One concern about Peyton Manning before and after his neck surgeries was the apparent drop in velocity on passes he was throwing. ESPN’s Ron Jaworski made the observation in 2010 that Tebow’s passes were lacking zip, and he wondered if the four-time MVP’s skills were diminishing. Then there were concerns last year that Manning had a “noodle arm” going, but that turned out to be temporary.
After missing the 2011 season, Manning signed with the Denver Broncos and had a spectacular season. He led the team to a 13-3 record, threw for 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions, and led the league with a 68.6 completion percentage. Now, can you imagine that at 37, Manning could be even better than he was last season?
Broncos wide receivers Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas seem to think that Manning has more zip on his passes this year than he did last year.
“I think (the ball) coming to you quicker can be he reads and comfort level with the receivers, too,” Decker told DenverBroncos.com this week. “But I think some of those throws that he fits in the holes, you feel a little more zip on it and he is getting it to you quicker.”
“I think he’s gotten a little stronger, but I can’t really say, because it’s my first time playing with a quarterback like Peyton,” says Thomas. “It was fun this past year, because I’d never had balls come at me like that — on time and stuff like that.”
Thomas’ remark is also commentary on Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow, who are the two quarterbacks with whom he previously played (he mostly caught passes from Tebow). Rather than focus on the Tebow slight, think about what this could mean for the Broncos this season. Peyton was already pretty awesome last year and he was still recovering and rehabbing his neck surgeries. What kind of numbers will he post if he’s now at full strength?
