Saul: Healed Manning appears ready to pick up right where he left off

A 36-year-old man just a year removed from a broken neck shuffles backwards, looks down a field…A 36-year-old man just a year removed from a broken neck shuffles backwards, looks down a field full of some of the world’s fastest men in cleats, throws an oblong ball in the direction of one of his wide receivers and is then lifted and thrown to the ground by a muscular 255-pound defender.

It wasn’t the first hit Peyton Manning had taken in his life, but it was certainly the most highly anticipated one.

As the Denver Broncos’ new surgically repaired quarterback pulled himself up off the grass, there was an eerie moment of uncertainty.

Could he throw on the next play? Was he going to have to take a breather? Would his head pop off his body after such a hit?

The fanatical worry of Bronco fans was staring them in the face — all of their biggest nightmares had an opportunity to come into fruition. But then, as he has done so many times in his career, Manning stood up, adjusted his shoulder pads and jogged up to the line of scrimmage for the next play after finding his receiver for a 38-yard completion.

On Sunday, Denver got a glimpse of what’s to come from its new quarterback, who begins his Broncos career after spending more than a decade dominating the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.

While playing against one of the NFL’s best defenses, Manning was — pun intended — surgical. He completed 10-of-12 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a preseason game versus San Francisco.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Manning did all that work in less than a quarter of football. With less than a minute to go in the opening period, Manning had already accumulated those impressive numbers. He then watched the rest of the game wearing a visor on the sidelines.

“I thought we did some good things today,” Manning told a crowd of reporters after the game.

No, you did some great things today. This was Manning’s great revival, and anyone who saw the game knows that the fastest quarterback to 50,000 career passing yards and 4,000 completions is no longer a distant memory. He has returned.

Even more worrisome for the rest of the AFC West is word that Manning isn’t just back to his old ways on the field, he’s back to his old ways off the field, too.

Immediately after signing his contract with the Broncos, Manning’s work began. He organized workouts around the city. He spent mornings rehabbing and nights learning the playbook.

In May, the Broncos veterans realized something quite surprising: Manning knew their playbook better than they did. There is an aura around his work ethic, one that nobody can see until they experience it firsthand.

“It’s like he started looking at the playbook from an airplane,” Bronco receiver Greg Orton told ESPN.

Now the receivers, coaches and backup quarterbacks are chasing him, trying to earn his respect and his attention.

“You want be one of the chosen ones,” Orton added. “He’s so good at taking an unknown or young receiver and making his career blossom.”

So, after one of the biggest offseason moves in recent history, the Broncos’ door to success is beginning to open, and Manning is the one turning the handle.

But what of their former starting quarterback, the man who couldn’t lose, Tim Tebow?

Well, Tebow, now with the New York Jets, is a member of the first offense since the 1977 Atlanta Falcons to go without a touchdown in its first three preseason games. While Manning was dismantling the 49ers, Tebow was busy going 4-of-14 for 55 yards and one interception against Carolina — a team that finished 28th in the league in total defense last season.

With the opening game of the regular season less than two weeks away, Bronco fans should be finding comfort in their new leader’s success.

Although nobody will be talking about the preseason after a few months’ time, the signs are promising for the Broncos. With Peyton Manning in charge, things should only get better.