The Denver Broncos gambled on QB Peyton Manning's would recover his arm strength, despite a year under the knife and away from football. Well, according to the Denver Post's Mike Klis, the gamble appears to be paying dividends:
According to Klis, Manning did not look his best at the beginning of the offseason workouts, but eventually began to return to form:
I thought [Peyton Manning] went from 65 percent the first couple times I saw [him] ... As it went on, you saw him throw deeper and deeper. [In the Broncos'] second-to-last minicamp sessions -- which is really their last big one -- they had a two-minute drill and it was like the defense wasn't even there. He was throwing crossing patterns with zip and right on the money. And he threw two goal outs, one on the right side to Eric Decker and one on the left side to Demaryius Thomas, and he well out-threw the secondary for what would be touchdowns.
And though Klis saw improvement from Manning, he does not think the Peyton Manning of the mid-aughties will ever be back:
I thought he was 85 to 90 percent by the end. He really came a long way in that four weeks. I'm still little skeptical that he'll come all the way back based on the fact that this is unprecedented, remember, that a 35-year-old missed an entire season with four neck surgeries and then you're asking him to come back and be the same again. That would be unprecedented.
For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more news and notes as we approach training camp.
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