John Elway may hope that Tim Tebow is the Denver Broncos long-term solution at quarterback, but that isn't stopping him from pursuing new free agent Peyton Manning.
CBS4's Vic Lombardi reports that the Broncos brass have already contacted Manning's agent and are "very active" in their pursuit of one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
But, Tebow time is far from over, the Broncos are one of nearly a dozen possible teams that are interested in signing Manning and it remains up for debate if Denver is a good fit for the former Colt. Many sports analysts, like Michael Silver at Yahoo! Sports, have pointed out that Tebow could benefit from having a vet like Manning around to learn from. Tebow, with huge potential, does need more work on his mechanics and other quarterbacking skills and having Manning as a starter and mentor could be a good thing for Tebow and the Broncos.
But, is Denver a good fit for the former-Colts star?
On one hand, the Broncos have John Fox and John Elway. Manning has a good relationship with both Elway and Fox and as CBS4's Lombardi points out, the Broncos are in the AFC, the division that Manning reportedly wants to stay in since his brother Eli, quarterback for the New York Giants, plays for the NFC. This way the brothers could not eliminate each other before reaching the Super Bowl.
There's also Peyton's age: 36. On another team, Peyton's age might be bigger concern, but Elway didn't win his first Super Bowl until he was 37 then won another at age 38, Elway just might be an ideal partner for Manning. However, Peyton's age and health, specifically Manning's injured neck, are an issue as The Denver Post reports. But, by most accounts, a healthy Manning could have three to four good years left in him and a good, albeit aged, Manning is still better than many other quarterbacks in the league.
On the other hand, 7News reports that most experts believe that Manning is likely to not choose Denver as his new home. Although Manning has remained tight-lipped about where he would like to end up, experts believe that Miami, Arizona, Washington, and the NY Jets are at the top of that list. 9News has a breakdown of the odds of ten different teams' likelihood of landing Manning and the Arizona Cardinals top that list at 19 percent. The Broncos? Just a 3 percent chance, according to 9News.
The Tebow factor may also be a drawback for Manning. If Manning started on the Broncos would the Tebowmaniacs put up Pro-Tebow billboards or still chant "Tebow! Tebow!" during games while Tim remained benched, like they did to Kyle Orton? It could be a contentious home for Manning in what are likely his last years playing pro ball.
Speaking of final years in the league, The Denver Post also aptly brings up the issue of the caliber of the rest of the Broncos squad. Sure Manning is outstanding, but does Denver need more than a superstar quarterback to win in the Super Bowl in the next few seasons? Manning would clearly want to wind up on a team that gives him his best shot at winning another ring.
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