Peyton Manning spoke with reporters Wednesday for the first time since his Denver Broncos were pummeled 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks in last February’s Super Bowl. He’s clearly taken the time away from the game to put that ugly loss behind him.
“You have to move forward. You have to kind of reestablish your identity as the 2014 team; 2013 was a good season in a lot of ways, there’s no question,” Manning said. “It did not end the way we wanted it to, but we have to build off that and try to take it a step further, try to finish. There’s no question, we kind of have to start over and reestablish the chemistry on this team with all the new players. That’s important, and that really starts on Monday.”
According to USA Today, Manning is currently in Denver attending a series of community events. He made the comments to reporters at today’s annual sports breakfast for the Boy Scouts of America, of which he is the headlining speaker. He went on to make it clear that despite the embarrassing loss to the Seahawks, the Broncos goal remains the same, to win the Super Bowl.
“That’s what I want to do. That’s what the Denver Broncos want to do. I’m glad to be part of a team that’s what they want to do. I’m trying to do my best to do my part, keep myself in good shape, get on the same page with my receivers,” he said. “I feel I have a responsibility to the team to be on top of my game. That’s what I think about every day when I go over there to work and lift weights and throw with my receivers is doing my job for the Denver Broncos. That’s what I’ve tried to do since I’ve been here and will do until I stop playing, I guess.”
Make no mistake the Denver Broncos are still to be taken seriously, However, I can’t help but wonder if Seattle may have exposed the Broncos a bit. Either way, the additions to their roster this off-season should make them a much more formidable opponent, especially on defense.