The press conference comes nearly exactly four years since the last time Colts owner Jim Irsay called an emotional press conference announcing that they were releasing Manning. “It was always unusual watching 18 out there without the horseshoe on his helmet”, Irsay said about the Colts’ logo. “I was glad y’all drafted me and I’ll always be a Colt”.
Advertisement
Manning led the Colts to unprecedented heights during his time with the Colts from 1998 to 2011 that included the Super Bowl XLI title.
Seriously, though, Peyton Manning will never replace John Elway in the hearts and minds of Broncos fans.
Manning’s jersey number will be the eighth in team history to be retired, but the first since the team moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984.
I’m pretty sure we all had the same takeaway from the Peyton Manning thing, right?
Live video on Facebook is proving to be a magnet for publishers of all types – including a pro football franchise fresh off a Super Bowl win.
He talked about all the No. 18 jerseys that populated the RCA Dome and then Lucas Oil Stadium, a gesture that caused him to choke up in appreciation Friday. He owns a slew of Colts records, including most career passing yards (54, 828) and passing touchdowns (399). I can’t tell you the exact answer because I don’t know but I have a feeling that I’ll be OK, that I did not get shorted at all in anything football-wise in really my 25 years if you go to high school and college. And it matters to the fans that have a bond with Manning after his four years in Denver.
The longtime Colts quarterback reflected on his playing days Friday as the team announced plans to honor him.
He wanted to be a part of the goodbye ceremony that began March 7 at Broncos headquarters when Manning was surrounded by coaches, teammates, family and a crowd of reporters as he tearfully announced his retirement. It was a way to speed up the game and get the defense on its heels, but Manning turned into a way to get a better look at defensive alignments and find the weak spots. He’s simply retiring “as a player from the University of Tennessee that played for the Colts and the Broncos”. “I remember thinking, ‘The NFL is easy”.
This was Manning’s first time back at the Colts complex in four years, and as he drove himself in from the airport, every memory started flooding back into his head.
Manning and the Green Bay Packers’ Brett Favre combined for nine touchdown passes in a game won 45-31 by the Colts.
The 23-year-old Walker played one season in the NFL.
Advertisement
With all apologies to Johnny Unitas, no player has been more important to the Colts franchise than Manning.
