Peyton Manning walked to the podium in his socks Wednesday. Given the description of him nationally, you figure he’s so old and frail he just forgot his shoes or wasn’t strong enough to pull them on his feet. Then he talks, and it’s clear he’s sharper than ever. For the second time in three weeks, Manning poked fun at the press, injecting humor.
On the eighth question, he began story time when asked about a few of his highlights in the Broncos’ victory over the Detroit Lions. It was more Jack Earle Haley than “Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey,” but amusing nonetheless.
“You guys are getting so desperate. I had like these big throws and it almost reminds me of the ‘The Bad News Bears’ when (coach Morris) Buttermaker was trying to encourage his team. He asked whoever keeps the stats — Rudi — and said, ‘Look on the bright side. Two of our runners have almost reached first base and we did hit 17 hit foul balls. That’s the spirit,’^” Manning recalled. “Well, two good throws. I’ll take it.”
Manning delivered more than a pair of strikes. The inquisition was about two specific gems, not as if they were his only ones. Truth is, Manning played more like Kelly Leak, Haley’s character in the 1976 classic film, than Ogilvie or Lupus.
Beyond the obvious stats — 31-for-42 for 324 yards two touchdowns —there lies a deeper meaning understood by anyone who watched the game. The Broncos have played long enough through organized team activities, August and the regular season to know it makes sense to stay in the pistol formation.
They used it in the preseason, most notably in the third game against San Francisco, and employed it for all but three snaps at Detroit. It gave Manning more time to survey the defense — he doesn’t have to turn and drop back to hand off like he does under center — and improved the timing with his receivers. Manning delivered a laser to Emmanuel Sanders for a big first down. He put air under a jumpball for Demaryius Thomas and delivered a cold-blooded back-shoulder 11-yard touchdown strike to Owen Daniels late in the fourth quarter.
Manning looked comfortable, and safe. The Lions sacked him only once after the first two opponents dropped him seven times.
“We operated cleaner. That’s the best we have protected our quarterback,” Kubiak said. “There was some progress from that standpoint.”
More salient, the line held up even when Detroit knew the Broncos were throwing the ball. Denver finished with 19 rushes for 41 yards. The Broncos rank 31st in yards (171) and sit tied for last in yards per carry (2.6). The Broncos have no plans to abandon the run game, with Kubiak saying Wednesday, “it’s something that we have to continue to press with.”
This week reveals why. The Minnesota Vikings harass the quarterback, netting six sacks this season, while completely suffocating San Diego’s Philip Rivers last Sunday. If the Broncos can run better, it will open up play action.
For now, the pistol represents a reasonable compromise between straight shotgun and under center work. Manning can view the field, amplifying his audible strengths on pass plays. Manning’s footwork reflected his confidence in the offensive line’s improvement. He shifted in the pocket, finding throwing lanes that were largely absent in the Broncos’ first two games.
“Obviously when you have somebody open and somebody in the front is keeping you from throwing it, it is nice to be able to get to a spot to be able to deliver the throw,” Manning said. “I was able to get the ball to D.T.and make a couple of throws to (Bennie) Fowler there over the middle. The (Vikings) have a good front. You want to be able to throw it on time, but if you have to move a little bit to get it there, I think I can do it.”
The running backs insist the pistol will work for them, too. The traditional pistol features the runner in an I-formation behind the quarterback.
“It helps the quarterback. It’s not really an adjustment for us. We can make it work,” said Juwan Thompson, who practiced Wednesday after suffering a neck injury in the Lions game. “We did it last year.”
The Broncos have used the I-alignment. They also have had the running back sidle up to Manning. Tight end Virgil Green ran the pistol at Nevada with the offense’s inventor, coach Chris Ault.
“The reason coach did it was to get to the backs going downhill,” Green said. “In the pistol we can keep everything balanced. The defense shouldn’t be able to key on which way we are running. A lot of times out the shotgun, the defense knows if the back is on the left side, that you are probably running right,” Green said. “With the pistol, we will have the whole run game.”
After Manning’s yarn, the Broncos must hit foul balls on the ground, maintaining optimism through consistent effort. And it won’t matter if Manning continues to hit home runs in the passing game.
“I am not going to say that you have all been too hard on him, but there are some people out there who are,” Thomas said. “I hear it all the time. I see it, but I never say anything. If he didn’t still have it, he wouldn’t be playing right now.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or @troyrenck
