Darren McKee On Why Nobody In Denver Cares About Peyton Manning HGH Report
BOSTON (CBS) -- Even though the Broncos aren't playing this weekend, the team seems to be the epicenter of most NFL news this week. Between the quarterback situation with Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, as well as the lingering HGH report, there's quite a bit to discuss for the AFC's No. 1 seed.
So Toucher & Rich called old friend Darren McKee from 104.3 The Fan in Denver on Friday morning to discuss a bevy of topics.
On Peyton Manning replacing Brock Osweiler in Week 17:
"Listen, let me tell you, the Peyton thing is a better story. So it's better for everybody telling the story … And I will tell you this, being there on Sunday, when Manning did go in the game, yeah, it did have all that magical spark in the crowd, and his teammates all of a sudden stopped sucking. They were incredibly bad, they were minus-5 [in turnovers] and only down six points. Brock has led double-digit comebacks against the Patriots and the Bengals. So to think that the Broncos were out with Brock Osweiler down 13-7 with 10 minutes to go in the third is preposterous. It's just that they were making so many dumb mistakes.
"And if you really look at it closely, they're up 7-3, Emmanuel Sanders fumbles the ball at the 5-yard line. If he holds on to the ball and the Broncos score there, Peyton Manning probably never takes another snap for the Denver Broncos. Ever. That's how crazy this story is.
On the reaction, or lack thereof, to the Al Jazeera HGH report which ties in Manning:
"It's a really tricky one, because believe it or not there is a reasonable reason why HGH may have been sent to Manning's wife. They were married for almost a decade with no kids, and then a couple of twins popped out, out of nowhere. ... There's enough there, I guess some women use HGH for fertility reasons, anti-aging reasons, so there's enough there to say that it's actually plausible to say that Ashley Manning could have been sent some stuff."
On the suspicious circumstances from which Ashley Manning could have received such shipments:
"It was a little house, they called it the Guyer Institute, but it looks like something you'd see in Route 1 in Saugus in a strip mall next to the Firefly Massage. It wasn't exactly the most reputable looking place, and they were sending it to Florida. The Mannings have a home in Miami.
"I don't know, guys. Here's why nobody cares about this in Denver: The whole HGH thing has nothing to do with the Broncos. It all has to do with Peyton Manning and his legacy. And in all honesty, I don't think there's one player on the Broncos who cares about Peyton Manning's legacy. I think that's true in the NFL; I don't think there's a lot of guys on the Patriots that probably care about Tom Brady's legacy. I think they care about what they're doing right now. I don't think the Broncos are any different than any other NFL team.
"Nobody really cares. None of the players really care, and nobody here in Denver cares all that much about Peyton Manning's legacy -- not enough to make it a big deal."
On Peyton Manning being rested and healthy enough to actually put together a Super Bowl run:
"Here it is. If you are ever going to succeed with Peyton Manning, this is it right now. You're not going to get a better situation with Peyton Manning, so if he goes one-and-done, if he fails again here, there are no other excuses. And I don't think Archie Manning can call up and make another excuse for his kid. By the way, at what age does your dad stop making excuses for you?
On the Patriots' losing two games to end the season and lose out on home-field throughout the playoffs:
"I can't even believe that the Super Bowl goes theoretically would go through Denver. [The Patriots might regret their end of the season] a lot! A lot! It's insane that you'd want to come out here. It's been the poison pill for the Patriots over the years. And trust me, the Broncos themselves -- the Broncos themselves -- are terrified of going to Foxboro. The players themselves. Not the fans -- the players!
"So I can't believe it happened. And yeah, I don't really get it. I don't understand it. ... I mean, the Patriots lost to Brock Osweiler. I know it's not Tim Tebow, but it's not that far away. ... I just, I'm amazed how terrified people are of playing in Foxboro, and that the Patriots couldn't take advantage of that when, boy, it was really right there in their hands. You had to beat Miami, in Miami? Oh my lord, come on."