ESPN reporting Colts - Manning divorce to be announced Wednesday

[RhodyPatriot]

Call me crazy, but I think he'd be stupid to go to Miami. If there's one division where he would have the toughest path to the playoffs (especially HFA and a chance at a bye), it would be the AFC East (until such time as Messrs. Brady and Belichick retire). IMHO, Arizona would be the best fit for him. Great receivers, a serviceable defense and a very weak division (before anyone chimes in with how strong SF is, mark my words that they'll be lucky to win 9 games next year).

POST SCRIPT: I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he wants to win his division, and compete for championships. If his only interest is maximizing his bottom line (and this being Peyton Manning, that may certainly be the case) then perhaps Miami is the best destination after all.

I tend to agree with you. Manning played in a puff division for years. The Colts rarely had elite teams they had to play 2 times a year. He comes to the AFC East he's butting heads with the Patriots and that Jet D 4 times a year. Does a 37 yr old QB who wants to get back to playoff success want that??
Manning is going to get paid so ultimately the issue for him will be where is the best place for him to have success. Will it be easier for Manning to make the playoffs with the Fins or the Cards? Road is much easier with the Cards but I have a feeling there will be a "sleeper" team nobody is really talking about who may come in and shock the world....like the 49'ers or the Texans.
If you're a fan of the NFL this is going to be a fun off-season.


(BTW forget the Jets. They don't have the cap space and Peyton is NOT playing in a city owned by his little brother Eli)

 

[jcdavey]

i mean imagine how much worse your pats jets rivalry will become with peyton manning as their qb .....wow


you guys hate sanchez, and he's pretty tame and not that good of a qb, but you throw in a guy with much more history vs you, wow......brutal

 

[jcdavey]

I tend to agree with you. Manning played in a puff division for years. The Colts rarely had elite teams they had to play 2 times a year. He comes to the AFC East he's butting heads with the Patriots and that Jet D 4 times a year. Does a 37 yr old QB who wants to get back to playoff success want that??
Manning is going to get paid so ultimately the issue for him will be where is the best place for him to have success. Will it be easier for Manning to make the playoffs with the Fins or the Cards? Road is much easier with the Cards but I have a feeling there will be a "sleeper" team nobody is really talking about who may come in and shock the world....like the 49'ers or the Texans.
If you're a fan of the NFL this is going to be a fun off-season.


(BTW forget the Jets. They don't have the cap space and Peyton is NOT playing in a city owned by his little brother Eli)

it depends on what peyton is looking for in a contract

 

[NEGoldenAge]

i mean imagine how much worse your pats jets rivalry will become with peyton manning as their qb .....wow


you guys hate sanchez, and he's pretty tame and not that good of a qb, but you throw in a guy with much more history vs you, wow......brutal

That move would add a huge layer of difficulty at least twice each year. It would almost be worth it because of what it would bring for both the Jets/Pats and the Brady/Manning rivalry. That all said, if the Jets got Manning, they'd have to shed even more talent, which would really mitigate the threat they would pose. Most importantly, I would hate for one of the all time great QBs to be tarnished by being part of the Jets organization.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I doubt it's goignto happen, but imagine the publicity stunt if the colts did keep Manning. With everyones expectation beign set for him to leave, it'd be like picking him as your first round choice again.

Though, if Peyton wants to win, leaving actually seems like a good option.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

This is a sad day which marks the end of an amazing rivalry, easily the best of the 2000's. From 2003-2010 one if not both the Colts and Pats were serious title contenders and each game came down to the final buzzer, even the game where Brady was hurt. An 8 year span, not sure if we'll ever see that again.

 

[Rob0729]

Although I hate Manning, I respect the hell out of him. Sorry to see the end of the Manning era in Indy.

That said, I just want to revisit the the prophetic column by Bob Kravitz less than a year ago where he blasts the Pats for drafting Mallett while praising the Colts for not getting sucked into finding Manning's potential replacement because Manning will be around and elite for at least the next three years:

Once again, the Indianapolis Colts properly answered the burning question, "When do they bring in Peyton Manning’s heir apparent?’’

The answer after this week’s draft: not yet.

Let the New England Patriots worry about finding their quarterback of the future. The Colts are worried about preserving their quarterback of the present.

That’s why, instead of drafting a Ryan Mallett, who may never take a snap as a member of the New England Patriots, the Colts surrounded Manning with two more offensive linemen; a defensive lineman; a bowling-ball third-and-short running back, and another defensive back.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the Colts should begin looking for Manning’s replacement, but I know this much: not now and not for another year or three.

Manning is 35 years old and has never suffered a major injury. There’s no reason to think he won’t continue to stay near the top of his game for another three years, and continue to play and be very productive for at least another five years, up until he is 40.

In a perfect world, you bring in his replacement one full season and maybe two before Manning retires. So we’re talking 2014? 2015? Maybe later?

There’s no rush.

Indy.com | Forum: Sports: Bob Kravitz: There's no need to rush to replace Manning | Indianapolis, Indiana

The Colts are just lucky that Manning missed the season the year before Andrew Luck entered the draft.

Meanwhile the Pats were one dropped pass away from winning the Super Bowl even with "wasting" a pick on Ryan Mallett. That is the difference between Belichick and many other GMs. Yes, Belichick makes his share of poor personnel decisions, but he isn't shortsighted enough to blindly believe that Brady will be an elite QB for the next five years and not have a contingency plan. Mallett may never play for the Pats in a real game, but he is on the roster if he ever has an injury like Manning had.

BTW, now that Dungy has said that this injury happened to Manning in 2006, it was just plain stupid for the Colts not to have a back up plan for Manning.

 

[PatsFan2]

If i was Jerry Jones i would try everything in my power to get Peyton to Dallas. They have so much talent there all wasted because of Romo. Peyton seriously puts a Team who is a QB away over the Top.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

If i was Jerry Jones i would try everything in my power to get Peyton to Dallas. They have so much talent there all wasted because of Romo. Peyton to seriously put a Team who is a QB away over the Top.

You know it makes perfect sense.

The color scheme is so close to the Colts that he'll get the ball to the right player. Imagine if he went to Houston. He might get confused and throw to the white & Blue jerseys .

It will be very interesting to see how the Manning saga unfolds. I imagine it sucks for his family.

 

[Salva135]

A little aside, but SI.com's lead picture for this story is one of the greatest Manning Faces ever.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

if peyton indeed can pass a physical.....i think jets makes the most sense for him.

2 mannings in NY? (even though they play in jersey) i mean that right there just ups his endorsment cash

he sets up a potential manning vs manning superbowl, and he gets to play brady twice a year.


what could be better in his mind, aside from the nfc west and a much easier path to the playoffs?

Spoken like a true SD fan jc. You guys tend not to "get it". The JETS are never a great place to play unless you're a media/attention whore. At the moment they are a cluster**** to boot. They have little to offer in the way of offensive weapons beyond a jackhole WR the Steelers jettisoned for good reason. There is a reason they haven't won in 43 years. Same reason SD has never won. Mismanagement. Manning has at best 3-4 years left in him. He wants those to be winning seasons. This is all about cumulative legacy. Not to mention he isn't all that fond of competing with his little brother, let alone now that Eli has a leg up on the post season tally. Manning has all the money he'll ever need. When his career is over he will make even more in endorsements and appearances and the letter networks all already have their pitch lined up to land him. He doesn't need Big Apple exosure and he would abhor the scrutiny. Not to mention having to face NE twice a season playing the bulk of his division games in outdoor, cold weather venues. He's not looking for a challenge. He's looking for an opportunity to continue playing as long as possible and feather his cumulative statistical legacy in the process.

 

[dhamz]

Things you can count out:

1 - Peyton retiring
2 - Condon waiting to let him heal more before the Peyton sweepstakes starts
3 - Peyton signing a 1 year deal
4 - Peyton signing a deal that doesn't have big guarenteed $

As Andrew Brandt tweeted today, incentive laden deals are for guys who aren't in demand and have no leverage. Peyton is going to be more in demand than anyone this offseason. I'm sure the deal will have incentives in it as well as language protecting the team if he can't play but it is going to have big signing and roster bonus $.

Arizona is a popular place to speculate he lands but it probably doesn't work well in reality. They owe Kolb a big roster bonus next week. If they pay it, they are probably out of the Manning sweepstakes. If they don't they are going to be cutting their starting QB who they gave up significant compensation for a year ago with no guarentee of getting Manning.

 

[Uncle Rico]

A little aside, but SI.com's lead picture for this story is one of the greatest Manning Faces ever.

Heh -- weird choice:

 

[Uncle Rico]

Although I hate Manning, I respect the hell out of him. Sorry to see the end of the Manning era in Indy.

That said, I just want to revisit the the prophetic column by Bob Kravitz less than a year ago where he blasts the Pats for drafting Mallett while praising the Colts for not getting sucked into finding Manning's potential replacement because Manning will be around and elite for at least the next three years:

Once again, the Indianapolis Colts properly answered the burning question, "When do they bring in Peyton Manning’s heir apparent?’’

The answer after this week’s draft: not yet.

Let the New England Patriots worry about finding their quarterback of the future. The Colts are worried about preserving their quarterback of the present.

...

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the Colts should begin looking for Manning’s replacement, but I know this much: not now and not for another year or three.

...
Manning is 35 years old and has never suffered a major injury. There’s no reason to think he won’t continue to stay near the top of his game for another three years, and continue to play and be very productive for at least another five years, up until he is 40.

In a perfect world, you bring in his replacement one full season and maybe two before Manning retires. So we’re talking 2014? 2015? Maybe later?

There’s no rush.

Indy.com | Forum: Sports: Bob Kravitz: There's no need to rush to replace Manning | Indianapolis, Indiana

The Colts are just lucky that Manning missed the season the year before Andrew Luck entered the draft.

Meanwhile the Pats were one dropped pass away from winning the Super Bowl even with "wasting" a pick on Ryan Mallett. That is the difference between Belichick and many other GMs. Yes, Belichick makes his share of poor personnel decisions, but he isn't shortsighted enough to blindly believe that Brady will be an elite QB for the next five years and not have a contingency plan. Mallett may never play for the Pats in a real game, but he is on the roster if he ever has an injury like Manning had.

BTW, now that Dungy has said that this injury happened to Manning in 2006, it was just plain stupid for the Colts not to have a back up plan for Manning.

Nice job reminding everyone about this column. And I don't think Kravitz was unique in his view. How quickly things turn. Kravitz is such a homer; it's funny that from a Boston sports fan perspective his first few sentences could be taken as sarcasm but I guess they don't do that out there. (Although IMO, I don't think BB drafted Mallett because he was seeking Brady's heir. I think BB hated last year's draft, saw Mallett still available, tried to trade the pick, and just decided, OK, whatever.)

On the Colts getting lucky that they happened to hit total suckage the year Luck was available: So true. Someone tweeted Curran asking: If the Colts pick fifth, do they cut Manning today? He said no and I'd tend to agree.

 

[VJCPatriot]

A manning vs manning story would be huge. But I don't know if New York is big enough for the two of them. You know the Jets and Giants play in the same stadium right?

More importantly I also don't think that the Jets have enough money right now:
"Currently, New York is $700,000 over the salary cap. However, with the carryover from last year's cap space, as well as the restructuring of D'Brickashaw Ferguson's contract, the Jets should have an estimated $7,716,834 in cap space to spend in free agency."
The 6 Biggest Keys to the New York Jets' 2012 NFL Free-Agency Strategy | Bleacher Report

Most likely Manning would like to goto a team that plays in a dome, that has some offensive weapons, and is close to being in playoff contention. Don't be surprised if Wayne reunites with Manning at this new team either.

i mean imagine how much worse your pats jets rivalry will become with peyton manning as their qb .....wow


you guys hate sanchez, and he's pretty tame and not that good of a qb, but you throw in a guy with much more history vs you, wow......brutal

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Things you can count out:

1 - Peyton retiring
2 - Condon waiting to let him heal more before the Peyton sweepstakes starts
3 - Peyton signing a 1 year deal
4 - Peyton signing a deal that doesn't have big guarenteed $

As Andrew Brandt tweeted today, incentive laden deals are for guys who aren't in demand and have no leverage. Peyton is going to be more in demand than anyone this offseason. I'm sure the deal will have incentives in it as well as language protecting the team if he can't play but it is going to have big signing and roster bonus $.

Arizona is a popular place to speculate he lands but it probably doesn't work well in reality. They owe Kolb a big roster bonus next week. If they pay it, they are probably out of the Manning sweepstakes. If they don't they are going to be cutting their starting QB who they gave up significant compensation for a year ago with no guarentee of getting Manning.

Cutting Kolb is a cap neutral proposition, his option bonus and salary equal his dead cap hit. Arizona is on record as interested both in bring in competition because they aren't happy with him and in exploring options (aka Manning)...

Don't know if Kolb's option bonus is guaranteed or what the deal is if they don't pick it up. He's not going to get that deal again as a FA, so there is always the possibility that he will do what Manning didn't have to and restructure or delay the option in the hope of at least still having a job and a shot as a starter with a $65M contract...

Cardinals GM Rod Graves says Kevin Kolb remains No. 1 on the depth chart, but that there "will be competition."Graves went on to say he's happy with the quarterbacks the Cardinals have, but that they will "see what other opportunities present themselves." Short of wearing a shirt that read "the Arizona Cardinals are interested in Peyton Manning," Graves couldn't have made it more clear Arizona will look into the future Hall-of-Famer if/when he's released by the Colts. Feb 23 - 12:56 PM

 

[Ivan]

It's official, let the madness begin. The first offer should be hitting the table by the time he leaves the podium.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Watching it live seeing Manning all choked up.

How can you not like the guy for loving football and his team/city?

 

[PatsSox363804]

Jesus they sound like a couple of high school kids who are breaking up after prom because they're going to different schools.

 

[ScottishPat]

Got to say, I'm really going to miss these Brady vs Manning (as a Colt) games each year.