Ex-Broncos star Peyton Manning dunks on Tom Brady, Ray Lewis while John Lynch credits Bill Walsh during Hall of Fame induction speeches

Peyton Manning dunked connected Tom Brady and Ray Lewis.

John Lynch needled Peyton.

But Manning and Lynch, 2 erstwhile Broncos, combined for immoderate of the astir heartfelt moments of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonial aboriginal Sunday evening successful Canton, Ohio.

“Nothing astir my (Hall of Fame) travel has been easy,” said Lynch, the erstwhile information who was named to the Pro Bowl 4 times with the Broncos from 2004-07. “I waited 8 years arsenic a finalist and past (Hall of Fame president) David Baker tells maine I’m pursuing Peyton Manning (on the program). Thanks a lot, David.”

Manning, who led the Broncos to 2 Super Bowls, and 1 victory, came retired firing arsenic the 3rd inductee to speak, razzing caller Hall of Fame peers — and aged rivals.

“Ray Lewis conscionable finished the code that helium started successful 2018,” Manning said with a knowing smirk, referencing the 33-minute presumption the legendary linebacker gave successful August 2018.

And Brady?

“My bully person Tom Brady is present tonight,” Manning cracked. “By the clip helium is inducted, successful his archetypal twelvemonth of eligibility successful the twelvemonth of 2035, he’ll lone person clip to station his acceptance code connected his Instagram account.”

Ever cool, Manning kept his direct, level caput passim his presentation, prevention for 1 moment, erstwhile helium appeared to choke up portion thanking his begetter and presenter, Archie Manning.

“Dad, determination is nary 1 other I’d alternatively person … to invited maine to this stage,” the younger Manning said.

The erstwhile Broncos quarterback, who chose to stay successful Denver and rise his household present pursuing his status from the NFL, besides vowed to proceed to stay progressive successful shot astatine 1 level oregon another.

“I don’t cognize astir you, but I’m not done with this game,” Manning said. “I ne'er volition be.”

Lynch, meanwhile, noted that would not “be present today” without his woman Linda, who wrote him a enactment earlier each crippled arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a broadcaster.

David Richard, The Associated Press

John Lynch, a subordinate of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021, speaks during the induction ceremonial astatine the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, successful Canton, Ohio.

“(The notes) ever calmed maine and focused maine and drove maine to beryllium my champion self,” Lynch said.

In summation to thanking his family, mentors, coaches and erstwhile teammates, Lynch gave a peculiar acknowledgment to NFL fable Bill Walsh, who’d coached him astatine Stanford and persuaded him to ore connected shot implicit baseball, and told him successful assemblage that helium could “be a Pro Bowl information successful the NFL.”

Lynch said Walsh aboriginal showed him movie that compared plays helium had made with the Cardinal to that of Ronnie Lott, whom Walsh coached with the San Francisco 49ers.

“There were lone 5 plays connected that tape,” Lynch recalled. “But aft watching it, I was each in.”

The newest Hall-of-Famers with Broncos ties person much than a fewer communal threads to hindrance them. Besides being longtime friends, some NFL legends spent the 2nd enactment of their pro shot careers successful the Mile High City.

Manning’s NFL way deed a crossroads successful 2011, a play helium sat retired portion undergoing 4 surgeries to his neck. After 14 stellar seasons successful Indianapolis, successful which helium won 4 NFL MVP awards and Super Bowl XLI, the Colts released Manning connected March 7, 2012.

On March 20, the Broncos snapped him up connected a five-year, $96-million woody — a declaration that proved among the shrewdest successful franchise history.

“To Pat Bowlen and the Bowlen family, and the Denver Broncos organization, you took a accidental connected maine astatine a important infinitesimal successful my vocation and I volition ne'er hide it,” Manning said. “Thank you from the bottommost of my heart.”

As short-term marriages go, the declaration ushered successful a aureate half-decade for the Broncos arsenic a squad and for Manning, personally, who was anxious to beryllium his mettle aft immoderate doubted helium would play again.

Those doubts rapidly dissipated. In his 2nd play successful Denver, the autumn of 2013, No. 18 acceptable a NFL grounds for touchdown passes successful a azygous play (55) and for passing yards (5,477), steering the Broncos to an AFC rubric and a berth successful Super Bowl XLVIII against Seattle.

As a team, the Broncos averaged 12.5 victories and notched the AFC West successful each of Manning’s 4 seasons here, though helium made conscionable 10 appearances and 9 starts successful 2015, his last NFL season. He started Super Bowl 50 against Carolina, completing 13 of 23 throws with nary touchdowns and a prime successful a 24-10 Broncos victory, becoming the archetypal NFL backmost to triumph a title with 2 antithetic franchises.

Roughly 5 weeks later, successful March 2016, Manning announced his status from football. The Broncos haven’t won the division, oregon reached the playoffs, since.

The physical, cerebral Lynch signed with the Broncos successful March 2004 astatine the property of 32 aft 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and anchored immoderate of the champion defenses successful franchise history. Denver finished among the apical 9 successful fewest points allowed successful each of Lynch’s archetypal 3 seasons successful the Mile High City, with some the information and the team’s occurrence peaking successful 2005.

The Broncos went 13-3 that fall, winning the AFC West, and reaching the AFC championship, wherever Denver fell to Pittsburgh, the eventual Super Bowl champion, 34-17. Lynch tied for the squad pb that play successful fumbles forced (four) and was 2nd connected the roster successful turnovers forced (six) to Champ Bailey (nine), a chap Hall-of-Famer who’d besides joined the Broncos successful the wintertime of 2003-04.

The erstwhile Stanford standout and the 49ers wide manager since January 2017, Lynch was named to the Pro Bowl successful each of his 4 seasons successful orangish and bluish and tapped for the Broncos Ring of Fame successful 2016.