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<v Speaker 1>We are excited now to welcome in Ryan Michael, a

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<v Speaker 1>Pro Football Hall of Fame contributor. Brian, how's it going?

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<v Speaker 2>Man?

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<v Speaker 3>Doing well?

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<v Speaker 2>Eric?

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<v Speaker 3>How are you guys tonight?

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<v Speaker 1>They're doing well. Let's start here by talking about an

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<v Speaker 1>article you just wrote for the Pro Football Hall of

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<v Speaker 1>Fame about Peyton Manning. He's a guy he did a

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<v Speaker 1>few good things around here. Huh, Nick, Yes he did.

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<v Speaker 3>Ryan.

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<v Speaker 1>Could you just tell us a little bit about this

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<v Speaker 1>four year rodeo that Peyton had in Denver and kind

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<v Speaker 1>of what stands out from a statistical perspective here as

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<v Speaker 1>we get inside the numbers.

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<v Speaker 3>Sure. Yeah. I actually had a chance to meet Peyton

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<v Speaker 3>yesterday at the Fanatics Fest in New York City. So

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<v Speaker 3>for anybody who didn't get the chance to go, it

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<v Speaker 3>was a fantastic, first of its kind event. Brady was there, Peyton,

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<v Speaker 3>Jerry Right, lt Ray, Lewis Cheater, Tyson, Cody Rhoads, pick

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<v Speaker 3>your sport. There was somebody who was there. A little

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<v Speaker 3>bit of something for everybody. So you know, listen, you guys.

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<v Speaker 3>You know Peyton he's a guy who is as gracious

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<v Speaker 3>to the fans, as humble with the media, with as

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<v Speaker 3>much reverence for the game as anybody I've ever known,

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<v Speaker 3>and so he's worked with Omaha Productions, what he's doing

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<v Speaker 3>with the Manning cast. This is a guy who never

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<v Speaker 3>lets up, and it was the same way during his career.

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<v Speaker 3>So in my article for the Pro Football Hall of

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<v Speaker 3>Fame that went live today, it's really just a breakdown

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<v Speaker 3>of that four year rodeo. And I've made the argument before.

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<v Speaker 3>My personal opinion is that his four year run in

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<v Speaker 3>Denver is the most impressive four year run that any

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<v Speaker 3>pro football player has had at any position in the

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<v Speaker 3>history of the game, not just because of what he

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<v Speaker 3>was able to do statistically, but certainly what he was

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<v Speaker 3>able to overcome in terms of the neck injury in

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<v Speaker 3>twenty eleven, in terms of the injuries he battled from

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<v Speaker 3>twenty thirteen really up to his final year in two

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<v Speaker 3>thousand and fifteen. So you know, to get started in

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<v Speaker 3>twenty twelve, you could make the argument that was actually

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<v Speaker 3>the most impressive year of the four given what it

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<v Speaker 3>was to come to a new organization, learn a new system.

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<v Speaker 3>In his first year back to action, He's named the

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<v Speaker 3>NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. He's named a first

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<v Speaker 3>team All Pro selection at quarterback, and he rewrites the

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<v Speaker 3>Denver Broncos single season record book. He would get even

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<v Speaker 3>more dominant the following year, starting with a seven touchdown

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<v Speaker 3>performance against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens and

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<v Speaker 3>finishes the year with five four hundred and seventy seven yards,

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<v Speaker 3>fifty five touchdowns and only fifteen and a half games.

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<v Speaker 3>Single season records that really haven't been touched or even threatened.

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<v Speaker 3>Dak Prescott led the NFL with thirty six touchdown passes

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<v Speaker 3>in a seventeen game schedule last year. Twenty fourteen was

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<v Speaker 3>more of the same for Manning. He got off to

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<v Speaker 3>it to a start where he was on pace to

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<v Speaker 3>throw for five thousand yards fifty two touchdowns again, and

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<v Speaker 3>then you know, the injuries began to take their total.

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<v Speaker 3>He had the quad injury in twenty fourteen and issues

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<v Speaker 3>with the planter fascia in twenty fifteen. We all know

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<v Speaker 3>how that ended. So if he if you check out

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<v Speaker 3>my article of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website,

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<v Speaker 3>it's really just a breakdown of all the individual numbers

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<v Speaker 3>and what he had to overcome to end his season

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<v Speaker 3>and to end his career with Sting Lombardi Trophy.

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<v Speaker 2>Ryan, do you think it's fair, because I think there's

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<v Speaker 2>certain places in the NFL that becomes tough for rookie

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<v Speaker 2>players at different positions. But here in Denver, when we

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<v Speaker 2>talk about the quarterback position, we're always talking about Peyton Man,

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<v Speaker 2>the guys who just talked about We always talk about

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<v Speaker 2>John Elway. People always forget over my you know, my guy,

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<v Speaker 2>Jake Plummer. But Bo Nixon is now falling or following

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<v Speaker 2>in those footsteps. Do you think it's fair for I

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<v Speaker 2>guess maybe for most people to start an early comparison

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<v Speaker 2>to bow Knicks to all those guys.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't think so. And I guess that's the penalty

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<v Speaker 3>you pay for having the fortune of having two first

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<v Speaker 3>ballot Hall of Fame quarterbacks, you know, to have led

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<v Speaker 3>the franchise to moreable championships. Right. So, while it's impossible

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<v Speaker 3>to not live in the shadow of John and Peyton,

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<v Speaker 3>I do think enough time has passed, and collectively as

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<v Speaker 3>an organization, we've battled so much adversity over the last

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<v Speaker 3>seven or eight years that it is going to give

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<v Speaker 3>Bo Nicks a bit of a fresh start. So seeing

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<v Speaker 3>him get off to the hot start that he's had

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<v Speaker 3>in the first two preseason games is certainly encouraging. I

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<v Speaker 3>was listening to everything you guys were saying earlier in

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<v Speaker 3>the show, and you know, so yes, living in the

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<v Speaker 3>shadow a little bit. This is a new time, this

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<v Speaker 3>is a new era, and I think the Broncos country

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<v Speaker 3>has been very welcoming. We're starving for great quarterback play

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<v Speaker 3>here in Denver, and you know, we're hoping that that

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<v Speaker 3>starts sooner rather than later.

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<v Speaker 1>Right. I assumed you agreed more with me than you

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<v Speaker 1>did with Nick. Yeah, yes, awesome, good, That's what I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to hear.

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<v Speaker 3>Rian.

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<v Speaker 1>When you look at young quarterbacks, and obviously you see CJ.

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<v Speaker 1>Stroud succeed last year, you see some quarterbacks not succeed

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<v Speaker 1>year one, and then take a jump. When can you

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<v Speaker 1>tell if a guy is quote unquote a hit or not?

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<v Speaker 1>And how long does that take? Generally? When do you think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know on bo Nix if he is a guy

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<v Speaker 1>that you can build around?

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<v Speaker 3>You know, Eric, that's really tough to say, because they

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<v Speaker 3>do think it's unique to every young quarterback situation. Using CJ.

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<v Speaker 3>Stroud certainly as an example last year and even Jordan Love,

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<v Speaker 3>most people would be surprised to know that they're scoring.

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<v Speaker 3>Defenses on the opposite side of the football actually ranked

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<v Speaker 3>higher than those teams did in scoring. And so when

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<v Speaker 3>you have the support, as Nick can appreciate as much

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<v Speaker 3>as anyone of a top ten defense, it certainly enables

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<v Speaker 3>a quarterback to play at his very best. We have

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<v Speaker 3>to be realistic. We're a team that's coming off the

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<v Speaker 3>season where we finish nineteenth in scoring, twenty seventh in

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<v Speaker 3>points surrendered. So if bo were stepping into a situation

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<v Speaker 3>comparable to what Pat Mahomes stepped into in twenty eighteen,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm confident he would be a Pro Bowl quarterback, if

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<v Speaker 3>not even better than that. And as excited as I

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<v Speaker 3>am for the roster that we've put together with the

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<v Speaker 3>limited resources we have, I think it would be disingenuous

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<v Speaker 3>to suggest that we're going to see something comparable to

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<v Speaker 3>a CJ. Stroud, Jordan Love, or even Pat Mahomes twenty

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<v Speaker 3>eighteen certainly type of season out of Bou this year.

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<v Speaker 3>So to answer your question, I don't know if we're

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<v Speaker 3>going to get the answer to the question as far

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<v Speaker 3>as the boom in year number one. I think that's

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<v Speaker 3>more likely. If that's if that ends up being the reality,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's what we're all hoping for. I think we're

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<v Speaker 3>going to have a better gauge for that in year

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<v Speaker 3>two or year three. As far as whether or not

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<v Speaker 3>a quarterback is a bust, rarely do I feel comfortable

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<v Speaker 3>making that determination After year one. I'm confident that bo

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<v Speaker 3>Nix is not going to be a bust. It's just

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<v Speaker 3>a matter of how high is this ceiling going to be?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Ryan, we appreciate your perspective. That is Ryan Michael,

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<v Speaker 1>contributor to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here for

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<v Speaker 1>Inside the Numbers, Ran, Thanks for your time.