Peyton Manning is not the most popular guy in Chicago these days. After all, he'll never stop being the man who crushed their Super Bowl dreams in 2006. Nonetheless, he's arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history. His mind is a treasure trove of knowledge that is most definitely worth exploring if given the chance. The Bears took in a recent practice when the future Hall of Famer paid a visit. Perhaps his greatest contribution? Giving Kevin White advice.
That may sound a little anticlimactic but not to the young wide receiver. Remember the backdrop here. White is a former first round pick. He's spent all but four games of the past two seasons fighting his way back from repeated leg injuries. Some have already started to call him a bust. Having so little experience, it's difficult to cope with that.
So for an all-time great like Manning to offer advice must've been welcome. White had no idea how much of an impact the words would have.
Kevin White advice from Manning came from personal experience
In essence Manning
explained his own hardship that he had to go through in 2011. That year he underwent neck surgery for the fourth time. It involved nerve regeneration to a point where people weren't sure he'd ever regain full function of his arm, let alone play football again. Many felt he was done, never mind becoming the player he once was.
Manning battled through it all, set an all-time record for passing in a season in 2013 and then won a Super Bowl in 2015 before retiring. White recited the words afterward.
“When you sign up, you sign up for it all – the injuries, the setbacks, whether you lose your job or get your job. The ups and downs, basically. When you sign up for this game, anything can happen. You just got to take everything with a grain of salt and fight through everything.
“That was a good story he told me that kind of hit home for me.”
More than anything else the biggest obstacle for White moving forward is his confidence. He's still young and more than capable of achieving great success in the NFL. It's a matter of whether he believes he can. Manning came back from worse than a busted leg. Other men have endured more difficult paths. White can do it. He just has to keep working and start believing.
Pretty sound advice from a man who knows better than most.
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