ONCE MORE FOR OLD TIME’S SAKE

As Peyton Pey Manning prepares to make his Broncos Bronco debut tonight in Denver, he is only the latest late in a semi-long line of Hall of Famecaliber caliber QBs to start over late in life.

It wasn’t as though the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have a good team or a team capable of challenging for a division title. In 1992, even after losing defensive coordinator Bill Cowher to the Steelers, the Chiefs finished 10-6 and lost to the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers in a wild-card playoff game.

But even though they had their own stable of stars, including linebacker Derrick Thomas, the Chiefs made a move that instantly changed the dynamic of their team and turned every one of their games into a National Football League sideshow.

They acquired the rock star of quarterbacks — Joe Montana, a three-time Super Bowl winner — in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.

“The moment we made the decision to acquire Montana, it became a heartbeat for what we were doing as an organization,” former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “It validates what you’re working to do. And it became apparent when Joe committed to us, he was still a terrific, terrific player.”

At age 37, Montana proved that in his first game with the Chiefs in 1993.

On a hot day in Tampa, after spending the night in a hospital because of gallstones, Joe Cool passed for 246 yards, threw three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 146.0. Jonathan Hayes, a tight end with the Chiefs who caught one of Montana’s touchdowns, will never forget the moment.

“Joe was up all night with a gallstone attack and was in the hospital till 6 a.m.,” said Hayes, an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals who grew up in South Fayette and went to high school there. “They drove him right to the stadium and they had to [feed him intravenously] because he was so dehydrated. That’s the type of player he was. People don’t realize how tough a guy he was.”

Montana injured his shoulder in that game and did not play the following week against the Houston Oilers. The Chiefs lost, 30-0. When Montana returned, the Chiefs reeled off four consecutive wins and went on to win the AFC West with an 11-5 record.

More importantly, they beat the Steelers and Oilers in the postseason to advance to the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills. But Montana was injured in the second quarter and did not play in the second half, and the Chiefs lost, 30-13.

Almost incredibly, the Chiefs have not won another playoff game since Montana was their quarterback.