Age catches up with every athlete, and it’s catching up with Peyton Manning now.
The 39-year-old Manning told Peter King of The MMQB that he hasn’t been able to feel the fingertips on his right hand since having four neck surgeries in 2011. Still, King pointed out that Manning’s completion percentage is higher since he came to Denver from Indianapolis three years ago.
Perhaps a lack of feeling in his fingers would be more of a concern if Manning were piano player, but it could cause problems when combined with his age.
Manning threw for five touchdowns and six interceptions in the last five games of the 2014 regular season. His passer rating was 85.3 or below in four of those games. He dipped below that number only twice in the first 11 games.
Then in the playoffs, his age really started to show. Manning completed 26 of 46 passes with a touchdown in the Broncos’ 24-13 AFC divisional round loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Denver. He completed only six of 19 passes (31.6 percent) beyond 10 yards in that game, according to Pro Football Focus. During the regular season, Manning connected on 112 of the 222 passes (50.5 percent) he threw beyond 10 yards.
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 11: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after losing 24-13 to the Indianapolis Colts in a 2015 AFC Divisional Playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 11, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Manning told King that he was playing through a quadriceps injury that he suffered in Week 15 at San Diego, that the quad cramped up because he was dehydrated from vomiting the night before. He said the injury lingered the rest of the year.
That’s quite a chain reaction, and a younger Manning might have been able to overcome the dehydration or at least recover from the injury quicker.
This is a quarterback on the decline, and it could get ugly behind that offensive line.
Protecting Manning’s blind side will be rookie left tackle Tyler Sambrailo, who was drafted in the second round. Rookie fourth-round pick Max Garcia is the left guard. The center is Matt Paradis, who watched and (hopefully for Manning’s sake) learned last year as a rookie.
Only right tackle Ryan Harris and right guard Louis Vasquez have played in an NFL game, and Harris is coming from Kansas City. He played the first four years of his career in Denver but hasn’t protected Manning. Vasquez is the only holdover from last year.
An aging quarterback behind an unproven offensive line is a scary combination. A more run-heavy offense would help. But while C.J. Anderson averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year, he started just seven games and it remains to be seen if he can really be a workhorse.
Manning’s in the conversation among the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. If he can add to his one Super Bowl ring, it would boost his argument to be considered THE greatest. But he doesn’t have enough left to win another one.