He’s a two-time Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer. He’s now charged with leading the Broncos back on the road to New Orleans and the Lombardi Trophy. In a week when Roger Goodell laid the proverbial smackdown to the Saints in the bounty scandal and left no question as to his authority, Elway did the same in Denver.

Elway is a legend for his on-field heroics. That helicopter play alone will live in our heads forever. He stands as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the game. Elway welcomed another member of that fraternity to Denver this week when he convinced Peyton Manning to sign a blockbuster deal at the end of his free agency tour.

By introducing Manning to Denver, Elway also effectively put “The Mania” on ice. Unlike most pundits, I’m not going to put up a tombstone for “Tebowmania.” I still think there’s a place for him and that over time you’ll see his much-maligned completion percentage rise. I’ll leave the expanded Tebow take for another time.

Tebow’s future in Denver was obviously subject of great debate on Monday morning when Manning made his call. Elway’s move made the definitive statement on his assessment of where Tebow stands as a quarterback. But, don’t overthink it.

This was an opportunity to land Peyton Manning. It was Elway’s chance to spare the Broncos from another year of the insanity that followed Tebow weekly and the outcry of the rabid fans. The addition of any other quarterback would have been problematic. While the football people may have favored the new addition, that “We want Tebow!” faction was always going to exist.

And Elway didn’t let the “What will happen to Tebow?” question fester long, either. It took little time to get from speculation about possible suitors and scenarios to the consummation of a deal with New York. For that, Elway gets bonus points.

Obviously, the mid-week trade also has huge impact on Mark Sanchez, who was just getting past the courting of Manning by the Jets. Sanchez had recently inked an extension with some shifting of cash and will now face competition thus summer. Though he’s been given the tag of starter by New York brass with Tebow assuming a “Wildcat” role in Tony Sparano’s offense, don’t think for a minute that Tebow won’t come in and push him hard for top billing.

Last year, head coach John Fox, John Elway and the Broncos management had to navigate that territory. I certainly don’t mean to imply that the arrival of Manning won’t bring a crush of national interest and stoke the passions of the fans. It’s merely a matter of how the team and offense are shaped. They return to drop-back passing and conventional offensive sets under a consistent, efficient signal caller. The Jets will navigate timeshare quarterback play with two polarizing figures, fan demands, the daily talkers and newspapers and the continual battles with the Giants and Patriots.

Elway earns this week’s trophy as the “Fantasy Man-Crush” for his decisive, swift course of action. Elway added Tracy Porter (is he to be affected by the ongoing “bounty” investigation?) to the secondary to work opposite Champ Bailey.

The NFL calendar year started with a flurry of activity and big-dollar contracts. I’ll forgo the laundry list of signings and player movement for the moment (the 2012 NFL guide that I’ll produce for this site will do it well enough). The past few days have been all about Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow and speculation about Mark Sanchez’s ego.

On Thursday morning, it was announced that the Bears made another splash. They’d already traded for Brandon Marshall and signed Jason Campbell to back up Jay Cutler. They re-upped with Israel Idonije and Tim Jennings.

Master recruiter Cutler got his man on Thursday. He’d spoken openly about his desire to recruit free agent running back Michael Bush to Chicago. Bush had excelled as the replacement and, at times, complement to Darren McFadden in Oakland in the past few seasons. He signed a four-year, $14-million deal to join Chicago. Reportedly, a total of $7 million is guaranteed.

The courting of Bush garnered praise among fans and pundits. He amassed nearly 1,400 total yards with eight total touchdowns in 2011 and caught 37 passes. Bush is a strong goal-line performer, and his versatility keeps the playbook wide open. His arrival signals the end of Marion Barber’s brief Chicago career. (Fans are still muttering about his decision-making and short-yardage failures). Kahlil Bell, who ran well down the stretch, returns as the third option.

Most importantly, Bush’s signing offers the Bears insurance in the event that starter Matt Forte decides to hold out after getting the franchise tag or if another injury befalls him. Of course, they’re gone to the well in the past with Chester Taylor and Marion Barber. Both ranked among the NFL “stuffed” list, and that’s not a good thing.

Forte turned down a reported $13-$14 million in guaranteed money prior to the 2011 season after watching fellow running backs ink huge deals. The Bears, in turn, slapped the franchise tag on him for 2012. He’ll earn a reported $7.7 million this season.

Here are two excerpts from Forte’s foray into the Twitter-verse.

“for the record I’m not mad at the signing of another running back. This is 4th time that’s happened. I embrace competition as well as help”

Forte quickly followed up with …

“But as for not taking care of ur own and undervaluing a player under his market value is another story! #twitterrant”

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I love the use of the #twitterrant hashtag. However, Chicago fans are divided about his decision to air his laundry in public. Twitter responses ranged from discussions about the turnstile nature of the running back position to the always mature “ur a baby.”

How often do you get to use the word “smite” in a song?

In all seriousness, I’m in need of a new fix. Events of the past month have eliminated those suffixes from our collective consciousness. “Lin-sanity” was defeated when the Knicks dropped six games straight and watched their coach depart. On Monday, the announcement that Peyton Manning authorized agent Tom Condon to start negotiations with the Denver Broncos crushed the worldwide phenomenon that was “Tebow-mania.”

I used “The Bachelor” as the analogy for this process weeks ago, so thanks to those who picked up that torch.

We knew that “The Johns” (Fox and Elway) were taking a long, hard look at the quarterback position, and Manning’s arrival on the open market certainly changed the rules of engagement. I never bought into Arizona or Miami as destinations, and you can look at my past posts or listen to the podcasts for the long-winded breakdowns. San Francisco was attractive, but there was too much Favre-ism to it, no?

Manning inherits a strong base and immediate division contender, if not a trip to New Orleans. If you watched the odds, you saw Denver dip from a 75-to-1 longshot to the fifth-favorite squad at 10-to-1. The defense played well for most of the season and returns all-world performers Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller. The offense boasts a strong line (perhaps to be bolstered by the arrival of former Indianapolis center Jeff Saturday) and two wide receivers (Demaryius Thomas is ready for stardom, and Eric Decker is a dangerous option across the middle). Additional reinforcements will be arriving soon in the form of Dallas Clark, Jacob Tamme or the high-flying Mike Wallace.

The reported five-year, $95-million deal demonstrated that Elway and the Broncos mean business. The 2011 run to the AFC Playoffs and victory over Pittsburgh seemingly entrenched Tebow in the starting position for 2012. However, nobody counted on Manning becoming available, so the ideas of hurt feelings and early comments from the post-season were thrown out the window (apply that line to Alex Smith in San Francisco as well). Situations change.

Tebow will eventually be dealt to a new team, possibly Miami or Jacksonville, or maybe off to New England. I suspect that he’ll be dealt for a higher price than the fifth-round evaluation tossed on him on Monday as, at a minimum, his economic impact is far superior to that. He’s shown that he can make big plays. Now, he needs to make them consistently. The eyes of the NFL will be on Manning as we get through mini-camps and into training camp, but that gaze will drift to wherever the “Mania” revs up for Round Two.

The NFL never sleeps.

I remember folks tossing around the concept of a “Pro Day” or extended throwing sessions for Manning. We’ve seen the grainy footage of Manning playing toss at Duke. We’ve heard of Manning throwing to Brandon Stokley (per The Denver Post) in a Denver park.

If I’m a team executive, I certainly want to see him throw and put on a clinic. With the number of suitors involved in the process, there’s no incentive for Manning to do so. Additionally, the potential to get Manning on an incentive-laden deal with a low guaranteed base has gone out the window.

At 4pm ET, the bell rings.

I decided to sit this one out. I’d already experienced several days of uninterrupted “Bracketology,” watched countless games across myriad conferences and waded through blogs, columns and video analysis while preparing for my Sunday morning radio show. I saw projections on a scroll under the images of my dreams.

Of course, that’s the professional side of the equation. My heart already sank on Thursday following the loss sustained by Northwestern in the Big 10 Tournament. That overtime defeat to Minnesota seemingly sealed their fate, and my suspicions were confirmed during the telecast.

It didn’t take long to find that out they’d been relegated to the NIT. Social media displayed the inevitable one-liners about the Cats’ tourney-less streak. That was it. I knew I’d have the bracket in my hands all of 15 seconds after the final region was announced and, well, talk of snubs annoys me. I didn’t need to hear about the OT losses and Tubby Smith’s squad anymore.

Naturally, I then spent several hours prepping my bracket before finally hitting the “Submit” button. I printed a blank and filled it out, then made a few corrections, searched for an extra longshot or two and then put it aside.

My countdown clock read — 42 hours, 19 minutes.
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Yes, I am excited about the NCAA Men’s Tournament & the NIT and will consume hours upon hours of live game action with a bottomless cup of Johan at my side. There’s no question about it.

But, let’s face it. The bracket selection show is an institution. It’s always there for you. All eyes in the sporting world were on the “Peyton Manning World Tour” this weekend. Remember, the team visits took place with the Rams/Redskins trade and Sanchez contract extension serving as the backdrop.

- Where would he visit?
- Would a “mystery” team descend from the skies to swoop him away?
- Would he throw for teams? He did throw in the Denver area , per Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
- How would it impact the free agent market for the myriad quarterbacks ready to hit the market? Matt Flynn, anyone?

And when you can throw Tim Tebow into the mix … you have it all.

On Tuesday afternoon, the doors to free agency open and the feeding frenzy will begin. There are a number of top-tier free agents on the board, including a few surprises (OL Eric Winston being released by the Texans stands out as one).

I’ll be blogging, Tweeting (@swollendome) and yelling in audio and video forms as this process gets underway. The new NFL season begins.

At least, we all assumed that the release of Peyton Manning by the Colts was inevitable. I suppose there was some sliver of hope among the most ardent Manning fans that he and the Colts would find some common ground in terms of a reduced salary for a year or two. But, we’d seen the comments from Jim Irsay about Andrew Luck. We’ve heard all of the “best prospect since John Elway” evaluations time and again.

I just turn back the clock to early February. It didn’t matter which guest pulled on a headset during Super Bowl week in Indianapolis, the conversation shifted to Manning and his future. His image was everywhere, and you couldn’t walk more than five feet without getting jostled by somebody wearing a No. 18 jersey.

The time for action is at hand. New broke via ESPN on Tuesday afternoon that the Colts would hold a press conference with Peyton Manning to announce their separation. As a result, the PhotoShopping has begun. Images of Manning’s head are surely being fitted with new color schemes and logos in a manner equivalent to the famous Topps “paint job” cards of the 1970s by editors at websites throughout the nation. After all, the free agent frenzy is on the moment that his release is announced.

Where will he go to work?

Well, let’s look at some of the options. Remember, that just coming back to the NFL is not the MO here. This is about legacy. This is about titles. This is about being down 2-1 in the fourth quarter of your career.

So, where should he go?

Let’s roll it up.

Arizona – Does the team want to roll up a ton of cash for a quarterback after signing Kevin Kolb to a huge deal? Arizona quarterbacks also absorbed 54 sacks, good for second-most in the NFL. That’s not a selling point with Jim Harbaugh’s hard-hitting 49ers on the schedule twice.

I’ll like to team him with Larry Fitzgerald, but I don’t see it.

San Francisco – Harbaugh liked Alex Smith going into 2011 off of the shortened preseason, and his faith was rewarded with a deep playoff run. Of course, the defense deserved a ton of credit, but I can’t discount the big-time throws Smith made to Vernon Davis during the run. Still, the thought of putting Manning in this offense (young O-Line, Davis & Crabtree and Frank Gore) is mighty intriguing.

Is Smith the future, or was the success of 2011 an anomaly? The 49ers will need to pony up a big pile of cash to Smith this offseason. Might they go all-in and make a big push toward a New Orleans run?

New York Jets – You know that the O-Line is strong, so that’s a plus. But, would he go to the Big Apple and battle brother Eli for ink? Would Manning want to team up with Rex and Sparano? The team is strong and competitive, but this just doesn’t feel right.

(I do like the idea of a CGI or puppet-infused “Mannings Take Manhattan” film.)

Kansas City – The Chiefs franchised Dwayne Bowe and will have Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki returning from injury. As a result, you’re looking at fantastic skill options at his disposal. The offensive line surrendered 34 sacks (13 teams allowed fewer sacks). I wouldn’t rule it out entirely in a winnable division.

Miami – The Dolphins are one of the frontrunners for his services. He’s got the big receiver in Brandon Marshall, a dual threat out of the backfield in Reggie Bush and a good defense. The offensive line still needs tweaking, as this unit allowed the third-most sacks in the league (52).

The biggest issue is this. I have to assume that Joe Philbin reaches back to Green Bay and pays a huge pile of cash to Matt Flynn.

Seattle – The Seahawks re-upped Marshawn Lynch, but the rest of the skill positions are in need of upgrades. The O-Line surrendered 50 sacks (fourth in the NFL) and has that San Francisco defense on the slate twice.

Washington – Daniel Snyder likes to make big splashes. We know Mike Shanahan’s history well. Shanahan has spoken of his belief that the Redskins had a playoff offense in 2011. I’ll let you chew that one over.

Of course, Manning would be joining the NFC East … so there would be two matchups with brother Eli on tap. That alone makes this pairing a longshot.

Cleveland – The Browns are believed to be strong players in the RGIII conversation to shake things up. I personally talked to a Cleveland receiver about his desire for a big-time arm, and Manning would fit the bill. However, this isn’t a team on the cusp of greatness and has many holes to fill. Joe Thomas would have to do one hell of a sales job.

Denver – Tebow fans don’t want to hear it, but there’s an opportunity here. The Broncos have a good offensive line, a strong runner in Willis McGahee and a potential monster in Demaryius Thomas. The Denver defense was strong down the stretch, as we recall from the constant attention afforded the squad. The pieces are in place to take the division again.

This would be a huge statement from John Elway.
Houston – Go for the kill shot. The team just re-signed Arian Foster. He’s got a monster in the receiving corps with Andre Johnson. The offensive line is strong and that defense under Wade Phillips became a force in 2011. Matt Schaub’s been strong, but he’s been injured often. T.J. Yates is there as a security option. All of that is fantastic …. and he’d get a chance to dominate the Colts twice a year.

Jacksonville – Manning would have fun picking up those Pro Bowl conversations he’s had with Maurice Jones-Drew, but that’s about it. I don’t believe that we saw enough to truly evaluate Blaine Gabbert this past year. The Jaguars cut his presumed No. 1 wide receiver in-season. They’re not close to having the personnel for a title run, so this is a longshot. The ability to play the Colts only goes so far.

Chuck Pagano, defensive coordinator of the Ravens, moves into the top spot to usher in the new era of Colts football. He served as the team’s secondary coach before ascending to the coordinator role. Pagano’s hiring speaks to the rebuilding process underway in the Super Bowl host town and a shift in identity.

The Colts have a number of high-priced veterans on both sides of the ball set to hit free agency (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Robert Mathis and offensive line mainstay Jeff Saturday among them). It is presumed, particularly given his recent comments, that there is no decision to be made concerning Peyton Manning in terms of his future in Indianapolis. Rather, it’s just a matter of timing and how much fanfare goes into the announcement of his departure.

I’ll have more on this shift and other league developments from the floor of the media center next week from Indianapolis.

Take a deep breath. Here are my updated QB ranks heading into the third preseason games.

1 Aaron Rodgers GB
2 Drew Brees NO
3 Tom Brady NE
4 Philip Rivers SD
5 Michael Vick PHI
6 Tony Romo DAL
7 Peyton Manning IND
8 Matt Ryan ATL
9 Ben Roethlisberger PIT
10 Eli Manning NYG
11 Matt Schaub HOU
12 Joe Flacco BAL
13 Matthew Stafford DET
14 Josh Freeman TB
15 Jay Cutler CHI
16 Sam Bradford STL
17 Matt Cassel KC
18 Kevin Kolb ARI
19 Mark Sanchez NYJ
20 Kyle Orton DEN
21 Ryan Fitzpatrick BUF
22 Donovan McNabb MIN
23 Matt Hasselbeck TEN
24 David Garrard JAC
25 Colt McCoy CLE
26 Jason Campbell OAK
27 Cam Newton CAR
28 Chad Henne MIA
29 Alex Smith SF
30 Rex Grossman/John Beck WAS
31 Tarvaris Jackson SEA
32 Andy Dalton CIN

In the spirit of the debates raging in pubs everywhere, I offer my first look at the 2011 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings. I exclude Carson Palmer as we await word on his final destination. I suspect that he finds a new home in Seattle and reunites with Pete Carroll. I also added the “TBD” tag for Kevin Kolb, who is expected to be on the move in short order.

1.       Aaron Rodgers, GB

2.       Drew Brees, NO

3.       Philip Rivers, SD

4.       Peyton Manning, IND

5.       Tom Brady, NE

6.       Michael Vick, PHI

7.       Tony Romo, DAL

8.       Matt Ryan, ATL

9.       Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

10.   Joe Flacco, BAL

11.   Matt Schaub, HOU

12.   Eli Manning, NYG

13.   Matthew Stafford, DET

14.   Josh Freeman, TB

15.   Jay Cutler, CHI

16.   Matt Cassel, KC

17.   Kevin Kolb, TBD

18.   Mark Sanchez, NYJ

19.   Sam Bradford, STL

20.   Kyle Orton, DEN