Manning in, Tebow out...

            Professional football history is full of great quarterbacks shooting for one last blast of glory at the end of their playing days. That’s what Peyton Manning is trying to do in Denver, where he has just signed with the Broncos. Manning is shooting for one last chance to perform with the brilliance he has shown ever since turning pro, leading a team deep into the playoffs with great mental focus and physical precision.

            History is full of quarterbacks, many of them Hall of Famers, who have left a franchise where they found greatness for another in the final season or two of their careers. But history is not so full of passers that have turned the trick successfully.

            Norm Van Brocklin left the Rams in the late 1950s to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and won a championship in his final game as a player in 1960. Joe Montana left the 49ers for the Chiefs and took Kansas City into the playoffs once. And how many times did Brett Farve reinvent his career?

            More common are the passers who reach out for one last chance to be a winner and can’t make it happen. When the legendary John Unitas left the Colts, the Baltimore Colts, to join the San Diego Chargers, things did not work out well. Ranked the best professional quarterback of all time by many, Unitas simply didn’t have enough left in the tank to help the Chargers on the field.

            The Los Angeles Rams tried to trade with the New York Jets for Joe Namath for several seasons before the teams finally worked out a deal, but the Rams got Namath a year or two too late. I remember attending a Rams game and watching Namath throw a touchdown pass. But, great as he had once been, Namath wasn’t the same by then.

            I hope Manning has several successful years in Denver. Manning is a classy, positive guy who reflects well upon the game. Denver is a great football town and you like to see loyal fans like those who love the Broncos rewarded with wins.

            But you have to wonder if the Broncos have landed someone from the Van Brocklin/Montana mold or a Unitas/Namath type. I don’t think we’ll know the answer to that question until the end of the 2012 season.

            It seems obvious that the Broncos will have to trade or waive last year’s hero, Tim Tebow. That’s a shame because the Broncos coaching staff did a remarkable job of creating an offense around Tebow last season and it was great fun watching Tebow-mania. It is hard to imagine another coaching staff being as creative as were the Broncos in their use of Tebow, which means the lefty with the odd throwing motion will likely be a bit player with another team.

            It is easy to guess wrong in March, but it seems from here that the Broncos have traded an ascending player with a fanatical following for a Hall of Famer, a very popular one, whose best playing days are behind him.

            Thanks for reading.