At the end of a great player's career, you might hear: "The only person undefeated is Father Time." Normally, it's a gradual descent. Memorable athletes have fought back age and pain like they're pushing the sun back into the sky for one last game or several legendary performances.
This brings us to the case of Peyton Manning. At age 38 with four neck surgeries, the great quarterback could be done with football. But this wasn't a slow descent. It was a rapid drop over the last five weeks of the NFL season. The Denver Broncos' playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts is the first time I could truly say Manning looked old.
Peyton went 26 for 46 for 211 yards with one touchdown and several overthrows that weren't even close to completion. Beside the Broncos' first drive, Denver and Manning didn't have the same magic we've seen the last few years.
As great as he is in the regular season, Peyton has never been as successful in the postseason. The question becomes, did Father Time catch up to Manning before kickoff, or was Sunday just another poor playoff performances from Manning? That's what Denver has to decide.
I don't think Manning will be like Brett Favre, but I figure he will wait until after the Super Bowl to decide what he is doing next season. Denver might force his hand early with a coaching change.
There's nothing wrong with riding off into the sunset. He had a Hall of Fame career. But if Manning wants to return, what teams are left for him?
At his age, Manning might want to avoid the cold weather, writing off the 9-7 Buffalo Bills, but Manning would be a huge upgrade over Kyle Orton. The best AFC team would be the 9-7 Houston Texans, giving him a running game and a defense to take the pressure off him. The Cardinals won 11 games with a revolving door at quarterback. Just think what they could do in the desert with Manning. The 6-10 St. Louis Rams is the only other team Manning could consider.
While Manning's future in the NFL is unclear at best, as always, Father Time is undefeated.
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