Two Unlikely Front Runners

Peyton Manning has been busy since his release just a few days ago, meeting with two teams the Broncos and Cardinals.  When Manning was released neither of the teams were speculated to sign the former MVP, but now they are considered favorites.

If either of those teams were to sign Manning the entire perception of that team would change instantly.  Some of the ramifications would be far reaching into that city and others directly on the team.  Most importantly though the signing would make give the fans expectations that their team could be legitimate contenders.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals 2011 season was full of ups and downs.  They started the season 1-6, but ended up winning seven of their last nine.  The Cardinals seem to have an up and coming team that is in need of a true franchise quarterback that can lead them to the promise land.

If Manning were to wind up in Arizona, they would be immediate contenders to win the NFC West.  Their offense may be considered one of the best in the league with Manning.  They would have one of the best wide outs in Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells who is coming off his best season as a pro.

One of the more interesting repercussions if Manning were signed would be the future of Kevin Kolb.  Kevin Kolb was traded for last year to become the franchise quarterback, but his first season as their quarterback was injury plagued and unsuccessful.  If this scenario were to happen, Kolb would most likely be traded and even if it does not, this speculation has shown the lack of faith in him.

Denver Broncos

If there was a team that had more attention from the media in 2011 than the Denver Broncos I cannot think of them.  The Broncos started 1-4 and then insert Tim Tebow.  The unconventional, controversial quarterback led the team to an 8-8 record and a first round upset of the heavily favored Steelers in the playoffs.

In the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, the Broncos seemed to have come out of nowhere.  Tebow was thought to have earned the starting job going into training camp, but that I guess is not the case.  Most believed the Broncos would acquire a mediocre quarterback to compete with Tebow.  Manning however is not that, Manning would be the unquestioned starter and Tebow would be the one on the bench.

That being said with the pieces currently in Denver, the Broncos would only be a descent team.  Manning would much improve the offense, but with no marquee wide receivers and a defense that was good at times and not at others, they would be mediocre.  To me, the Broncos were fortunate to have an easy schedule and a quarterback that took teams by surprise.  Manning would add a lot to the team, but this situation is considerably the weaker of these two options.

All of this is speculation to this point and Manning could very well wind up in a different city.  However, it seems Manning sees something in both of those scenarios to go to those cities first.