Broncos easing off Manning, veterans in minicamp
It has been an offseason full of changes for Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos quarterback is experiencing another major one at this week’s mandatory minicamp.
For the first time in his NFL career, Manning is accepting a lighter workload. He, along with a large group of other veterans, are being pulled by coaches from practice sessions and dispatched to the weight room, leaving the bulk of the spring practice reps for younger, inexperienced players.
That represents quite an adjustment for Manning, who has rarely relinquished a practice rep since entering the NFL in 1998. And it was certainly odd to see the five-time league MVP and a host of others (including Pro Bowl defensive players DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Chris Harris and Aqib Talib) jogging off the field while drills continued.
“It’s not like we’re in there resting by any means. We’re doing more intense lifting than the guys that are doing the team work,” Manning said. “I still feel like we’re practicing; we’re just doing some alternate things.”
It is all part of new coach Gary Kubiak’s plan to allow Manning, who turned 39 in March and was hobbled by a thigh injury late last season, to be fresh and healthy when training camp starts in late July while ensuring backups, such as quarterbacks Brock Osweiler and Zac Dysert, also are developing.
For the vets, it’s an exercise in practicing more efficiently — moving at a high tempo during the short time they spend on the field each day — while learning to let go a little.
“I mean, obviously, he would go every day and even longer than we’d ask him to. It’s just the way he’s built,” Kubiak said of Manning. “But I think it’s been good, because you spend a lot of quality time with the other guys.
“It’s just important for these young guys to get better. (Manning) understands that. He needs some help on this team. He needs some young guys to step up and help him be successful. He understands the cause, so asking him to do that is hopefully helping the cause.”
It has also placed a premium on classroom work, the one area where Manning’s advancing age is an asset. He has grown weary of questions about his age and scoffs when he hears a reporter refer to him as old — “Y’all keep using that word a lot,” he said, “there’s got to be a synonym out there.”
But he did acknowledge enjoying the challenge of learning a new offense while working with new coaches and so many new offensive teammates at this late stage in his career.
Manning needs to be challenged mentally to succeed, and he’s getting plenty of that as Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison install a new runheavy attack with mostly new terminology.
“Everybody likes continuity and some consistency in what you’re doing,” Manning said. “But I will say, at age 36 when I got here and now 39, that I have been stimulated by the changes. I do think that keeps you engaged and energetic and focused in meetings.
“I can tell you one thing I am not is I am not bored in the least bit. I’m stimulated, I’m studying, and I feel like I’m engaged and trying to learn something new.”