Peyton Manning Hot and Bothered for Feisty Cold-Weather Broncos
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Kiszla: Peyton Manning hot and bothered for feisty cold-weather Broncos By Mark Kiszla The Denver Post December 8, 2013 Looking as if he needed a warm cup of soup, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning walked through the Denver locker room with a towel draped around his waist. On a Sunday afternoon when it was 18 degrees at kickoff, Manning had kicked Old Man Winter's rump and stomped Tennessee 51-28. A good day's work. But it wasn't done. "Hey, didn't we win the game?" asked Manning, his most valuable throwing hand gripping on a white towel. "There's cold water in the shower." No soup for Manning. His reward for 397 yards passing on a franchise-record 39 completions? A frigid shower. Hey, we know Manning is meticulous in his preparation. But does any quarterback really need goose bumps on his goose bumps to get ready for playoff weather? And maybe knuckleheads throughout the NFL can stop asking if Manning is tough enough to beat the cold. Here's a statistic that blows the mind: John Elway, the greatest professional athlete in Colorado history, started 231 times from 1983-98. He never produce 50 points in any regular-season game with the Broncos, not even when tight end Shannon Sharpe and running back Terrell Davis were his sidekicks. With three games remaining on the 2013 schedule, the Broncos of Manning already have topped 50 points on three occasions. When told that fact, the eyes of Denver running back Knowshon Moreno grew as wide as saucers with amazement. "We all know what John Elway did was amazing," Moreno said. "But, offensively, we're just trying to keep up with Peyton. He's always pushing the limits. And you can never out-think him. You've got to be on your P's and Q's all day, every day." Manning is constantly in a hurry, hurry. Snap the ball quicker. Score faster. In a blur of 4 minutes and 58 seconds that spanned the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third period, Broncos tight end Julius Thomas scored on a beautiful 8-yard pass, Matt Prater kicked an NFL-record field goal from 64 yards and Demaryius Thomas grabbed a 4-yard touchdown throw from Manning, Just like that an 11-point Tennessee advantage turned into a 27-21 Denver lead. Surrender the Titans. To tell the truth, Manning appeared uncommonly hot and bothered throughout much of his team's 11th victory, lecturing receivers after dropped passes and getting grouchy with offensive coordinator Adam Gase, even after Denver put points on the board. "Animated?" Manning said with a laugh, describing his feisty mood. "Adam and I are on the same page. We both want the same thing. We want to score touchdowns. We were both frustrated when we're down there close and have to settle for a field goal, especially when the game might be something of a shootout." Gase and Manning both burn hot. That's a good thing. Here is an example of their intensity and commitment to perfection: After Montee Ball scored to put Denver up by 23 points late in the fourth quarter, Manning and Gase weren't done. They studied overhead photographs of formations and plays while plopped side-by-side on the Broncos bench. "That's kind of his little spot, as well as my little spot, so we can talk about that series and the upcoming series," Manning said. On that humble little spot on the bench, all big things by the Denver offense are born. When the temperature drops to the teens, Manning is better than 99.8 percent of all NFL quarterbacks who have played on 70-degree afternoons. Against Tennessee, Manning threw 59 times, more passes than he had attempted in a single game during all his seasons in a dome with the Indianapolis Colts. When I approached Gase after the rout to congratulate him on an awesome cold- weather game plan, he smiled and gave a reply not fit for print. But his message was clear: Think this prolific offensive machine cannot turn over the engine and get humming on a winter day? Incinerate that foolish idea in Hades. The Denver defense is hurting, with key starters Kevin Vickerson, Rahim Moore, Champ Bailey and Derek Wolfe more than injured. All four defenders are either out for the season or questionable to return. For the Broncos to win a championship, Manning needs to stay hot, from now through the Super Bowl. Denver is averaging 39.6 points per game, best in league history. What's offensive perfection for these Broncos? 60 points? 75? OK, before getting carried away with excitement, maybe we could all use a cold shower. Paige: Broncos' Von Miller starting to look like his old self By Woody Paige The Denver Post December 9, 2013 Von Miller has been humbled sufficiently. Most of the other defensive players had departed the stadium jabbering and chortling after the Broncos thrashed and trashed the Titans and assured themselves a place in the playoffs on a hostile-cold Sunday afternoon. Miller — the former defensive rookie of the year and Pro Bowl linebacker — sat alone, wearing only a towel and an austere expression, in front of his locker. He wasn't surrounded by a horde or a herd of well-wishers. "When you have 18 sacks (as he did in his second season), this game comes so easy," he told me. After the tribulations of this season, "I have to work so hard to even get one sack in a game. I'm just trying to get better every game and be a good teammate." Miller got better in the Broncos' 13th game and his seventh — after a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy. This was his most productive — with three XL plays: a sack, a tipped pass that was picked off by Terrance Knighton and a forced fumble. Two turnovers led to two touchdowns. Miller finished with three tackles, a quarterback hit and a personal foul for a late quarterback slam. He judged this his best game "because we won." The bespectacled Miller, once a flaming star, has seen his fire dimmed. He spent a month and a half on the dark side. Offseason pickup Shaun Phillips leads the team in sacks; Danny Trevathan leads the defense in tackles and is tied with Chris Harris in interceptions; Wesley Woodyard leads the defensive team at middle linebacker. There have been accusations that the time away and a weight gain corroded Miller's skills, and that offenses had figured out how to slow him, stop him, smack him in the face. When he returned to the lineup, Miller was an immediate difference- maker. In New England, he picked up a fumble and rumbled to a touchdown, then he stripped Tom Brady of the ball for another fumble that led to another touchdown in the 24-0 parade in the first half. But Miller's performance was pushed to the side when the Patriots rallied in the second half and won in the overtime. But, with the Broncos falling behind in the first half Sunday — an occurrence not so unusual this season — and the defense missing several starters and using players rarely seen this season (hello, Paris Lenon, Omar Bolden, Sione Fua) — someone needed to take over. Von Miller. "Von's a great player," Knighton said. "Von's getting stronger and stronger," Harris said. On Sunday he was the Von Miller who last regular season, his second, finished with 18½ sacks, 50 unassisted tackles, an interception for a touchdown and six forced fumbles. Yet, what he really wanted to talk about was an inside move that brought him a double-team and permitted teammate Malik Jackson to go outside to sack Ryan Fitzpatrick inches from his own goal. "We've had a lot of injuries, and different players, but I think we're coming together as a defense," Miller said. The Rubik's Cube that is the Broncos' defense hasn't been solved. Champ Bailey is in, then out. Derek Wolfe's ailment is a mystery. Kevin Vickerson won't be back; Rahim Moore might be. Woodyard hasn't been quite the same since his injury in Dallas, and didn't play a full game Sunday, and Duke Ihenacho was a part-timer, too Harris said: "They can't get me out of the lineup." After his first game back on the sideline, coach John Fox said the Broncos are "not satisfied at this point" with the defense and "there's room for improvement, and I'm not ashamed to say it." The Broncos got burned in the opening minutes on defense and special teams. "We've got to step on some throats earlier," Harris said. Said Miller: "I wish we could have started off a little bit faster, but that's all part of the journey of becoming the defense that we want to be." If the defense allows 21 points, there won't be issues. But the Broncos can't surrender 41, 38 or 34 and expect to make up for it all the time. And Von must be Miller. "It has been humbling. But I've got three games left, and I want to peak in the playoffs," Miller said. He dressed deliberately. It took Miller quite a while to get back to the locker room. He's not eager to leave it, particularly after a great effort. John Fox returns to Denver sidelines and lead Broncos to big win By Mike Klis The Denver Post December 8, 2013 To help get going for his first game back, John Fox rolled out of bed and quickly called on some Bob Marley and Chevy Chase.