Retirement not on radar as Manning focuses on Seahawks
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was immediately faced with questions about his future in the game, especially if it turns out his side win their first Super Bowl since John Elway retired as a Denver quarterback in a blaze of glory 15 years ago, having secured two titles in-a-row after three previous failed attempts over the span of his Hall of Fame career.
Elway is Denver’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations — a general manager in other words — and has more at stake than most when he claims Manning will continue to pull the strings in the Mile High City.
And Manning needs only the green light from club doctors to prolong a career that was almost ended during the 2011-12 season by a neck injury and subsequent complicated operations.
“I still enjoy playing football,” he said on Sunday. “I feel a little better than I thought I would at this point coming off that surgery. I still enjoy the preparation part of it, the work part of it.
“Everybody enjoys the game, everybody’s excited to play in a Super Bowl, but I think when you still enjoy the preparation, the work part of it, I think you still ought to be doing that.
“I think as soon as I stop enjoying it, if I can’t do this, if I can’t help the team, that’s when I stop playing.
“If that’s next year and maybe it is, but I certainly want to continue to keep playing.
“I had no plans coming into this season beyond this year, I think that’s kind a healthy way to approach your career at this stage.”
Manning set NFL records this season with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns for the season as the Broncos scored an all-time record of 606 points for the season.
He has only tasted defeated six times for the Broncos during the regular season and has delivered two division titles and an AFC championship during his two seasons in Colorado.
The Broncos signed Manning to a five-year contract almost two years ago which has already paid out $40m (€29.25m) of a total potential $96m (€70m) deal running through until 2016.
It was seen as a risky decision at the time but could pay off on its own if the Broncos overcome a stiff Seahawks defence on Sunday evening.
“I know there is a number of players that have walked away as champions,” Manning said. “I’m sure that’s a great feeling for those people, John Elway, Ray Lewis did it last year, Michael Strahan. In talking to Ray Lewis and in talking to John Elway, they couldn’t play any more, that was all they had to give. They truly left it all out there.”
Opposition coach Pete Carroll is fully aware of the dangers of playing against a quarterback with so much to gain and with so much neutral support.
“Historically, it’s as hard as it gets,” Carroll said. “It can’t get any tougher. Peyton Manning had a season no one ever dreamed of having. It’s an extreme challenge. But we never talked about going to the Super Bowl or getting a ring. We just talked about playing well every week. We wanted to stay balanced throughout. We’ve had a championship mentality all season. We’ve had a long standing process to be able to deal with this. It’s been a process in preparing to be a championship team. We’re young, but I think our team mentality is strong. They have a mature perspective.”
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