by Rob Woodfork, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – At long last, we have a decision.

In what’s felt like an almost Favre-ian, tortuous wait — the world now knows where Peyton Manning is going to take Act II of his Hall of Fame NFL career.

Denver.

Thankfully, he didn’t even answer Mike Shanahan’s call when he saw the “703” area code. He’s not pulling a LeBron and taking his talents to South Beach nor is he headed for the desert. Other options like Tennessee and San Francisco got in the bidding late, but ultimately, Manning said, “thanks, but no thanks”.

Good call, Peyton. You made the right choice.

I know, I know. You’re probably shouting at me through your monitor: “What do you mean ‘good call’?! Arizona would have been perfect — he’s got Larry Fitzgerald!” Or this one: “San Francisco was a muffed punt away from the Super Bowl last season. If he really wants another ring, Peyton should have gone to the Niners!”

Those would be fine points. They’re also wrong.

As we’ve learned over and over (and over…and over…) again from watching the Redskins all these years, just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’ll translate onto the field. Yes, Arizona has Fitzgerald. However, they also have a suspect offensive line and an aging defense.

The Niners were close to a title last year, but they were far from a polished product. As good as the defense and rushing attack were, the passing game was adequate at best and severely lacked playmakers at receiver. Not to mention San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh shares Manning’s ultra-competitive nature. It’s hard to see a circumstance in which Harbaugh just hands Manning the keys to his offense and walks away, especially when you consider he’s done that once already.

And don’t get me started on Tennessee. That was an ill-conceived option from the start. I went to college in Alabama. Just because I spent a small sliver of my life there doesn’t mean I have a burning desire to go back professionally.

No, Denver was the best choice all along. Manning just needed to play the field to be absolutely sure.

The Broncos have a solid offensive line. They have a good (but not great) defense. There aren’t any big names at receiver but Demaryious Thomas and Eric Decker came along last season, and Manning’s former teammate (and current free agent) Dallas Clark could help at tight end. Had Manning made this decision sooner, he might have been able to talk a couple more of his former targets (Reggie Wayne and new Redskin Pierre Garcon) into joining him in Denver, but I still wouldn’t call the cupboard bare.

Besides, let’s be honest: The Broncos went 8-8 and won a playoff game with Tim Tebow under center. If they can get that far with a quarterback completing only 46 percent of his passes, surely Manning can get them 10 wins and another division title.

The irony in all this is the ‘Tebow Phenomenon’ may ultimately have been his undoing in Denver. If the Broncos hadn’t demonstrated their willingness to scrap their offense and tailor it to a unique quarterback, Manning may not have chosen them. And in turn, Tebow probably wouldn’t be on the trading block right now.

Instead, the Broncos have a prominent example they mean it when they say Manning can have carte blanche when it comes to the team’s offense, which — if it runs like the well-oiled machine we saw in Indy all those years — isn’t a bad thing.

If Manning is healthy (and that still remains a big “if”), he’s still a top five NFL quarterback. In today’s National Football League, that should be more than enough to elevate an average team to a title contender.

Just ask his brother.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)