John Elway calls out Ian Rapoport’s report
John Elway called out Ian Rapoport in regards to Peyton Manning.
Early on Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was not willing to play a backup role to Brock Osweiler. Manning is currently inactive with a foot injury, but when he is healthy, Rapoport made it extremely clear that Manning won’t be sitting behind Osweiler under any circumstances.
In the immediate aftermath, Broncos general manager John Elway tweeted out a respectful but strong rebuttal:
Peyton has never told Gary or myself that he doesn't want to be the backup. Any report or rumor that suggests otherwise is incorrect!!
— John Elway (@johnelway) December 20, 2015
Elway seems to drop the hammer on Rapoport, although we won’t know who is telling the truth until Manning is healthy. With current reports that Manning has injured his foot again, holding him out of Friday’s practice, it remains uncertain whether Manning will be able to come back at all.
The Broncos are 3-1 since Osweiler took over for Manning, when the future Hall of Famer threw four interceptions against Kansas City. However, Denver has not been able to generate much offense, going without a touchdown on its last 23 drives. If the Broncos are going to make any noise down the stretch, one of these quarterbacks needs to step up in a big way. Maybe Elway should just come out of retirement.