Tom Brady Puts Peyton Manning Retirement Into Perfect Words

There is no quarterback in existence that would understand Peyton Manning better than Tom Brady.  The two have been vying for championships, often at the expense of the other for 16 years.  Together they forged what has become far and away the greatest quarterback rivalry in NFL history, the football equivalent of Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird.  Nobody can truly understand the feelings of what might be going through the mind of Manning as he prepares to end his playing career at age 39.

The only one who could is the man, rival and friend who understands exactly what he went through as a player, and what he’s walking away from in Brady.  He tried to put into words the enormity of the situation in an interview with Peter King of Sports Illustrated.

"“It’s what I said to my wife after I found out,” said Brady. “The way he played football, and the way he was consumed by football, all the mental energy he had to use, and I mean every day of the year you’re thinking about it, imagine what he must feel like with all that pressure off. Twelve months a year, the time commitment, the mental commitment, I can tell you, it never leaves you. You are constantly trying to be better, constantly striving to learn more. Think about how long he’s been a great quarterback. For Peyton, the pressure’s probably off for the first time in his life. Imagine how that feels.”“What’s it going to be like for you,” I asked, “when, for the first time since you’ve been in the league, you won’t have Peyton Manning to play against?”“That part sucks,” Brady said, sounding sad. “That part really sucks. That part will always suck.”"

Indeed.  Perhaps that won’t sink in for fans until next season.  It will mark the first time there hasn’t been a game between Manning and Brady during the season that didn’t involve an injury since 2002.  This past season Peyton suffered from a torn plantar fascia.  In 2011, he was out for the year following neck surgery and in 2008 Tom tore his ACL in the first game of the season.

Five times they met in the playoffs, four of them in the AFC championship game, three times the winner went on to win the Super Bowl.  That is the standard of excellence they set together.  While there might be a sense of relief on Brady’s part knowing that Manning is no longer in his way, it’s likely there is also a profound sadness.  A sign that once again Father Time something so great and entertaining to football fans doesn’t last forever.

"“Who has lived up to the expectations year after year after year as well as Peyton?” says Tom Brady. “He’s done it so gracefully, so admirably. He set the standard for how to play the quarterback position.”"

It’s not an untrue statement, though Brady had his own hand in that endeavor as well.  Suffice to say that one of the greatest rivalry chapters in the history of professional sports has come to an end, and like two bloodied and battered boxers at the end of the 15th round, they touched gloves one last time to acknowledge what they’ve accomplished together.