 |
| Peyton Manning holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy after what may have been his final NFL game. |
The legacy that QB Peyton Manning has built since being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts number one overall out of Tennessee in the 1998 NFL Draft has been nothing short of remarkable. He is clearly the best, most consistent regular season quarterback of All-Time, and solidifying his postseason resume with his second Super Bowl title will go a long way in enhancing his "Greatest of All-Time" case. Manning has largely, especially towards the back-end of his career, accomplished all of his feats with superior mental awareness and preparation to that of his peers. He may not always throw the tightest spiral or the deepest or most accurate ball, but when you have a second coach on the field running your offense, those minor flaws can be downplayed. Manning's ability to confuse defenses and seemingly always having the upper-hand in terms of play calling against defensive coordinators is something that few, if any, quarterbacks have been able to do in NFL history. This season put Manning to the test more-so than any other in his illustrious career, where he failed to throw for ten touchdown passes and tossed seventeen interceptions before being benched mid-season for the young, inexperienced QB Brock Osweiler. Osweiler, who played admirably in Manning's absence, kept Denver in good position until they elected to put Manning back in as the starter during a Week 17 struggle against San Diego. After a first half ridden with turnovers and mistakes, Head Coach Gary Kubiak decided to pull Osweiler in favor of Manning, which proved to be the right decision as Manning led the Broncos to a victory in that game to lock up home field advantage. Manning would go on to have an unspectacular, game-manager type of postseason, but did just enough with his diminishing skill set in order to help lead the Broncos to a third Super Bowl title in franchise history.
If Sunday was the last time we ever see Manning step foot on a football field as an NFL player, let's take a look at some of his most relevant, career-defining statistics:
- Manning is sixth All-Time in career starts with 265 (32 behind All-Time leader QB Brett Favre).
- Manning has totaled 5 MVP awards (2 more than the next on the list: Favre, Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas).
- Manning is second All-Time in passing attempts with 9,380 (Favre 10,169 pass attempts).
- Manning is second All-Time in pass completions (150 fewer than Favre).
- Manning is the All-Time leader in passing yards with 71,940 (roughly 100 yards ahead of Favre).
- Manning is the All-Time leader in touchdown passes (31 ahead of Favre).
- Manning is the All-Time leader in game-winning drives (56).
These extremely impressive numbers, along with his two Super Bowl titles, put Manning on the Mount Rushmore of the NFL. Whether we call him the greatest of All-Time will be up for debate for many years to come, but he is surely in the conversation. For Manning, there would be no better way to head into retirement than winning Super Bowl 50 and riding off into the sunset on top. If he decides to go that route, who can blame him? If, however, he elects to come back and continue to play another season, who can really blame him either? He may feel as if he is still good enough to start in this league, and his passion and love for the game may bring him back for another rodeo. Only time will tell, but I have a feeling it won't take the sheriff too long to draw or holster his gun.
