{"id":1222,"date":"2015-11-16T22:40:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T02:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:51:52","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:51:52","slug":"the-end-peyton-mannings-loss-to-father-time-should-not-come-as-a-shock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=1222","title":{"rendered":"The End: Peyton Manning’s Loss to Father Time Should Not Come as a Shock"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If Father Time really is undefeated, then we just saw the greatest living example of its power. \u00a0That example comes in the form of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.<\/p>\n

This may finally be the end for Peyton, the man who just this week set the all-time record in passing yards previously held by Brett Favre. Favre, because he’s a legend, congratulated Manning in the only way he knew how, which was from a tree stand while hunting in the woods:<\/p>\n

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**VIDEO** Brett Favre congratulates Peyton Manning … while hunting from a tree stand pic.twitter.com\/RpnjR6975V<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Troy Hughes\u2122 (@TommySledge) November 16, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All that aside, Manning may very well be the greatest regular-season quarterback to ever play in the NFL. \u00a0But, as many wise people have said, all good things must come to an end, and Peyton Manning’s career has reached the same fate that every other good thing in the history of the world has: the end.<\/p>\n

The end for Manning has been abrupt. \u00a0It came without warning. \u00a0But most importantly, it was no different from what happens to every other NFL player at a certain stage in his career; said player’s skills decline and no team in their right mind would sign that player, so the player is left with no other choice but to retire.<\/p>\n

And in most cases, those players have absolutely no clue what to do when they reach retirement. \u00a0Luckily for number 18, he has endorsements such as\u00a0Nationwide<\/a>. \u00a0And Papa John’s<\/a>.\u00a0 And DirecTV<\/a>. And\u00a0Gatorade<\/a>. \u00a0He’s prepared for retirement, and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, retirement will (or at least should) be coming soon.<\/p>\n

Manning threw four interceptions in Sunday’s home loss to the Chiefs, and looked like a shell of himself for the entire day; he would be benched in favor of backup Brock Osweiler in the third quarter. And to put it plainly, Peyton has looked like a shell of himself for about the last calendar year. \u00a0Starting with a loss to the Rams around this date last year (November 16th, 2014), Manning has thrown 25 interceptions against just 19 touchdowns. \u00a0This is a sharp contrast from his career 2.15:1 touchdown to interception ratio; if you were to remove the numbers of the last calendar year from Peyton’s resume, his TD-INT ratio would be 2.3:1.<\/p>\n

He has stunningly thrown an interception in each of the first nine Broncos games this season; to compare, there were nine games last season in which he didn’t\u00a0<\/em>throw a pick, so the sharp decline means that something else must be at play here. \u00a0That thing that is at play is the silent killer of NFL careers; injuries.<\/p>\n

Before we get into the more recent injury(ies) Peyton is dealing with, the more long term one has to do with the feeling he has in his hands, or lack thereof. \u00a0If you\u00a0saw\u00a0Peyton Manning play for the Colts, you know he had one of the strongest arms in football. \u00a0I mean, just check out some of the lasers he was chucking for the team in his then-record-setting 2004 season, one that saw him throw an unprecedented 49 touchdowns.<\/p>\n