I'm certainly not going to root against Peyton in Denver. However, I too hope this somehow backfires on Elway, Fox, and Bowlen. Their treatment of Tebow has been reprehensible. Poor Elway, obviously worried that Tebow may someday eclipse his own popularity in Denver...if actually given the opportunity.
Manning is or will be 36 years old very soon. He has nothing to prove and is seriously risking his health. Although a four time MVP, and, arguably, the best QB to ever play the game, he has only won one Super Bowl. I'm not sure how much the contract was for or what the terms of it were, but anything less than a Super Bowl win will be considered a failure. They had better shore up their OL in the offseason and with their draft picks. I'd hate to be the Offensive Lineman that was responsible for missing a block that ended his career for good...and maybe worse.
Rookie Stats Comparison (Manning vs. Tebow). (Assuming, for all practical purposes, that last year was Tebow's "Rookie" year (starter))
Note that Tebow started only 14 games compared with Manning's 16. In some respects, it's an "apples" vs "oranges" comparison, considering the different styles played by each.
MANNING (PASSING)
G
| Att
| Comp
| Pct
| Att/G
| Yds
| Avg
| Yds/G
| TD
| INT
| Lng
| Rate
|
16 | 575
| 326
| 56.7
| 35.9
| 3,739
| 6.5
| 233.7
| 26
| 28
| 78T
| 71.2
|
TEBOW (PASSING)
G
| Att
| Comp
| Pct
| Att/G
| Yds
| Avg
| Yds/G
| TD
| INT
| Lng
| Rate
|
14
| 271
| 126
| 46.5
| 19.4
| 1,729
| 6.4
| 123.5
| 12
| 6
| 56T
| 72.9
|
TEBOW (RUSHING)
G
| Att
| Att/G
| Yds
| Avg
| Yds/G
| TD
| Lng
|
14
| 122
| 8.7
| 660
| 5.4
| 47.1
| 6
| 32
|
TEBOW (TOTAL RUSHING + PASSING):
2389 YARDS
Yes, Tebow had a 46.5% Comp Pct and the jock-sniffing Caste "journalists" are always so quick to point that out, but how easy they forget how many dropped passes his receivers had last year too.
Anyway, it appears we may never know if Tebow could duplicate what Peyton did, because he probably won't be given the same opportunity, although, probably a better comparison would be to RGIII and Newton...both of whom will be given endless opportunities and not held to near the scrutiny as Tim.