Jun 3, 2009; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning waits in the stands to film a commercial at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Well at least SOMEBODY is having an exciting offseason. The Denver Broncos just made themselves legit AFC contenders by signing Peyton Manning to become their new quarterback. Financial terms haven’t been reported yet but I’m guessing the number is somewhere between A Crapload of Money and Holy Crap I Didn’t Know There Was That Much Money In the Whole Universe. And just a few scant weeks ago we didn’t even know if Peyton Manning would be able to continue his career. If this doesn’t give Brett Favre the itch, nothing will.

Of course there’s another side to this story that from a media stand-point might be even more juicy than the Peyton Manning angle. The “Oh no, what will happen to Tim Tebow now?” angle. Will the Broncos have to trade him? Will they keep him on the team in hopes that some of Peyton’s QB power will rub off on him? I have this image in my head now of Tebow with his hands in his pockets kicking a can down a sidewalk. Don’t worry Tim, it’s all part of the Big Man’s plan. No I don’t mean God, I mean John Elway. In Denver Elway is God and God is just another deity.

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Dec. 14, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard (76) Steve Hutchinson against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Steve Hutchinson has already blocked for one future Hall of Fame quarterback in Brett Favre, and this year he could be blocking for another. ESPN’s insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are both saying Hutch, who was cut this weekend by the Vikings to save cap space, could be on his way to the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are also vigorously pursuing Peyton Manning, even though they already have Hutch’s former Seattle teammate Matt Hasselbeck and 2011 draft pick Jake Locker on the roster. Bud Adams wants Peyton in the worst way, and signing Hutch could be part of laying the groundwork for that to happen.

If things work out perfectly, Hutch will be able to say he lined up in front of both Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. And who knows? Maybe Manning will help Hutch get back to the Super Bowl. That would be a cool way for the former Pro Bowler to ride off into the sunset. For that to happen, Hutch will have to stay healthy, something he was unable to do his last two years in Minnesota. Even at 100% physically, Hutch is only a shadow of his former All-Pro self. At this point I’d rate him an adequate pass blocker and a barely adequate run blocker. But who knows? Maybe playing with Peyton will reinvigorate him.

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Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

I know it’s a cool talker and everything – that explains why Bob Sansevere did a whole paragraph about it - but the Peyton Manning-to-Minnesota stuff is just absurd. Do I even need to list the reasons why? It should be obvious to even the most delusional of fans why this topic is totally off-the-rails nuts. In case you’re hazy I’ll do a rundown. And it won’t take long:

1. Peyton Manning wants nothing to do with a rebuilding team at this point in his career. He wants to win now.

2. The Vikings promoted Rick Spielman to GM so he could bring the long-term vision that was lacking in previous years when instead of identifying and developing a young QB the team just grabbed for whatever low-hanging veteran fruit was available. Spielman’s job is to assemble pieces around Christian Ponder (or Joe Webb if it comes to that), not offer contracts to aging guys with dead arms.

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