Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady enters the final year of his contract. The Broncos reportedly have launched talks aimed at getting his deal extended, despite concerns among the media that he has regressed.
But his job will be changing this year. Gone is the left-handed Tim Tebow. Right-handed Peyton Manning has arrived. And so Clady once again will be protecting the blind side of a quarterback.
This quarterback, however, needs more protection than any other quarterback Clady ever had protected. This quarterback has a history of neck surgeries, which may or may not have cured the underlying problems.
Clady doesn’t see it that way. “I’m just going to try to stay to the same spot, run the guy by the quarterback’s zone, or keep the guy inside,” Clady said recently, via Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post. “Not too much of a difference.”
As to his performance, he thinks it’s good -- and that it’s improving.
“There were a couple of things here and there that could have been better, but overall it was solid,” Clady said. “There is always room for improvement, and that’s what I plan on doing this year.”
Manning is planning on it, too. Actually, Manning is likely expecting it. And if Clady fails to take care of Manning, the would-be free agent likely will long for the day he can get out of Denver.