Peyton Manning

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Peyton Manning : biography

March 24, 1976 –

The Colts placed their franchise tag on Manning on February 15, 2011. On July 30, 2011, the Colts signed Manning to a 5 year, $90 million contract after negotiations in which he made it clear that he did not need to be the highest-paid player in the NFL.

After a May 23 neck surgery, Manning could not use the Colts’ facilities for practice and workouts due to the NFL lockout. He was so reluctant to have witnesses to his recovery that he used the Colorado Rockies baseball team’s trainers at Coors Field in Denver. Manning was unable to complete his throwing motion, and his arm strength was so poor that he was compared to Chad Pennington. Based on an MRI, doctors told him in the late summer that he needed spinal fusion surgery and that at his age they could not guarantee his return to the NFL. On September 7 the Colts officially ruled Manning out for the season opener against Houston, ending his consecutive starts streak of 208 games (227 including playoffs); the team signed Kerry Collins out of retirement and named him interim starting quarterback. After seeking other opinions, Manning had the second surgery on September 8.

Manning stated that while he did intend to play during the 2011 season, he would not "fight" the front office to stay off injured reserve if his roster spot was needed. Manning started practicing throwing footballs again in mid-December, with teammate Joseph Addai even claiming his passes looked "game ready." Ultimately, Manning did not play a single game in 2011, and the Colts went 2–14 without him, only the second season since Manning was a rookie that the Colts did not win at least 10 games.

Manning was released by the Colts on March 7, 2012. Upon his release, Colts owner Jim Irsay announced that no Colt will ever wear the No. 18 jersey again, though it is not being officially retired at this time.

Denver Broncos

Manning reached an agreement with the Broncos on a five-year contract worth $96 million on March 20, 2012. Although No. 18 is retired in honor of Frank Tripucka, he gave Manning permission to wear it.

2012 season

On Thursday, August 9, 2012 Manning made his first appearance as a Bronco in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears, where he completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards, and was intercepted once by Bears safety Major Wright.

Manning made his regular season debut as a Denver Bronco in the prime time game on the first Sunday of the 2012 NFL Season, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the game, Manning completed 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He posted a 129.2 QB rating in the 31–19 win, and made history in the third quarter when he connected with Demaryius Thomas on a 71-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown was Manning’s first in the NFL with a team other than the Colts, and marked the 400th of his career, making him the third quarterback, after Dan Marino and Brett Favre, to accomplish the feat and the fastest of the three to reach that mark. Despite the preseason concerns about his recovery, by late October ESPN stated that Manning "has silenced the critics" about his arm strength. Manning was later named to the 2013 Pro Bowl, his twelveth. On February 2, 2013, Manning was awarded the AP National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Broncos made the playoffs, but lost 38–35 to Baltimore, who went on to win Super Bowl XLVII that season. The loss was the eighth time in Manning’s career that his team had been eliminated in their opening playoff game, a record, and twice as many as any other player.

Personal life

Manning was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Olivia (née Williams) and NFL quarterback Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III. He married his wife, Ashley, in Memphis on St. Patrick’s Day in 2001. Ashley was introduced to him by her parents’ next-door neighbor the summer before Manning’s freshman year in college. Peyton and wife Ashley have twins, a boy and a girl, Marshall Williams and Mosley Thompson.