Colts fans, what has Manning done to be treated this way

by bnsmith on Jan 25, 2012 11:02 PM EST

I am a first time poster. I read these fan posts every day. I want to thank all of you for the great input and information you provide. It's an unfortunate situation Colts Nation finds itself in. Not any easy decision to be made. I am without a doubt a believer that PM is the GOAT. I also am a believer without him the Colts would not be in Indy today, nor would there be a Lucas Oil Stadium. I certainly do not feel he has been over paid. It's unfortunate he has not been surrounded with the necessary personnel and coaches these past three years. With only a handful of tweaks the Colts would have at least three SB's. But this is old news. My belief is the Colts will go forward with either PM or Andrew Luck. My objection is to those who have either the audacity or stupidity to suggest Andrew Luck will become a better QB than PM. For that matter, I do not feel it will be close. If Mr. Isray made the coaching decision three years ago he made today what would have happened. He just now realized the Colts need to change their defensive philosophy. The Colts have not had a Top Five Defense during PM's time. The only issue for PM is his health period. If he can come back he should be the starting QB. He is not the first player to be injured. However the way he is being treated by the front office, local press and some fans why would he want to stay. For those who say he should stay and coach why would he. I do not live in Indy but I understand he has been extremely involved in the community and the city. He has always been a class act. I wish everyone on this site would be. It does appear Mr. Isray wants to rebuild. If so PM will leave. HOWEVER IF PM IS HEALTHY I HOPE THE COLTS FIND A WAY TO AVOID PLAYING HIS FUTURE TEAM. NO DOUBT IF COMES BACK, IT WILL BE LIGHTS OUT.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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Comments

Agreed

Im not done watchin Peyton and what he does. I hope he can play for a couple more years atleast. Worry about playin Luck down the road when you have to. He only counts like 4 mil against cap I think anyway. The Colts would have to pay a qb to come in any way.
Peyton is one of the greatest to play the game

by supercolts on Jan 25, 2012 11:35 PM EST reply actions

I think

Luck counts like $15 million toward the cap his 1st season because of the bonus structure. Not positive though.

I’ve heard Manning & Luck will count $50 million year 1, and Freeney is scheduled to make $19 million…..This just all can’t work out, that’s like 55% of the salary cap to 3 players (one of which won’t even be playing).

Obviously the team could hypothetically make it work, but realistically – it’ll take something drastic to bring back Manning next year, healthy or not.

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by kmbryant09 on Jan 26, 2012 9:33 AM EST up reply actions

The $50 million number is not the cap number.

That’s how much cash Irsay would spend on both due to bonuses. But, the bonuses are spread out over the rest of the contract in terms of what counts against the cap. The cap number for 2012 would be closer to $20 million.

by James Broschat on Jan 26, 2012 10:37 AM EST up reply actions

Oh, gotya

$20 combined? Isn’t Manning himself going to count for that?

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by kmbryant09 on Jan 26, 2012 10:45 AM EST up reply actions

LUCK'S

cap number will be around $5 million.

by javen on Jan 26, 2012 11:11 AM EST up reply actions

Peter King said $21 mil earlier this year.

Link:

Manning’s number will be $17 million if the Colts exercise his contract option after the season. The first pick in the draft will have a cap number of about $4.2 million (Cam Newton’s in 2011 was $4 million) in a total deal of four years and about $23 million.

Those numbers probably could fluctuate, but I doubt that Manning/Luck would be more than $25 mil against the cap for 2012.

by James Broschat on Jan 26, 2012 11:39 AM EST up reply actions

That is still a lot,

but if that is accurate, that makes keeping Manning and drafting Luck much more palatable from a financial perspective.

Frankly, I’d be more inclined to trade Freeney and re-sign Mathis (who is younger and cheaper) to clear cap space. Of course, if Freeney will re-structure, I’m all for keeping both.

by Wippersnapper on Jan 26, 2012 12:16 PM EST up reply actions

AGREED

If HEALTHY Manning is the QB. Luck or No Luck, I could care less! I personally think he will be a problem sitting for 2 years anyway because he won’t get that huge contract then, Fine with me if he pulls an ELI!

by shoospa on Jan 26, 2012 12:18 AM EST reply actions

no one in their right mind

would start Luck over PM. Don’t listen to the media and the “sky is falling people.” Irsay is eccentric, but these moves he has made shows us that he is also smart. He will never start a rookie over a healthy PM, period.

In my opinion PM has earned the right to get the benefit of the doubt, in that, even if he isn’t 100% his legacy alone is enough to keep him on the payroll for the next year, but again that is just my opinion.

by ohsnap12 on Jan 26, 2012 12:45 AM EST reply actions

THE QUESTION

is not whether he has earned the right to start. The question is whether the team should risk its financial future on a 36 year old QB with 3 neck surgeries. If the Colts pick up Manning’s option and he gets hurt again or isn’t the same player he once was, the Colts will be put in a position that will set the team back for years.

by javen on Jan 26, 2012 8:26 AM EST up reply actions

Peyton Manning disagrees with you

Peyton strongly believes that it is best for a QB to develop on the field the way he did.

"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"

by indylator on Jan 26, 2012 1:29 PM EST up reply actions

Peyton Manning is the exception, not the rule

History has taught us that QB’s generally benefit from being eased into, rather than thrust into, the league. QB’s like Manning or Marino (who is the best of all time, in my book) are rare in that regard.

by Wippersnapper on Jan 26, 2012 2:17 PM EST up reply actions

andy dalton

cam newton, matt ryan, mark sanchez, joe flacco all beg to differ

"The goal remains the same"

by TimeToPlayHard on Jan 27, 2012 2:03 AM EST up reply actions

Now, name me a guy on that list who is an elite QB? Or who you'd trust to guide this team?

I don’t see one. Ryan is good, not great. Flacco is good, not great. Dalton and Cam are going to be good, but one couldn’t lead a fairly decent team out of the dungeon and the other is a Super Ginger. And then there is the Sanchize. Aside from some GQ covers, not much to talk about.

by AnotherWriter on Jan 28, 2012 12:45 AM EST up reply actions

Let me start by saying I truly love Peyton...

but the biggest reason why I don’t really feel sympathetic about his situation all stems from his contract last year. Peyton’s agent specifically structured his contract to force the Colts hand. I don’t fault him for this, but it can’t be a surprise to him that he might end up walking. He signed a huge contract that was practically for a one year deal WITHOUT taking a physical. The decision the Colts have to make now was a decision that was put into his contract. Pay me the bonus or let me leave. It’s pretty plain.

That being said, I couldn’t imagine Luck being a better quarterback than Peyton. I hope he comes close to Peyton’s level, but it’s foolish to say anything about a quarterback who hasn’t played a down in the NFL. People like Kiper are saying Luck is the best quarterback they’ve seen in 35 years. Imagine the possibility of grabbing two perennial All-Pro quarterbacks in back to back regimes. The Colts have to draft Luck.

This situation isn’t one person’s fault. Peyton and the Colts front office both have to think about themselves, and the best scenario for both is a clean split.

by farris6659 on Jan 26, 2012 1:08 AM EST reply actions

That's an interesting rewrite

Rewriting history is always fun. Irsay didn’t even want the option. Manning wanted his agent to put in the option to protect the team in case he couldn’t return. Of course they would ask for it to be before the league year, so the team wouldn’t trade him somewhere he doesn’t want to be. He’s not forcing their hand. He gave them a chance to make a decision they didn’t ask to have.

by PeytonTheManning on Jan 26, 2012 5:15 PM EST up reply actions

Unfortunately

It makes a lot of business sense to let him go. He is a fan favorite but it is time to move on and let Mr. Luck do his thing. We will start to forget about PM when Luck leads this team to a superbowl.

by Dito29 on Jan 26, 2012 1:17 AM EST reply actions

NOPE!!!

chuck testa would still remember peyton manning if luck won 6 straight

i don't give autographs

by muncie_in_this on Jan 26, 2012 2:07 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

DITO

It makes alot of bussiness sense to keep him also! I travel 800 miles roundtrip to see the COLTS play. Would I do that with a Manning led team going 2-14? Absolutly! He is a fan draw. And that makes GOOD bussiness sense!

by shoospa on Jan 26, 2012 10:41 AM EST up reply actions

Face of the league

He is such a draw that his injury is getting top billing on ESPN over the Super Bowl. I’m sure all the businesses downtown aren’t too excited about the idea of Manning leaving. They would lose a nice chunk of that money rolling in from out of town.

by PeytonTheManning on Jan 26, 2012 5:17 PM EST up reply actions

how soon we all forget

it was just a year ago when peyton turned down a huge even bigger contract so that irsay could get him some help and keep a couple of our free agents last year. Peyton deserves the same in return, provided he can play(i.e.healthy). In other words…..plain and simple…. If he is healthy give him his damned bonus, draft luck and let him sit on the bench and learn form the best to ever play the game(maybe even come in and close out a few games unlike whats his name, oh yeah curtis painter).

by BIG JOHN D on Jan 26, 2012 2:26 AM EST reply actions

One Hit Away

The problem with keeping Peyton is even if he is “healthy”, he will always be “One Hit Away” from a career ending injury. He has fused vertebrae in his neck. If Colts pay that 28 million bonus, and God forbid something happened where Peyton got seriously injured, the team would be screwed in regards to the salary cap.

by arizonajason on Jan 26, 2012 9:40 AM EST reply actions

Thanks for your opinion DR!!!!!

by shoospa on Jan 26, 2012 10:33 AM EST up reply actions

Let Manning go

The Colts have seen the best years of Peyton Manning, he’s nicked up and due a ton of money – let another team take a chance on him. Indy will need the PM money to invest elsewhere – this football team needs help in a lot of areas. In addition, Manning may very well be out on IR by the 3rd week of the season… too big of a gamble for a team that needs to be rebuilt.

Draft Luck – start Luck. It may take a few years of on-the-job training before he wins 12 games but, it’ll be entertaining as hell watching him learn about the NFL.

by profootballfan on Jan 26, 2012 5:36 PM EST reply actions

I love watching Peyton play (well in the regular season) but the Colts will probably step away from Peyton, especially after reading on Yahoo just now (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AjRqj2aR7XEUDLRusYgVjSg5nYcB?slug=ap-colts-manning) that Irsay was upset Manning aired dirty laundry and even called him a politician.

Too much cap space with Manning when that $$ should go into our new aggressive defense. No matter what fans and the experts say I still am not 100% sold on Luck either but if I have to choose between the two I go with Luck just for overall team balance cap wise.

by BigMan74 on Jan 26, 2012 7:44 PM EST reply actions

Peyton is a great player..

More than that he is a great person. That being said, it’s time to draft Luck and build around him.

by thomasezekiel77 on Jan 26, 2012 10:12 PM EST reply actions

Manning

was paid 28 million to play ZERO downs. He is 36 coming off of 3 surgeries. His salary alone would cripple this team once again. It has been almost a year and he STILL isn’t 100%. Let him go, be aggressive in free agency and have a great draft! I hear the cries for a healthy Manning but it is absolutely time to move on as he has MAYBE 3 years left IF he can get healthy. Cut him loose now and move on. If Colts lose fans because of Manning, they will gain just as much with Luck.

Contrary to what folks think. I believe Manning will be mediocre on another team. Just my opinion. He is a big immobile QB that would be blitzed relentlessly. I think he knows he is going to retire and is just taking a few outgoing jabs against the front office for so coldly dumping the old regime.

by Dito29 on Jan 27, 2012 12:34 AM EST reply actions

I think Manning's team would be mediocre.

Not the other way around, if that were to happen. If he goes to a franchise that is in the basement, he still puts up 4500/30/10 and guarantees a .500 team. You’re underestimating how good he is and how he makes everyone else better.

by AnotherWriter on Jan 28, 2012 12:48 AM EST up reply actions

Chew on this for a minute.

Wouldnt it be hilarious of Andrew Luck decided he didnt want to play for the Colts..deja vu….. Eli Manning San Diego / Philip Rivers / Giants Thank God Archie intervened… … Hahahahaha….. what a shocker that would be…..Draft Day… in front of a National Audience….Somewhere in the background…. you would hear Irsay having a meltdown… oh wait…. just check your Twitter…..He is faithful to social media…. not just with real ppl..
. Or we can rename Lucas Oil stadium ( u know… the house that Manning built) Luc(k)ass Oil Stadium…..what a nice gift for the incoming , fabulous , never thrown a ball in the NFL chosen one…..yeah…… lets do that.

by WVIndyFan on Jan 27, 2012 2:23 AM EST reply actions