Manning’s glove gives him better grip on the game

San Francisco (AP) — Peyton Manning has always done things few quarterbacks do, including wearing a glove on his passing hand. He began wearing gloves on both hands after joining the Denver Broncos in 2012 because several neck surgeries left him with numbness in his fingertips. The tackified gloves similar to those worn by receivers give Manning a better grip on the football. He had three of his best seasons statistically after he started wearing them. Quarterbacks have traditionally avoided wearing gloves on their passing hand because they feel they get a better grip on the ball barehanded. But companies are producing far better gloves. The NFL banned stickum decades ago. But advancements in sports science have led to gloves with even stronger built-in stickiness. Manning isn’t the only QB who wears a glove on his passing hand. Teddy Bridgewater also does it no matter the elements. Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have worn one in certain weather, too. Carolina’s Cam Newton doesn’t like gloves, either. “No artificial, just straight organic hands,” Newton said after the Panthers beat Seattle in the playoffs. When Manning ditched his glove in training camp, wideouts Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders said it didn’t seem to affect his velocity or his accuracy. But Manning went back to the glove when the games started. No doubt he’ll be wearing them in the Big Game on Sunday against the Panthers.