Peyton Manning sat at his locker last week, making small talk. Ever polite, he looked up periodically. But his attention never left the game film on his iPad.
He is to quarterbacks what Pythagoras is to theorems.
The NFL wires his helmet with a radio device. DNA wired his brain with an Intel processor. Nobody sees a defense more quickly, more clearly than Manning.
It is marvelous. And hazardous to his health?
Let me explain. The Broncos face the Detroit Lions on Sunday with the . They rank last in net yards per pass attempt, last in yards per play and 29th in rushing yards. The blending of offensive principles looks like more like graffiti than Da Vinci. General manager , suggesting the adjustment would require time.
After two weeks, the Broncos continue to search for the right combination. It appears obvious Denver is prepared to run more out of the shotgun formation, where Manning maintains a comfort level. Though a small sample size, the Broncos have performed better out of the , 3.3 yards per rush compared with 2.7.
Manning excels when he can see the field rather than turn his back on the defense as required on handoffs under center. This represents an easy adjustment. And besides, the Broncos ran the ball well last season out of the shotgun so it should work.
But for it to excel, Manning, too, must compromise. He sees things in this offense no quarterback ever has. He is used to draining the play clock, making a last-second change. However, , audibles amount to calculus when the group is in geometry.
It’s OK to keep it simple for a few weeks until the running game gains traction. Manning has forgotten more football in one practice than I’ll ever know. My observation is related to the human condition, not the nuances of Spider Y Banana over 24 halfback blast. There are times the offensive line looks overwhelmed, going the opposite direction of Manning and the running backs. Even while playing catchup after missing the preseason, left guard Evan Mathis is too talented to play like this.
Kubiak represents a rare NFL combination of genius and humility, a leader willing to compromise to win. Manning needs to meet him halfway by relaxing the running play audibles. Not forever. For now. This reshaped, rearranged, inexperienced offensive line needs a handful of plays where the grunts put their hands in the dirt and fire off the ball without thinking.
The Lions’ 4-3 alignment offers an opportunity to revive the ground game, to begin establishing a physical identity. The timing is right after a half-bye week afforded by a Thursday game. , and Ronnie Hillman, 1B on the depth chart, provides a complementary burst to Anderson’s brute force.
For all its advances, the NFL hasn’t changed much. The idea is simple: pass to score, run to win. If the Broncos establish a rushing attack, opponents won’t crowd the line of scrimmage, won’t blitz Manning with a frequency he hasn’t seen since his rookie season, won’t hit him in the ribs and knees, strikes he won’t survive if he’s throwing 45 times. Manning recognizes this. He doesn’t want to pass 40-plus times a game in a one-dimensional offense with rush ends pinning their ears back.
The marriage of shotgun principles and basic run-game fundamentals can work. Nobody is better or brighter than Manning at getting an offense into a good play. But sometimes the audibles can affect aggression.
Footnotes. John Fox provided insight in his side talks with reporters during his days with the Broncos. He was a different man off camera. But as his Bears limp into Seattle this week, it’s fair to wonder if he should have sacrificed some of his coaching staff to stay in Denver. Uncle Foxy was always quick with a quip. There’s nothing funny about his Chicago Bears team, which lacks talent, depth and a healthy quarterback. … The Cowboys will be without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant for the better part of two months. Typically, it would wreck their playoff hopes. Not this season. It’s fair to wonder if 9-7 will win the NFC East.
Spotlight on …
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
When: Peterson begins his march against the AFC West this week with a game against the San Diego Chargers. Peterson set an NFL record with 296 yards rushing the last time the Chargers played at Minnesota — on Nov. 4, 2007.
What’s up: Playing against the Detroit Lions, the Broncos’ opponent Sunday, Peterson looked like a running back straight out of Madden Dynasty mode. He rushed 29 times for 134 yards in the Vikings’ 26-16 victory. He hasn’t posted back-to-back 100-yard games since December 2013.
Background: Peterson stood alone among current running backs for the first seven seasons of his NFL career. Then last season he missed all but the opener, placed on the commissioner’s exempt list while he dealt with legal issues involving a felony child abuse case. Peterson pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault, avoiding jail time. While his relationship with the Vikings frayed — Peterson was upset with the lack of support from the franchise — the former Oklahoma star remained in Minnesota.
Renck’s take: Running backs, like catchers, nose dive once they reach 30 years old. Peterson, 30, wants to be the exception. The Vikings held Peterson out of the preseason, a plan he followed in the past. It appeared the Vikings misjudged the rust in the season opener when he ran 10 times for only 31 yards. What made it so bizarre was that the Vikings forgot how good he was, stupidly using him as a decoy on the first drive in a 20-3 loss at San Francisco. Peterson appears poised for a bounce back, but will it be for 1,200 or 1,500 yards?
