Since 1998, no quarterback has revolutionized the game of football quite like Peyton Manning. After 18 seasons, #18 has decided to hang up the cleats following a storybook ending to his Hall of Fame career. This year was an interesting one for Manning, who many speculated was a mere shell of what he once was just a year ago. Despite that, he persevered over all the obstacles, most notably Father Time, by ending his last football game with a Super Bowl win.

Nobody, with the exception of maybe Tom Brady, has even come close to accomplishing most of the feats that Peyton has. He has won more games (200), passed for more yards (71,940) and more touchdowns (539), had more games with 3 or more passing touchdowns, has won more NFL MVPs, and has been to more Pro Bowls than any other player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1966, and even professional football’s debut in 1920.

His successes did not come by way of his last name, however. Despite his father Archie being an okay quarterback better known for his association with the bad New Orleans Saints teams of the 70s, Peyton worked tremendously hard to make his own name in NFL folklore.

Throughout his career, Peyton Manning established himself as one of the hardest working players of his time, if not of all time. The way he prepared for games was masterful. He would study hours and hours of game film, watching other teams’ defensive tendencies, and make calls with his head coach to put the offense in a great position to win every Sunday. With the many coaches he has worked with, however, his productivity never wavered or declined. Each year he would get better and better, and when he neared the end of his career around 2013, his preparation became more vigorous. Even though his physical talent was clearly diminishing, he managed to keep his team in games just by preparation.

Now that Manning is officially retired, where is his place in NFL infamy? There’s no question he is a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2021. Is he the greatest quarterback of all time though? Some say he is, but others say he might be behind Tom Brady, especially since Brady has more rings and has yet to allow Father Time to affect his play. That can be left open for discussion, but everybody can agree that Peyton Manning was the smartest and had the best preparation week in and week out for a quarterback since he first stepped onto the field in 1998.