"I thought about it a lot, prayed about it a lot ... it was just the right time,Cheap NFL Jerseys China," Manning said. "I don't throw as good as I used to, don't run as good as I used to, but I have always had good timing."
"I'm totally convinced that the end of my football career is just the beginning of something I haven't even discovered yet," Manning said. "Life is not shrinking for me; it's morphing into a whole new world of possibilities."
Monday wasn't a day to ahead but a time to take stock,NFL Jerseys China Cheap.
Manning also called each of the other coaches he played for: Jim Mora, Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell and John Fox.
Manning went 50-15 in Denver, leading the Broncos to four AFC West titles, two Super Bowl trips, one championship, and in 2013 guided the highest-scoring offense in league history. All after retraining himself to throw following a series of neck fusion surgeries forced him to miss the 2011 season and he was cut by the Colts.
"When I look back on my NFL career, I'll know without a doubt that I gave everything I had to help my teams walk away with a win," Manning said. "There were other players who were more talented, but there was no one could out-prepare me, and because of that I have no regrets."
Elway thanked Manning for coming to Colorado, saying he made his own job easier,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, noting that with Manning living here, free agents were basically asking Elway "where do I sign?"
Manning revealed last summer he still had no feeling in the fingertips of his right hand, and yet he threw 140 of his NFL-best 539 TD passes for the Broncos, including a record 55 in 2013.
All of the responses and conversations "kind of helped me through the last day and a-half," Manning said.
Indeed, Manning choked up several times, especially when he listed all the things he'd miss about football: deciphering defenses; the flights home after a big win; his teammates.
Elway was equally emotional when he walked away from the game after winning his second championship in 1999, and on Monday he said, "Having been through it, I know it's a hard day for him."
Manning, who turns 40 this month, said the timing was simply right to call one last audible one month after winning his second Super Bowl trophy.
"I know it was tough, and you were special along the way," Kubiak said, turning to the five-time MVP. "So, it was only nine months for me, but I'll remember it for a lifetime."
"I can't tell you how many times I said, 'Dang, why didn't we think of that?'"
He texted coaches he played against, telling them all they'd been a part of his football life.
Manning revealed after the news conference he had an "orthotics guru" who had also helped other NFL QBs take up shop in his garage last November to fit him with some orthotics that helped him get back on the field. He added the torn ligament near his left heel feels fine and won't require surgery in retirement.
Earlier, reciting from Scripture, he said, "I have fought the good fight and I have finished the race."
Coach Gary Kubiak recounted Manning's journey through six weeks of rehab and his return to the field in leading Denver to a comeback victory over the Chargers in the regular-season finale that secured the AFC's top seed.
His voice cracking, especially when he mentioned his hero, Johnny Unitas, Manning said goodbye to the game he loved in an auditorium packed with friends, family and laughter.
Maybe a front office or a broadcast booth beckons. He hasn't ruled out anything other than this: he and his wife and 5-year-old twins won't be moving out of Denver. They love it here.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning got through the weekend thanks to hundreds of texts and calls from men he played against or alongside over his unparalleled 18-year NFL career.
Four years later, he hobbles away a champion, just like his boss did 17 years ago.
Manning plans to travel to Indianapolis later this month for a lower-key goodbye, nothing like this one, and said he'll still participate in his family's annual passing academy this summer.
"Well, I've fought a good fight," Manning said. "I've finished my football race and after 18 years, it's time."

He informed Elway, Kubiak and Ellis of his decision to retire Saturday. The move gives the Broncos $19 million in cap space to try to sign several of their free agents,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, including Manning's heir apparent, Brock Osweiler.
Former Colorado Rockies slugger Todd Helton, Manning's teamm