DENVER — Peyton Manning cried when he retired, but his tears paled in comparison to those shed by Broncos Country over his successors.

It took 14 attempts for the Broncos to find his long-term replacement.

The Broncos knew it would never be the same when Manning left the building, but they had no idea his exit would become the curse of incompetence.

As awful as those eight years were in cementing a sobering reality, it only took one season for a new truth to become evident.

Bo Nix is the best Broncos quarterback since Peyton Manning. And no one is happier about this than, well, Manning.

“Bo is made of the right stuff. He’s a little bit older, carries himself the right way. And all of it should help as he moves forward in his career,” Manning said. “I am just happy that Bo is the established starter. For a number of years, they had quarterback competitions. That’s hard on the receivers, the coaches, the play-caller and the quarterback. Now, they’ve got their guy.”

As impressive as Nix was as a rookie, throwing for 29 touchdowns and leading the Broncos to their first playoff berth since You Know Who, now comes the hard part.

Doing it again.

The sophomore slump remains part of the American lexicon, with examples scattered across sports, music and cinema.

When Nix disappointed in the exhibition opener at San Francisco, it fed into the narrative that his follow-up will rival Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Fairweather Johnson.”

Manning knows the challenge of living up to lofty expectations, but from what he has seen of Nix, he is not buying a regression.

“I just don’t see that as being a big factor for him. Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to struggle, and then the game slows down. But, it sure looked like it slowed down a lot for him last year,” Manning said. “Like with C.J. Stroud, Bo didn’t play like a rookie. … I believe experience is the best teacher, and he got great experience last year.”

Manning struggled in his rookie season, setting the record with 28 interceptions, before finishing second in the MVP voting in his sophomore year. His situation was worse because his team was.

But he identified the most important similarity in his shared experience with Nix.

“The continuity, more than anything else. There are times when guys go into their second year, and they are going on their third coordinator,” Manning said. “... He has an experienced head coach in Sean, who is his play-caller. Having that same voice and verbiage is so critical. We expect Sean to be here for a long time, so Bo will use that to his advantage.”

Reflecting on his years with offensive coordinator Tom Moore, Manning explained how they could fix things quickly and seamlessly add new wrinkles. He has watched Patrick Mahomes progress in a similar fashion with Andy Reid, while others like Alex Smith and Baker Mayfield bounced from team to team and system to system.

“When you look around the league at guys who play well, they often have the same coordinator. It is not automatic, but it makes a difference,” Manning said. “Learning the language of a new playbook and getting on the same page with a new coach is hard.”

This season represents the first time since 2016 that the Broncos have had the same starting quarterback and play-caller in back-to-back seasons. Comfort matters. So does “Bo having more weapons in the run game and at tight end,” Manning said. It also helps that the 25-year-old Nix gets it.

Just as Manning accelerated his growth through obsessive attention to detail, studying defenses and the sleight of hand of play-action artists like Boomer Esiason, Nix is more than willing to get bleary-eyed in the film room or pick the brain of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

“For him to spend time with Brees makes a lot of sense as far as learning Sean’s offense and the mental side of things. That is an example of him not being satisfied,” Manning said.

Manning and Nix hoped to talk over rounds of golf before training camp, but scheduling conflicts arose. But Manning knows Nix. They met at the Manning Passing Academy a few years ago as Nix was preparing to transfer to Oregon. And Peyton’s two-time Super Bowl champion brother, Eli, hung out with Bo and his father, Patrick, this summer. Nix and Eli helped set a Guinness World Record alongside Auburn fans as they tossed more than 7,000 rolls of toilet paper into the trees at Toomer’s Corner.

“Eli talked about how they are great guys. I know Bo was great at the (passing academy). You spend three days with them. He was so mature,” Peyton said. “Eventually, we will get together. But I have told Bo, I am always around as a resource whenever he needs me.”

As the unofficial ambassador of football, Peyton is often diplomatic. But he doesn’t provide his stamp of approval to just anyone. He knows Nix is different and recognizes that this season feels special in Denver.

Sophomore slump? Quite the opposite. Peyton cannot wait to see what Nix does next.

“I signed in Denver as a free agent after playing for 14 years. Being drafted here, that’s an even different kind of pressure. I was certainly aware of the responsibility that comes with it, and I believe Bo is as well. It is important. People care so much, and you feel that,” Peyton said. “That’s the kind of environment you want, where they talk about your team during the season, free agency and the draft. It’s an unbelievable place to play. I believe Bo understands it and embraces it. I only see him getting better.”

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