Manning Impressive in First Appearance

Yesterday I watched the press conference that introduced Peyton Manning to Denver.  It was an hour long session that had written statements and an extensive question and answer period for both Manning and John Elway.  At the end of the conference I was more impressed with Manning than I was before he made his way to Denver.

Both Pat Bowlen and John Elway took turns introducing the future Hall of Fame QB and both emphasized the fact that this acquisition put the Broncos in a position to compete for Super Bowls. Manning took to the podium and briefly talked about the process he took to make his decision and thanked all the teams for their interest in him.  He then followed that up by apologizing to the teams that he didn't choose for taking as long as he did to make a decision.  He actually felt bad that he might have caused teams to miss out on potential free agents in the pursuit of him.

When Manning entered the question and answer portion of the press conference he seemed to be genuinely excited to be in Denver and part of the Broncos' organization.  He made his intent clear from the beginning that he was hear to win a Super Bowl and that it would be a team effort.  The effort of winning a Super Bowl starts at the top with Pat Bowlen and John Elway.  Manning said time and time again that the organization was dedicated to winning and that he was proud to be a part of it.

Peyton Manning will be wearing the number 18 in Denver and at first I thought it was a poor move on his part.  I understand that he has always worn 18, but here in Denver that Number had been retired.  With Manning's love of the game and passion for it's history I thought that he would respect that and wear a different number.  Then Manning addressed the issue of his number in the last part of his written statement.  Frank Tripuka, Ring of Famer that wore 18, told Peyton that he would be honored if he wore the 18 jersey and told him that he should wear it.  Manning expressed that when a number is retired it should stay retired, but due to Tripuka's request he would wear it.

Manning is a great player that and no one could ever refute that.  Until today, though most suspected, most people didn't understand how classy he is as well.  He didn't have to mention the teams that didn't get him and certainly didn't have to apologize for any potential losses in free agency.  He did his best to endear himself to his new team and his new city.  He explained to everyone why he was wearing the number 18.  He didn't have to go into detail, but he wanted people to know that he wasn't going to ask for it.  It was offered to him and he felt it would be disrespectful to decline that offer.  Manning is showed Denver what they can look forward to for the next 5 seasons and it was nothing less than great.