Peyton Manning Retires

I'm very happy Peyton Manning left on his own terms.  He may well be the greatest quarterback of my  NFL watching fandom.  So from the late '70s until now.  I'm not saying he is but he is definitely in the discussion and for my money he is top 3.  We have been in an era of great quarterbacks for some time now.  Peyton, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rogers, Big Ben, and maybe even Phillip Rivers.  And no matter how good those others are Peyton will always stand out among to me.  Peyton is the real deal.  His stats stand on his own.  Just look them up.  They are crazy numbers.  Brady may best some of them if he can continue to stay healthy as long as he wants but that doesn't diminish what Manning has done.  He is a fricking stud.  

Peyton also has something that many others do not.  He has a personality.  He can be funny, poke fun at himself and do great commercials.  Here is one of the great skits he did on Saturday Night Live.  While his life seemed to revolve around football he got it.  He got why people made fun of him and went with it.  He was good at addressing the media and being real.  He didn't have to be something he wasn't.  He was just Peyton.  

So I won't go on quoting a ton a stats, and there are a ton of them, but I will just say all accolades he receives are deserved.  He was never bigger than the game though he was definitely larger than life.  And it is great to see him go off into the sunset a winner and not pulling a Johnny Unitas.  Very few quarterbacks have ever been able to accomplish that feat.  It isn't key to his "legacy" though.  I tired of that talk pretty quick.  His legacy was set.  His achievements outweighed any notion that winning "only one Super Bowl" could be held against him.  Even if he had lost, he would have gone to four Super Bowls and won one.  Four!  Very elite company now matter how you twist it.  I relish how I've gotten to enjoy one of the great quarterbacks of all-time.  And this era is different than when Joe Montana played.  Now we get to know players like never before - good, bad or indifferent.  I wish that everyone has enjoyed Peyton for what he is.  One of the greatest and I for one have enjoyed every moment.  

Can we question Peyton Manning's legacy?

Can we question Peyton Manning's legacy?  This came up quite a bit leading up to the Super Bowl and again after Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos were dispatched easily by the Seattle Seahawks in last night's Super Bowl.  The answer to the question I pose is yes and no.  They're never simple are they?

First, for this conversation to be intellectual at it's core, you must understand that Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time.  He has to be right up there with the best of the best in any discussion.  If you can't believe that, the answer is "no" you can't question his legacy.  That is because if you can't believe he is one of the all-time greats then I think you are not very smart in the world that is the NFL.  I think even old timers who watched the greats in the pre-TV era would say "Yeah, Peyton is great".  And anyone who has watched him should be able to say that without hesitation.  Unless you just don't get it. 

I won't sit here and argue where he stands among the greats as that will take too much time.  But I personally believe he is in the top three of quarterbacks I've been able to see play.  Unfortunately that only takes in the mid 70's until today.  But that is no slight to quarterbacks before that time.  I am someone who enjoys and honors those that played in different eras not readily accessible to us in any media thus making it harder to make comparisons. 

So now you know where I stand.  That being said we can argue Peyton's legacy among the all-time greats.  That is completely fair.  I will start here.  His stats are beyond compare and there are too many to even make it fair against others of the modern football era.  Five-time MVP is a great one though.  Uh yeah, nobody is in that rarified air with him.  Seven time all-pro.  He has a Super Bowl win.  Been to three Super Bowls.  All with teams who won't match up position for position with many of the great teams that have played in Super Bowl games.  So I'll say he helped carry those teams to some extent.  Look at the Colts the year he was out with injury.  That wasn't pretty.  Denver was very good when he got there and just needed a quarterback.  Still they weren't great.  This year their defense was good but was decimated by injuries.   

Again there are too many arguments to be made for Peyton Manning and the other great quarterbacks out there.  They are all great and have their own "legacy" conversations that can be had.  When I hear folks talk about Peyton's legacy I think it is a just argument in the right context.  One in which he already sits near the front of the line when it comes to all-time great quarterbacks.  It has to be hard for Manning to hear these things.  He already has to hear it from the media about how his little brother Eli has more Super Bowl rings than him.  Heck, he might even here from his little brother.   He isn't even done playing to our knowledge.  So this is a great conversation/argument that I love.  Anyone ready to have it is more than welcome to pull up a seat.  I'm just a little tired of the "legacy" argument being thrown around in a way that seems negative.  It might be if he wasn't already the superstar he is.  I would just like to hear the media put their conversations in a better context.  It is lazy and bad journalism when they don't.  I have said my peace.  Thank you.  
 

4th and inches...Free Agency

First off "4th and inches..." will be my tag line for when I want to throw out randomness about the NFL.  Tag lines can be cliche but I like it and this initial entry is about the first weeks of free agency.  It all begins and ends with Peyton Manning.  He signed with Denver for 5 years and $96 million.  Wow.  I like this move.  San Francisco may have been the team more ready to compete for the Super Bowl but I like it.  Some of it has to do with the pairing of him and executive/former great John Elway.  You know Elway and coach John Fox are happy to get past the Tim Tebow era and develop a game plan involving the passing game.  Will Manning be ready?  Yes.  Will he be 100%?  Who knows but an 80% healthy Manning still makes him a top ten quarterback in this league and should make Denver a team ready to challenge for a division crown each year.  Some say they must win a Super Bowl to justify this signing but I don't agree.  I think Manning will charge the fanbase like it hasn't been since Elway was under center.  A Super Bowl win would just be icing on the cake.

Tampa Bay also made a big splash signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright right out of the gates.  If Josh Freeman is for real this team could make some noise in their division as Atlanta's free agency news is all bad as players are walking left and right and the Saints don't even have a head coach right now.

New England and Washington ensured they won't be wanting for wide receivers with the Pats signing three and Washington two.  Overall New England has been one of the busiest teams.  They haven't signed the sexiest free agents out there but as is their M.O. they are stock piling bodies in the hope they can get the best out of players other teams didn't want. 

The Bears grabbed WR Brandon Marshall for a pair of third round picks.  Assuming he isn't in jail or suspended next season this is a great pickup.  Yes, he wasn't a free agent but I'll lump it in here anyway.  Chicago also picked up running back Michael Bush and quarterback Jason Campbell, both from Oakland.  This gives them quality backups at positions in which the team has had a glaring need in the recent past. 

I am surprise restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace still hasn't received an offer.  Any team signing him would have to give up a first round pick but he is only 25 and is a very fast receiver who has put up very big numbers the last two years.  He wouldn't be a rookie coming out of college having to learn the ropes.  I think he could step right in and make any passing game quite a bit better right now.  Pittsburgh would have the right to match any offer but they don't have a great amount of cap space so I think he can be had at the right price. 

Quick Hits:  Didn't see Reggie Wayne returning to the Colts but the comfort of staying with Indy may have been his priority.  San Diego also made smart signings in Le'Ron McClain, Robert Meachem, Eddie Royal, and Randy McMichael just to name a few of their nine signings.  St. Louis spread their financial wings in signing cornerback Cortland Finnegan and center Scott Wells. 

Should Peyton Manning Stay or Go?

The Indianapolis Colts today lost their fourteenth game of the season securing the number one draft pick in this year's NFL draft.  They are now in the tough position of deciding what to do with Peyton Manning as they can now draft the guy everyone thinks is the next sure thing, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. 

Peyton Manning is one of the great, if not the greatest, quarterback of our generation.  He has won one Super Bowl, been the NFL MVP four times, five time first team all-pro and I could go on and on.  Muddying the waters in Indy's decision is the fact Peyton Manning missed this season with neck injuries and will turn 36 in March.  With Manning out this year the Colts looked horrible cementing how valuable he is as it is obvious how much he carried this team on his shoulders in previous seasons.  So which direction do the Colts go?

If you'd asked me early in the season I'd say this is a no brainer.  Keep arguably the best quarterback in the NFL and see if he can get you back to the Super Bowl.  There is a risk, and probability, that Manning will not be the same due to age and/or injury but Andrew Luck is no lock to be a great NFL quarterback.  Since 1985 14 quarterbacks have been selected number one overall in the NFL draft and only four ever played in the Super Bowl.  Seems like a good percentage.  I'll also give a pass to the last two number one overall picks as they haven't really had a chance to make their mark in the NFL.  Only three would probably be considered busts. Sounds good huh?.  But looking at the Colts as a whole I'd say they use the number one pick as trade bait for more picks and young players with a big upside.  Even before this year it was obvious this team had holes to include their defense which would be considered average at best.  So keep Peyton, improve the team around him and take your shot at winning it all once again. 

If only it was so easy.  The downside could be the players brought in don't improve the team enough to make a difference.  Maybe they are good players but won't make a difference until a few years down the road thus missing Peyton's window of opportunity.  While this could setup the team with some young players to help the team in the future it could also mean the Colts miss out on a possible quarterback of the future in Luck. 

With Manning taking the Colts' franchise to heights it has never seen before it is hard to argue against a franchise quarterback.  So do the Colts draft Luck and trade Peyton Manning?  Why not?  This could be a win, win situation where Luck could be the next Peyton Manning in Indy and trading Manning could bring more draft picks and players to help Andrew Luck in the quest to win a Super Bowl.  Again, this sounds easy but Andrew Luck is an unknow quantity in the NFL as are any draft picks they may gain in a trade.  The Colts would also have to deal with losing the face of the franchise, a player loved and/or highly respected throughout the NFL and in fan circles, along with dealing with the possiblility of being a bad team for some time if Luck doesn't live up to expectations.

A third option would be to draft Luck and let him be mentored by Peyton Manning.  While I do like that idea it seems they both would be stuck with the team we saw take the field this year and it isn't pretty.  Again I think this is a good idea as more than a few examples of quarterbacks learning under veterans (Aaron Rogers, Phillip Rivers) has shown it can work.  And I'd love to see what any quarterback under Peyton's tutelage could become.  But this team won't move forward without help and this scenario doesn't seem to add players that will be needed to return Indy to the Super Bowl.

I will stand by my initial thoughts that Indy should stick with Peyton Manning.  While the argument for going with Luck is a very good one the flaw is he is an unknown.  While I don't think he will be the next JaMarcus Russell, who is to say he won't be?  If I'm the Colts I also don't want to lose someon who may be the best player the franchise has ever seen.  I want him to be a Colt for life and be that guy you see around the Colts franchise in some capacity for the rest of his life.  Peyton is so unique in how beloved he is, his talent and how I think he can help this team even when he isn't on the field.  I'll be curious to see how this plays out and will be more than a little sad if Peyton Manning doesn't stay a Colt for the rest of his career.  That said Indy owners and management must do what they think is best for the team. Only time will tell what the right answer is.