Peyton Manning Right to Retire a Member of the Broncos; They Did More for Him than the Colts

Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Peyton Manning is right to retire as a Denver Broncos player. They did far more for him than the Indianapolis Colts.

Last Friday, we wrote a story about how Peyton Manning made a career turning overrated scrubs in Indianapolis into Hall-of-Famers.

Related Story: With Colts, Peyton Manning Turned Overrated Scrubs Into Superstars

For that reason, the Colts and Jim Irsay are right to retire his number. They are right to erect a statue in his honor. And they are right to recognize him in every way possible.

But Manning is right to retire a member of the Denver Broncos also for that reason, which he will reportedly do.

Let’s be clear. Manning should not retire a Bronco because of how Irsay handled their breakup. It should be because of what the Broncos did for him compared to what the Colts did for him.

In four years with the Broncos, John Elway and the front office did everything possible to take the pressure off Manning and give him as much of a supporting cast as possible. The result was three years of MVP and record-breaking numbers that exceeded even what he did in Indianapolis, and then he was able to go to two Super Bowls and win one Super Bowl.

That was in the final four years on the back end of his career.

Meanwhile, throughout his prime during 13 years in Indianapolis, he went to the same number of Super Bowls and only had one season, 2004, with better statistical numbers than what he had in his first three years in Denver. Make no mistake, Manning didn’t get better when he went to Denver.

He just got more help.

For that reason, Manning should retire a Bronco. He should retire a Bronco out of gratitude to them for actually helping him win a championship, as opposed to the Colts, whom he carried by himself to a championship.

To add insult to injury in Indy, and not just the 2011 neck injury, Manning made a career out of turning scrubs into stars, as we mentioned, and that was used against him as people would state he had a supporting cast. He didn’t. He just made his teammates look good.

In Denver, Manning actually did have a supporting cast. The Broncos showed concern for him and focused on taking the pressure off of him as much as possible.

When you look at Manning’s career, it will be remarkable what he did with two different teams. But when you look in the context of team success, his success in Indianapolis is based on what he did for them. His success in Denver is what he and the Broncos did for each other.

As a result, Manning owes Indianapolis nothing and should retire a Bronco.

But the Colts still owe Manning everything.