This is "every" thought Ive had through this Insane ordeal. Its long, so read at your own risk.I've been on this site for some time and this is the first time Ive felt strongly enough about something to make a post. So here goes.

THE HISTORY

I just cant get on board with the Idea of letting Manning go "for the team". I tried, I looked at it from all angles and it just isn't a sound Idea. In the 1990 a sports team in Indy made a habit of winning, they didn't have the championships but they were a dynamic team that was exciting to watch and they brought home alot of wins. As that team aged a bit the front office decided it didn't want to resign veterans and instead wanted to focus on bringing in young talent toward a winning future. They then went on to become perennial losers and the fanbase plummeted to an all-time low culminating in the team nearly leaving the city. Its sound Idea that rarely pays off.

THE FUTURE

I'm happy with our new GM, I'm happy with our new coach. however none of it means much if we let our strongest asset walk. Ive watched enough of Andrew Luck to know that he was a great college QB. It means nothing to me, or the NFL. Draw it anyway you want but what you do In college means nothing at the next lvl. Average college QBs become great NFL players, Great college QBs fade into nothing and once ever couple of decades a person drafted 1st overall becomes a player worthy of that draft spot. Its a crap shoot anyway you look at it. Sometimes that risk is worth taking, For teams that don't have a 4 time MVP at Quarterback. Ive heard people say "you cant be the team that passed on Andrew Luck" but you can be the team that cut Peyton Manning? I think history would frown much more on the later.

THE EGO

With the firing of so many coaches(some of which baffle me) and the release of the Polians (which I was happy about). There is now very little history to this team, very little tradition and with Manning gone the only constant will be Irsay himself. As much as I like Irsay, I'm beginning to believe that is exactly what he wants.

THE MAGIC

Yeah, I said it. There is a magic to watching Peyton play. Wins seem more exciting. Losses are harder to take. To a great many Colts fans, seeing Peyton get another ring is just as important as see the Colts get another trophy. I have no problem saying that because its true, blatantly true. A large part of it is the combo, the Colts are Manning, Manning is the Colts. Seeing either one win without the other would be bittersweet to any fan. If Peyton's health is at risk and he need to hang up the helmet for him and his family, its one thing. If the magic is gone because Irsay decided to let it go elsewhere, that's another and it could culminate in a fan backlash unlike any before.

BRADY VS MANNING

One team lost their starter for a year and the let him go, the other didn't while paying a near identical salary. End of story. May not prove anything in our minds but its gonna make good cannon fodder til the end of time, and rightfully so.

THE LEGACY

We aren't the Oilers, we aren't gonna win any championships without Gretzky. Bringing in a new unproven kid with this team would be a polite way of saying "Please be patient while we try to recreate what happened 14 years ago". I don't buy it and Im not ready to give up on this teams championship hopes while Irsay sits in his delusional world where the years matchup like poetry and lighting strikes the same spot once ever decade and a half. Further more the Idea that fans watch Manning play his last game as a Colt without even knowing, without being able to give the appropriate sendoff. The idea is just heartbreaking, the definition of a bitter end.

CONCLUSION

I'll always be a Colts fan, I'll go to BlueCrew every Sunday to watch the game because I love football in general. But there is no way I could feel the same way about this team knowing what we allowed to leave. Peyton has meant to much to this town and this team to have it end like that. The best coaches in football say it doesn't matter how you start, its how you finish. The same can be applied here.