Am I right in thinking SF might have burned their bridges with Smith? What if they don't get Manning, and he doesn't want to come back? Didn't the Pats franchise Welker? And he is 30, so it is a bit of an open question how many productive years he has ahead of him. I wouldn't mind seeing a big-money offer like VJax's: big numbers, but a lot of non-guaranteed money at the back end as he ages. OK, better talent and coach, up for debate but whatever. Easier path to the playoffs, definitely. But why would Manning give a shit about the defense's age? I doubt he's planning on sticking around for five years. Hell he probably isn't looking much beyond this year.
Few things: 1) I can't imagine any other team where Alex Smith steps in as the starter than the 49ers or the Dolphins. Even in Seattle, he'd be competing for the job. If the Dolphins don't sign him (and I still expect them to sign Flynn), and the 49ers don't get Manning, Smith will have to go back to San Francisco. His options will be going back to San Francisco or likely backing up someone else and competing for a starting job. Personally, I think it'd be awesome if he signed with the Jets, just to watch Sanchez shit himself at the idea of some actual competition for the starting job. Rex: HOW THE FUCK YOU DOIN, BOYS! Dirty, you're competing with Smitty here for the starting job this year! Sanchez: *sobs like a two year old with a skinned knee* Rex: Not sure how such a whinny bitch gets that kind of pussy. YEE HAW I LOVE PUSSY! Almost as much as feet! 2) Welker was franchised, but from what I understand, it is possible for another team to trade for him if they're willing to offer him a long term contract, and if the Pats got sufficient compensation, they'd probably consider it. The Pats love to amass draft picks, and if they got a good offer of a few draft picks for Welker, they might take it. Especially with Gronk and Hernandez. Hell, at this point, Hernandez could move into the slot, or if Gonzalez worked out, it'd be good for them and they could afford to trade Welker. 3) As for the Baltimore/San Fran debate, I would side with Baltimore. Offensively, Baltimore has a better O-line (and Manning NEEDS a good, solid offensive line to keep him upright, he can't afford to take a lot of hits), a better running game (Rice > Gore), and better WR (I'd take Boldin and Torrey Smith over every San Fran WR). San Francisco offers better a better Tight End, more depth at WR (with the Manningham and Moss signings, it gave them more depth), a younger defense, and an easier route to the playoffs in a bad division. I think Baltimore offers Manning the best chance, if they'd enter the running. People are saying Manning would prefer an AFC team to (presumably) not block his brother from the Superbowl. Baltimore's division isn't exactly amazing. The Steelers are always a contender, but the Browns are just awful, and Cincy has had their one good season for this decade, so I'd think they'd be immediate playoff and Superbowl contenders. San Francisco doesn't offer as much as Baltimore. Unfortunately, Baltimore refuses to acknowledge that the weakest part of their team is Flacco. Flacco "wins," but only by virtue of playing on an otherwise excellent, championship-caliber team. Edit: Well, fuck, guess I was wrong about Flynn. Flynn signs three year deal with Seattle. Looks like the Dolphins need Smith, now.
Considering his brother already has twice as many rings as him, that's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard.
I would have to respectfully disagree. "San Francisco doesn't offer as much as Baltimore." THAT is the dumbest fucking thing I have ever heard.
It's more official than it was 2 hours ago. How much cock did Elway suck to finally have a reason to get rid of Tebow? I feel so bad for Wheelz, he's going to be heartbroken. I don't want to call the man a bitch or anything (yes I do, I hate Manning) it is annoying that he now has the easiest fucking road to the playoffs now. The AFCW is weak as shit. Bets on where Tebow is going. Does Jacksonville make the business move to fill seats and jettison Gabbert? Well knowing how well Gabbert played, it might be a smart football move also.
If you were Peyton Manning, would you want to deal with the white noise that is the Tim Tebow Army? As soon so you took a hit or had a bad game, every evangelical Christian west of the Mississippi would be screaming for Tebow to be put in. Fuck that shit. Send him to Miami where QBs go to die.
Anyone feel like the Broncos acquiring Manning lends more credence (not saying it proves it) to the argument that Broncos management was trying to set up Tebow to fail so they could get a higher draft pick and axe him? What surprises me most is that Manning is evidently willing to play 8 home games in Denver's weather. I felt like Arizona or SF were better choices for him, but we'll see.
I would take him, but the team's reputation cannot survive the hit at this point. I would play him in the red zone...Wildcat style. And we aren't into other team's backups anymore. See Matt Flynn.
I do! I do! Me! Me! Me! Manning is not going to last 3 years. The fact is he's going to get hit, and it makes football sense and financial sense (he sells jersey's and tickets like no other) to keep him. Manning is Peyton Fucking Manning, no Broncos fan is going to freak out after one or two bad games. The man has a ring and HOF spot already. I'm not a huge fan of this QB hot potato that has to go on with Tebow. If really you really think that Tebow's support is soley Christian in Denver, you obviously don't know how fucking uninspiring / boring Kyle Orton (aka Captain Neckbeard) is. You also do not want your QB driving a Prius. Tebow is just more charismastic, better to look at, had two championships coming from Florida and blah blah blah cliche about back-up QBs. It also comes down to the fact that Tebow is the best back-up in the market, Fox has already coached him, the players already know him. If they trade Tebow, Manning gets injured, they can just call it a year. If they keep Tebow, have him get some Manning in his brain, they 1. Have an automatic 2 point conversion 2. Have an automatic goal line TD 3. Have their QB in 4 years while using draft picks to shore everything else up.
Stuff on Twitter about Broncos/Manning/Tebow: Read a story in Boston Globe that has convinced me the best landing spot for Tebow could be Patriots. Learn from Brady. Reunite w/ McDaniels Interesting. Bill is pretty much untouchable at this point. Even if he flipped him in 2 years, it might be worth a shot. Brady is 35 himself. Tenn source tells me Titans felt Manning turned off by circus potential there ... Source in SF says SB-or-bust feel would have bugged PM. When did Manning become such a pussy? First it's helicopters in Fl, then too much attention in TN and too much pressure in SF. What if he shits the bed/field in Denver? It could happen.
I actually think that Tebow for Gabbert makes sense. Tebow and MJD would make one hell of a running game, and Gabbert would probably be a better fit learning behind and taking over for Manning. Then again, Manning's backups don't have a great track record for learning behind him. I don't think he goes to New England. He would be way too expensive for what he offers, and I don't think Belicheck has any interest in putting up with his fan base.
Some of this might just be damage control from those teams. Really, I don't see how one could reasonably think the attention and pressure will be less in Denver than in most other markets. We're talking about a team that had the media's darling last year and got to the second round of the playoffs. He's a week away from turning 36 years old, so those "Super Bowl or bust" years are fast approaching. I know Favre played til he was 87, but Favre was also the NFL's Ironman and I doubt Manning has that kind of physical longevity after this latest injury. Beyond that, I feel like he's going to be playing in the shadow of the mythological John Elway even more than previous Denver QB's because we'll be seeing a camera shot of Elway every game.
I like Manning and I don't think his situation is comparable to the bullshit Favre pulled his last couple of years. Totally different situation. I do not like John Elway and I would like to see Manning not work in Denver just so all the blame falls on him, much as he is getting all the credit for being a "great GM". How hard is it to scout Peyton Manning? And I think the pressure is that SF was a VERY good team without Manning and the only possible expectation with him is the SB.
Fixed that for you. I'm assuming these gambling sites are going to start offering prop bets on how long Manning can stay upright. Defenses love to exploit injuries. You can say that's unethical, but that's the league. Teams are going to be blitzing him hard, and looking to knock him out of games. If he does stay upright, the broncos are probably a legit super bowl contender now. Why not? They made it to the playoffs with Tebow last year, have a decent o-line, and a defense that's definitely on the rise. Padding their record in that terrible division certainly doesn't hurt either.
I gotta be honest, I think the Broncos should toy with the idea of moving Tebow to TE. He's big, he's strong, he runs like a beast, and every now and then you could fuck around, put him at RB like NE did with Hernandez and he might even throw a pass if you're not careful. Definitely would make their offense more versatile.
What makes the people who say this think that Tim Tebow can block worth a damn? He's strong and fast for his position. He's not actually THAT much faster than a lot of tight ends. Plenty of tight ends run 40 times faster than he does every single year, and they can block and catch. For example, you mention Hernandez. Who is bigger and faster than Tebow (presumably stronger, but Tebow didn't do a combine bench press)...and also knows how to play tight end.
What I really wanna know now is what the fuck SF is going to do if Smith signs with Miami now that Manning's in Denver.