Peyton getting a grip on elements in Denver

Associated Press

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.

There’s a new “Gloved One” — in Denver, at least.

Ripping a page from Michael Jackson’s playbook, Peyton Manning has practiced for and played in the last two games with a sticky-feeling, orange-and-grey glove on his throwing hand.

Sure, Manning has earned his fair share of curious glances for donning cold-weather gear when the temperatures are in the 50s, as they were Tuesday at practice.

But in getting ready for the playoff push, which could include two games in sometimes-snowy Denver, Manning is leaving no stone unturned. And, as if on cue, a strong arctic storm is expected to roll into Denver on Friday night, bringing snow and bitter cold. The high for Saturday’s playoff game against Baltimore is forecast to be 20 degrees.

Manning, who won his only Super Bowl playing barehanded in a rainstorm in Miami in 2007, said he hasn’t given much thought to whether the glove would help him more in cold or wet conditions, each of which can make the ball harder, more slick and more difficult to grip.

“I really have not thought about it that analytically, if that’s the word,” Manning said. “It’s a glove.”

Of course, if Peyton Manning is wearing it, it’s more than a glove — it’s a topic of conversation.

A creature of habit who hasn’t worn anything on his hands before this season, Manning conceded the glove is a concession to the altered feel of his grip, especially in cold weather, after the multiple neck surgeries he underwent during his season out of football.

“I certainly don’t think I would have had to wear the glove had I not been injured last year,” he said. “It’s part of my injury, some things that I’ve had to adjust. I’m in a different body, some things are different for me, so that’s the reason for that as much as anything.”

Manning could certainly use any edge he can get in cold weather.

He is 0-3 in playoff games in which the temperature at kickoff is less than 40 degrees. His numbers in those games hardly resemble the norm for a four-time Most Valuable Player with more than 59,000 yards to his credit.