WhoDat!656

When Broncos owner Pat Bowlen hands to Peyton Manning his new jersey at 3:00 p.m. ET (we’ll be streaming the press conference live via a special edition of PFT Live), the number 18 will appear below Manning’s name.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that Frank Tripucka, the first quarterback in franchise history, has given his blessing to the unretirement of Tripucka’s previously retired number, so that Peyton can wear it.

Tripucka shouldn’t have even been asked. No player with a retired jersey ever should face that request. That’s the whole purpose of the retired jersey. It’s retired. If a jersey isn’t going to stay retired, then don’t retire it.

It’s not as if the Broncos retire jerseys recklessly. According to the Official NFL Record & Fact Book for 2011, only three have been set aside: 18, 7 (John Elway), and 44 (Floyd Little).

Some would say, “Who cares?” To that I say, “Exactly.”

It doesn’t matter which number Manning wears. Thus, he should respect the fact that Tripucka’s jersey is retired, and Peyton should pick a different number.

Like 16, the number he wore in college.

Then, if he delivers a couple of Super Bowl wins as a Bronco, he could become the first NFL player who has two different numbers retired, with two different teams.

And no one should ever ask him to unretire either of them.


Peyton should pass on No. 18 | ProFootballTalk

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

OldMaid

Good point there if he should win with Denver Broncos and he could have two numbers retired.
Guess he doesn't think that is as important to him as his lucky #18.
Tripucka said it is ok, so ok.

Danno

How about #8?

I heard that was a pretty good number in the Manning family.

QBREES9

#16 his college number #8 honor your Dad.

SloMotion

Understanding the superstition of retaining your jersey number, I still agree that 'retired' jerseys should remain 'retired'. Unretiring them could be considered some kind of 'bad luck' as well ... the Lions 'unretired' Joe Schmidt's #56 for Pat Swilling (you guys remember Pat), and though on the surface it may seem as he was reasonably successful as a Lion, he was on the losing end of all the playoff games, (6), he was ever involved in, two with Detroit ... karma, just sayin'.

Euphoria

I don't think it matters.

A person can un-retire can't he?

I think as long as the one who had the number retired gives his blessings that a player can use it, its ok. The one problem they will have is how to you retire the number twice? You retire it for the first guy and another right next to his with the same number different name? Kind of weird.

I have to also admit Mannings orange jersey looks hot. I am not a big fan of wearing jersys unless its my own. I only owned two in my life time... mine and Bree's. But I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that one...

E U P H O R I A

SaintsBro

Money has a way of making sentimental, fan and team-based things like jersey "retirements" fly completely out the window. Peyton and the Broncos were planning to make a ton of money off selling those jerseys, and the old guy who had the original number was standing in the way.