Peyton Manning to.... Denver?

John Elway and the Denver Broncos have won the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes.  He was signed to a 5 year, 96 million dollar deal, with parameters based on his neck and having to pass physicals each year.  Yes, the Broncos just became Super Bowl contenders.

Manning's first visit was with Denver, and there is no doubt that Elway was able to keep him feeling comfortable.  He probably told him Tebow would be gone as soon as he signed (4th and 6th round pick to the Jets), and with the most cap room in the NFL, the team can still sign a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball.  Jeff Saturday, Peyton's long-time center, is scheduled to make a visit to Denver and will likely sign with them.  Having his signal-caller for the o-line would be a HUGE addition.  Dallas Clark is also a free-agent, by the way.

Denver has lots of young receivers, but Peyton liked Eric Decker coming out of college, and now he gets to have some fun with the guy.  Royal and Thomas are still young, but will see a much larger role with Tebow out of the mix.  Manning has never had a defense like this, and expectations are sky-high.  The Broncos will blow right through the terribly-coached AFC west, and for all the people wondering about his neck, Peyton doesn't take hits.  He goes down to the turf as fast as possible if he knows pressure is coming, or uses his impeccable footwork to make something happen.  John Lynch had the same neck surgery, and he speared people for a living, and I'd say he did pretty well for the Broncos.

Free-agency just started, and the draft isn't for another month.  We'll see what kind of pieces the Broncos can put in place, but i think things are only looking up.  Watch out for 4,400 yards and 32 touchdowns next season from Manning.

2012 Rockies Outlook

The Colorado Rockies certainly made some interesting moves to their roster this past off-season, and much of it flew under the radar thanks to the non-coverage from ESPN, or as I refer to them, the Eastern Seaboard Promotional Network.

When Jorge de la Rosa threw out his elbow last year, the re-shaping of the team began.  Ubaldo Jimenez was dealt to the Indians in return for Cleveland's future, LHP Drew Pomeranz(projected #2 starter), and Alex White who has a good chance to get into the rotation.  Jhoulys Chacin will likely be the opening day starter.  Jeremy Guthrie was acquired via Baltimore as well, and likely will be a 3 or 4 guy for Colorado.

Aaron Cook and Ryan Spilborghs were let go, Seth Smith was traded to Oakland for Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso, 2 pitchers who will probably make the rotation.  The Rox also let Ty Wiggington, Huston Street, Chris Ianetta and Ian Stewart go, players who never lived up to their potential.

O'Dowd made a big splash in free-agency signing OF/1B Michael Cuddyer from the Twins, an All-Star last year and likely taking over in Right Field.  They also signed Ramon Hernandez at catcher, Casey Blake(3b) and Marco Scutaro(2b/SS).  Cuddyer will be a great bat in the 5th spot, Todd Helton should continue to produce batting 2nd, and the rest of the lineup will be up in the air besides Fowler leading off.  Watch out for Wilin Rosario, a young catcher who has risen all the way from single-A to AAA quickly because of his strong arm and solid plate demeanor.  He could get the call fairly early in the season.

Overall, I like the talent they brought in this year. Stewart, Ianetta and Cook were not getting it done, and with bigger bats now in the lineup, they should have plenty of run support if Car-Go and Tulo can stay healthy.