Duke's David Cutcliffe has some retirement advice for Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning's longtime personal coach and mentor David Cutcliffe shared his text message to Peyton Manning after the announcement of his retirement.
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Duke coach David Cutcliffe is much more than just "Peyton Manning's college coach." After coaching both Peyton and Eli in college and continuing the mentoring process through offseason workouts in Durham, North Carolina, you have to consider him one of the more significant coaches in the lives of the Manning family.
So when the news broke that Peyton was retiring, Cutcliffe was ready to offer comment.
"I’m not a little biased, I’m a lot biased," Cutcliffe said, via the Duke Chronicle. "In my opinion, there’s no question, he’s the greatest quarterback to ever play the game,” Cutcliffe said. “I just think he’s the most impactful player who’s ever played the game at that position, and maybe period. Everyone will always have fun arguing that, but I’d stay up probably half the night arguing with them, if they wanted to.”
When Peyton underwent neck surgery and was forced to sit out the 2011 season, he chose to rehab with Cutcliffe in Durham. After that extended stay -- both sides now joke about the regularity of Manning's residence in the Cutcliffe's guest room -- the relationship has been something that is clearly meaningful to both Duke coach and future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Cutcliffe shared his words of advice to Manning on Sunday in light of the retirement news.
"My comment to him -- and he’ll do whatever he wants to do, he’s really good at that -- is take a year off and figure out how to not be an NFL quarterback. That will take a little while, right? That’s defined him for a long time," Cutcliffe said on Sunday. "I texted him, 'Just enjoy some days.'"
