Peyton Manning prepares to face the 49ers in a preseason game. ()
Peyton Manning’s on-and-off relationship with the glove is back on.
The Broncos’ quarterback didn’t wear a glove on his throwing hand during offseason workouts and throughout training camp. But on Monday, in the team’s first regular-season practice, the glove made a comeback.
Manning has opened up about his use of the glove, mainly because others have forced him to. His neck surgeries left him with numbness in his fingertips, and he’s turned to the glove for added grip.
Many of his top targets — most notably Emmanuel Sanders — commented on the “zip” on his throws in camp, adding that the noticeable strength was all the more impressive because he was throwing bare-handed.
“I feel like he’s just trying to get more catches or something,” Manning said a couple weeks ago in response to Sanders’ comments. “I feel like he’s going through you to try to butter me up, maybe. I don’t know. For four years, it seems like when there’s not a whole lot to talk about, we always kind of go to the glove. It’s kind of the go-to move.
“I’ve mentioned it before, due to my injury, my hand has some issues. I’ve been forced to wear a glove and certainly in certain elements, have to wear a glove. I practiced with it in the spring. I haven’t worn it as much during training camp. I don’t really have a real set plan one way or the other. I feel pretty comfortable with both. I think that’s the main idea. Obviously, for 14 years, I never wore a glove in any type of elements—rain or cold. Due to my injury, due to the nerves, I’ve been kind of forced to wear it. That’s been that whole reasoning for it.”
