Storyline: On the field no one came closer to perfection than Peyton Manning. His love for the game is legendary, too, a game he loved until it didn’t love him back (injuries and age). In my mind Peyton Manning is football’s G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time).
Foreword: Before going into depth about Peyton Manning I’d like to send my condolences and prayers to John, Nick, Kendall, and the rest of the Forde and Dalton families. R.I.P. Shannon! You will be missed immensely!
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If you’re a loyal follower of the BEST ONLINE SPORTS PUBLICATION AROUND, then chances are you’ll remember an article that I wrote, about a year and a half ago, singing Manning’s praises. Well, here I go again — and I do it with GREAT honor and pride as a journalist.
Courtesy: DenverPost.com
You see, it isn’t everyday that you get to cover a GENUINE athlete. When I say “genuine” I mean this: in spite of all of his God-given abilities on the football field, Peyton Williams Manning never rested on that laurel. He prepared like no other QB before him. His early morning film sessions in Indianapolis and Denver are the things on which you build a legacy … not on Twitter followers or Instagram likes … how many gold necklaces or sports cars you own … or how many Supermodels you’ve dated. Just plain old PREPARATION!
That simple gesture is the reason Peyton is he G.O.A.T., The Greatest Of All Time. I don’t know about the rest of you, but to me the name ‘Peyton’ has always kind of stood for an acronym that I LOVE: P.E.Y.T.O.N.(Playing Every Year To Overthrow New England!).
It was that kind of match-up. Excellence on the field helped define Tom Brady. His GQ good looks make women of all ages go crazy; and his success makes other players around the league respect and loathe him, both at the same time. But I always believed that Peyton Manning was Brady’s Kryptonite. Even if Brady held a slight edge over Manning in head-to-head matchups, it always came down to this: if someone was going to dethrone the Patriots it was going to be whichever team Manning suited up for.
Courtesty: fansided. com
Back on March 8, 2012, when Manning stood on a podium next to Colts Owner Jim Irsay to announce that he was being released, I wanted so badly to jump through the television and choke Irsay. The talk around the league was that Irsay and a team of specialists believed that Manning was on course to return to the field healthy. But he didn’t want to cough up the $28 million roster bonus that Manning was due to receive in just a few days.
After what Manning did for the Colts and the city of Indianapolis? To you and me that’s a lot of money, but to a billionaire like Jim Irsay? He should’ve looked at that money as ‘well spent’ for what he’s received since Manning took over the QB position in 1998. Instead, he did what a typical greedy, selfish, and clueless owner would do: he put his pockets first and the franchise’s future last! Sure, releasing Manning and drafting Andrew Luck made great sense. You have to move forward. It’s the typical progression of things when you age as an elite athlete. You’re no longer valued by your team and are then you’re disposed of!
That may sound harsh, but its the cold hard truth. Manning took this newest hurdle and did what he has done so many times during his career: he consulted with “the Manning Clan” and got down to preparing. Once he found his new employer in the form of John Elway and the Denver Broncos, the rest became history–culminated with a victory at Super Bowl 50!
The bottom line is that Peyton Manning personified what it means to be a starting QB in the National Football League. He was the first one at the practice facility working out, watching film, and then practicing for 3 hours. He not only studied offensive schemes, he studied the defensive coordinator he’d be facing in the next game. He wanted to know what the defense was preparing to do. He wanted to know how many times the defense blitzed the QB; how many times per quarter they stacked the box against the run; and how many times they audibled. He simply wanted the jump on everyone and at every step of the game.
Courtesy: pinterest.com
He’s a devout Christian, too, who climbed his way up the endorsement throne simply by doing the right thing. He’s never claimed to be perfect, but on that field no one came closer to perfection than Manning. His love for the game of football showed during his retirement speech. He said he REVERED football!
Manning found his love at an early age and stuck with it! He didn’t cheat on this love when something else became the “it” thing. He didn’t leave this love because he wanted a different love. He stayed loyal to this love until it didn’t love him back (injuries and age). He was committed to this love for over 18 years.
He stayed with this love until he reached his final destination, riding off into the Sunset while holding that Lombardi Trophy.
Peyton Williams Manning, you are truly The G.O.A.T., and the game of Football is definitely going to miss you.
