Julius Thomas was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Sunday’s win may have turned heads to the on-field chemistry of quarterback Peyton Manning and tight end Julius Thomas. The two connected for three touchdowns in the second quarter en route to a 31-24 win over the Colts, for single-game touchdowns by a tight end.
But, as Manning recounted, it’s not a new thing. It started back in 2012, when Manning first arrived in Denver.
Collective bargaining rules went into effect a year ago that barred players from practicing on team facilities until late April. For Manning, though, it was his first year of adhering to such rules since he sat out all of 2011 with neck injuries. And the changes, for a guy who practices harder than arguably any other in the league, didn’t sit well.
But, Manning being Manning, found a way to get in training.
“He was really one of the first guys when I got here to Denver,” Manning said of Thomas. “That brilliant rule that you can’t use the Broncos’ facility until, whatever, April 20, even though the coaches will be out there, you got this nice green grass.
“We went over to Valor High School, which has great facilities — you know, the track team is running around the track, there was a FedEx guy filming the whole workout. I don’t know if the package got there on time or not – it’s the little things you have to deal with. But Julius was one of the few guys – he and (Eric) Decker I was throwing with — and I remember going ‘Golly, a 6-4 tight end, those guys just don’t come around very often.’ And he could really run.
“But then, just seems like next thing you know, a previous injury (ankle) flared up again and he was just injured. So it kind of went away. But I definitely had a great, early appreciation of his talent and ability. So it’s great to get him back healthy.”
