Denver Broncos leave Peyton Manning very few options
By Dan Salem
The Denver Broncos had an excellent season that ended, like most teams, with disappointment. Yet what the hell has happened since? New coach, new offense, and a Hall of Fame quarterback with a huge decision to make. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
DAN:
The Denver Broncos hired Gary Kubiak as their new head coach, replacing now Chicago Bears head coach John Fox. Denver must now hire some new coordinators to compliment its new coach and new offensive system. What is a future Hall of Fame quarterback to do?
The giant gorilla in the room is the potential relationship between Kubiak and Peyton Manning. If Peyton Manning comes back for one more shot at a title, can he learn a new offense as fast as his younger brother had to do this past season in New York? Will the Broncos defense be able to improve under new leadership? If Manning retires, who plays quarterback for a team that I assume to be a contender?
This is an icky mess that Jon Elway has stumbled into. Its been swept under the rug in light of the on-field antics taking place in the actual playoffs. But once a Super Bowl champion is crowned and either Tom Brady cements his legacy and dynasty, or Russell Wilson solidifies his new one, all eyes will be on Peyton Manning. Can Manning sit and listen to how amazing Brady or Wilson is without itching to return and claim his own greatness? I couldn’t.
My instant reaction, Peyton Manning returns to the NFL for another season. But I’m not convinced it will be with the Broncos. If Manning leaves Denver, the Broncos will find themselves outside of the playoff equation next season.
TODD:
Something is fishy about the way this whole process went down.
John Fox takes the team to back-to-back AFC championship games and makes it to one Super Bowl only to find himself out of a job after one (admittedly poorly coached) loss. But he also wasn’t fired. Both sides “agreed to part ways.”
Does this mean Fox knew Peyton Manning is going to retire? Does it mean Fox knew Manning is NOT going to retire but couldn’t feasibly play the quarterback position anymore? Does it mean Fox was actually fired, just not technically fired?
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Then there’s Gary Kubiak. On January 11th Kubiak declared he was staying in Baltimore because, and I quote, “this is a special organization and we…are building something great. I want to be a part of that.”
A week later, Baltimore was no longer special and Kubiak accepted the Denver Broncos job. Was this a legitimate turn of events in that he didn’t want to be the head coach of any of the openings the previous week…but Denver was not on the board? Or did something nefarious happen to get Kubiak into John Fox’s job?
It’s all very fishy, and that’s before we even get to the fit between Manning and Kubiak, if the former decides to play another year. With Kubiak’s offensive system being different from what Manning has run, it may be awkward trying to decipher who’s actually in charge of the offense, especially if Manning never returns to his old form.
This is what makes your final nugget intriguing. I suppose Denver, upon hearing Manning wishes to play longer, could decide to release him. The Broncos move on with a new coach, new quarterback and reset this mini-plan that put up a pretty darn respectable performance even though it lacked the Super Bowl title. Manning rehabs and gives it another go elsewhere, hoping that the injury late in the year held him back more than father time.
No matter what happens though, it seems like all involved parties will be taking a step back next season. Fox in Denver > Fox in Chicago. Kubiak will be giving the whole head coaching thing another go with a team seemingly on the decline. And Manning himself is either finished or on his way out. At least things may be looking up for Brock Osweiler!