I’m gonna be honest, I still don’t like Russ. I think he is performing much better this year than in the past but I would just rather see the Broncos commit to a young franchise QB.

Manning was awesome of course. Russ is no manning.

Part of me now thinks it was Hackett and the coaches seeding that stuff to deflect blame.

But, also, Russ is much more focused this year. He feels more like a person and less like a brand. That probably helps, too.

Russ was bad last year. He’s playing well this year (if very conservatively). Suddenly he’s doing enough to win instead of being the reason they lose. That changes a lot.

Also, i think the shine is off a little bit. He’s no longer the guy that was brought in to be the savior and under intense scrutiny. Payton shut some of that down with getting rid of his office and banning his private coaches, and I think the rest is that trying to crucify Russ in the media has lost its appeal.

Payton taking away his office, parking spots for his gameday entourage, banning the “let’s ride” stuff, etc (basically demoting him to team-player status) probably has a lot to do with the lower level of hate from his peers.

RW cutting some excess fat and dropping weight likely helped as well. Showing his teammates he’s not just talking about being a hard worker (declaring his hard work mid-flight). The leaner frame tells everyone he’s been working hard without opening his mouth.

All of the above = him becoming less hateable.