I know Peyton Manning being released yesterday in Indianapolis was a sad day for Colts fans and I'm also sure Manning himself, who played there for 14 seasons. However, Colts fans saw great football in those 14 seasons as they won a Super Bowl, been to another, and were a consistent 10 plus win team year in year out. In fact, the Colts set an NFL record with nine consecutive 10 win seasons from 2002-2010. As for Manning, well he's made big time money and deservedly so. He turned Indianapolis from a loser into a winner almost instantly. Let's face it, before Manning came along, the Colts were not a hotbed in the NFL. Indianapolis was all about Indiana basketball, the Indiana Pacers, and the Indianapolis 500. Manning comes in and transforms that city into Colts town. Because of Manning, the Colts build a brand new state-of-the-art stadium that otherwise wouldn't be built and they would probably be moving to I don't know, Los Angeles. Plus they just hosted the Super Bowl in their new stadium. There's no way Indy hosts a Super Bowl without that stadium and there's no way they get that stadium without Manning.
It will be hard to move on from a man who meant so much to the city and vice versa. It's hard it's emotional I get it. But everyone needs to put things into perspective. Manning has made tons of money, including $25 million or whatever last year despite Manning not taking a single snap. They gave him that roster bonus and not put him on the IR and kept him on the active roster just to give him the bonus. Now to pay him $28 million with the chance that he might not play or play up to his Hall of Fame level. Plus he's 36 so he isn't getting any younger and he's had several neck surgeries the past few years. The Colts went 2-14 without him and are drafting 1st overall and they will probably take Andrew Luck, who many claim is the next Peyton Manning. We shall wait and see. Owner Jim Irsay cleaned house of the front office, including the man who drafted Manning back in 98, Bill Polian, and also got rid of the coach. It's clear they want to start over and Manning should want to move on and win somewhere else because Indy is not going to have a ton of talent for him to work with. If he wants to win a Super Bowl and I know he does, he won't do it in Indy. He already gave Indy a Super Bowl trophy and another appearance a couple of years ago. As for the fans, it's tough but it's life. Nothing lasts forever. But the good news is your getting Andrew Luck, who I'm sure won't replicate what Manning has done right off the bat but I bet you he will be a very good QB in his own right a few years down the road. With a chance for another 10-15 years of success, would you give up another year of possibly awful football? Especially when Luck falls right into your lap?
Look at how some teams have moved on from their franchise quarterback over the years. The San Francisco 49ers went from Joe Montana to Steve Young and even to Jeff Garcia, who had some good years in the bay area. Green Bay went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. So as you see, you go from great QB to another, the transition is a lot easier than expected. Of course the guy coming in has to prove but once he does, you almost forget about the guy before. Of course some teams like Miami and Buffalo have lost franchise QBs and have not been the same. I still remember the Bills cutting Jim Kelly and him retiring 15 years ago. I never expected the Bills to go this long without getting some sort of good quarterback. They've missed on so many and it's no surprise that they have missed the playoffs 12 years in a row. Look what Manning has done to energize an entire city and region, don't you think an elite franchise QB could the same for Buffalo? It did in the early 90s with Kelly as the Bills were one of the best teams in the NFL and went to 4 straight Super Bowls. I heard on the Colin Cowherd show that the Bears have made something like 17 different starting quarterbacks since Peyton broke into the league in 1998. I think he said Miami has had 15 or 16. Manning had not missed a single game from 1998 to 2010, 208 consecutive starts, only behind Brett Favre's record of 297 consecutive starts. His durability especially after taking a beating in his last few years is amazing.
Being a Bills fan, I have to say I have no sympathy for Colts fans. You had 14 amazing years with Manning, winning a Super Bowl, and now you get Andrew Luck. There's a chance of you possibly having 25-30 years of awesome quarterbacking. You even got a Super Bowl in your city. You have a new stadium. Our stadium is old and dilapidated. I like it but it doesn't compete with the new stadiums around the league. Did I mention we don't have a quarterback nor having a possible franchise QB fall into our laps like you guys did after a horrible season? It's like winning the lottery, living it up for 14 years and blowing it all only to win the lottery once again. If they aren't in the position to draft Luck, I believe the Colts keep him. Luck is the no-brainer move. You might take a step backwards but let's face it, you're already backwards after Manning was out. Take a step back now so that you will take many steps forward in the not to distant future. For those of you who are mad and/or an Andrew Luck hater, how about not having any good quarterback for over a decade and being irrelevant?
Colt fans, you've known since last Sept. this was happening so don't act all surprised. This wasn't like Lebron James telling Cleveland he was leaving to Miami on a prime time television special on ESPN. As for Manning, he will continue to rack in the dough and for the first time in his career, he will choose where he wants to go and possibly win another Super Bowl. He will have the chance to energize another city much like the way he did in Indy whether it's Miami, Arizona, Washington, or wherever. Jersey sales and revenue will continue to grow. Another team that was downtrodden will be more relevant and that's good for the league. Manning's not retired he will still play.
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