That's an interesting statement from Bob Kravitz....
Besides that info or observation, and maybe in the context of it, Kravitz asks the question that might be flying under the radar a little too much:
Why would Manning want to come back to the Colts after having the chance to see what a mess of a team that was constructed for his final years. We shouldn't be in a position to take Luck because this team never should've been this bad in the first place. Not with any kind of common sense that should've told the FO that the team needs to be in win now mode for the closing years of the Manning era.
That the team should be needing to make a choice between Manning, who at best is probably down to 2...3...4 good years left (IF the injury issue subsides) versus drafting most everyone's dream QB and supposedly securing the position for the next 10+ years might sound good.... But it never should've come to this. The team never should've been this bad for this option to have fallen on their plate. They should've been loading up for the SB in Indy and this 'last' Manning contract to put it all on the line. We should be lamenting the fact the team finally had a top line defense to complement Manning and the offense and what a shame it is Manning is unable to play. We should be discussing the team's coaching and ability to stay competitive even without Manning. We should be talking about how this will pay dividends for the team if and when Manning returns.
Instead, we're wondering if we can win a game...... and talking about the 'good fortune' of locking in on the #1 pick and what an asset that would be.
But that misses the bigger issue. The Colts shouldn't be in this position in the first place. It's not good luck... It's mismanagement, complacency, and arrogance all rolled into one.
http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...-Manning-stay-
Besides that info or observation, and maybe in the context of it, Kravitz asks the question that might be flying under the radar a little too much:
Why would Manning want to come back to the Colts after having the chance to see what a mess of a team that was constructed for his final years. We shouldn't be in a position to take Luck because this team never should've been this bad in the first place. Not with any kind of common sense that should've told the FO that the team needs to be in win now mode for the closing years of the Manning era.
That the team should be needing to make a choice between Manning, who at best is probably down to 2...3...4 good years left (IF the injury issue subsides) versus drafting most everyone's dream QB and supposedly securing the position for the next 10+ years might sound good.... But it never should've come to this. The team never should've been this bad for this option to have fallen on their plate. They should've been loading up for the SB in Indy and this 'last' Manning contract to put it all on the line. We should be lamenting the fact the team finally had a top line defense to complement Manning and the offense and what a shame it is Manning is unable to play. We should be discussing the team's coaching and ability to stay competitive even without Manning. We should be talking about how this will pay dividends for the team if and when Manning returns.
Instead, we're wondering if we can win a game...... and talking about the 'good fortune' of locking in on the #1 pick and what an asset that would be.
But that misses the bigger issue. The Colts shouldn't be in this position in the first place. It's not good luck... It's mismanagement, complacency, and arrogance all rolled into one.
Everybody wonders what the Indianapolis Colts are going to do with quarterback Peyton Manning when the time comes in March to make a decision on his $28 million option bonus.
Nobody has asked this question:
Would Manning even want to come back?
(Note to self: Next time we have access to Manning, ask that question, even with the knowledge he's not going to answer it.)
Seriously, if you're Manning and you have just a few years left to make another Super Bowl run, do you want any part of an organization that might go 0-16 this year? Do you want any part of a team whose owner (Jim Irsay) who has become a reckless Tweeter, whose front office (the Polians) continues to share information you don't want divulged and a coach (Jim Caldwell) who has no power or independence?
At the age of 35 (36 in March), do you really believe this team is within a year or two of being a Super Bowl contender? With that defense? With these special teams? With this coaching staff?
Manning embraces history, and I'm sure he wants to be like Dan Marino and John Elway and finish his career where he started. He doesn't want it to finish the way it ended for Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, all wearing somebody else's uniforms in their final years.
But he wants to win.
And he wants to be surrounded by people who will help him win.
There is a growing schism between Manning and the front office, and Manning is growing increasingly tired of addressing issues that have leaked out courtesy of Irsay and one of the Polians.
During Manning's talk Friday with the media, I asked him about vice chairman Bill Polian's recent radio-show assertion that he has spoken with Manning about drafting a quarterback. On his show, Polian said, "Peyton and I have spoken about that, and he's OK with that."
Manning responded, "First, I want to say any conversations that Bill and I have are alone between he and I. I will say he and I have not had a conversation about the 2012 draft.
"Bill keeps a lot of players informed on different things, but I've never known who we were going to draft in years past. It's been insinuated that he checks with me. I'm not in personnel. I don't do personnel . . ."
I followed up, "So are you saying Bill wasn't being truthful?"
Manning stammered.
"Maybe a couple of years ago, he would say, 'Eventually, we're going to draft your replacement.' "
So that conversation never happened?
"No, no, I don't get into personnel; I don't," Manning said. "I don't know what was said on the radio show, but that's not the kind of conversation that would happen between him and I."
Polian actually addressed the subject Sept. 12, telling radio listeners, "We look at every position, but Peyton and I did talk when we did this last contract (in August) about the fact that the time is approaching when it's time to take a look at quarterbacks and to evaluate them. We did that last year and there were a couple of quarterbacks we liked and they didn't fall to us in the draft process but had they, I'm sure we would have made a choice there . . ."
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether they talked about it or not. I would actually hope they would have talked about it. We're talking about the future of the franchise, right?
The point being, Manning is tiring of addressing these sorts of things, is unhappy his private conversations have gone public and especially dislikes the insinuation that he's pulling strings. Manning always has been very proprietary about his image and the message that gets conveyed. The front office has done him no favors through these trying times.
Forget, for one second, the questions about whether the franchise wants him back. If you're No. 18, do you want to come back to this dysfunctional mess?
Even in a league where teams can rebuild in a hurry -- and the Colts will have the luxury of owning the top pick in every round of the draft -- it's hard to imagine them pulling this defense together quickly enough to make a Super Bowl run. That doesn't even begin to address the continuing issues along the offensive line and in special teams.
If the Polians are still running the show, don't expect there to be much movement in the way of free agents, especially if they spend a lot to keep wide receiver Reggie Wayne and other veterans.
Just as the Colts have to make some serious calculations, so does Manning.
Maybe, just maybe, he will decide he would rather go to Washington, where team owner Dan Snyder will back up a Wells Fargo truck to his house, or to Tennessee, or maybe to New York to play for the Jets.
Maybe Manning will take this decision completely out of the Colts' hands, telling them, "Don't give me the $28 million. Let me go somewhere else. Or maybe I'll just stay home with my twins."
It's not beyond the realm of comprehension.
Nobody has asked this question:
Would Manning even want to come back?
(Note to self: Next time we have access to Manning, ask that question, even with the knowledge he's not going to answer it.)
Seriously, if you're Manning and you have just a few years left to make another Super Bowl run, do you want any part of an organization that might go 0-16 this year? Do you want any part of a team whose owner (Jim Irsay) who has become a reckless Tweeter, whose front office (the Polians) continues to share information you don't want divulged and a coach (Jim Caldwell) who has no power or independence?
At the age of 35 (36 in March), do you really believe this team is within a year or two of being a Super Bowl contender? With that defense? With these special teams? With this coaching staff?
Manning embraces history, and I'm sure he wants to be like Dan Marino and John Elway and finish his career where he started. He doesn't want it to finish the way it ended for Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, all wearing somebody else's uniforms in their final years.
But he wants to win.
And he wants to be surrounded by people who will help him win.
There is a growing schism between Manning and the front office, and Manning is growing increasingly tired of addressing issues that have leaked out courtesy of Irsay and one of the Polians.
During Manning's talk Friday with the media, I asked him about vice chairman Bill Polian's recent radio-show assertion that he has spoken with Manning about drafting a quarterback. On his show, Polian said, "Peyton and I have spoken about that, and he's OK with that."
Manning responded, "First, I want to say any conversations that Bill and I have are alone between he and I. I will say he and I have not had a conversation about the 2012 draft.
"Bill keeps a lot of players informed on different things, but I've never known who we were going to draft in years past. It's been insinuated that he checks with me. I'm not in personnel. I don't do personnel . . ."
I followed up, "So are you saying Bill wasn't being truthful?"
Manning stammered.
"Maybe a couple of years ago, he would say, 'Eventually, we're going to draft your replacement.' "
So that conversation never happened?
"No, no, I don't get into personnel; I don't," Manning said. "I don't know what was said on the radio show, but that's not the kind of conversation that would happen between him and I."
Polian actually addressed the subject Sept. 12, telling radio listeners, "We look at every position, but Peyton and I did talk when we did this last contract (in August) about the fact that the time is approaching when it's time to take a look at quarterbacks and to evaluate them. We did that last year and there were a couple of quarterbacks we liked and they didn't fall to us in the draft process but had they, I'm sure we would have made a choice there . . ."
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether they talked about it or not. I would actually hope they would have talked about it. We're talking about the future of the franchise, right?
The point being, Manning is tiring of addressing these sorts of things, is unhappy his private conversations have gone public and especially dislikes the insinuation that he's pulling strings. Manning always has been very proprietary about his image and the message that gets conveyed. The front office has done him no favors through these trying times.
Forget, for one second, the questions about whether the franchise wants him back. If you're No. 18, do you want to come back to this dysfunctional mess?
Even in a league where teams can rebuild in a hurry -- and the Colts will have the luxury of owning the top pick in every round of the draft -- it's hard to imagine them pulling this defense together quickly enough to make a Super Bowl run. That doesn't even begin to address the continuing issues along the offensive line and in special teams.
If the Polians are still running the show, don't expect there to be much movement in the way of free agents, especially if they spend a lot to keep wide receiver Reggie Wayne and other veterans.
Just as the Colts have to make some serious calculations, so does Manning.
Maybe, just maybe, he will decide he would rather go to Washington, where team owner Dan Snyder will back up a Wells Fargo truck to his house, or to Tennessee, or maybe to New York to play for the Jets.
Maybe Manning will take this decision completely out of the Colts' hands, telling them, "Don't give me the $28 million. Let me go somewhere else. Or maybe I'll just stay home with my twins."
It's not beyond the realm of comprehension.
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