Woe are the Broncos. Wes Welker is suspended, and Danny Trevathan is injured.
Is anybody outside Denver feeling sorry for the Broncos? Nobody feels sorry for a team that has Peyton Manning.
Matt Prater, the great Broncos place-kicker who made a record 64-yard field goal last season, also is suspended. Is there concern in Denver about the Broncos’ chances in their season opener Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts?
Not really. The feeling is Manning can overcome the loss of a field-goal kicker by leading his offense to touchdowns.
Last season, the Broncos began with star pass rusher Von Miller suspended for six games. Dark clouds hovered over Dove Valley. The Broncos were doomed.
Instead, Manning threw 22 touchdown passes in the first six games, and the Broncos started 6-0.
Injuries are one thing. Every team deals with them. Distractions from bad news are a little more severe. It’s when times seem especially dire that a player such as Manning senses a greater need to lead.
“It’s different than an injury,” Manning said. “I still put it in the adversity category, so I think the way you deal with that is by closing the ranks, coming together even tighter, feeding off one another. I try to stay positive in those situations. Everybody else is talking about the negative going on. It’s when you can find out a little bit about your team and can you handle it. It’s easy when everything’s going smooth and you don’t have any types of adversity.
“Hopefully, last year will have prepared us for these types of situations. It’s the third year running we’ve had a starting player suspended (D.J. Williams in 2012, Miller in 2013, Welker and Prater in 2014) to start the season. I don’t think that’s something the Broncos want to brag about, but it’s the reality.”
Call the Colts-Broncos game Sunday night the Suspension Bowl. Manning’s current team will be missing Welker and Prater. Manning’s former team won’t have owner Jim Irsay and pass rusher Robert Mathis.
Despite all the Broncos’ troubles of late, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas haven’t blinked. The Broncos’ over-under win total was set at 11½ before the Prater and Welker suspensions. And it’s at 11½ now.
In Manning, the oddsmakers trust. Especially when trouble swirls.
“I don’t think he gets more intense,” Broncos tight end Julius Thomas said. “It’s not a switch that he dials up and dials down. It’s (always) all the way to the max.”
After practice and his obligatory Wednesday news conference, Manning’s gray Broncos undershirt was soaked with perspiration as he stood in a quiet hallway outside the players’ locker room, pensive as always.
The Broncos’ quarterback had just been asked numerous ways during his press gathering about Welker’s suspension. Predictably, Manning’s answers were both from the heart and well thought out.
In the privacy of the hallway, Manning was considerably more revealing about his thoughts regarding Welker. The two have become close during their past 18 months as teammates, and Manning genuinely felt for his friend.
“Nobody feels worse than he does,” Manning said. “He got up and spoke to the team today. He apologized to the team. He and I have been talking these past couple weeks knowing this might be a possibility. He’s not been able to sleep. He’ll learn from it and be better for it.
“As a team, we support him. We stick with him. It’s not easy to stand in front of the team like that. You find out during a time like this who your friends are, who sticks with you. Me and Wes and Jacob (Tamme) and Britton Colquitt do a little Bible study together, and we’re praying for him. A lot of guys are thinking about him. It’s not an easy time, but I think he’ll come back stronger and better.”
The best way for the Broncos to support Welker and Prater? Win. That’s where Manning comes in.
Mike Klis: mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis
