On Monday, Peyton Manning will walk away from the game of football and the Denver Broncos after a legendary 18-year career. His time in the National Football League has been quite remarkable and a litany of records that lie in his wake are a testament to that, but what he did for a storied franchise from 2012-2016 should never be forgotten and will be the crown jewel of his career.
Sure, Manning will enter the Hall of Fame as an Indianapolis Colt due to his 14 years there, Super Bowl XLI victory and four MVP awards but his time in Denver represents an unrivaled will and dedication that was justly capped with a Super Bowl 50 victory. He not only proved to himself that he could overcome a serious, at times likely career-ending injury but he also reached the highest levels of play while returning a team to a place only the great John Elway had taken them.
When Manning arrived in Denver, both parties were in disarray. The Broncos were searching for a new leader after Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow had but fleeting bouts of success. Mediocrity, not greatness, was the new norm in Denver. At the same time, Manning was shown the door by the franchise he brought out of the dusty past of Johnny Unitas and placed atop the offensive football world. After a neck injury and several surgeries, he could barely throw a football let alone play professionally. The two sides were down but not out.
After several years of searching, a couple of coaching hires, early playoff exits and disappointment from the quarterback position the former quarterback, now general manager Elway coaxed another phenomenal athlete to Denver with the vision of another championship not only in mind but the only option. Manning, with the same goal in mind, headed West. Both prolific passers had known the stakes were high and for many onlookers, it was simply not possible.
As the coming days will highlight, Manning not only returned to his MVP-caliber form but exceeded it. In his first season with the Broncos, no one would have expected him to complete 400 throws, have a 68.6 completion percentage and a passer rating of 105.8 on his way to earning runner-up in the MVP voting and claiming the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award but that s just what he did. In 2013, he marvelously topped that, throwing for an NFL-record 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards. His record fifth MVP Award capitulated him and, more importantly, the team back to Super Bowl XLVIII. It didn’t end the way they wanted but the excruciating loss created the stage for his great’s moment.
In life, things don’t often play out like you may expect them to and Manning’s final season was one of many trials and tribulations. His body was breaking down on the field and off the field issues threatened to tarnish a part of his career that was never dirtied. But just when the consummate professional that carried teams in Indianapolis and in Denver seemed to be poised for a collapse just nearing the finish line, his 2015-16 teammates repaid the debt of his previous 17 seasons and carried him to the goal set by him and Elway in the offseason of 2012.
The Broncos glorious Super Bowl victory just one month ago was as fitting as it was fair. Denver’s magnificent defense swarmed an up-and-coming talent, showing Cam Newton that experience and teamwork still trump pure talent on many occasions and Manning no longer had anything to prove except that winning, in any form, is sweet. His 141 passing yards, zero touchdowns and 56.6 passer rating in Super Bowl 50 was enough to win and enough for Denver.
During his time in Denver, Manning was the winningest quarterback in the NFL, tallying 55 wins, he led the Broncos to team-record four consecutive AFC West titles, compiled the most prolific offensive season in the annals of football history, went to his record 15th playoff appearance and neatly topped the NFL quarterback records with 200 career wins. While he may not have won two championships like Elway did, he arguably brought about the golden age to a historic franchise and he did it immediately upon arrival.
All the numerous and mind-boggling records he holds will justifiably feed his legend in the coming years as he will never step foot on a field as a quarterback again, but there is one that Elway and Broncos fans everywhere were waiting a long time for—the third Vince Lombardi Trophy has finally arrived in the Mile High City.
Both the Broncos and Manning were lost in the infancy of 2012. A team was still searching for the heir of Elway 13 years later and a player was searching his soul and body for a sign that greatness was still possible. Both knew what they wanted, a championship but if you asked either the Broncos or Manning neither would tell you that the journey would be so memorable or ultimately, so sweet.
