Two All-Time Greats Call it Quits
By "Endo F. Theline"

Off-Season 2273 (Baltimore, MD) - Two main-stays of the franchise-which-moved-to-Baltimore have decided to hang up their cleats.

QB Todd Manning and K Rob Knight are leaving with sure-fire Hall of Fame credentials.

Both players were selected in the 2257 draft. Manning was the second pick of the second round, while Knight was the second pick of the third.

GM Mark Thul recalls the night, 'It was a draft where everything just worked out. We intended to draft linebacker Wayne Hester in the second, but he was drafted right before us. While Hester was a great player, we were really lucky Manning was our guy. As for Knight, I had him targeted for the third because he just looked like a stud kicker.'

During the tenure of their careers, their team racked up a 175-47-2 regular season record. After missing the playoffs during their first-two seasons, they never sat out again, winning 12 division titles and posting a 26-9 post-season record. In fact, they were never ousted in the first round, having made 14 straight conference championship games.

Manning was made a starter right out of college, but struggled his first two season. The team only posted seven wins, with Manning throwing 14 touchdowns compared to 28 interceptions.

'Those were rough times,' stated Manning. 'The Packer fans were calling for me to be cut, but Thul hung in there with me.'

His career statistics came up agonizingly short in his final season. He ended up 91 yards short of 50,000 passing yards and 1 touchdown pass short of 300.

'Yeah,' sighed Manning, 'those would have been nice, but it would have been even better to have capped it off with a Sundby. After our undefeated regular season, I thought that's what we were headed for. Oh well, Denver and New York are tough, deserving teams.'

As for kicker Rob Knight, he ended his career having scored 1,697 points. While league records aren't totally compiled, it's likely that Knight is the most proficient scorer in league history, as he tops the previous known record-holder by 96 points. He placed in the top five scorers eleven times, while leading the league in points during five seasons.

'It really has been a fun ride,' grinned Knight. 'This past season in Baltimore was a highlight, but it's time to let the new generation shine. The team is letting me hang around to help coach the new kid (rookie K Mike Thomas), and he looks very promising.'

And thus concludes the careers of two greats. As a final note, when the day arrives, both players plan on entering the Hall of Fame as Ravens.