Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana. All three were big time quarterbacks, fostering love affairs with fans in the respective cities in which they played.
Unitas invented the timing route and set the standard for the passing game as it is known today. Namath engineered the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, and Montana was a three time Super Bowl MVP.
All of them performed at mind-boggling levels until their bodies simply gave out to the unparalleled punishment the NFL renders on quarterbacks. Yet all of them thought they could fool Father time by simply facilitating a change of scenery.
Unitas looked sorrowful as a Charger, Namath threw in the towel after a few games with the Rams, and while Montana reached the playoffs with the Chiefs, he too found it impossible to recreate the sweet music he once orchestrated.
I cannot imagine how hard it is to walk away from the limelight these great players once shined in, but I do know how hard it is to watch Namath limp around today on two surgically replaced knees. I would prefer to remember him as the iconic quarterback I followed religiously as a ten-year-old boy; but unfortunately, the vision of him struggling to walk supersedes that in my mind. I would also like to think Peyton Manning is physically fit to play football again, but the reality of it is he is not.
When the inevitable news of his intention to join the Denver Broncos broke, I had to shake my head.
You do not have to be a board certified neurosurgeon to know how badly Manning has been injured and how much he has subjected himself to surgically the past 18 months. Throw in the savagery of the game of football and it seems like a no- brainer to a guy like me who once intentionally ran out of bounds in a flag football game to avoid getting knocked down.
I know the doctors have “cleared” Manning but none of them have said anything (publicly that is) about what could happen if he sustains an injury to his neck again. Partial paralysis? Total? Who knows for sure. Before you say there is always a risk of such injury, let me tell you how dead wrong you are. There is virtually no risk what so ever for it to occur when you are not on the field. That’s right; by simply walking away he decreases the chances of it happening by say, 99.9 percent.
No one can ever doubt his competitive spirit, but what truly motivates Manning at this juncture to take such a terribly high risk with his health? Obviously it is not a financial thing, and certainly he has absolutely nothing to prove in terms of accomplishments. Does the desire to compete at the pro level at this stage of his illustrious career really matter more than the ability to pick up his children in to his arms without pain after football? I would think not. What sort of dividends will this ill-advised comeback which subjects him to sixteen games of potential life altering punishment, truly provide? Perhaps the opportunity to win one of the weakest divisions in the NFL and a likely defeat in the first round of the playoffs has more appeal than someone like myself can understand.
Like any player his age, Manning has shown signs of declining productivity and that is a trend no athlete has ever reversed. Sure, in his mind it would be great to show Jim Irsay and company they were wrong by playing well, but the fact remains they were not incorrect about his health and the huge financial risk it puts on any team that employs him. The Colts are rebuilding and did not need a frail and expensive veteran quarterback to muddy the waters that the fountain of youth will provide. Harsh? Maybe to some, but certainly true.
Sure it may seem selfish of me to want to keep the memories of a healthy Manning in tact, but I am just a guy with no emotional attachment, and one who also has no dog in this fight. Especially when it comes to selling season tickets in Denver as well as Manning’s new jersey in the Broncos pro shop. I am however an old school type, one who has seen more crippled and broken athletes in his life than he would have cared to. For what it is worth, I just do not want to see him on that same scrap heap, one that he could certainly avoid. Football may be all he knows, but it should not be what defines him.
There can be no doubt he will be wildly successful in the various ventures he pursues after he retires.
I appreciate all the accessibility Manning gave me when he was a member of the Colts and I hope to see him again this fall. I am just hoping it will be in an announce booth instead of withering in pain on the ground of an NFL stadium.
Danny Bridges can be reached at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
