Drafted with the first pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning would change the game of football through his chess-like audibles and pre-snap recognition of the most complex defenses in the game.
He was supposed to be good. Really good. Possibly great. But he became arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. And it wasn't by accident.
A great story comes from then Colts General Manager Bill Polian in 1998, the year in which the Colts held the number one pick in the draft and were torn between taking Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning. The majority of GM's had Leaf pegged as being the better long-term prospect. That didn't sit well with Peyton. He famously told Polian three weeks before the draft "Look, I think I'd really like to play for the Colts, I do. But if you don't pick me, I'll spend the next 15 years kicking your ass." Polian has said that after Manning made that statement his mind was made up. That was the kind of moxie he wanted in his future NFL quarterback. And most of us know that Ryan Leaf went on to be one of the biggest busts in NFL history. To think there was a competition between the two at the time is laughable now.
The Early Days
Peyton Williams Manning grew up as the middle son of former Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints star quarterback Archie Manning. He has been around football literally his entire life. He grew up to star at Isadore Newman High School, playing with his older brother Cooper, who was a wide receiver for the team. Cooper had multiple college offers but ultimately had to call a career early because of spinal stenosis.
(Manning Family circa 1981)
Peyton shocked the football world when he spurned his father's alma mater Ole Miss and instead chose to sign on to play football for the University of Tennessee. Peyton starred at Tennessee, setting multiple national and SEC records at QB. He eventually finished second in the Heisman race to Charles Woodson in 1998 his senior year, in one of the best Heisman classes of all time. Manning and Woodson would go on to play the next 18 years in the NFL against each other. Both will be first-ballot Hall of Fame selections in 2021.
The Establishment
Manning set the NFL rookie record for touchdown passes in a season in 1998 with 26, which has now been tied by Russell Wilson. His rookie year the Colts were terrible, going 3-13. They had the number one pick for a reason, right?. The next year the Colts drafted a guy by the name of Edgerrine James, a running back from the U. The Colts then made the single biggest winning percentage improvement in one year, going 13-3 in 1999.
While the first 8 seasons of Manning's career with the Colts was primarily a success, he was still missing one thing. A championship. He began to draw comparisons to Dan Marino, who was considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time but never won the big one. It wasn't until Manning's 9th season that the monkey descended from his back.
In the 2007 AFC championship game, Manning led the Colts back from a 17 point halftime deficit to defeat the New England Patriots. Manning beat his arch rival Tom Brady to advance to his first career Super Bowl.
Two weeks later the Colts would go on to beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI to give Manning his first ring. No more questions about if he was "good enough' to win a title. No more Marino comparisons. No more wondering if he was ever going to get it done. He did.
The Career-Threatening Neck Injury
In the offseason after the 2010 season, Peyton would go into surgery to have a procedure done on his neck. However, when doctors got into the surgery, they saw that this was not going to be a simple fix. Manning's neck vertebrae was seriously damaged.
He had a herniated disc in his neck which was putting pressure on the surrounding nerves. Manning would go on to have four total surgeries, including neck fusion surgery in which the doctors inserted a plate and screws to hold the vertebrae together. The injury caused Manning to miss the entire 2011 season. He had previously never missed an NFL start.
The injury was more serious than people know or seem to remember. David Cutcliffe, who served for a long time as Manning's quarterback coach, said that in the months following the surgery, Peyton couldn't throw the ball 10 yards. Imagine that... a guy who rewrote NFL record books passing a football couldn't throw 10 yards. Manning has recently come out and said that he hasn't regained feeling in his fingertips since the surgeries almost 5 years ago. So, let's get this straight. The QB who broke the single season passing td's and yards records, as well as winning MVP in 2013, couldn't feel his fingertips in his throwing hand? Wow.
The Broncos Take a Chance
The neck injury Manning sustained was so serious that many analysts thought he would hang it up after 14 seasons with the Colts. He was already going to be a first ballot HOF'er, had multiple NFL records, and a ring. What else does he need to prove? Well John Elway and the Broncos took a chance on a 36 year old coming off of four neck surgeries. Not the smartest move, many thought. The fear was that the first big hit Manning took might end his career, or possibly worse, put him in a wheelchair the rest of his life. There was absolutely no certainty about his future and the contract he signed showed it. If Manning failed to pass every aspect of a complex physical each March, the Broncos could cut him from the roster and not pay him a dime. He passed all four physicals each year he played for Denver.
Life teaches us that sometimes the biggest risks provide the biggest rewards. It seems that Elway might have had this mentality in his decision to sign Manning. Although the Broncos took minimal risk in their future salary cap implications, they were saying that they were placing their future in the hands of an old QB, coming off missing an entire season due to neck injuries, and couldn't feel his fingertips in his throwing hand. Yeah, Elway might have been criticized a little bit.
What kind of reward did the risk return? How about two Super Bowl appearances, one championship, four 12-win seasons, the single season passing td's and yards records, and one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history.
More to Manning than Football
While the game of football will undoubtedly be what Peyton Manning is best remembered for, he has given us much more outside the lines. Have you watched TV recently? Chances are you've seen a commercial with him in it. Chicken Parm you taste ~~~~~ yeah, I know you hummed that one out. He's engraved in our minds as one of the best sports actors of our time. He has starred in multiple commercials over the years with MasterCard, DirecTV, Nationwide, and many more. He will surely have a future in television if he so chooses.
While the commercials seem to be a big hit as of late, his greatest act comes in his SNL premiere after winning the Super Bowl in 2007. Peyton headlines the show, doing multiple skits poking fun of himself and showing how not to be a role model to children in the community through the United Way. In the latter, Manning is shown throwing footballs at kids, pegging them in the back and head. Teaching them how to break into cars, getting tattoos, and using one kid to pick up an attractive "nice lady". If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and watch the skit on YouTube. You won't regret it.
( Manning teaches kids to break into cars)
While Manning has spent the past decade making himself marketable off the field in TV appearances and commercials, he's also done his greatest work off the field in other areas.
If you had made millions of dollars over your career what would you do? Buy a mansion? A yacht? New cars? Luxurious vacation homes? Build a hospital for children? Wait what? That's exactly what Manning did through his Peyback foundation in Indianapolis. He put millions of dollars into St. Vincent's hospital and the hospital was eventually renamed the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincents. I'm a believer in capitalism and what people choose to do with their money is their business. But imagine if half the celebrities who make tens of millions of dollars a year had good intentions like Peyton did when donating to this hospital. Wouldn't this world be that much better?
There are countless stories about Peyton interacting with his biggest fans. He used to, and still does hand reply to wedding invitations in Indianapolis, visits troops overseas, and visits with children in local hospitals.
A few of my favorite stories:
Kari Bollig, an Indiana native, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Doctors told her to start crossing things off her bucket list, it wasn't going to be long. Kari had followed Peyton most of his career and thought that she'd write him a letter telling him how much he inspired her and to say thanks. Peyton got the letter. Read it. But he didn't write back. That would have been easy.
(Peyton with Kari and her husband Ed)
Instead, Manning flew Kari and her husband to Denver to watch a game. He met with them on the sideline before the game started, saying "Keep fighting, Kari. I'll be praying for you."
Kristen Patterson, wife of Army Sgt. Ryan Patterson, wrote to Manning in 2015 telling him that he was Ryan's favorite player and requested to meet Manning in person. Pretty bold request, right? Well, one problem. Kristen forgot to put her contact information for Manning to contact her. Doh! Peyton had the Broncos PR department track her down, as the couple was stationed in Alaska and would be visiting the Cincinnati area in the coming months where Denver would be playing during the season.
Peyton had the team hotel reserve a conference room and met with the couple privately when the team arrived. He signed autographs, played with the couples daughter, and thanked the Army Sgt. for his service.
All in all, Peyton has been a model citizen both on and off the field. He's a great role model in a society that yields few. He cares, he's polite, he's professional, he does things the right way. Everyone is human, no one is perfect, but I chose to have one role model growing up and that was Peyton Manning. You'll never convince me I could've chosen a better one.
The Legend
On March 7th, 2016 when Peyton Manning announces that his football career has come to an end, he will leave behind one of the best legacies known to sports. For almost two decades he dominated the NFL landscape, setting and breaking records. 5 MVP awards, 2 Super Bowl trophies, dozens of records, and literally changing the most popular sport in America.
His impact on the game, his coaches, teammates, and communities in the cities in which he played will go on forever. He's known as a great leader, teammate and friend. Manning is notorious for his preparation, thousands of hours studying film, throwing routes, and getting that perfect timing down with his receivers.
I was lucky enough to see him play in person in four NFL games, including against the Texans in 2013 when he threw touchdown number 51 to break the single season record. I watched him beat Tom Brady in the AFC championship game in Denver in 2013 to advance to the Super Bowl. I watched as he beat the Cowboys 51-48 in the fourth highest scoring game in NFL history. I spent thousands of dollars on travel and tickets. My only regret is that I didn't go to more games.
The Final Farewell
I knew Manning would retire after this season, and after winning the Super Bowl there was never a doubt in my mind he had played his last game. As sad as that was to comprehend, I found some kind of peace in the impending decision. It was time. He had nothing left to give. An illustrious career, capped by riding off with another Lombardi trophy tied to the saddle. As much as I love watching him play, I was ok with him walking away. It's the best thing for him at this point in his career.
The situation draws eerily similar to that of my late grandfather. My grandfather, Theodore Walker, of whom I was named after, had a very long and successful life. He was married for over 50 years, raising two great daughters while having a successful professional career. After my grandmother passed away, he moved into a nursing home. He was in his 90's at this time, and needless to say he didn't really enjoy the home life.
I would often visit him, seeing him in discomfort, not in his element and not exactly happy with the situation he was in. I remember seeing him the day before he passed away. He looked tired. Not like after a long day of work tired, but after a long life tired. He had done his part on earth. It was time to move on.
Much like seeing my grandfather come to his last days on earth, I've watched Manning come to his final days of football this year. He's done his part. He gave it everything for 18 years. He's got nothing left to prove or give. And that's ok, because he's done more than enough for the game and the fans. It's time to move on.
We will probably never see another QB like him. A star on and off the field, a winner in every sense of the word. A role model for children and adults. A man who showed up to work every single day and who rightfully reaped what he sowed.
It's been an amazing ride for the Sheriff.
Thank you, Peyton.
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