Peyton Manning's handiwork through two preseason games has given us hints of the past, present and future.
The Denver Broncos quarterback has shown himself to be the same cerebral, intense player of yesteryear, but signs of rust remain.
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In Saturday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Manning's passes wobbled at times, and there's lingering concern about his ability to throw the ball to his right.
ESPN's John Clayton tracked Manning's progress through the summer and saw the quarterback struggle with passes to his right beyond 10 yards. This was evident in offseason practices, according to Clayton, who has seen improvement, but not perfection, through two preseason games.
Manning looks comfortable throwing to his left, but Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. told ESPN.com that defenses might scheme to seal up that side of the field, forcing Peyton into uncomfortable situations. Nobody's sounding the alarm just yet: "If anyone can do what is needed to get away with throwing with field limitations, it is No. 18," Williamson said.
Manning's second interception against the Seahawks came on a medium-range pass to the right side of the field. It was not a good throw by Manning. He overthrew his target, sailing the ball into traffic. Take a look:
Manning has struggled at times pushing the ball downfield. We've seen the old Manning on short, crisp routes, but he's not in midseason form on deeper fare. Some of this is physical -- getting back into form -- but part of the issue has to do with his new surroundings, new receivers -- new everything -- after many comfortable years with the Indianapolis Colts.
It's all part of a challenging, but also promising, comeback attempt for Peyton Manning (which we will not cease to analyze -- trust us).
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
