Rocky Mountain Shuffle

Yesterday news broke that Peyton Manning had formally given his agent instructions to get a deal done with the Denver Broncos. As a devout Tim Tebow fan, all I can do is lean back in my chair and say, “Thank God.” Tim’s time in Denver is officially up and he will soon be on his way to a team that actually has interest in seeing what he has to offer, since the Denver Broncos have made it perfectly clear that they do not. Please understand that when I say “The Denver Broncos” I am not talking about the fans, or the media, or the players, or anyone outside of the front office. I’m talking about John Elway.



Mr. Elway is the embodiment of the Denver Broncos. He is foremost symbol and personality of the Broncos organization. When John Elway speaks, he speaks for all of Denver. There is no other way to view it or understand it. Mr. Elway makes the decisions. Everyone else lives with it…and what a decision it is! Peyton Manning! Kudos to Mr. Elway for doing it right; the fans will never realize what actually happened.



Personally, I will be thrilled to see Tebow go. After achieving everything that Tim has to help turn around a floundering franchise, Elway’s lack of vision to see the situation for what it really is bothers me. If Tim had failed miserably in his first year as a starter then I could understand his point. Or if Tim had been an off the field issue or a problem in the locker room then there would absolutely be a justification for getting rid of him. If he was overpaid and the fan’s hated him, then I could make some sense of Elway’s decision. In fact, if Tim had done anything but become a leader, elevate the team, bring them into the playoffs, win a game that no one expected them to and put the Broncos on a trajectory towards recognition and success, then bringing in Peyton Manning is totally justifiable. The problem is that Tim did all the right things. He won all the games needed to make the playoffs after a 1-4 start. Most importantly, to me anyway, Tim proved that to some people winning isn’t everything.



Wow. I can’t believe I just wrote that. To John Elway and the Broncos, winning isn’t everything.



Winning...

...isn't...

...everything.

The good news for the Broncos is that they are now going to have a living legend quarterbacking for them for the next few years. Assuming that Peyton stays healthy, he will truly change the franchise for the better for the next few years. The problem for them will be after those few years, because ultimately Manning’s signing is two things: 1. a distraction and 2. a Band-Aid.

It’s a distraction because signing Manning allows Elway to dump Tebow without alienating the fan base. There are no instances I can think of (please provide them in the comment box below if you find any, thanks!) where a quarterback has pulled a franchise out of the muck and led them into the playoffs only to be summarily broomed the following offseason. Tebow is gone, but they have PEYTON MANNING!

It’s a Band-Aid because Manning is 36 years old and coming off a serious neck injury. I don’t put it past Manning to stay healthy and I do think that he will still be effective when he plays, but for how long? Also, how much longer does Manning want to play? Will Manning help build the franchise for the future or will he just run it until he gets bored or too injured to play? Judging from the Colts performance last year, Manning doesn’t typically leave a franchise with a legitimate chance to compete without him; whether its due to his salary cap eating contract, or his desire for certain players or his unique scheme preferences. All of these are legitimate questions, but with no easy answers. Here is what we do know about Manning:

1.) The Colts didn’t even try to keep him.



They knew they were going to draft Andrew Luck and that he would be their starter. The trial by fire method usually doesn’t work out well for rookie quarterbacks historically, so the Colts clearly were not comfortable with paying Manning his bonus due to his injury. If Manning was totally recovered, then it would have made sense to keep Manning, draft Luck, start Manning and let him rehab his trade value, and THEN trade Manning for multiple first round picks. While that’s an ideal scenario for an ideal world, please remember that they CUT Peyton Manning. Any conceivable situation for the Colts would have been better than simply cutting a hall of famer.

2.) The 49ers wanted him badly.



The 49ers by all accounts are just a starting quarterback away from a superbowl berth. Instead of focusing on resigning Alex Smith they became late entrants to the Manning sweepstakes, despite the fact that the move could have easily alienated Smith enough for him to consider the Dolphins 8m a year offer. But Manning didn’t seem to really consider the 49er’s seriously. Why not? Everyone in the media (and I mean EVERYONE) has been saying that Manning’s foremost goal is to win another superbowl. The 49ers are far better situated than the Broncos at this moment to make a deep playoff run. If the media is correct, and winning is everything to Manning, then why didn’t he make the obvious choice?

3.) The Titan’s owner wanted to “make Manning a Titan for life.”



He is on record saying that Peyton can have a blank check if he wants to play for the Titans. Well, one could say that this is just a case of an owner overstepping his bounds, but the Titans were serious and they put on a full court press for him. They passed on pursuing Mario Williams along with several other high profile free agents because of their focus on Manning. Spurning the Titans makes it seem like money and/or returning to the state where he played his college ball weren't top priorities.

I could be reading into this all wrong, and there is a good shot that I am, but with the information out there right now it’s hard to make sense of Manning’s decision. No one knows what Manning’s top priorities are or the motivating factors behind him signing with the Broncos, but it does seem like winning a superbowl, getting the most money, satisfying his nostalgia, playing in nice weather and breaking statistical records are all outside of his top 3.

Ultimately, for Tebow fans, it doesn’t really matter. The Broncos will soon be of no concern for them. Where Tebow ends up does, as does the strong likelihood that he will be brought in as a backup. There is going to be more waiting, more questions, more doubt; more of the same about Tebow. We are starting from scratch folks! Back to square one.

But to the Tebow fans, have faith. When I wrote earlier in the article that “Elway’s lack of vision to see the situation for what it really is bothers me” I meant that Elway, like a lot of people, doesn’t understand what Tim Tebow is.

In fact, if you want to have some fun with your friends, ask them to describe Tim Tebow for you in a single sentence. I’m sure there will be some funny responses and probably a few negative ones as well, but everyone will have to stop and consider your contribution of: “He’s a guy who’s breaking the quarterback mold.”



Because that is exactly what he is. He is winning games differently than winning has been done for a long time. It’s the very definition of idiom. He is a winner, a leader, a quarterback, a role model; all on his own terms. No one denies any of this. No one will argue against it. These are facts about Tebow as a football player and as a person. The reason that he is such a polarizing figure is because he is so different. There is not a single person on record that has ever met him and decided, “that guy is a douchebag!” Everyone that meets him likes him. Ask anyone that has actually met him their impression of him. Ask John Elway and HC John Fox. They speak very favorably of him as a person. They just don’t want him to quarterback their team because he is so different. He is too hard to fit into the mold.

The mold that every single owner, coach, player and sports analyst subscribes to. The mold that every single Pro Bowler, All Pro and Superbowl Champion ascribes to. The mold that every single prospect, scout, agent and GM prescribes to. The mold that franchises have engineered, refined, harnessed and won with. The mold that helps guide franchises through the vast array of personnel decisions that must be made annually. A mold that…ahhhh, you get my point!

Tebow doesn’t fit the mold; he annihilates it. He tears it apart and tells conventional wisdom to shove it. But not with his words, or his attitude, or his style of play or his constant praise of god, but with every single W he chalks up.



So to the Tebow fans, relax! Tebow very well may have to prove himself all over again, but leaving Denver will be a good thing. He will land in a place where he will finally get some actual backing. Somewhere where he is wanted. Somewhere where people will look at him for what he can be and not what he currently isn’t. He will land on his feet (he always has) and will earn another shot at starting sooner than later. If you consider Tebow’s huge upside, intangibles and add in this snub as additional motivation…this move is really in Tebow’s best interest for the long term.