ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning’s presence is felt when he walks into a room.
When No. 18 walked into the UCHealth Training Center in 2012, the Denver Broncos culture instantly changed.
Exactly one decade later, the same can be said about Russell Wilson’s presence in Denver.
“I think you all can feel it. We all can feel it. The juice is different. I wasn’t around when Peyton was here, but from what I’m hearing, from everyone that was here when Peyton was here is that the juice and the energy is pretty similar,” Courtland Sutton said on Tuesday, as the team kicked off their offseason workout program.
“Knowing that we have a guy that has been at the top of the mountain before, has won a Super Bowl before, knows what it’s like to be at the highest level for his position and lead a team to a Super Bowl. I think everyone in the building understands the expectation, the standards are rising to everyone’s best. From the cooks to the equipment guys, to everyone in the building is understanding that we need to operate to another level. We’re operating in a different standard,” the fifth-year receiver continued. “It’s Russ plus Coach Hackett, the new coaching staff, I think everyone is bringing that new juice, that new energy into the building. I think everyone is buying into it and understanding what the standard is.”
Tuesday morning was the first day the 2022 Broncos officially met as a team during voluntary workouts.
Just after lunchtime, Sutton had already felt No. 3’s impact sweep across the organization.
“He’s making everyone tap into a different level. Everyone’s understanding that the standard that we’ve been at, bump it up a little bit. Everything is ramped up just a little bit more,” Sutton stated with a passion and excitement similar to Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett. “In order for us to get here, everybody has to bump their standards up.”
Wilson’s presence isn’t just felt on the offensive side. After attempting to carry the team for over half a decade, the defense is getting the Russ boost too.
“There’s no denying the different energy and vibe in the building,” Justin Simmons said with a smile after completing the first team workout of the offseason program. “The confidence that guys are walking around with. It’s great. I think having a guy like that that can do that just with his presence is exciting.”
The similarities to Peyton Manning don’t just stop with the new vibes, either.
“His knowledge of the game is to a different level,” Sutton said about Wilson. “You can tell that it comes to him so easy. He wants everyone around him to be able to understand it the way he understands it so that we can all kind of play as fast as we possibly can. It’s fun to be able to be in this space and be able to grow together.”
No. 18 will go down as one of the smartest minds to ever play the game. From Sutton’s comments, don’t underestimate Wilson’s football I.Q. one bit.
Wilson has another tangible similarity to The Sheriff too.
Before the start of the voluntary offseason workout programs — which weren’t exactly voluntary when Manning was on the team — Peyton would host his receivers at Duke for a passing camp to get ready for the offseason.
Less than a week after officially being introduced as Denver’s quarterback, Russ had flown his receivers out to his workout facility in San Diego to have a four-day passing camp together.
“It was nice to get that first introduction for us getting to meet him, he getting to meet us, kind of getting a feeling of how he operates on the field, how he sees things,” Sutton said about Wilson’s passing in March. “It’s so early on. To be able to feel the connection that we’ve already put together with doing stuff and doing the thing in San Diego and having the work that we already started here, it’s nice to be able to have him and the knowledge that he has, but also be able to break it down to a way that we can all understand it and we can all be on the same page.”
In San Diego, the Broncos’ contingent of receivers, tight ends, offensive lineman and quarterbacks — yes, Russ even included Josh Johnson and Brett Rypien — not only had on-field workouts, but also hit the film room together.
“In terms of just football knowledge, the guy understands football to a different level,” Sutton stated once again. “Having the years he has under his belt, it’s nice to be able to sit back and listen to the whys of why he wants to do things the way he wants to do them. Just learning. Learning as much around him. I know all of the guys, we enjoyed being able to be out there, learning, getting those reps, stealing as many reps as we can is huge.”
And, finally, much like when Peyton was in town, whenever No. 18 is on the field, the team always has a chance.
“We have an opportunity,” Sutton stated firmly. “We have a chance to go out and do what we want to do and we have the guy that’s under center that can get us there.”
That opportunity, in Sutton’s eyes, is bringing home the team’s fourth Super Bowl.
“At the end of the day, we can look up and be where we ant to be, which everyone wants to be at the top of the mountain holding a Lombardi Trophy and being World Champions,” Sutton said.
Peyton Manning instantly brought different vibes to Denver. He changed the culture upon arrival. Peyton demanded more from his teammates. No. 18 immediately brought championship aspirations.
On the very first day of the offseason workout program, Russell Wilson is already having a similar impact on the Broncos’ organization as one of the best to ever play in the NFL.
