Peyton Manning

Turns out we'll get to see Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady this season, although the matchup will look different than we've ever seen it. Manning has instructed his agent to work out a deal with the Denver Broncos, and a game at New England is on Denver's 2012 schedule. The opponents have been determined for teams, but the schedule won't be released for several weeks. In addition to their AFC West opponents, the Broncos will play home games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Houston, New Orleans and Tennessee.

Private quarterbacks coach Steve Clarkson has been making headlines this week by building up Tim Tebow, trashing Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos, and making a case that Tebow could be the savior of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. All this from a guy who worked with Tebow for just three sessions. Earlier this week, Clarkson -- a Wilson High School graduate who has worked with numerous quarterbacks, including former USC Trojans Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley -- had plenty to say during a conference call with reporters.

Peyton Manning wanted to stay with his team but was pushed out the door by ownership. LeBron James was leaving a team that desperately wanted him to stay. Which one do you think had the classier farewell? While there seems to be an ever-decreasing level of humility and grace in the sports world, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning gave a farewell news conference Wednesday and thanked the Colts and the team owners for giving him a chance to lead the team for so many years.

Peyton Manning is serious about putting in work during the off-season. In fact, he's already got new teammate and former Patriots receiver Wes Welker running pass routes at Duke with teammates Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, according to NFL.com . As a 12-time Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl XLI MVP, Manning knows a thing or two about getting ready for the regular season. But what you can't tell from his illustrious career achievements is that he's also got jokes. Everything appeared to be good between the Denver players; Manning even told ESPN that the work ethic of his teammates was motivating.

The Miami Dolphins figure to be one of the most aggressive teams in bidding for the services of Peyton Manning, who will be released by Indianapolis on Wednesday morning. In doing so, the Dolphins will be mindful of what happened six years ago when they let a prime opportunity get away. In 2006, the Dolphins were in the market for a quarterback and had a chance to sign Drew Brees, who was coming off a devastating shoulder injury. Brees had been released by San Diego, which had decided to cast its lot with Philip Rivers.

Peyton Manning has narrowed down his choices of potential teams to join as a free agent. Or so the reports say. But oddly enough, that list seems to keep growing rather than getting smaller, like most lists that are being narrowed down tend to do. Since being released by the Indianapolis Colts last week, the veteran quarterback has met with the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, spending at least six hours with each team. Reports early Monday said Manning had no intention of meeting with any other teams.

Free agency starts Tuesday, and Commissioner Roger Goodell is due to hand down punishments for the Saints' bounty scandal, but the biggest story in the NFL this week -- and this off-season -- is the future of Peyton Manning. The four-time most valuable player had a busy weekend, spending Friday and part of Saturday meeting in Denver with Broncos brass, then flying to Arizona on Saturday night and meeting with the Cardinals for 6½ hours on Sunday. He then flew back to Miami, where he has a condominium, and didn't meet with Seattle or Kansas City, a strong indication that those suitors are either out of the sweepstakes or facing fourth-and-long.

Now that one shoe has dropped with Peyton Manning choosing the Broncos, some of the focus shifts to the other -- what happens to Tim Tebow? It's likely that Denver will trade Tebow as soon as possible, and in fact that might have been one of Manning's stipulations for picking the Broncos. After all, considering Tebow's popularity, Manning wouldn't want the distraction of a segment of the fan base pushing for a quarterback change after a bad game. So where is Tebow most marketable?

Could the quarterback drama get any bigger in Denver? Maybe so. According to the Denver Post, Peyton Manning was on his way Friday to that city in a Broncos plane, along with team executives John Elway and Brian Xanders, and Coach John Fox . The newspaper confirmed that Elway, Fox and Xanders flew to Stillwater, Okla., to watch the Oklahoma State pro day that included quarterback Brandon Weeden . While they...

Peyton Manning is back where it all started for him -- at least for a look around. Manning, the former University of Tennessee star, is in that state to meet with the Titans, perhaps the last stop on his tour to visit with NFL teams courting him. According to the Nashville Tennessean, Titans Coach Mike Munchak, along with General Manager Ruston Webster and Chief Operating Officer Mike Reinfeldt, flew to Raleigh-Durham, N.C., on Wednesday morning...

Dietrich Riley wore a Cheshire cat-like grin as he sat on a bench outside Morgan Center at UCLA. His expression was the polar opposite from the hangdog look he carried around spring football practice a year ago. Riley has dealt with the unknown. He had been rushed to a hospital after a head-first collision with California running back Isi Sofele during a 2011 game. To play football again, he needed neck surgery. And there were no guarantees. The kind of direct, point-A-to-point-B path that Riley employed on the field as a hard-hitting safety didn't help him off the field.

A year after Denver made a huge splash by signing Peyton Manning, smaller yet significant quarterback moves have rippled west. Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle either acquired or dealt noteworthy passers Monday, and Arizona could be next to tweak its roster. All the jostling could have an effect on how early the top college quarterbacks will be selected in this month's draft. The Raiders traded for Seattle's Matt Flynn, sending the Seahawks two future draft picks for the quarterback who backed up rookie sensation Russell Wilson last season.

Wes Welker is saying goodbye to Tom Brady and hello to Peyton Manning. After spending six years with Brady in New England, the Pro Bowl receiver agreed to a two-year deal worth a reported $12 million Wednesday to team up with Manning in Denver. The Welker signing was the highlight of a big day for the Broncos, who once again made a major splash in free agency. Denver also came to terms on a two-year deal with defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, formerly of Jacksonville, and a one-year contract with linebacker Stewart Bradley, who played with the Arizona Cardinals the last two seasons.

Peyton Manning has built up a lot of credibility in the NFL. The four-time MVP apparently has decided to cash in some of it in an effort to ensure the league's best players continue receiving an annual expenses-paid trip to Hawaii -- a.k.a. the Pro Bowl. Commissioner Roger Goodell has threatened to get rid of the event if players continue to turn in lackluster efforts such as the ones that caused fans to boo last season. Before this year's game on Sunday, Manning told the players that such underwhelming efforts were "unacceptable.

Jeff Saturday and Peyton Manning spent 12 seasons together on the Indianapolis Colts, with Manning taking snaps from Saturday during most of that time. They went their separate ways this year. But with Saturday deciding to call it a career after this season, it was only fitting that they share one final exchange at the Pro Bowl on Sunday. Only one problem -- Manning now plays for an AFC team (the Denver Broncos), and Saturday an NFC team (the Green Bay Packers). Turns out, that wasn't a problem at all -- after all, this is the Pro Bowl we're talking about.

Peyton Manning leads the Denver Broncos into an AFC divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday afternoon in the chilly confines of Sports Authority Field at Mile High stadium. Now, who would have thought that was possible about this time last year? Manning was sidelined all last season following multiple neck surgeries and speculation had been mounting for months that the Indianapolis Colts would part ways with the four-time MVP of the NFL. So when the time came, Manning graciously accepted the Colts' decision to cut ties with him as the organization looked to draft Stanford wunderkind Andrew Luck with the first overall pick.

One of the greatest eras in NFL history is coming to a close. Peyton Manning will be released Wednesday by the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple reports, ending a months-long saga of what the franchise would do with the league's only four-time most valuable player. The news was first reported on ESPN.com. Manning, who sat out last season recovering from multiple neck surgeries, has said he intends to play this season, even if it's with another franchise. Manning, who turns 36 this month, won a Super Bowl with the Colts in 2006.

The Tennessee Titans are pulling out the stops to get Peyton Manning. Titans owner Bud Adams has offered the star quarterback a "contract for life," to come to Tennessee, hoping to lure him with a front-office position with the team once his playing days are through, according to a Houston TV station. Adams told KHOU Channel 11 on Wednesday he's not concerned about Manning's arm strength after his multiple neck surgeries that sidelined him for all of last season. "I'm only concerned how strong it is in September, when he starts the regular season," Adams said, adding that much as he likes second-year quarterback Jake Locker -- whom the Titans drafted eighth overall last year -- the franchise had to "go for it" with Manning.

Peyton Manning has been a perfect 10 for the Denver Broncos. Question is, can he make it 10 in a row against Baltimore? Manning has beaten the Ravens nine consecutive times, the first eight of those when quarterbacking Indianapolis and the ninth in December, when he directed Denver to a 34-17 win at Baltimore. The Broncos, looking for their first divisional-round victory since 2005, are riding an 11-game winning streak, have the league's No. 2 defense and a future Hall of Fame quarterback.

Peyton Manning flaps his arms, stamps his foot and plays traffic cop, sending Denver Broncos teammates this way and that. All the while, the play clock is winding down. Manning isn't just playing quarterback. He's playing chicken with the defense, baiting it to reveal strategy. His success before the snap is a reason he is counted among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and it's a tactic he will use Saturday in a divisional playoff game against Baltimore at Sports Authority Field.