Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning insisted he needed the bye week to recover. He wasn’t posturing. At 38 and dealing with a thigh injury, Manning was given a veteran’s day off Tuesday, as coach John Fox said, getting treatment and resting rather than practice. It was planned as a way to maximize the Broncos bye week before hosting the .
“Just a rest day,” Fox said of Manning.
The wide-receiving corps was given a similar concession. Demaryius Thomas (ankle, finger), Emmanuel Sanders (back) and Wes Welker helped worked the practice inside the field house, acting as coaches in drills. It took finesse to keep the crew on the field in recent weeks, particularly Thomas and Sanders, given their various bumps and bruises.
Linebacker Brandon Marshall (left foot) did not participate. He continues to improve from the injury suffered on a tackle against San Diego, but is using the extra time to heal. There remains confidence that he will start in the playoffs, but the Broncos don’t want to rush him into a setback that would compromise his play. Fox did not expand on Marshall beyond agreeing that he’s getting better.
Safety T.J. Ward (neck) returned to practice. He admitted on Monday that he wasn’t ready to go against the Raiders, needing a little more time to get over the mental and physical hurdles. David Bruton and Orlando Franklin, both in the concussion protocol, did not attend practice.
Manning finished his third regular season in Denver with 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He ranked second in the league in passing scores, one behind the Colts’ Andrew Luck.
Denver seeks balance this week between study, practice and rest. The Broncos will work out Wednesday, followed by three days off before returning Sunday morning for conditioning and meetings.
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or twitter.com/troyrenck
