Manning makes his Denver debut at Chicago

One Chicago player who's particularly eager to see Manning is cornerback Tim Jennings, who used to play in Indianapolis.

"When I first got in the league, I thought I wasn't that good, when I was there. He just makes you feel that way," Jennings said. "He had a lot of guys around him: Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley. And I came in there and it just kind of made me feel smaller than what I was. But I just had to realize I was going against a lot of Hall of Famers for the future."

Manning's pocket awareness and quick release make him hard to hit. He's averaged just 13 takedowns over his last three seasons, whereas his predecessor, Tim Tebow, was sacked 33 times in just 11 starts last year.

So, the Bears will have their work cut out for them even though Manning's pocket of protection is unlikely to include right-side starters Chris Kuper, coming off knee surgery, and Orlando Franklin, recently cleared from a concussion.

"I know a lot of guys want to be able to get their hands on him," Jennings said. "Hopefully we can get to him quicker than anybody else can. But we don't want to put him in any danger or anything like that. It's preseason. We just want to go out there and compete, and hopefully if their line protects well, then they shouldn't have a problem."

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