by Kent Sterling
The face of the city and franchise will be asked to leave his security card at the front desk tomorrow.
So the day that Colts fans dreaded most is nigh. I never thought I would see it. Peyton Manning is going to be waived tomorrow at a joint press conference that will do its best to portray the split as a mutual decision that is best for both parties.
It might be best for the Colts to say goodbye to Manning and hello to the $28 million bonus Manning was due Thursday if not for this hap-hap-happy divorce, and it might be best for Manning who has no desire to carry a clipboard for some rookie out of Stanford.
Jim Irsay, the guy who would have had to sign the giant check for Manning, says that the decision was not financially based. Really? Ezactly what brand of moron does Irsay take us for?
I’m not saying Irsay wouldn’t be willing to pay the best quarterback in NFL history for his services, but to say that the decision has nothing to do with financial consideration is ludicrous. The ding (and continued dings) against the Colts salary cap is a hell of a good reason to waive Manning. The pain of paying Manning $28 mil after paying him the big number for watching Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky lead the Colts to a league worst 2-14 record is another great reason.
That said, if any player in the history of the NFL has earned the right to part a team on his own terms, it’s Peyton Manning. The list of tangible improvements to both the Colts and Indianapolis would fill its own post. It would start with stadium, hospital, and not moving to L.A.
Manning has had four back surgeries, including spinal fusion makes him a tremendously risky wager for any team.
From a human perspective, when people talk about the physical consequence of a 320-pound man hitting Manning in the back at 21 miles per hour, anyone with respect or affection for Manning winces. That isn’t the reason for the separation, and Irsay would never say it, but if not financial, and if not fear of watching Manning on a backboard in a horseshoe jersey, then why?
Does Irsay believe Manning can’t throw the football effectively? Does he believe Andrew Luck will be an improvement over the best ever? Is he anxious for the next chapter to begin? As is usually the case, none of us knows what Irsay is really thinking, and we won’t get answers other than platitudes from both he and Manning tomorrow.
Manning wants to get back on the field, and Irsay doesn’t want him back on his field. So they will hug tomorrow, and part ways. That will give the Colts a bunch more money to rebuild their once-proud but foundering franchise, and Manning the freedom to be a potential short-term answer for a team a quarterback away from contention.
It seems we don’t know a lot, but we do know this – the NFL is a hell of a lot more fun to watch with Manning playing, and the potential for Manning to stick it to the Colts in a future matchup will make for great drama.
Tomorrow, we’ll be treated to Irsay orchestrated platitudes, and typical Manning obfuscations. Next year, fans will hide their eyes every time Manning gets hit, wonder at his incredible skill, and await another season of match-ups between Manning and Brady and/or Manning and the team he brought from the bottom to respectability and near greatness.
Who’s right doesn’t really matter on the day when Manning says goodbye. Someday, Irsay and the city of Indianapolis will honor Manning with a statue. If size is a measure of what Manning has met to the team and city, it will dwarf the skyline.
