Peyton Manning is learning the Wes Welker Way

Wes Welker has been the most productive wide receiver in the NFL over the last six season (672 catches) as a counterpart to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Now that Wes is a Denver Bronco, Peyton Manning admits he wants to learn what made he and Brady tick.

"I’d be lying if I told you we have not studied what worked well for Wes in New England," Manning told the Broncos' official site Thursday. "There’s certain pass patterns and certain things that he’s done so well for so long, you’d be crazy not to copy some of those and bring those to your offense."

One thing Wes Welker did notoriously well in New England that we can expect the Broncos to bring over is the option route. Welker would burst off the line without a set direction to go, instead being charged with reading and reacting to the coverage in front of him to decide which route to take. He and Brady were so aligned in the way each read these coverages, they anticipate the same route a vast majority of the time, producing one of the most lethal short-yardage passing games the NFL has ever seen.

If Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase can integrate that element into Denver's already explosive offense, you can book it - the Broncos will have the most dangerous passing attack in the NFL this season.

Manning knows this, so is taking a break from being a teacher of teammates into a student of one - Wes Welker, a quarterback's brain in a slot receiver's body.

"He really has an ability to read coverages and I think he takes it as seriously as a quarterback does," Manning said. "That really has worked well for him, and as a quarterback, you sort of appreciate that."

As a Broncos fan, you appreciate that even more.