During the 1996 season, Tennessee junior quarterback Peyton Manning was considered the front-runner to be the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NFL draft. He chose to stay in school for his senior year.

And in doing so, history was changed.

After that season, Bill Parcells bolted New England for the Jets, who held the No. 1 pick in the draft. With Manning unavailable, the Jets traded down with the Rams, who took Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace, and snagged James Farrior eighth overall, as Parcells started his rebuilding effort. Manning went to the Colts the next year at the top of the draft.

So with another Colts-Pats game on the horizon, I think it's interesting to raise what I consider to be the NFL's ultimate "What If?" ... What if Manning came out after his junior year, and what if Parcells and the Jets selected him first overall?

It's a mind-bending question. It's almost certain the Colts (who very well could've wound up with Ryan Leaf as their quarterback-of-the-future in this scenario) wouldn't be where they are now. As for the Patriots ...

Had the Jets gotten Manning, New York would've been set up nicely. Remember, just when the club seemed ready to compete for a championship, in 1999 under Parcells, Vinny Testaverde's Achilles injury devastated the Jets' chances, the team stumbled to a 1-6 start and needed a furious late-season rally to get to 8-8. Then, Parcells left, Belichick went to New England, and the rest is history.

The Colts ascended, the Patriots exploded, and the Jets have been wildly inconsistent since. Would Belichick have left New York if Manning was there? Would Parcells have stuck around longer? Would Manning be a different player? Would Tom Brady have gone somewhere else, and still become what he is now?

Amazing to think that, almost 13 years later, a 20-year-old's choice to remain a college kid for one more year continues to have such an impact.

-- Albert Breer, The Boston Globe