Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning came back from neck surgery last season and put together a great season with one of the AFC’s top contenders. While Manning looked to be back to his old form, the future Hall of Famer said that he wasn’t completely back to his old self.
Now, that has all changed and Manning had some words that should strike fear in the eyes of his opponents.
“You know, I still have certain challenges,” Manning told WATE-TV, via NFL.com. “When you’re dealing with nerves, I’ve learned it’s a patience deal. They kind of say it could be a year or two, or it may never come back, so I’m kind of hopeful.
“I kind of wish certain things would come back a little bit more, but I have learned to adjust and compensate in the state that I am. I still would like to make some more improvement. I still work at it. Obviously, I still can perform kind of status quo, but I still have hopes and (am) determined to try to seek some more improvement. But, yeah, I’m certainly better than I was last year. But I’m still not quite where I was before I was injured.”
If Manning can find a way to improve on last year’s 4,659 passing yards and 37 touchdowns, then the Broncos are in great shape.
When you consider that Manning has a full offseason of work, rather than rehab, and a shiny new weapon in Wes Welker, it may not be as crazy as it seems to believe Manning could improve in 2013 and make us all forget that he is less than two years removed from neck surgery.