Judging players by their preseason stats is often misleading, and it's hard to truly judge how a player will perform in the regular season. In the case of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, every single action is being placed under the microscope since he sat out last season with a neck injury.
Over at SB Nation's Broncos blog Mile High Report, they take a look at Manning's past preseason performances and compare them to his 2012 results through two weeks. They ask the question if there is anything to be worried about Manning's play through the preseason so far:
The way I see it is that Manning is getting a feeling for his new offense. Remember in Kyle Orton's second year he had an incredible season? Remember how that year we went on to have the worst year in Bronco history? It is hard to judge a QB but pre-season play.
Clearly Manning has work to do but he will admit that himself. It is a whole new environment for Manning and he had not played since January of 2011 in a playoff loss to the Jets.
I think Peyton will be fine. Will he be 4 time MVP Peyton? Probably not. But He will be a damn good quarterback and with the Broncos defense steadily improving, I would not bet against the Broncos chances of being a contender. If Tim Tebow was as bad as everyone seemed to say he was, then the sky is the limit with PFM.
The only real difference in Manning's preseason performances compared to his past is that he has not thrown any touchdowns thus far, but overall this is still the preseason and any real judgement cannot be properly made until the regular season begins.
For more news and notes on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more happening around the league.
