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Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the Broncos move to sign quarterback Peyton Manning are the team's wide receivers. We've already heard form Eric Decker, who is spending his 'off-season' working out with Manning. Demaryius Thomas also figures to benefit. One play will forever link Thomas to former quarterback Tim Tebow, and Thomas will always be asked about Tebow and his departure from the Broncos.
That very question was asked of Thomas on 790 AM The Zone in Atlanta and Thomas - as he has been in the past - was less than glowing in his recollection of the Tebow-era in Denver:
It’s a business decision. I ain’t going to say I was sad because the only thing they remember is that pass. You gotta go back and look at the rest of the games. I wasn’t getting no balls and you had to make some of these plays where some players were open and he is not making the throws, but I don’t want to talk bad about Tim, but hey I am happy we got Peyton.
The questions went further, specifically regarding the players' feelings about Tebow's style of play:
Everybody was talking about…you get some players and had some that said he can’t throw, but if you get open and you get one your way you gotta make the play no matter where the ball is at. Then you had some that said he is a winner. He works hard and just stay with him and you’ll be fine and that was basically it. There wasn’t much talk about him, but you know everything on ESPN was all about Tim. That bothered some players too because they would say ‘Tim Tebow Time.’ I felt like it was a team thing. If it wasn’t for the defense most of the time there wouldn’t be no supposed ‘Tim Tebow Time.’
Agree or disagree, you have to admire Thomas' honesty. Whether there was tension - Thomas says there was not - his comments prove there was something going on in the locker room and the Broncos needed to deal with it, just as they had to deal with the circus off the field.