team, a city, an organization, and fanbase. Elway realized at now that he is in the Broncos front office, and getting Peyton Manning is the only way the Broncos can get there at this point. Manning to Denver is a home run move, and it looks like it has a real possibility of happening. Stay tuned because this story is coming to an end really soon, and Manning's decision will alter the Broncos one way or another for a long, long time.