Peyton Manning... It's time for a new Sheriff in town.
There's no more records to break, there's nothing more to prove. You just won your second Super Bowl and your legacy will live on forever as one of the best quarterback to ever play the position.
Why contemplate coming back? You'll be 40 years old by the time Week 1 rolls around next year. Certainly you don't want to do what Favre did. Look at the feelings he hurt. The people he betrayed. Do you want that to be you?
Of course the situations you face are far less extreme for you than Favre had. You just won the Super Bowl. THE SUPER BOWL!!! Peyton, it's the perfect ending. Exit stage left. Ride off into the sunset as a champion. There's nothing left for you to prove. You're one of the best to ever play the game. Your records speak for themselves. Touchdown passes, Passing yards, completions, touchdown passes in a season, the MVP's. Peyton... it's obvious. It has to be.
This past season was one of the toughest of your career. It was tough on all of us to watch. I didn't like seeing it personally, I know a lot of people didn't like seeing it. I'm sure you didn't like hearing people talk about if you still had "it" or not. Im sure you're tired of all the jokes people made about your passes looking like fluttering ducks. I know you've heard it all.
The torn plantar fascia must have been tough to come back from. I've seen athletes struggle with that injury. Look at the basketball players in recent memory. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Al Jefferson. I can tell it's painful just by watching. When you're retired you don't have to worry about that anymore Peyton. You can worry about making more gems like these.
Seriously, how awesome were those commercials though?
I can't question a professional athlete and the decisions they make because I'm not one of them. I'm actually one of the annoyances in the life of a professional athlete. The Media. Guess what Sheriff, no more of me! No more cameras in your face. No more questions about this and that. No more after practice news conferences. Heck, no more practice. There's a win.
But I will never understand the one thing a professional athlete has more than anyone else on the Earth: Drive.
I'd kill to know what it feels like to wake up in the morning and do everything it possibly takes to be good enough to compete for a championship. Peyton Manning did this better than anyone else throughout his career. Just ask yourself Peyton. Do you have it in you still? Is that drive still there to go get another ring?
If you have to think about it, I think your answer has already been made.
Peyton, I just want to say it's been an absolute honor growing up and watch you play the position. You've broken my heart a couple times, but you were an absolute professional each time. I respect you for everything you've done on the field throughout your entire career. You've given multiple kids a role model to look up to. (This is all barring the recent news of the off the field stuff at the University of Tennessee by the way) I don't want to see father time take another one from us. He's undefeated after all. Well, Tim Duncan has something to say about that.
Peyton, I know you're going to make the decision that's best for you in the end. I just want you to be happy. If going out and suiting up again makes you happy then do it. If hanging 'em up and looking back you can smile about everything you've accomplished makes you happy, do it.
One thing is for sure though.
Come Week One and #18 is still under center, i'll be shaking in my boots. That old Sheriff still knows how to sling it, doesn't he?
No comments:
Post a Comment