The News broke, and the questions immediately followed. Peyton Manning is a Denver Bronco, but what will come of Tim Tebow? What will the teams who lost the Manning race do now? How will this signing affect others this season, and many more after?
The Tebow question was answered quickly, or so it seems. Sure, we know John Elway said his farewell to the….Quarterback….and we know Tebow chose the New York Jets over the Jacksonville Jaguars. So the “Mile High Messiah” is now, “The Holy Apple?” “The Saint in the City?” Seriously, if you’re in the nickname business, could this possibly get any better? So Tebow is a Jet. That question has been answered, and a whole new list of them arose.
How Will Rex Ryan and Tim Tebow coexist?
-Tebow is known for his religious views, his saint-like ways, and his always positive attitude. Rex Ryan, on the other hand, is known for his foul language, and his constant trash talk. Doesn’t exactly seem like a match made in TebowLand. I mean heaven. However, there is always that chance that Tebow’s good ways can actually help Rex. The former Heisman trophy winner has talked repeatedly about his strong relationship with the Jets coaching staff, and I can’t imagine Tebow telling a lie. I predict things will go just fine between the two. Tebow is excited. Did you hear Tebow is excited? He’s very excited.
What will happen between Tebow and Sanchez?
- Tebow was not brought to New York to simply be a backup QB, no matter what the Jets claim. You can bet the Jets saw something in their 2011 week 11 loss to the Broncos and Tebow on Thursday Night Football. Remember the success that the wildcat formation had when it was adopted by Miami? Remember who coached it? Tony Sporano is that coach, and he is also now the offensive coordinator on the Jets. Hmmmm… Maybe a Tebow package? As for the starting quarterback, that man is Mark Sanchez, and though the fans will be calling for Tebow after the first Sanchez INT, Mark is the guy under center. Tebow is a capable backup, who will bring new, exciting elements into a boring offense, and intangibles on and off the field that the Jets lack. Those of you looking for a huge controversy, and a blow up in front of the pesky New York media, you can look elsewhere. Tebow just simply does things the right way. He says all the right things at all the right times, and the fit in New York will be a lot better than most people expect.
That’s not all Peyton Manning triggered by signing in Denver. What about the other teams that wanted him? What will they do now?
Arizona Cardinals- Maybe hope is not lost in the desert for Kevin Kolb. The Cardinals seemingly backed off in the final days of the Manning race, and are prepared to go forward with Kolb and John Skelton running the show, for now. With an improving team, and the chance of still obtaining a threat at wide receiver, the Cardinals should be ok without Peyton. Whoever Arizona starts, whether it’s Kolb or Skelton, they will still have Larry Fitzgerald to throw the ball to, and the guy can make QB’s look good.
Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins may be in trouble at the quarterback position. Who am I kidding? They’ve been in trouble at QB since Dan Marino left. Yes, they missed out on Peyton, but in their efforts to land him, they also lost track of their 2nd choice Matt Flynn, leaving him to sign in Seattle. So that leaves them with, (sorry Dolphins fans) Matt Moore and David Garrard to have a QB competition, which I expect Moore to win. Moore actually did OK last season, but losing Brandon Marshall certainly won’t make life any easier in south beach. The Dolphins are in for an offensive struggle.
Tennessee Titans- The fit in Tennessee for Manning seemed great, and up until they got the phone call from Peyton, they thought they had the edge. Matt Hasselbeck, when healthy, showed he is still a capable starter in this league, and Jake Locker showed a little bit of why he was so highly touted in college. Perhaps a Tim Tebow who can, you know, throw a spiral? The Titans should be alright at the QB position, which of course would be helped if running back Chris Johnson can return to form.
Jake Locker threw for 542 yards and 4 Td’s with a passer rating of 99.4, to go along with 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in 5 games in 2011
All this because of one player signing? Actually now that you mention it, there’s more.
Here’s 4 more people effected by Peyton Manning signing his name for the Denver broncos
1. Reggie Wayne- It was easy to imagine Wayne following Manning to play with his team of choice. However, it did not seem that Denver was interested in bringing him in, leaving Wayne to re sign in Indy, and help his future QB Andrew Luck.
2. Demaryius Thomas- Thomas became a breakout star at wide receiver last season. That was with Tim Tebow at the helm. Peyton Manning?…Tim Tebow?…Manning?…Tebow? Thomas will become a superstar in 2012 if he can stay healthy. He’s been good. Manning will make him great.
3. Eric Decker- He is exactly the type of receiver Manning loves to have. He can run the short underneath routes, and he has the big-play downfield capability. Again, see what Decker was able to do with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow throwing him the ball, then imagine what he will be able to do with one of the best QB’s to ever play the game.
4. Those Billboard Guys- It’s funny, I’ve only heard of two big stories ever in sports involving billboards. Both, of course, have now been effected by Peyton Manning. In Denver, it was “Start Tebow”. Tebow was run out of town by Peyton. Then we go to Miami to find “ManningtoMiami.com”. That didn’t last too long either. Come on people, save your money, time, and effort. If you make a billboard involving NFL quarterbacks, forget it, Peyton Manning is going to take it down.
Prediction for Manning in 2012- 4,050 yards, 32 TD’s, 12 INT’s
Prediction for Denver in 2012- 11-5, 1st place NFC West