“It was a blessing to coach Peyton Manning”, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said Sunday.
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“God bless all of you, and God bless football”, Manning said Monday as he announced his retirement after 18 NFL seasons.
Manning’s inconsistencies eventually gave way to a level of success that made him arguably the game’s best quarterback and the face of a high-powered Colts team that regularly contended for the NFL’s top record.
Peyton managed to keep the tears at bay throughout his 12 minute speech, but you can hear his voice crack more than once as he recounted the many memories he’s accrued during his time in the NFL. “Like Forrest Gump said, ‘That’s all I have to say about that'”.
After Manning took the last of questions, he ended the news conference by saying one word. “Due to some good genes, I’m smart enough to know those lessons can enrich who I am and where I go from here”. His many accolades and records include 5 league MVP awards, all time leader in passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539), to go along with his 2 super bowl rings.
The Denver Broncos star, who turns 40 on 24 March, played his last game in the Super Bowl in February, when he helped the franchise to win the sport’s most coveted prize.
After taking a few moments to compose himself, Manning opened his remarks to a packed meeting room with a recollection of his first pass, his first touchdown, his first game as a pro.
“Peyton Manning revolutionized the game”, Elway said.
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Other big networks such as NBC and CBS haven’t expressed interest in bringing on Manning, per McCarthy, though an NBC spokesman told McCarthy the network “can discuss his future at a later time”.
As Manning prepared to say his tearful goodbye to football, Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams reminded all of us on Twitter how much No. 18 struggled in his swan song.
“I’ll miss recapping the game with my dad, and checking to see if the Giants won, and calling Eli as we’re both on our team buses”, said Manning, whose mom and dad, along with brother Cooper, were sitting in the front row. Fans, you are at the core of what makes this game remarkable. General manager John Elway had the blueprints.
Manning, whose dry wit and star power has made him a staple of commercials and late-night television for almost two decades, had his squeaky-clean image take a beating as the final pages were flipped on his storied career.
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Manning spent the past four seasons with the Broncos, but he spent the first 14 years of his career helping the Colts return to prominence. And of course my gratitude to the Broncos fans everywhere.
