SANTA CLARA, Calif. – When the hole in the line opened up ahead of him, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had visions of getting his Colin Kaepernick on. So he took off running.
Manning is known for throwing the ball, not running it, and he'll probably stay in the pocket from here on out. Even though the 49ers could never have seen Manning's mad dash coming – he had a majestic minus-31 yards rushing last season (hey, the Broncos took a knee a lot at the end of games) – they were all over him by the time he ambled to the line of scrimmage.
"I thought I was going to score, but I got one yard," Manning said, showing off his comedic skills. "Kind of humbling."
Manning is always good for a self-deprecating joke, and he had one when asked if his run was planned.
"Yeah, it's a tendency breaker," Manning said. "You try to catch them off guard. It's probably not really high on their alert game plan sheet, 'Watch for the quarterback run.'"
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Manning, who is now 38, is still pretty good at his day job. The reigning NFL MVP threw the ball tremendously well again, completing 12-of-14 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. Last week he was 10-of-13 for 78 yards against Seattle. He's ready for the regular season.
"It is amazing," Broncos running back C.J. Anderson said about Manning. "He makes the game so much easier for you when you are in there."
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab