Peyton Manning’s return to action for the Broncos went pretty well in 2012, but, according to the quarterback, he wasn’t all the way back to his old self.
Manning spoke about his health at an event at the University of Tennessee this week and said that he still is waiting for some things to return after multiple neck surgeries and nerve damage. Although Manning admits that some parts of his game may never return to full strength, he also said that he’s already seen improvements over last season.
“You know, I still have certain challenges,” Manning told WATE-TV, via NFL.com. “When you’re dealing with nerves, I’ve learned it’s a patience deal. They kind of say it could be a year or two, or it may never come back, so I’m kind of hopeful. I kind of wish certain things would come back a little bit more, but I have learned to adjust and compensate in the state that I am. I still would like to make some more improvement. I still work at it. Obviously, I still can perform kind of status quo, but I still have hopes and (am) determined to try to seek some more improvement. But, yeah, I’m certainly better than I was last year. But I’m still not quite where I was before I was injured.”
Manning threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2012, so it isn’t like he’s building on a poor season. If he’s better, the Broncos offense figures to be even better in 2013 before you even factor the addition of Wes Welker into the mix for a team that didn’t figure to have much trouble moving the ball before adding the former Patriot wideout.