Peyton Manning should retire

There would be nothing better than Manning winning his second ring to get "respect" when he has the best D in the league and can't throw a 20 yard out. Winner now.

 

Obviously he no longer has his fastball. And we all know that the Bronco D gets primary credit.

BUT I'd also say the fact that he just QB'd a team to yet another friggin SUPER BOWL does in fact provide evidence that the writers proclaiming that he was finished and should just quit several months ago were plain old wrong. I'm pretty sure Manning--as well as Bronco fans near and far--are damn happy now that he stuck around.

 

He ought to retire after this season, though ...

 

I don't think Manning is going to retire. I think he's going to play until he medically can't anymore. (He might be close already in that regard.)

But read the columns. Writers were saying he either never should have come back this year or, in a very strange set of hot takes, he should have put down the shoulder pads in the middle of the season and never even tried to play again. That's wildly different from what you're saying.

 

I find it amazing how the really, really great ones don't just fall off gradually ... They manage to play well until all of a sudden it's just gone. Which is pretty close to where Manning is IMO.

 

What exactly would that look like? Because he already looks like he's throwing the ball with his off hand.

Will he retire when he's in a walker, or does it have to be a full wheelchair?

 

Walker.

 

How bout when he looks like he's throwing with his off hand AND his team ain't headed to the Super Bowl with the best record in the AFC? As old and weak-armed as Manning might look, the fact remains that he still wins far more than he loses.

And that's why he'll keep going. The proud old greats can always convince themselves they've still got it as long as the wins keep coming. As a comparative, I gawddamn guarantee you Kobe Bryant wouldn't be retiring if the Lakers were still winning ...because the last thing that guy ever wants to do is stop playing basketball, just like the last damn thing Manning ever wants to do is stop quarterbacking ...but Kobe's lost skills finally drove him out only because they combined with intolerable losing.

Same shit with Manning. He'd quit now if his now-noodle arm resulted in a 4-12 season, but after a Super Bowl run? I don't think so...

 

Imagine how awkward it will be for the Broncos if the team wins a SB, Manning refuses to retire, and they essentially have to cut him. They nearly cut him prior to THIS season. They really, really want him to retire. He doesn't want to retire, especially after Brady's quip that he had only two seasons left. It's setting up to be fascinating theatre.

 

Reminds me of another great junkballer ...

 

I look forward to the narrative when the Panthers crush him in two weeks and I'm defending his career.

Winners win!

 

I guess the secret to John Elway's success is to have a quarterback he doesn't want.