Denver Broncos vice president and living legend John Elway owes Colts owner Jim Irsay the nicest thank you letter ever written — immediately. It was Irsay who indirectly offered Elway the escape hatch from Tebowmania that he was desperately seeking.
With Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady unlikely to hit the street anytime soon, Peyton Manning is about the only quarterback who could neutralize any fallout from Tebow's likely departure.
Elway and Broncos coach John Fox had announced they would stick with Tebow as the starter, but their hearts were never in it. Tebow's magical run was the biggest story in the NFL last season, but the Broncos never believed he could succeed long term because of his limitations as a pocket passer.
Signing one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time — even coming off a serious neck injury — provides a solid argument for jettisoning the popular Tebow. The Broncos will tailor their offense around Manning's every whim, and he actually has some talented young wide receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Don't be surprised if Manning's former Colts teammates such as Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, Joseph Addai and Jacob Tamme suddenly show up on the roster.
Some folks have said San Francisco would've offered a better shot at the Super Bowl, but Manning couldn't have been thrilled at the prospect of throwing to an aging Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree, who pulled a disappearing act for much of last season. The 49ers certainly have one of the best tight ends in the NFL, but Denver has better overall options in the passing game.
Teams such as the Giants, Saints, Packers and Cowboys (bear with me) had to breathe a sigh of relief that Manning didn't end up with the 49ers. Now, San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh has to convince Alex Smith to keep the right mindset despite his organization falling all over itself to replace him with Manning.
Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams sounded shocked by Monday's news. He thought he had a home-field advantage because of Manning's "favorite son" status in Knoxville and his love of that part of the country. But it's not like the Titans had a great situation at receiver, either. Kenny Britt has been spectacular at times, but he's had off-the-field issues. Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck will compete for the starting role in training camp. By being so bold in his pursuit of Manning, Adams probably undermined his team's opportunity to land free agents at other positions.
But now the focus is on the Broncos' playoff hopes with Manning. If you can backdoor your way into the playoffs in an awful division with Tebow, you have to think a healthy Manning gives you a shot at 10 or 11 wins. The Broncos will return to a zone-blocking scheme that should benefit from the fear Manning causes as a passer.
The Broncos appeared to raise their play on defense to compensate for a lot of three-and-outs with Tebow at the helm. With Manning, there shouldn't be nearly as much pressure on the defense.
It's incredibly rare to see an elite quarterback on the street. Kurt Warner caught fire again after being relegated to backup duty for the New York Giants. He needed the Cardinals' first-round pick Matt Leinart to fail in order to lead his team to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Broncos are taking a gamble on a future Hall of Fame quarterback who is attempting to return from a neck injury. But when Elway considered the alternative (Tebow), this was a no-brainer.
One way or the other, the Broncos' quarterback situation continues to be the most enduring storyline in the NFL. And Elway has Irsay to thank for his good fortune.
