FB美式足球討論區
In my very first NFL game,
I completed my first pass to Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk.
I threw a touchdown in that same game to Marvin Harrison,
who would be inducted into the Hall of Fame this August.
The quarterback for our opponent,
the Miami Dolphins, was after my dad, my favorite player
Hall of Famer Dan Marino,
who on the first third down of the game completed a 25-yard skinny post.
And it was the damndest throw I'd ever seen.
Later, I completed a pass to tight end Marcus Pollard down the middle
and somebody hit me really hard
and after I got up,I told myself,
I know I can play in this league.
Later in that struggling season,
we played in and lost to Baltimore.
It was the first time that the Colts had returned to Baltimore since they had moved back in 1984.
We didn’t exactly get a warm reception that day.
The fans were screaming at me and I kept thinking,
Hey, I was only 8 years old then, get off of my back.
I had met him once before,
but when the game was over
I had the chance to shake Johnny Unitas' hand.
He told me, 'Peyton, you stay at it. I'm pulling for you.'
Well, I have stayed at it.
I've stayed at it for 18 years
and I hope that old No. 19 is up there with his flat top and maybe his black high tops on
and I hope he knows that I have stayed at it,
and maybe he's even a little proud of me.
There is just something about 18 years.
Eighteen is a good number
and today I retire from pro football.
I want to thank the people of New Orleans and south Louisiana.
New Orleans is my hometown
and of course they support their own team, the Saints,
but they also support their own
and that city and state have backed me from the start.
Almost 19 years ago to the day,
I announced my decision to forgo the draft
and stay at the University of Tennessee for my senior year.
It was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made.
I cherished my time in Knoxville, especially my senior year.
And I want Vols fans everywhere to know the unique role
that you've played in my life.
Thank you to the Indianapolis Colts organization
and all the fans across this country.
You can't fathom how much I enjoyed my 14 years there
or the warmth that my family feels for you.
I'd be wrong not to mention Jim Irsay, Bill Polian, some great coaches,
support staff and a host of wonderful Colts teammates,
many of whom will be lifelong friends.
When I was drafted by the Colts,
Indianapolis was a basketball and a car racing town
but it didn’t take long for the Colts to convert the city and state of Indiana
into football evangelists.
We ended my rookie season 3-13
and in the process I set the NFL rookie record for interceptions,
a record that I still hold today.
Every year I pull for a rookie quarterback to break that record.
Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford,
Eli Manning, Cam Newton.
I still kid Eli that he would have broken it if he would have started all 16 games.
In the beginning of my time in Indy,
the team's struggles were agonizing.
My grandfather would call me weekly
to ask if his favorite announcers,
John Madden and Pat Summerall, would be broadcasting our game.
'Paw Paw,' I'd say, 'we're only 2-8 right now.
We're playing the 3-7 Bengals.
Madden and Summerall don't broadcast those kinds of games.
Fast-forward to my second year
when we had gotten things going a little bit.
We were playing the Dallas Cowboys
and Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders.
I called Paw Paw
Guess what, Madden and Summerall are broadcasting the game.
He said, "I can't believe it.
He was elated and he was very proud,
and we beat the Cowboys that week
and we let the world know that the Colts had arrived.
Make no mistake about it,
we were coming
and we went on to do some phenomenal things
like winning at least 12 games seven years in a row
and of course winning Super Bowl XLI.