Peyton Manning

An interesting scenario seems to be forming along the corridor between Mile High Stadium and Soldier Field.
 

Over the weekend quarterback Peyton Manning was reported to have told John Elway that he was healthy and willing to return to the Broncos for another season.

(US Presswire)

 It wasn't a surprise to me. I said all along that Manning was going to return whether or not he was on one leg and possessed half a throwing arm. Manning is all about "me" and that means records and he wants to retire the holder of every passing record, which would mean breaking all of Brett Favre's records.

 

He broke Favre's record for touchdown passes this past season (530 to 508) and will break the yardage record (needing 2,148 yards and he will do that easily in the first eight games) next season. So reason one to return.

 

Now I will digress for a rant. There are two people that gripe my butt as far as breaking records. No. 1 A pretender like A. J. Hawk breaking a truly great outside linebacker John Anderson's Packer record for tackles. More on that later. No. 2 Peyton Manning break the touchdown passes record.

 

If you look at the breakdown of Manning's touchdown passes I contend at least a third of them or more are under five yards. That is cheap. Most quarterbacks would hand off in that situation, but Manning wants the glory and that is why he throws. If Favre would have thrown from the five I bet he would have had 600 touchdown passes. Favre may have been a lot of things (especially near the end), but one thing he never was was a stat queen. Manning is all about himself while for the majority of his career Favre was for the team. That is why I've never been a Manning fan. That and the fact for a stretch of five years he was on every commercial. Reason enough to hate him.

Now back to the business at hand. Next season he should also break the completion record (needing 374 - which may seem like a lot but he averaged 415 completions over his three years with the Broncos, including 395 last season), too.

 

He will need to play two more years and I believe down to my core he will play long enough to break the attempts record of 10,169. He needs 1,121 and has averaged 566 per season over his 16 years. During his Broncos career he's averaged 613 per season, so that record will fall in 2016.

 

His neck injury stopped him from breaking Favre's consecutive starting streak. Thank God. He started every game since his rookie season with the Colts (208), until he missed the 2011 season. He has since started another 48 (without a miss) with the Broncos. If he hadn't missed the 2011 season he would have broke Favre's record of 297 in the 10th game of the 2016 season.

 

So, like I previously said, I fully believe and will predict Manning will play two more seasons, not the one season everybody is saying he will do. Remember you heard it here first.

 

Now back to today. As of noon today (Monday-Feb. 16) the Broncos haven't said yeah or nay on having Manning back. There is a good chance with him being owed $19 million this year they might decide to let him go. I would seriously consider that considering he is a THE "Stat Queen" of all time, who has the deserved reputation of falling flat in the playoffs. He was knocked out in the first round by Baltimore his first year in Denver - throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble, he was terrible in the 2013 Super Bowl - two more interceptions and a fumble while scoring just eight points - and was again terrible falling to his replacement in the first round last year - throwing no interceptions, but again losing a fumble and scoring just 13 points.

 

An interesting scenario is him being cut and going to the Bears for his final two seasons with a reunion with John Fox. I would love it and I would hate it.

 

(Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

First, I would hate it. The Packers have made a career of taking advantage of Jay Cutler. Like the Tampa Bay Bucs of the past when they were in the North you could depend on them making a crucial mistake and losing in the end no matter how bad the Packers were or were playing that day. Cutler is the same. Get in his face and he folds like a cheap lawn chair. Or if you don't get to him he will somehow throw the key interception and lose the game all by himself. I and Packers will miss him if he's gone either by Manning coming the Windy City or just because the Bears went to the Wizard and received a brain. We could only hope they never straighten out their front office. But stranger things have happened.

 

Second, I would love it. Two games a year to keep Manning from breaking the final three Favre standards. To see Manning running for his life would be glorious. I could get used to that. I think that is a distinct possibility, except for the fact Manning got Fox fired. But I think Fox would overlook that in order to get away from the other quarterback that will get him fired if they decide to keep Cutler.

 

What a dilemma. The devil you know (a great regular season and a crap out in the playoffs) or the devil you don't know (a terrible regular season and a crap out either at the end of the season or in the playoffs). Seems like Fox will be eating crap no matter happens.

 

Hating Manning set aside it couldn't happen to a better team. The Bears seem to be between a rock (Manning) and a hard place (Cutler). Good luck, Fox. Or forget that. I wouldn't want your job if it came with a Chicago Dog and a bag of chips. I'm hungry now, so it's taken me 40 minutes to write this and I think I will make myself a homemade Chicago Dog.