Few would doubt Peyton Manning will go down in history as one of the best QBs in the history of the NFL. Certainly in the top 10, but the top 5 gets a little iffy. Despite his gaudy career stats, he only ever won one Super Bowl, and considering names like Brady, Montana, Favre, and even Bradshaw, Marino, Unitas, Staubach, Young, Layne, and others from yesteryear likely constitute preferences, and biases, as to who ranks where.
The "Omaha" man seems to think he's physically and mentally prepared for another season. Many say it's his call whether he comes back or not. That's only partially true. His current team, the Denver Broncos, have a say-so in the matter as well. If they don't want him to come back, Peyton won't BE coming back, unless it's for another team somewhere, which is unlikely.
The clock's ticking on the Broncos. They have to decide within a few short weeks (March 9) whether or not to validate Manning's 2015 contract, which would guarantee him $19 million. That would be a significant dent in the salary cap. Plus, there's the little matter of Peyton passing a physical in the interim. Given the stakes, and Manning's age, one can be certain such a physical would be quite rigorous. If he fails, then all bets are off. Yet if he passes, the Broncos are still faced with a tough decision.
Vice-President, GM, and all-around honcho John Elway would ultimately have to make the call. It's no secret that Manning never had the rifle arm of Elway, but he's overcome that with smarts on the field. Plus O-lines that gave him all day to throw, and a bevy of mighty fine receivers to throw to -- both in Indianapolis and Denver.
But just this last year, it became obvious that Manning had lost quite a bit off whatever fastball he ever had. No doubt Manning is amongst the most cerebral QBs in the game, but knowing what to do in any particular situation and still having the skill set to execute it can be different animals. Perhaps that's the biggest irony in sports -- God's little joke if you will. With few exceptions, just when one has finally figured out every little nuance of their position -- their body has become too old to actually perform it at a high level. Somewhere in the middle are the "optimum" years. It can safely be said Peyton Manning is well on the back side of his career bell curve. Smarter than ever, but certainly no spring chicken, his on-field wing-flapping and squawking aside.
Then there's the irony of the age thing. Manning will turn 39 in a month. This is the exact same age John Elway retired at after winning two consecutive Super Bowls back in the late 90s. Nothing like going out on top in a blaze of glory.
That raises three points. First, if anybody can truly relate to Manning's current situation -- it's Elway -- especially while having played for the same team.
Second, other factors have come into play. The Broncos have a new head coach, which likely means a new system. Manning may or may not be a lot of things but, even if he gets that far, it remains to be seen how well he would fare under the incoming regime.
Lastly, as mentioned above, while Elway walked away at the pinnacle of success, Manning hasn't fared nearly as well in the last couple years.
In the NFL playoffs earlier this year, he saw his successor in Indianapolis (Andrew Luck) and his team waltz into his Denver back yard and blast the Broncos out of the playoffs. The year before, Manning and Co. got to the Super Bowl, but were absolutely crushed by the Seattle Seahawks to the tune of 43-8.
In the whole scheme of things it would appear the Broncos are trending down while others in the AFC are on the rise. A seriously aging Peyton Manning can do little, if anything, to stop it. Does he have one last hurrah left in him? Maybe, but consider yours truly highly skeptical.
So let's face it. At some point soon, be it this year or the next, Manning has to retire. Methinks the longer he hangs on, the worse things will get for both him and the Broncos. And let's also face the reality that it only takes one play in any given game for Manning to get seriously unhealthy in a hurry. The twenty-somethings rushing him for the other teams couldn't care less about how great he used to be. They'd just as soon knock him into Oma-la-la land. At 39, a body doesn't exactly respond to such collisions as well as that of a man 10-15 years younger.
But first things first. Manning has to pass the physical. If so, then Elway has a $19 million decision to make, knowing full well a change will have to be made shortly anyway.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out....
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