This is the End. The End my Friend Peyton Manning
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I bet Peyton could float the ball over those mountains
Sometimes we miss the best time to say goodbye.
Yesterday, while watching the NFL, I witnessed the death of a legend. It was brutal and very, very tough to watch. This guy has been a staple in the NFL since 1996. He was on the radar since he was playing college football. He was the Heisman runner up in 1996. He was and definitely will go down as one of the greatest to ever play quarterback, but Peyton Manning probably played his final NFL and football game yesterday.
It was excruciating to watch. First, he surpassed Brett Favre for most passing yards, but it was less than impressive. The pass that broke the record just floated very slowly through the air until it finally landed in his receivers hands. Lots of cheers were showered down and the players all congratulated him, but his day got far worse after that. Manning couldn't move in the pocket. His passes, as they've looked all season, had no zip. They literally float through the air. When rushed, he almost looked flustered and would just throw the ball to no one in particular. He threw for 35 yards and 4 interceptions before Gary Kubiak and the Broncos coaching staff mercifully pulled him in favor of Brock Osweiler. Osweiler's passes looked great compared to what Manning was putting out there. This was pretty much a mercy kill that's been put on hold for 9 and a half weeks now.
Manning has not looked like himself since the midway point of last season, but yesterday, and this whole season, has been brutal. He looks old. The game looks too fast for him now. It was revealed that he has an injured foot today, but he's looked hurt since the playoffs last year. To give a comparison, Charles Woodson, taken in the same draft, is the leader of the Raiders defense, I know they got throttled yesterday, but he's still performing at a fairly high level. No, Woodson is not the same player he was three or four years ago, but he's not hurting his team.
Now, the Broncos are 7-2 after the Chiefs beat them yesterday, but they're winning with defense. They have no running game at all, they lost Julius Thomas in free agency, and Demaryius Thomas is giving his all, but the ball is not getting to him when it needs to be there. The offensive line isn't good either. Make no mistake, this team is led by its vaunted defense. Who would have thought this just two years ago? The Broncos were in the Super Bowl. Their running game was on fire and Peyton Manning was crushing it. He opened that season with a 7 touchdown performance. He was on fire. The ball was were it needed to be. It was on time and had plenty of zip. Julius and Demaryius Thomas were a lethal combo. Then, in said Super Bowl, they got destroyed by the Seahawks. Last season, they played well in the regular season, but got beat, at home, by an inferior Colts team. And, this was when Manning started to look bad. I thought this was a one time thing, he'd fix it in the off season and be back to his old self when this season started.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The first time I watched the Broncos play, I was appalled at how bad Manning's throws looked. As I've said many times, the ball just floated very slowly through the air. Receivers just waited on the ball, or had to fight through defensive backs to get to the ball. There were times that receivers looked like they'd get blown up by corners and safeties if they attempted to catch a pass. It's a shame what has happened. It looks like Manning has played longer than he should have. This isn't like Michael Jordan when he was with the Wizards or Brett Favre with the Vikings. At least those two lead those teams to the playoffs. The Broncos will make the playoffs, but not because of Manning's leadership. It's because of their defense. In the case of Jordan, he was still a 20 point per game player. Brett Favre led the Vikings. Without him, that team wouldn't have made the playoffs. It's a bummer.
I watched Manning in college and the pros. He seems like a good guy. I'd much rather hang out with him than Eli. But, his time has come. He needs to retire. He needs to do it now too, not wait until the end of the season. The Broncos need to move on from him and he needs to move on from football. You're one of the greats Peyton Manning, but Father Time has taken over and your career is done. It was a great career. You've won multiple MVP's, shattered records, won a lot of football games and won a Super Bowl. Quite a careerindeed.
Go and enjoy your retirement, you've earned it.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He feels bad for Peyton since he will always be number 2 (runner up in Heisman and runner up to Brady - Go Blue). Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.