We haven't seen Peyton Manning throw a touchdown pass since January 8, 2011. That's when the New York Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC wild-card playoff game, long before a string of neck surgeries led to Manning's year-long hiatus and a major career shift.
The big question for the Denver Broncos is whether they have a fully healthy Peyton Manning or a shadow of the five-time All-Pro.
Mike Klis of The Denver Post watched Manning through four weeks of offseason activities and judged the quarterback's arm strength to be at 85-to-90 percent of what it was before the surgeries. Klis told PFT Live on Tuesday that number was up from 65 percent when Manning started organized team activities.
"He really came a long way in that four weeks," Klis said, adding that Manning "threw crossing patterns with zip -- and on the money."
Amid the good cheer, Klis dropped an ominous footnote, saying he remains skeptical Manning will reach 100 percent this season, or ever again.
That's not what the Broncos want to hear, but we doubt they're losing sleep over the early summer estimations from an outside observer. We'll find out soon enough what they have at quarterback.
