Tebowmania had grown to insane levels the season before, with the mobile quarterback winning a playoff game for Denver. But Elway knew Tebow wasn’t the answer at quarterback, and he aimed to get someone who could get them to the promised land. But in doing so, he knew it had to be someone talented enough that fans would not riot in protest.
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“Because (Tim) Tebow had such a fan base behind him — there was probably only one guy that we could have replaced him with that people would understand,” Elway said in a feature with the Denver Post. “And that was Peyton Manning.”
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Yes, only one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history could have eased the pain of Broncos fans. But even Manning wasn’t enough for some people. During a recent NFL podcast on The Ringer, Robert Mays and Kevin Clark discuss an event that occurred before the 2012 season began, after the team signed Manning.
It’s a great story, and provides some great insight into Elway’s thought process at the time.
