Peyton Manning can do it all: Throw touchdowns, win Super Bowls, even jump-start the careers of aspiring young linebackers.
Denver's Brandon Marshall says Manning deserves all the credit in the world for his role on the Super Bowl-champion Broncos roster. Before he was a regular contributor, Marshall was a nobody just hoping for a shot.
Then he caught The Sheriff's eye.
"When I got picked up on the practice squad, I was playing my tail off at practice. He was one of the ones that noticed me," Marshall tells Pro Football Talk. "He would ask the coaches, 'Who is this guy? Who is this guy Brandon Marshall? We have to get him up.'"
Marshall says that Manning's attention got other offensive players watching him, too. That eventually led to his chance to goin the team's active roster.
From there, Marshall took over, cementing his role on the squad. But he hasn't forgotten what Manning did for him.
"I love Peyton," he says. "I have a different appreciation for him. I feel like he had a hand in me getting off the practice squad and onto that roster. I told Peyton before the game, I said, 'Man, I want to win this for you.' I've been feeling that way all year."
Marshall was called up from the practice squad for the last game of the 2013 season. He's played in all but two regular-season games since.