For the majority of these last six weeks, where Peyton Manning has been injured and away from the playing field, the idea of a quarterback controversy has been a moot point; Manning was not healthy enough to play, and the Broncos weren’t going to be forced into making a decision until he was.
Well, that day has finally come, and they made their decision: Peyton Manning will be in uniform this Sunday as Brock Osweiler’s backup.
Coach Kubiak to @KOANewsRadio: "Our team knows where we are at. Brock is our quarterback, and he's doing a great job."
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) December 31, 2015
Maybe just getting him on the field and in uniform is the next step in Kubiak’s mind, but there’s no question that if the Broncos felt they needed Manning behind center right now, he would be; if you’re healthy enough to suit up, you’re healthy enough to play.
Still, unlike reports stated earlier this season, Manning is taking this announcement in stride.
“That’s a good step,” Manning said, via DenverBroncos.com. “It’s been a long haul, It’s a positive step to get back on the field and maybe be able to make more of a contribution during the week of practice, and more on Sunday than just being in street clothes.
“I’ll do what I can to help the team, help Brock, and I’m happy to be more a part of it now than just being in street clothes and kind of quarantined in the indoor facility, working out on my own to be more a part of a team is a positive step.”
However you want to splice it, though, the facts are that Manning will be in pads and a helmet, he will be holding a clipboard and he won’t be on the field starting a game; that’s a backup quarterback.
And to prove how abnormal this will be for Peyton Manning, this will be the first game he’s been a part of a game where he won’t start the game at quarterback since 1994, where he replaced another Colorado sports’ legend as a Freshman at Tennessee.
Peyton Manning: expected to dress as backup for 1st time since Sept. 1994 (replaced Todd Helton for Tennessee) pic.twitter.com/Lh438psEth
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 31, 2015
All that said, this does not mean that Manning won’t get a chance to make a major contribution to this Denver Broncos franchise during their playoff run; Osweiler is the man right now, but all it takes is one injury or poor half and Kubiak is going to have a hard time not looking towards the Hall of Fame quarterback standing at his side.