Did Broncos make right call with Manning? Nay

Back when John Elway was the Denver Broncos’ quarterback, he profited from “The Fumble” against the Cleveland Browns in the NFL playoffs. Well, now that Elway is the Broncos’ smartly-dressed GM, he has committed a “Fumble” of his own.Elway fumbled away his team’s future by picking up damaged goods in Peyton Manning – and pushing aside the promising incumbent, Tim Tebow.Look, we all know what Manning brought to the gridiron. A league-record four MVP titles. One Super Bowl victory. And an average record of 12-4 when he took the snaps for the Indianapolis Colts from 2001-10.Yet the man who signed Manning’s checks, Jim Irsay, still cut him loose, presumably for someone who has never taken an NFL snap, Stanford signal-caller Andrew Luck.You can say this reeks of Dan Duquette-style “twilight-of-his-career” hubris, but let’s add a little context.Look at your neck in the mirror. Important part of your body, wouldn’t you say? It connects your head to your shoulders ? it goes up when you step outside to see what the weather is like ? it swings to help you look in the side mirrors on your car.Well, Manning has had surgery on his neck “multiple” times, according to a March 9 Associated Press story. Those surgeries sidelined him for the entire 2011 season. Other media sources, including MSNBC and Fox News, reported Manning’s treatments included going to Europe to have his own fat cells implanted into his neck. MSNBC noted that this stem-cell surgery “is currently not approved in the United States, according to Fox.”Now look at that 5-year, $95 million deal Manning inked with Elway. That’s almost the same deal Irsay signed Manning to on July 31, 2011 (5 years, $90 million – Tom Brady money). Manning was due a $38 million bonus before he got cut, but still ? Irsay comes off as more knowledgeable than Elway – and, one might add, everyone else in Florida, Arizona, California and Tennessee who pursued this chimera.The Broncos already had a quarterback with potential in Tebow. Yes, he got pounded by the Patriots in the playoffs, 45-10. Yet in 1990, Elway’s Broncos got busted by the 49ers in the Super Bowl, 55-10. Like Elway eventually did, Tebow might learn from his mistakes if he gets the right cast around him.Unfortunately, that chance will never happen in Denver ? and one year from now, Elway might want to hide his face in his sleek coat flaps once this deal sours.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].