Peyton Manning's Arm Is Strong Now, But Is There Any Way It Can It Be All Season?

It’s training camp. Optimism abounds, there are notebooks to fill, and nobody ever bothers to revisit all the exuberant proclamations getting thrown around this time of year. Right now, Demaryius Thomas and John Elway are saying that Peyton Manning’s arm strength is up to snuff. This could very well be an accurate statement right now! But, it ignores results of the last two seasons at the Broncos’ own peril.

This past January, I wrote a piece suggesting that Manning should consider playing a partial year. Our video editor Michael Shamburger made this graphic showing what happened with his arm strength on a similar route early and late in the season:

It’s unsurprising that, with six months to recuperate, Manning would have some zip on his fastball. But, in the piece I just referenced, a body mechanics expert suggested the problem arose from attrition in the quarterback’s thighs, which gets exacerbated by more reps. It therefore seems likely that there’s a finite number of bullets in his chamber, and I dunno if firing them in August is the best use.