INDIANAPOLIS – One of the main storylines around this league this offseason is the future of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Various reports over the last couple of weeks have indicated the future Hall of Famer is assessing his health while he and the team decide what course to take, while at least one wondered if the Broncos even wanted Manning back.
New Broncos coach Gary Kubiak took the podium at the Combine Wednesday morning and seemed to leave little doubt when discussing is quarterback.
"I've had a chance to visit with him quite often in the last couple of weeks," Kubiak said. "He's been very positive talking to me and he was very positive talking to John [Elway] last weekend. We continue to move forward and I'll let him and John work that out."
Kubiak was then asked if he wanted Manning back and there was no hesitation in his answer.
"No doubt I want him to be [our quarterback] and I think all indications are with everything he's said, he feels good, he's had his self-assessment and he feels good about moving forward so we just have to continue moving forward in the process.
"I feel good about where we're at now."
As for Manning fitting into Kubiak's style, which often requires the quarterback to run a lot of bootlegs off stretch play actions, the coach wasn't the least bit concerned.
"I think he can do anything he wants to do," Kubiak stated flatly. "But you do what your players do best. It's interesting to me, I've been asked so many times over the last month about the bootleg and last year in Baltimore with Joe [Flacco] I think we ran the boot maybe 25 times all year.
"You do what your players do best and we're going to run the Denver Bronco offense and that's a big challenge for me right now -- meshing things together and getting ready to go do the things that Peyton does so well and has for many, many years."
It looks like that will be the case for at least one more year in Denver.
