Does Peyton Manning have one more Super Bowl run left?
Given that less than four years ago Peyton Manning was coming out of spinal fusion surgery, could barely throw a football more than 10 feet and yet recovered to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl, two seasons later it’s best to not doubt him. He seems to thrive on doubt, remembering every slight, every question, every suggestion he can’t do something great.
So what to make of his final weeks last season? The Manning of the previous few years was gone. He reportedly tore a quadriceps muscle in the middle of December and struggled through the rest of Denver’s games. He was clearly not his old self. But even before the injury there had been signs of decline. His passes in October and November lacked the zip of past years. Perhaps he had been dealing with other injuries earlier in the season and only needed to get healthy. Manning tends to be secretive about what is bothering him so it’s hard to know.
Denver’s new coach Gary Kubiak will run a different offense than the one John Fox had. Manning will be under center more, which could be good and bad. He lost a prime target in tight end Julius Thomas, but has gained Kubiak favorite Owen Daniels. Denver might be a little more traditional in attack, with less of the rollouts that became a Manning staple, but a bigger question will be if an offensive line that lacks Ryan Clady, out for the year with a torn ACL, is strong enough to protect Manning and develop a running game.
The Broncos will once again have a good pass rush and a promising secondary that might mean this could be a strong defensive team. Still, Denver’s Super Bowl hopes are built around Manning. They will go as far as his right arm will take them.
Is Jeremy Maclin the missing piece for Kansas City?
Back when Andy Reid was in Philadelphia, he drafted Maclin from the University of Missouri and watched as Maclin stretched defenses with his speed, making the Eagles’ attack as dangerous as ever. Now in Kansas City, Reid has lured Maclin with a free agent deal and has put much of Kansas City’s hopes for an explosive offense on his new receiver.
When healthy, Maclin is a difference-maker: one this team desperately needs. Last year Kansas City went the entire season without a receiver catching a touchdown pass. The last time a team did this was 1964, long before the modern passing era. Finding a receiver was the top offseason priority. So many other pieces are in place for Kansas City. Quarterback Alex Smith is an established starter now, running back Jamaal Charles is in his prime, coming off a season in which he ran for 1,324 yards. All Kansas City needs are players to catch the ball. In addition to Maclin, they now have other receivers who can help, like Albert Wilson, and another former Eagle in Anthony Avent, but Maclin is the player who will really make Kansas City’s offense move.
The defense should be better with Mike DeVito and Derrick Johnson, back from season-long injuries. The pass rush will again be an asset with Justin Houston and his 22 sacks last year. The secondary should also be strong, helped if Eric Berry is healthy after battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He has played well in the pre-season, but anything Kansas City gets from him is a bonus. The pieces are there for this to be a dominant defense.
If the offense becomes more dynamic and less predictable this can be a Super Bowl team. And nobody might be more important to Kansas City’s hopes than a receiver who played his college football two hours away.
Is Philip Rivers still in his prime?
The Chargers signed their quarterback to a lucrative four-year extension in the belief that, at 33, Philip Rivers still has a few high-level seasons left in him. In 2014 he threw for 4,286 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has always been accurate and he has a long history of helping to develop receivers. But the Chargers have never been able to extend beyond being a very good team with Rivers. Despite the fact he is sometimes underrated when people make their elite quarterback lists, he lacks the Super Bowl run many thought he would have by now.
Management has given him a running back in former Wisconsin star Melvin Gordon who should give San Diego a running threat and take some pressure off the passing game. The suspension loss of Antonio Gates for the first month of the season hurts but it could allow Rivers to find other targets instead of relying on one great player.
There are places where the Chargers seem better, including in the secondary, but the pass rush is still missing in a division with good pass rushers. As San Diego has evolved over the years Rivers is the player around whom the team is built.
Though he does not have the same fame that comes to other quarterbacks, Rivers is one of the best in the NFL. He has proven that year after year, even as the team has evolved around him. Few passers can stand in the pocket and throw accurately as the rush rolls in the way he does. Signing him to an $83m extension instead of trading him says a lot about what the organization believes he can still be in San Diego. With Denver fading, this can finally be his time.
Can Derek Carr be the answer for a team constantly rebooting?
Oakland has gone through so many reinventions it’s hard to keep them straight. Last year the Raiders decided to hand their franchise to rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who showed signs of being a franchise passer they have long lacked. He threw for 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions while playing on a dreadful team with few offensive weapons and an awful defense.
This year, he has been given rookie receive Amari Cooper, the former Alabama star, who has the talent to be great in the NFL. Together, they can be a fantastic combination – one the Raiders will be able to build upon for years wherever they wind up playing. Already he has shown a glimpse of his promise in training camp and preseason games. Finally, the Raiders might have something real to build upon.
They will need anything Carr and Cooper can give them because defensively this is still a dreadful team. New coach Jack Del Rio has a history of building defenses, especially aggressive ones. Oakland only had 22 sacks last year so making this group dominant will be a challenge. Their best player is 39. Relying upon Charles Woodson to carry the defense is ridiculous. Linebacker Khalil Mack is good against the run but the pass rush is going to have to come from somewhere.
Still, there are signs the Raiders are headed in the right direction. This is new. Optimism has come in small quantities around Oakland – even if the team’s days in the Bay Area seen numbered. Carr and Cooper are the best pieces of hope the franchise has had since the early part of this century. If Del Rio can mold an acceptable defense the Raiders might have a future – it’s been a long time since they’ve been ale to say that.
Predictions
1) Kansas City
2) San Diego
3) Denver
4) Oakland
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