As it is now official, Peyton Manning has retired from the game of football. While I said earlier that I thought Manning still did want to play, I think he did and still does. However, as he said in the press conference announcing his retirement, he just thought it was the right time to walk away, and I totally agree with him. He was coming off a Super Bowl title, his skills were clearly diminished, the Broncos seem to be ready to usher in the Brock Osweiler era, and there just are not really any places that would seem like a fit for Manning right now.
As is the case with many professional athletes, saying you will retire and then actually doing so are two entirely different things. Some legends like John Elway and Michael Strahan have left the game on top and not looked back. There is also a long list of guys who have had trouble stepping away from the games that they love. Michael Jordan and Brett Favre come to mind there, but even guys like Jerry Rice and Shaquille O'Neal ended their careers bouncing around to teams we will not remember them for. You don't think of Jordan as a Washington Wizard. You don't think of Favre as a New York Jet. You don't think of Rice as an Oakland Raider. You don't think of O'Neal as a Phoenix Sun. And 20 years from now, maybe most people will not think of Manning as a Denver Bronco. However, it is hard to forget going out on top, and while Manning spent the majority of his career in Indianapolis, he did things in Denver that we had never seen before, and he set records that may not be broken for a very long time.
Manning leaves the game as the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also has won more MVP awards than any other football player. He is tied with Brett Favre for the most career regular season wins as a starting quarterback. His record setting 2013 season also saw him set the mark for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season. And when you actually look at what he did in 2013, it is really unbelievable just how great he was for that year. 3,000 passing yards in a season seemed like the benchmark not too long ago. Then the game evolved and the magic number was 4,000. In 2013, Manning threw for 5,477 yards. That alone is amazing. Throw in 55 touchdown passes compared with only 10 interceptions, and 2013 alone is the stuff of legends, and that was only a part of the legend that is Peyton Manning.
As he now is officially retired, the obviously instant question to ask is where he ranks on the list of all-time great NFL quarterbacks. That list varies widely depending on who you speak to, but when it comes to numbers alone, if you wanted to argue that Manning was the greatest to ever play the game, I would fully understand you. Manning threw 539 touchdown passes over the course of his 18 year career, the most ever. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are tied for third on that list with 428, and despite Brady's continued defiance of time, as well as his new four year contract extension with the New England Patriots, I have a hard time believing that he still has 111 touchdown passes in him. However, Brady has climbed higher mountains than that, so maybe I am wrong, but barring an unprecedented defiance of time by him, I think Manning seems primed to remain atop that list for quite a while.
Manning leaves the game with 71,940 passing yards. Once again, Brady may have an outside chance to break that record, but if he does not, it will be a long time until anyone comes close to Manning's mark. Manning's five league MVP awards is actually two clear of the nearest competition (Jim Brown, Brett Favre, and Johnny Unitas all won the award three times), so I think that record is one that is safe for a very, very long time. So these numbers present a very compelling case as to why it could surely be argued that Manning is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
The elephant in the room though, is Manning's postseason record. As is the case with most sports, being a winner is what really counts, and that is where Manning falls short of some of his competition. It is also why guys like Bill Russell and Yogi Berra are so underrated. Not only were both of those men great at what they did, but they won more than anyone else ever did. And that is why, despite his unprecedented numbers, I still cannot say that Manning was the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Peyton Manning won 70% of the games he played and was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. Joe Montana won 71% of the games he played and was 4-0 in the Super Bowl. Tom Brady has won 77% of his career games and is 4-2 in the Super Bowl, with still the chance to improve on both of those percentages. Roger Staubach, the only other quarterback to win over 70% of the games in which he played was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. And in my mind, those numbers are the ones that define the greatest to ever play, and why, in my mind, Joe Montana is still the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Does Brady have a chance to surpass Montana? Yes, I think he does. Does Manning at least deserve to be mentioned in that conversation? Absolutely.
This past season and the outcome of the Super Bowl really was, in my opinion, a huge notch in the belt of Manning. Prior to the game, most people said that win or lose, Manning was among the all-time greats, and they were correct. However, in my mind, the game was very important in the legacy of Manning. The fact that he won multiple Super Bowls put him in a class that does not have many members. There are only 12 quarterbacks that have won more than one Super Bowl, and when Manning was able to join that list, I thought it was a colossal addition to his list of career accomplishments.
Another part of Manning's legacy is what I mentioned before. He was able to be great with more than one team. Montana, Brady, Bradshaw, Aikman. All of those men have won more Super Bowls than Manning, but they have all done so with one team. Manning stands alone as the only quarterback in NFL history to have won Super Bowls with multiple teams. While that may seem like something that is not essential in defining the greatest to ever play, it is still very unique in its own right. Kurt Warner won a Super Bowl with the Rams and then lost a Super Bowl with the Cardinals. Craig Morton started a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos but lost both of them. Manning is the only man to ever start and win a Super Bowl with more than one team. Not only does that speak to his greatness as a player, but I think it also speaks to his ability to lead in multiple ways. He was the face of the Indianapolis Colts for over a decade and delivered a title. Then, he moved to Denver and was just as great, and delivered a title there as well. Reaching the ultimate goal with one team is tough enough, but to be able to readjust and do it again somewhere else is truly something that we have never seen before in the NFL.
I have drifted a bit off topic here, as my initial goal was to focus initially on Manning alone, but I think the fact that you cannot speak about him without mentioning the all-time greats speaks for itself. Older fans will mention names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, ad Sid Luckman. What they all did was incredible, and in many ways revolutionary. However, what Peyton Manning did was revolutionary as well.
I cannot say that I will think of Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time, but he is definitely in the top ten, and most likely in the top five. I also cannot say if I will remember him more as an Indianapolis Colt as opposed to a Denver Bronco. Only time will tell how that plays out.
What I can say without question though, is that I will remember him as someone who played the position in a manner I had never seen before. He didn't get in the huddle, walk to the line of scrimmage, and take the snap. I will remember him for how he seemed to always be one step ahead of his opponents. All of those audibles and hand signals at the line of scrimmage meant that he knew what he was doing. It put opposing defenses on their heels. It demonstrated why I think that the single most difficult position to play in all of professional sports is NFL quarterback. Not only do you have to master how you and your teammates play the game, but you have to master how to adapt to how your opponent plays the game as well.
His individual numbers are great. His postseason record is far from so. However, no one can argue that Peyton Manning not only revolutionized how the game of football is played, but he also revolutionized how I watched it as a fan. It isn't just a bunch of Neanderthal men out there crashing into on another. It requires a mental approach just like, if not more so, than any other profession does. Winning games on Sundays is based off of what you do from Monday through Saturday, not just going out and running around on the field. That is what I learned from Peyton Manning, and that is why the game will always be missing something now that he is gone.
Daily Giants Update: The team announced today that they have told Victor Cruz that he will have to take a pay cut in order to remain on the roster, and I completely agree with them in doing so. As much fun as he has been to watch, it has been a long time since he has been on the field, and the Giants need their money to be spent wisely. That means giving less of it to Cruz. If he stays with the team at a reduced salary, then I am fine with that. If he wants anything else, then he needs to be released.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers were gashed by the Islanders last night, allowing six goals. Eric Staal got a goal which is nice as he acclimates himself to the team, but I am still not exactly comfortable with how this team is playing. They have 16 games left to change my thinking.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Zack Greinke looked good in his brief spring debut, which is obviously nice to see. The first round of roster cuts took place today, but there still are plenty of moves to be made, as we still have just under a month until Opening Day. Stay tuned here, because the back end of the roster is still far from being decided.
Daily NBA Update: The Warriors laid a total egg yesterday afternoon in a loss to the Lakers, and they now sit at 55-6. They have a long stretch of games at home coming up, beginning with the Orlando Magic tonight. They have not lost at home all season, and their opponents during this home stretch are mostly far from intimidating. However, their few losses this season have all come against lower level teams, so they need to bounce back tonight.
Aside from that, I think teams in the Eastern Conference really need to worry about the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets. I am not saying that either of those teams will be able to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown in 2016, but I like the way both of those teams are building around young cores.
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