It's no secret that Father Time is staring Peyton Manning right in the face.
The quarterback is in his 18th season and has more than 70,000 passing yards to his name -- second most of all-time. There is no doubt that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.
Although Manning's career numbers have few counterparts, we have seen some slippage in his play dating back to Denver's 2014 Week 11 game against the St. Louis Rams. At 39 years old, it's easy to diagnose that age is the cause of the future Hall of Famer's struggles.
To help stretch Manning's career, the Broncos plan to rest their veteran quarterback during every Wednesday practice for the remainder of the season, according to NFL Media's James Palmer.
Sitting older players during practice in order to keep them fresh for Sunday is common throughout NFL circles. In Manning's case it's news because of all the hoopla regarding him being long in the tooth.
This a wise move by the Broncos' brass. One of Manning's greatest attributes is his football IQ. While his arm strength has diminished, his pre-snap reads and football intelligence still make him one of the best quarterbacks. No. 18 in his 18th season doesn't need to suit up for practice every day.
After all, we are talking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. But practice. In the famous words of another future Hall of Famer in another sport.
