ORLANDO, Fla. — In his first year as part of the NFLand#039;s reshaping of the Pro Bowl, Peyton Manningand#039;s AFC team didnand#039;t have much Broncos orange.Cornerback Pat Surtain II was the teamand#039;s lone selection to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas, but this year, Manningand#039;s squad has more representation from Denver, with Surtain, safety Justin Simmons and return specialist Marvin Mims Jr.With that larger group, Manning said Friday that he was glad to have some fellow Broncos on the field, and based on the weekand#039;s two practices, the trio of Denver Pro Bowlers should be quite involved in the game on Sunday.andquot;I had a good conversation with Justin and Mims, and great to have Pat back,andquot; Manning said. andquot;Iand#039;m expecting big things out of those guys on Sunday. [It #039;s] nice to see the Wildcats represented there.andquot;Surtain and Simmons, both now two-time Pro Bowlers, are both starters on the AFC’s No. 039 defense. The defensive back totaled 139 tackles, 20 pass breakups and four interceptions on the year, which included a remarkable midfield defense. Mims, on the other hand, was the Broncosand#039; the first rookie since 2018 to be selected to the Pro Bowl as he averaged 26.5 yards per punt return and 16.4 yards per punt return.Broncosand#039; The Pro Bowl appearance is just one indicator of the team’s overall improvement as the franchise reached eight wins for the first time since 2016. Manning, who said on a recent episode of “ManningCastandquot; broadcast that he was optimistic about the team and its playoff chances next season, explained that Broncos head coach Sean Payton is one of the reasons he has confidence in the team and the direction.and I’m very excited about Sean Payton and the experience he brings, andquot; Manning said. andquot;Obviously it’s a very tough division. Chiefs won’t go away. The Raiders and Chargers have new coaches. So we have to go for it. No one is coming back to us. Sean knows this and makes it the focus of the entire offseason. I’m excited for the Broncosand#039; future.andquot;As for his attendance at the annual Pro Bowls, Manning has embraced the experience and seems to have thoroughly enjoyed the family trip. His younger brother, Eli, is the head coach of the opposing team’s NFC team. Their father, Archie, was practicing on the sidelines on Saturday. And Peytonand#039; son Marshall helped throw passes to the players during warmups each practice day and intercepted the quarterback during a pass.andquot;It was fun,andquot; said the former Savage. and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it for the last two years, and it’s been great to do it with Eli. The players that came down and participated — obviously you don’t get Super Bowl players and you’re going to get hurt — but weand#039; just trying to tell all the players it’s cool. and we hope that they will continue to participate. That thing went away until the NFL made this change to make it more of a ticket game. I think it was a smart move and we need buy-in from the players and so far they’ve done what we appreciate.andquot;The Pro Bowland#039;s transition from tackle football to flag football now coincides with the sport taking place internationally, with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles introducing an American football variant for the first time.When it was said that Eli was asked what it would be like to be a coach at that level, Manning also refused to give it to his brother.andquot;Eliand cannot be a coach, because he and I are coaches, andquot; Manning said. andquot;He can watch us win. But look, I’m excited for flag football in the Olympics, and obviously it’s going to be a great week here with the flag football championships. It’s an exciting time. But yeah, I heard [Dolphins receiver] Tyreek [Hill] say he wants to try to do it. For those aspiring to make the Olympic team, it would be competition time. But it’s exciting, and the debut in Los Angeles is even cooler.andquot;.