ESPN is reporting today that #18, the face of the Colts for the past decade plus, will be a Colt no more. The team will make an official announcement Wednesday.
With Peyton Manning running their offense during the past 14 seasons, the Colts were perennial contenders and won a Super Bowl. Without Manning, who was injured all of last season, the Colts were just 2-14. Their dismal record earned them, if you want to call it that, the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. They’re expected to pick Stanford’s Andrew Luck.
On the field and off, Peyton Manning has been a champion and an ambassador for the game and for his team.
The question ahead is a double: Will Peyton Manning play football again, and if he does, where? Reports over the past month have indicated that his arm strength is back after several procedures to repair injured nerves in his neck. His football brain is among the best the NFL has ever seen. If his arm is really back, several teams will be interested in him either as a back-up or even a starter. He would certainly make for a fantastic mentor to a younger QB. Manning is likely to look for a team that will contend, if only to try to match his brother’s two Super Bowl wins.
Where will the great Peyton Manning end up?
I say this with much chagrin, but rumor has it that one of the teams that might be very interested would be Washington. Undoubtedly, Daniel Snyder would sell one of two of his children to get Manning. There is nothing Synder likes more than to pay too much money for someone who is now on the down-side of his career. It just a bonus for him if said player is also recovering from a serious injury that could recur. Its like freakin catnip to the guy.
If the decision was mine I would pass on Manning for these same reasons.
Against the possibility is the fact that, even with Manning, it is still unlikely that Washington could be a contender in this or any year in the foreseeable future. Why would he sign with such a basket-case of a franchise even for all the money in the world?
Ultimately, no matter what the price tag, the real price would be too high for Washington. If they have a lick of sense, and if they are in the mood to gamble big, then the better choice would be to go for Robert Griffin III.
However, as I said at the top of this post, the prospect of Manning in Washington fills me with chagrin because the only reason we won’t end up with Manning will be either a) some other team with deep pockets and deep needs is crazier than we are and outbids us or b) because Manning just has the sense to quit while he is ahead. Otherwise, he will be a Redskin soon because Daniel Snyder is nothing if not depressingly predictable.
Signed,
A devoted but sadly jaded Redskin fan
As a devoted Ravens fan who has observed Snyder and the Redskins over the years, I have to agree with you.
His brother is in the same division, I wonder if they are competitive to the point of wanting to play against each other twice a year, or if they’d rather save that for a head to head match in the Superbowl.
Exactly correct. As long as Snyder can hype Peyton’s presence in the hope of gaining fan revenue, he will consider no price too high.
If he’s smart, manning will retire. With that injury, the risk of being permanently crippled is just too great.
This.
Was musing on this last night–I’m a Colts fan of pre-Manning vintage, and I really don’t feel sad about “losing” Peyton because we still have him. Last week when we lost Andrew Breitbart, we really lost him. Peyton gets to see his kids grow up; why risk further injury to the spinal cord and jeopardize that?
Time to consider a transition into coaching offenses. He’ll be brilliant.
And sue the pants off Gregg Williams for incentivizing the dirty hits from the Redskins that kicked off his neck problems. Hrmph.
– seize the play!