Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League. Some argue that he hasn’t won the big games, but his statistics and impact on his team cannot be denied. This past season the Indianapolis Colts finished 2-14 and are currently “on the clock” for the April draft. The Colts are expected to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick leaving Manning’s future with the team in limbo.
In 2010 the Colts were 10-6 and 14-2 in 2009. So even before Manning’s injury the Colts were in a bit of a decline. Despite that decline experts and non-experts alike expected the Colts to have another successful season and make the playoffs provided Manning recovered and returned to the field. In both 2009 and 2010 Manning was second in passing yards and tied for second in touchdown passes in the entire NFL. With Peyton Manning the Colts are a perennial contender, despite having only won a single championship. Apparently, without Manning the Colts are a 2-14 team.
The 2011 performance of the Indianapolis Colts had a lot to do with Peyton not being on the field. It also had a lot to with his absence as a play caller had just as much of an impact on the Colts this season. Think about it, when was the last time someone other than Peyton Manning was really doing the play calling for the Colts? I know from being a high school play caller that going a long period of time (an offseason for example) without calling plays can lead to difficulties getting back into the flow. If this is true after just an offseason imagine how it would be after a break of several years. Let’s not kid ourselves, Peyton Manning had been calling the plays for Indianapolis for quite sometime. Even when Tony Dungy was around there were times when Manning was really the one who decided if they were going for it on fourth and short. Peyton has done a lot for the Indianapolis franchise. A franchise that was once most well known for another quarterback and how he refused to play for them is now known for having one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league.
That is why it is even more surprising the way he is being treated. I believe even the firing of the Polians and Jim Caldwell were an insult to Manning. These men helped build and keep Indianapolis as a contender. The main piece of that contender was Peyton Manning. It stands to reason that on the field success without Peyton would suffer. The best I can figure it is the Polians were fired solely because they didn’t have the foresight to sign an adequate backup quarterback. By the way this really would seem unnecessary since Manning had started 208 straight regular season games before this season. To blame only the Polians and Caldwell for the unsuccessful season seems ridiculous. I have and will continue to argue that with Peyton Manning the Colts would have been at very least a playoff contender this season.
I can completely understand if the Colts are weary of paying Peyton the large roster bonus he is owed without knowing how healthy he is going to be. Some ESPN talking heads have stated they do not believe Manning will ever be healthy enough to play again. With that being said, the Colts need to show Manning the respect he has earned and deserves. Regardless of if Manning ever plays another down of football, I find it hard to believe that his impact on the NFL is done. If I was a head coach or GM I would be making every effort possible to get him on my coaching staff. His work ethic and knowledge of the game rivals many of the best coaches. With some time to adjust and get used to coaching, I would wager he would be a pretty darn good coach.
If Peyton can play again and the Colts release him I have to believe there would be quite a few teams bidding for his services. If Bret Favre at the end of his career and after a terrible season still has his name mentioned just about every time a QB gets hurt, I have to imagine a team would be willing to sign Manning. Come to think of it he could be a QB/Offensive Coordinator. Kind of like the player/managers that used to be a part of MLB.
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