The rationale might ordinarily be met with a roll of the eyes - if the rationale didn't come from Peyton Manning.

The Broncos quarterback said after extensive study that the quad injury that hampered his throwing during the second part of the 2014 season was not simply a result of the aging process catching up with the now-39-year-old.

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It was a matter of being dehydrated," Manning told MMQB.com's Peter King.

"Before the Broncos' 14th game, in San Diego, Manning says a bug he caught from his sick daughter made him violently ill. 'I threw up all night, Manning said. 'Then, in the game, I moved to the right on a simple scramble and my quad cramped on me. It lingered. I couldn't shake it the rest of the year. I really studied it hard this off-season, whether it could linger into this year or whether it was isolated. I just think I got dehydrated, and that caused it. I don't think you can blame it on my age. It was just an isolated thing. I've made it through every other season, and this off-season I went through a state of the union physically, if you will, and I started training earlier and made some dietary changes.' He's confident about his health, to be sure. But he also knows there's no insurance for 39-year-old quarterbacks."

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The facts that Manning started training earlier for the 2015 season and changed his diet suggest that the future Hall of Fame quarterback does believe his age may be contributing to more frequent body breakdowns.

The Broncos' postseason prospects in 2016 hinge on a healthy Manning, NFL.com surmised.

"At 39 years old, Manning's health as the season presses into December and January will be pivotal to the Broncos' Super Bowl chances. Denver will sit him out of practices often this season to try to keep him fresh, but with age comes many more question marks," NFL.com's report noted.

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