Peyton Manning calls it a career

[Rupert Patrick]

NFL Network is reporting that Manning is going to to retire tomorrow.

[oldecapecod11]

The Broncos announced it today.

BRONCOS ANNOUNCE PEYTON MANNING’S RETIREMENT

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/

[mwald]

If I had to pick one thing that attests to Peyton Manning's greatness: he was one of the few---if not the only---modern day quarterback whose influence on his team was greater than that of his head coach.

[oldecapecod11]

crème de la crème

The cream always rises...

Congratulations Peyton, on an incredible career. You changed the game forever and made everyone around you better.
It's been an honor.
~ Tom Brady

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... ebook-post

[Mark L. Ford]

Thank God that he managed to avoid having another cervical disc surgery. For those last four seasons, he's been one hit away from a paralyzing or fatal injury. I'm glad he gets to go out with another Super Bowl ring, but he could have had a very tragic forced retirement. Doing haiku for Nationwide Insurance will be a lot safer.

[oldecapecod11]

If I had to pick one thing that attests to Peyton Manning's greatness: he was one of the few---if not the only---modern day quarterback whose influence on his team was greater than that of his head coach.

That depends on where you want to place your "modern day" divider.
If you want to use "The Greatest Game," certainly Johnny U shares the honor.

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

So right now, I think when looking at Peyton's career, there's a "yeah, but..." that goes with his two rings. How long does it take for that "yeah, but..." to go away?

[mwald]

So right now, I think when looking at Peyton's career, there's a "yeah, but..." that goes with his two rings. How long does it take for that "yeah, but..." to go away?

What is the "yeah, but...?" Are you referring to his lack of playoff success relative to his regular season success, the allegations that have dogged him recently, or something else?

If it's the first, I think time actually diminishes his legacy. He did only win two titles. Right, wrong, or indifferent, two or three decades down the road when discussions about great quarterbacks will be held largely by people that didn't see him play, Manning will be slotted behind Brady, Montana, Bradshaw, Starr, etc.; guys who won more championships.

[oldecapecod11]

Once again, Tom Brady reaches the apex of class and professionalism while his detractors wallow in the slime below.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... g-manning/

[mwald]

I'd put Manning toward the tail end on the list of greats.

Already mentioned, he was the rare player whose influence on his team was greater than that of his head coach. That's the highest compliment I could give a player.

But --like most people depending on the situation in which they find themselves --his greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. The qualities Manning possessed--the intelligence, the force of personality--that saw him run a team like a coach was his downfall in big games. In terms of style of play, Manning lacked nuance. His style was all 100 percent aggression. When he found himself in a pickle he often resorted to more aggression: throw harder, throw faster, come at you with more of the same thing, just more intense. In the playoffs that approach was often putty in defenses' hands. And as both coach and quarterback, the coach didn't rein in the player. Ironically, it took an ex-quarterback in John Elway to finally call his BS, and he was rewarded with a second SB title as a result.

Comments above are relative to the greats, of course. One of the best of all time. But for me, not close to THE best.