Peyton Manning's biggest gift: Making everyone around him better

DENVER – They speak of Peyton Manning with reverence in the Denver Broncos locker room – talk to any of his teammates long enough and "greatest" will be uttered – and rightfully so.

Many of them are fantastic players in their own right, but it's hard to deny they've all benefited from playing with the man who has thrown the most touchdown passes in NFL history.

Take Demaryius Thomas. He was a first-round pick, and he was obviously a special talent even with Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton throwing him the ball. But now he is perhaps the best receiver in the NFL. He had 834 yards in 21 games before Manning arrived, and after his 171-yard outburst on Sunday, he has 3,526 yards in 38 games with Manning. Some of that is typical development, but it's crazy to think Manning hasn't had a huge impact on his career.

Thomas will be a free agent after the season. Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald have contracts worth more than $100 million. It's possible Thomas, after two-plus stellar seasons with Manning elevating him to an elite level, will join them or at least come close.

"He’s the best to ever play the game," Thomas said of Manning. "He made me a better player."

Thomas said when Manning arrived before the 2012 season he changed how the receivers ran certain routes. He gave them tips on how to watch film. He said he has learned just by watching how Manning studies film.

Thomas talked about what he was thinking as he lined up for the play that became Manning's 509th touchdown, breaking Brett Favre's all-time record. He said he saw how the cornerback lined up and knew how to attack the play ("I came out of the huddle and I was thinking, he’s playing outside, so I have to get on his leverage and beat him"), and it surely seemed like Manning had rubbed off on him.

Emmanuel Sanders says he is better off for playing with Manning too. He caught some heat earlier this year for saying Manning was a better leader than Ben Roethlisberger, his old quarterback in Pittsburgh, but that was blown out of proportion. He has since clarified that he meant no disrespect toward Roethlisberger, but he thinks nobody beats Manning when it comes to leadership. Listen to Sanders talk about his mindset since joining the Broncos this year, and it's clear Manning has meant a lot to his career too.

"You don't want to mess up," Sanders said. "So every night I go home and I study my butt off, just so I don't disappoint '18.' Everyone knows that he doesn't have too many more years left in his career, and he wants to go out a Super Bowl champion again, and I don't want to be the one holding this group back."

In Sanders' first season with the Broncos, he has 38 receptions for 514 yards in six games. He never had more than 67 catches or 740 yards with the Steelers.

There are other examples everywhere. Tight end Julius Thomas was a basketball player who played one year of college football. He now leads the NFL with nine touchdown catches and like Demaryius Thomas, is on the verge of signing an enormous contract with the Broncos or somewhere else as a free agent next spring. Eric Decker knows all about that. He signed a five-year, $36 million deal with the New York Jets this past offseason after catching 24 touchdown passes in two seasons with Manning. He has 12 touchdowns in his two-plus seasons without Manning.

Running backs benefit from Manning expertly changing the plays at the line. Receivers not only follow Manning's example but they also benefit from Manning always finding them in the right place – ask Demaryius Thomas, whose second touchdown was a 40-yarder that could not have been handed to him in a better place. Or Wes Welker, who found himself wide open for Manning's 508th career touchdown off his quarterback's great pump fake.

Coaches owe Manning, too. San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy, who will face the Broncos on Thursday night, got the Chargers' job after a great 2012 season as Manning's offensive coordinator. Broncos coach John Fox had a .507 winning percentage in nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers. His winning percentage with Denver is .722, and that's after going 8-8 in his first Broncos season, which was without Manning.

The list is endless. These coaches and teammates are talented in their own right. But Manning has made everyone around him better. The Broncos celebrated him Sunday night as he broke one of the NFL's biggest records. They all owe him a debt of gratitude.

"There is no doubt we feel blessed – the Broncos organization, myself personally, I think our coaching staff – he's a tremendous player," Fox said. "I've competed against him for a lot of years, and it's way better having him on our side."

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab