Let's start first with the business side of this situation. I'm glad that the Colts didn't give Manning his $28 million signing bonus. It was way too much money for a player who admitted that he is not 100% healthy yet. However, the Colts are taking an even bigger risk by completely rejecting the possibility of picking up Manning at a less expensive price and relying on Andrew Luck to be the rebuilding block of a team that has proven that #18 was the reason the Colts were so successful the past 14 seasons. From a business perspective, you are losing revenue by removing the iconic #18 jersey from your stores, you are taking a risk ordering jerseys that might not even sell if your draft pick blows his chance in the NFL and if your team does worse than the team that picks up Manning, you are losing a fan base that hoped YOU made the right decision.
Now, Peyton's health is a concern for many on the business side of the sport. Yes the guy is 35 and has had 4 neck procedures, but if you're a team that had been successful without Peyton, then the only risk you're taking is a financial one because you can keep last season's QB as a backup, allowing him to learn from one of the best quarterbacks in the league and then have him step in if something does happen with Manning. Teams like the Cardinals, Seahawks, Dolphins and Jets are a few of those teams that have somewhat reliable quarterbacks whom could benefit learning from Peyton Manning and then have the ability to step up to the plate in case of emergencies. I don't doubt those QB's would be a bit bitter about being demoted, however being able to watch and learn from an Elite quarterback, a Superbowl winning one at that would be a benefit that would, at least in my opinion, outweigh the downfall in the long term.
Other teams such as the Rams, Bills and Browns don't have the luxury of picking up Manning because his health risk is too high. Since these teams do not have a reliable quarterback to start with, if Manning did end up injuring himself, they would not have anybody to fall back on.
I do want to add the level of professionalism Peyton has had throughout this difficult time in his career and the unprofessionalism Jim Irsay has had. The press conference was beyond despicable on Irsay's part, not showing appreciation to the one guy that has made your franchise what it is for so long. Peyton made two honest attempts to hug Irsay and Irsay blew him off holding water bottles and just giving him a pat on the back. Irsay not preparing a speech is also a sign that he doesn't really care about Peyton. There is simply no excuse for it. Manning prepared a speech and was visibly upset at the conference, showing his dedication to the team that he has held in high regard for 14 seasons.
Peyton's future as a NFL Quarterback isn't over. As risky as the procedures were, as "old" as he is, if we took out the neck issues there would be no reason for this blog and the only discussion ESPN would have is how smart it was for the Colts to give Manning his $28 million bonus on March 5th. He is an elite athlete for a reason. It will take time for everything to be back to normal, the same goes to any injury and any person. Before the neck, Peyton Manning was a superstar whose consistency led the Colts to post-seasons, Superbowl appearances and winning seasons. The same will be true once he is 100% healthy. His career life will not be as long but at least he will have a chance to boost a team that is on the brink of success to the next level.
I must say I do feel bad that Peyton isn't going to end his career as a Colt. He is that iconic player fans associate one team to. It will be weird to see him in a different jersey (if he gets a job), but as many neck procedures he's had at his age, Manning's career isn't over and he needs to go back out there and prove it. I doubt he will pull a Brett Favre horror movie and just keep coming back, when Peyton Manning is done, he'll know it and will be professional when he exits.
I do want to add the level of professionalism Peyton has had throughout this difficult time in his career and the unprofessionalism Jim Irsay has had. The press conference was beyond despicable on Irsay's part, not showing appreciation to the one guy that has made your franchise what it is for so long. Peyton made two honest attempts to hug Irsay and Irsay blew him off holding water bottles and just giving him a pat on the back. Irsay not preparing a speech is also a sign that he doesn't really care about Peyton. There is simply no excuse for it. Manning prepared a speech and was visibly upset at the conference, showing his dedication to the team that he has held in high regard for 14 seasons.
Peyton's future as a NFL Quarterback isn't over. As risky as the procedures were, as "old" as he is, if we took out the neck issues there would be no reason for this blog and the only discussion ESPN would have is how smart it was for the Colts to give Manning his $28 million bonus on March 5th. He is an elite athlete for a reason. It will take time for everything to be back to normal, the same goes to any injury and any person. Before the neck, Peyton Manning was a superstar whose consistency led the Colts to post-seasons, Superbowl appearances and winning seasons. The same will be true once he is 100% healthy. His career life will not be as long but at least he will have a chance to boost a team that is on the brink of success to the next level.
I must say I do feel bad that Peyton isn't going to end his career as a Colt. He is that iconic player fans associate one team to. It will be weird to see him in a different jersey (if he gets a job), but as many neck procedures he's had at his age, Manning's career isn't over and he needs to go back out there and prove it. I doubt he will pull a Brett Favre horror movie and just keep coming back, when Peyton Manning is done, he'll know it and will be professional when he exits.
No comments:
Post a Comment