Emmanuel Sanders Not Worrying About Contract, Broncos’ QB Situation

The Denver Broncos kicked off Phase 1 of their offseason training program at Dove Valley this week. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was one of the players allowed to talk to the media on the first day of the new season, and he had plenty of thoughts to share about the direction the team is headed after winning Super Bowl 50.

The defending Super Bowl champs are facing an unusual situation at the quarterback position. Not since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens have we seen a team begin the next season with a starting quarterback who was not on the roster during its championship run. That next season, the Ravens replaced Trent Dilfer with free agent Elvis Grbac and went 10-6 in 2001, eventually losing their second game in the playoffs and falling short of back-to-back championships.

Right now, Sanders is still soaking in what it feels like to be champions while also looking ahead to this season.

“It feels good,” he said. “The offseason has been great, but at the end of the day I remember talking to [general manager] John Elway. When we were getting ready to get on the bus, I looked at Elway and I said, ‘After you won your first one, did you enjoy it?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, but I was thinking about that next one.’ And that’s how I feel right now.”

Sanders isn’t worried about the question mark at quarterback the team has entering the 2016 season. Instead, he’s focused on the team defending its title.

Life Without Peyton

After winning Super Bowl 50, future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning decided to call it a career. After 18 seasons of mostly dominance, Manning owns or shares almost every major NFL record a quarterback can have. In four seasons with the Broncos, Manning led the team to an AFC West title in each season, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory.

Sanders acknowledges that things will be different with Manning missing from the roster.

“It definitely feels weird not having him around because I’ve been with him for two years,” he said. “Seeing him around and not having his presence in the locker room, it feels a little weird. We definitely miss him around here.”

With such a void left in offensive leadership, Sanders knows that others will have to fill the hole left by Manning.

“Guys like myself, Demaryius [Thomas], C.J. [Anderson], Mark [Sanchez]—everyone has to step up and get the chemistry right,” he said. “The good thing is Peyton gave us the blueprint of how to go about doing it. Spending time off the field, getting to know guys…so we’re going to continue to follow that blueprint.”

It will be a different look for the Broncos without No. 18 out there yelling “Omaha!” before every play. With such an emphasis on team chemistry, perhaps the offense will be able to …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com