Is Denver the right fit for Peyton Manning?

Thirteen days after he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts,
the Peyton Manning saga came to an end when the four-time
MVP signed his name on the dotted line of a contract
printed on Denver Broncos letterhead.

But did Manning make the right move?

Yes, he’s got 96 million reasons to believe it’s the right
move, but take the money out of the equation for a second.
Let’s assume all five of the teams Manning seriously
considered or visited with were offering near-equal
compensation (because this was never about the money,
right?)

So let’s break it down based on ownership/front office,
coaching staff, competitiveness, offensive line and
offensive weapons, shall we? I’ll rank each of the teams
1 to 5 in each category, and award 5 points for 1st, 4 for
2nd, etc.

Owner/Front Office

1 (5 points) – Denver Broncos – Pat Bowlen is a
respected owner and executive VP of football operations
John Elway is a legend and by all accounts, one of the
biggest deciding factors in Manning’s decision-making
process. I’m not sure how Elway’s presence helps now that
the ink is dry on the contract, but it got him to don that
hideous shade of orange.

2 (4 points) – San Francisco 49ers – Owner/CEO Jed
York is only 31 years of age, but has done a nice job in
rebuilding the 49ers franchise toward its one-time
dominance. President Gideon Yu, while not from a football
background, is a sharp cookie who served as the CFO for
Facebook and GM Trent Baalke is the reigning NFL Executive
of the Year.

3 (3 points) – Tennessee Titans – Bud Adams is an
aggressive and outspoken owner, who despite his less than
polite finger gestures from time to time, is respected
around the league. Senior exec VP Mike Reinfeldt has a
wealth of experience in the league as a player and exec,
and Ruston Webster, while new on the GM job, also has been
in league front offices for more than two decades.

4 (2 points) – Arizona Cardinals – Like it or not,
the Cardinals still battle the national stigma of being
the “same old Cardinals”, even though we in Arizona know
that isn’t the case anymore. Michael Bidwill and GM Rod
Graves have built a competitive franchise since the
opening of University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006, but the
longtime label on this franchise remains.

5 (1 point) – Miami Dolphins – What a mess.
Stephen Ross is loaded, which is a good trait for a sports
owner to possess. How loaded? Loaded enough to give $100
million to the University of Michigan School of Business,
which now bears his name. So with all that money, and
Ross’ willingness to spend it, why isn’t anybody signing
with the Dolphins? Good question. GM Jeff Ireland has
been roundly criticized and due to the Fins’ lack of
attracting top free agent talent, made media rounds in
South Florida earlier this week to explain things. “I
think he’s a guy that’s not trustworthy. He’s a guy that
doesn’t really hold up to what a GM is supposed to be,”
former Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said this week on
NFL Network. Ouch.

Coaching Staff

1 (5 points) – San Francisco 49ers – I know Jim
Harbaugh’s only been on the job for a season. But
considering what happened during that season, and what
Harbaugh accomplished at what was a dead program at
Stanford, he’s the best head coach on this list.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman is solid, if
unspectacular.

2 (4 points) – Denver Broncos – John Fox is a good,
flexible head coach who has led his team to the playoffs
four times in his ten years in Carolina and Denver. And,
he’s got a Super Bowl appearance to his credit. Mike
McCoy, the former University of Utah quarterback, is
entering his 4th year as an NFL offensive coordinator.

3 (3 points) – Arizona Cardinals – Ken Whisenhunt
is on a similar career path as Fox, having guided the
former laughingstock Cardinals to two playoff appearances
and a conference championship in his five years on the
job. Mike Miller, the offensive coordinator, is an up-
and-comer heading into his 2nd season on the job.

4 (2 points) – Tennessee Titans – Hall of Famer
Mike Munchak was 9-7 in his first year as an NFL head
coach. He spurned reported offers from his alma mater,
Penn State, in the offseason. Longtime NFL assistant
Chris Palmer is heading into his 2nd year as the Titans’
coordinator.

5 (1 point) – Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins have
new head coach in former Green Bay coordinator Joe
Philbin, who becomes Miami’s 7th head coach in 9 years.
This will be Philbin’s first head coaching job at the
college or pro ranks. Coordinator Mike Sherman takes over
the reins of the offense after his ouster as Texas A&M’s
head coach.

Competitiveness

1 (5 points) – San Francisco 49ers – The Niners
went
13-3 a year ago, and were maybe a botched punt return away
from taking on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Oh, did I mention that San Francisco has one of the top
defenses in the league?

2 (4 points) – Tennessee Titans – Under Munchak,
the
Titans were 9-7 a year ago, and seem to be a team on the
upswing.

3 (3 points) – Arizona Cardinals – Yes, the
Cardinals
were only 8-8 a year ago, but they finished 7-2, and that
included a hard-fought win over the 49ers in Glendale.
Coordinator Ray Horton has his defensive unit headed in
the right direction.

4 (2 points) – Denver Broncos – I know, I know
Broncos
fans…you were in the playoffs a year ago. Hell, you won
a playoff game last season. That doesn’t change the fact
that the AFC West was a study of mediocrity that allowed
Denver to back into that division title by losing their
last three regular season games.

5 (1 point) – Miami Dolphins – Notice a trend here?
The Dolphins were 6-10 last season, and missed the
playoffs for the ninth time in the last ten seasons.

Offensive Line

1 (5 points) – Tennessee Titans – RT David Stewart
graded out as the NFL’s top right tackle last season,
according to Pro Football Focus, while left tackle
Michael Roos ranked 6th. In pass protection, the Titans
allowed just 24 sacks in 584 pass attempts — the 2nd
lowest total in the league. However, the Titans ranked
2nd-to-last in the league in rushing despite having Chris
Johnson locked up to a big money long-term deal.

2 (4 points) – San Francisco 49ers – LT Joe Staley,
a 2011 Pro Bowler, anchors a good offensive line for the
49ers. San Francisco allowed 44 sacks in 457 pass
attempts a year ago and the line helped pave the way for
the 8th-ranked rushing attack in the league.

3 (3 points) – Miami Dolphins – LT Jake Long is the
single-best offensive lineman for any of the teams Manning
considered, and went to his fourth Pro Bowl last season.
Long allowed just 5 sacks and drew only 5 penalty flags in
2011 for a line that allowed 52 sacks in 469 passing
attempts.

4 (2 points) – Denver Broncos – While many have
touted the Broncos line to be a huge selling point to
Manning, their pass protection left a lot to be desired.
Broncos quarterbacks were sacked 42 times – not a great
number for a team that threw the ball less than any other
NFL team. LT Ryan Clady is also often put on a pedestal
as one of the top lineman in the league, but his Pro
Football Focus ranking was 66th in the NFL among tackles.
He also drew 12 penalty flags, 2nd-most in the league
among tackles.

5 (1 point) – Arizona Cardinals – There’s no other
way to slice it, the Cardinals’ line hasn’t been very
good. Much of the criticism is lobbed at LT Levi Brown,
who did show some improvement during Arizona’s resurgent
second half of the 2011 season. But the scuttlebutt is
that Brown will be moved to the right side, and there is a
lot of uncertainty on the line, as starting guard Rex
Hadnot was cut and right tackle Brandon Keith is a free
agent not likely to be brought back.

Offensive Weapons

1 (5 points) – Arizona Cardinals – As John Elway
was the a huge advantage in the front office category,
Larry Fitzgerald should have been just as big an advantage
in the weapons category. Fitzgerald has excelled in the
Cardinals’ offense no matter who’s throwing him passes,
and the thought of Manning throwing to #11 would have kept
NFC defensive coordinators up at night. But the Cardinals
boast more than Fitzgerald. Receiver Early Doucet was re-
signed and Andre Roberts returns, giving the Cardinals
three receivers who more than 50 catches last season.
Tight end Rob Housler should develop into a stretch-the-
field type and running back Beanie Wells returns as does
Ryan Williams, who missed 2011 with a knee injury.

2 (4 points) – San Francisco 49ers – The Niners
have beefed up their offensive weaponry this offseason,
signing future Hall of Famer Randy Moss to go along with
former Giants receiver Mario Manningham and Michael
Crabtree, who caught 72 balls a year ago. Tight end Vernon
Davis is a freak of nature who is a matchup nightmare and
running back Frank Gore is a steady threat in the
backfield.

3 (3 points) – Tennessee Titans – Chris Johnson ran
for over 1,000 yards again in 2011, but his output has
been cut in half since his 2,000-yard season in 2009.
Nate Washington was Tennessee’s top receiver in ’11, but
the Titans will welcome back the supremely talented and
knuckleheaded Kenny Britt, who had his season cut short by
injury. Tight end Jared Cook is one of the good, young,
up-and-coming players at his position.

4 (2 points) – Denver Broncos – Denver has a young
receiving corps headed up by Eric Decker and Demaryius
Thomas, but they combined for only 76 catches in the run-
heavy Broncos offense in 2011. Top tight end Daniel Fells
bolted to New England via free agency. Running back
Willis McGahee ran for over 1,000 yards at age 30, and
Knowshon Moreno remains an injury-plagued enigma.

5 (1 point) – Miami Dolphins – Outside of Reggie
Bush, there’s not much to be excited about in South
Florida after the trade of Brandon Marshall to Chicago.
Anthony Fasano is a decent tight end who caught 32 passes
and scored 5 touchdowns last year.

The Verdict

Considering the five categories, again assuming the money
would be similar from all five teams, and knowing that
Manning is hell-bent to get back to the Super Bowl, my
rankings indicate that Peyton made the 3rd-best selection
for his career.

Rankings

1. San Francisco 49ers (23 points)

2. Tennessee Titans (17 points)

3. Denver Broncos (15 points)

4. Arizona Cardinals (14 points)

5. Miami Dolphins (7 points)

Of course, if he’s healthy, Manning just might be good
enough to eliminate any disadvantage the Broncos may have
had in this process.

Just look at what the Colts’ record looked like with him
in street clothes.

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