The whirlwind that has been the last four days finally came to an end earlier today when it became known that Peyton Manning would be taking his services to Mile High to join the Denver Broncos. Peyton Watch had come down to the Broncos, 49ers and Titans with each offering a little something different. The Titans offered him the huge Tennessee fanbase from his UT days, as well as a potential "lifetime contract." The Broncos offered a ton of money and John Elway virtually salivating over him. And the 49ers? Well, they offered the best chance to win a Super Bowl, and I don't even think that one is up for debate.
Peter King has been throwing out nuggets he learned through some of his "sources" today. He claims sources in Tennessee indicated Manning was turned off by the potential circus atmosphere. One would imagine it will be a circus wherever, but given his past in Rocky Top, I suppose there is something to be said for that.
It was King's 49ers sources that had a more interesting nugget. According to King's sources, a Super Bowl or bust mentality in San Francisco "would have bugged PM." Given how much the 49ers clam up, I would take that with a significant grain of salt. Nonetheless, if this is in fact true, that seems like a weak reason.
While that might be a pain in the butt, isn't the whole point of this to win the Super Bowl? It can be difficult to deal with the pressure of favored team (see Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat), but you would think you want to be the team to beat. There is something to be said for coming out of nowhere to win it all, but you could argue it is all the more difficult to win it all when you are the favorite and everybody is targeting you from day one.
Peyton Manning is entitled to do what he wants, but that just seems a little weak to me.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, odds were updated for Super Bowl XLVII and the Broncos have jumped from 50/1 to 12/1. The 49ers were 18/1 following the Super Bowl and are now listed at 14/1 following their run of moves last week. I would imagine the oddsmakers are also assuming Alex Smith returns in 2012.