Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or email bob.kravitz@indystar.com. You can also follow Bob on Twitter at @bkravitz.
Kravitz: Colts fans, please don't blame Irsay or Manning
We knew this was coming, knew it all the way back when the Colts went to 0-13 and earned the pole position to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. And yet, hearing and reading the news Tuesday night -- Peyton Manning to be released by Colts -- was still somehow shocking.
Shocking and so, so strange.
He was going to be a Colt for life, a Colt up until the day he couldn't throw a football any longer. The idea that he would someday play elsewhere seemed foreign and downright ridiculous.
How could that happen?
And yet it's happened.
The Manning era, which saw the Colts win 10-plus games 11 times, play in 19 playoff games and win a Super Bowl, is over.
And it's happened because it had to happen. It had to happen because there were just too many questions about the state of his surgically repaired neck and his right arm, and because only a fool tosses away a chance to grab Luck and let him grow with a new, rebuilding team.
There is no bad guy here.
Not Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Not Peyton Manning.
It was the perfect storm of imperfect circumstances, a 2-14 season, a devastating series of neck injuries and the unexpected and incredibly fortuitous availability of Luck at the No. 1 draft spot.
I give Irsay credit for having the backbone to do the most difficult thing he's had to do as an NFL owner.
And I give Manning credit for understanding that times and circumstances change, that it was better for him and for the organization to move on and try to win a championship elsewhere.
"With all the moves that happened this year after the season was over with -- the GM being fired, all of the coaching staff and all of that -- I kind of figured something was going to happen,'' Dwight Freeney told the NFL Network. "Peyton is like family to us, family to me. He's been here 10 years with me. It's been great, but we also understand this is the National Football League, and these things happen.''
There will be a lot of anger toward Irsay. That will be understandable. It's impossible to overstate the civic impact Manning had on this franchise, on this city and on this region. He did it not only as an athlete but as a philanthropist. He was, and still is, the most important athlete ever to grace the playing fields of Indianapolis.
And yet, people need to temper their anger with the understanding that Irsay had very little choice.
Archie Manning was absolutely right when he said it the first time: Peyton and Andrew can't be on the same roster.
Irsay tried to open the door, if only a little, for Manning's return, saying he would renegotiate the deal and have him back if he bought into certain conditions. He would have to take less money. He would have to play mentor to Luck, sharing a percentage of practice snaps. He'd even have to battle Luck for the starting quarterback job.
But Manning -- and don't blame him for this, either -- felt he was better off elsewhere. He felt he could make more money, have more autonomy and have a better chance to win a Super Bowl in another city, and he's right on all counts.
This has been a beautiful marriage for 14 amazing years. But the pair, Irsay and Manning, have grown and gone in different directions. Nobody wanted it to end this way, but it has, and now it's time for goodbyes.
Tears?
There will be lots of tears today at that news conference. From Irsay, from Manning, from an entire city who'd fallen in love with Manning and his family. Without No. 18, the Colts might not still be in Indianapolis. Certainly, there's no Lucas Oil Stadium, and there's no Indianapolis Super Bowl. His impact is incalculable.
The statue goes up immediately.
And how cool would it be if everybody who owns an 18 jersey -- and that's a lot of you -- wore it around town today?
This city is a different place, a better place, because Manning was a part of it for so long -- and he will continue to play a huge role here.
"His numbers speak for themselves,'' Gary Brackett told the NFL Network. "You talk about us being the winningest team in any decade of football. The 12 consecutive winning seasons, the Super Bowl.
"For me, getting here in 2003, the stands were suits and Green Bay jerseys. Probably now, there are 80 percent Colts jerseys, and largely his jerseys. He was a guy that really changed the landscape of Indianapolis and really changed the landscape of football.''
Surely, the relationship between Irsay and Manning has taken a hit and been strained. Manning had some issues with the way Irsay handled his business in recent months. Irsay was upset with some of the things Manning said to me in a story in The Star and was flabbergasted by the recent Manning-throwing video.
In the end, though, the relationship will endure and re-strengthen once the divorce proceedings are complete. These two men have done too many remarkable things together, taken too fantastic a journey, for it all to fall apart now. When the two profess their love and admiration for one another this afternoon, do not cynically dismiss it as a bunch of empty happy talk. It is real. It is very real.
But it was time.
Irsay's calculation was a simple one: Do I toss a lot of money at a severely injured 36-year-old quarterback when I have a rookie No. 1 pick coming on line? Do I put sentimentality in front of common sense?
The answers were no and no.
Where do you want this franchise to be in three years? Do you want them led by a quarterback who is hobbling into retirement, or by a young quarterback heading into his prime?
The sadness, the grief, is understandable. We are proprietary about our great athletes and especially our great citizens. We never want to say goodbye, never want the good times to end. But circumstances led Irsay and Manning to this unfathomable crossroads.
Wherever he plays next, whatever he does next, Manning will always be a Colt at heart, Indy's favorite son. No change of uniform can ever alter that.
19:00 Who will sign Peyton Manning for the 2012-13 Season
With the Colts set to release Peyton Manning after 14 epic years, where will he be playing football next season?
Bets placed after Manning's new team becomes known will be void.
Julie Jacobson - APMore photos » about 2 years ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) celebrates after teammate Joseph Addai scored a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the New Orleans Saints in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Sports is more than a game, it's an identity. Sports can help build a community, provide an outlet during tough times, and be an inspiration. We cherish our teams and worship their star players.
Sometimes we love our favorite athletes because they embody the identity of the city they represent. Other instances it is because they provide fresh excitement to a middling franchise, and on very rare occasions, the greatest athletes can transcend the sport and lift a city. Peyton Manning was one of the special few who could do all three.
We love him in Indianapolis because we saw him as one of us; a down-to-earth, modest and nice guy and looks no more physically impressive than your average 35-year-old yet possessed a laser-rocket arm capable of shredding the most vaunted NFL defenses. We love him in Indianapolis because he was the best to perhaps ever play quarterback and did so in an honest and upstanding way. Most of all we love him in Indianapolis because he reignited, perhaps saved, our city.
As a small market Midwest franchise, it is hard for both player and city alike to get recognized. Yet for more than a decade Peyton Manning was the face of the NFL and 14 years after he was drafted by the Colts, Indianapolis - a ho-hum city with harsh winters - was hosting a Super Bowl in a brand new state-of-the-art Lucas Oil Stadium.
From day one in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning was a leader that the team and city could rally behind. He represented the best of our Midwest values and played with a special understanding of the game that exuded the promise of greatness. At the time he entered the NFL, the Colts were coming off the worst record in the league and there was growing speculation that the Colts might consider moving to Los Angeles if the team couldn't revive a blasé fan base. Indiana, it was said, was a basketball town and would never be as passionate about the Colts as the Pacers.
Funny how that turned out....
Manning was not only the Colts savior; he revived a city still searching for its identity. It's hard to calculate the value of having a professional sports franchise but Peyton Manning and Colts fever that swept the state have inevitably improved the city's fortunes. Critics argue that teams can be an economic detriment and multi-million dollar new stadiums such as Lucas Oil, a burden on the tax-payer. Such analysis fails to capture the intangibles that sports bring. You cannot compute the value Peyton Manning brought to inflating the psyche of the city.
When a team wins or player thrives, it lifts the city's spirits, unites its residents and puts that franchise and that city on the map. During the Peyton Manning-era in Indy, people became more energized, our downtown became further gentrified into a commercial hub, and the city became a more attractive destination for businesses. The subconscious draw of wanting to be part of a winning city and organization is a factor that cannot be quantified. Sports bring vibrancy, life and passion that can't be counted in economic data. Even in the most difficult of economic times when your team wins, your city wins, even if that victory is only a temporary distraction from the hardships of life. For more than a decade, Indianapolis won because the Colts did. All the while Peyton Manning was the driving force of a franchise that captured the hearts and minds of a city and state. Without Manning, there would have likely been no new stadium, no Super Bowl and perhaps no football. Manning has single-handedly transformed Indy in ways no business or elected official could have hoped.
That one player could make such a difference is so astounding, yet somehow when Peyton took the field for the first game of his rookie year we all had a sense he would be special.
Manning's no-nonsense attitude was never flashy but his play was and people took notice. In his second season, Manning engineered the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history leading the Colts from 3-13 his rookie season to 13-3 the following year. From there Manning led the Colts to the most victories by any professional football team in a single decade. The Colts not only won, they dominated. Along the way, Manning set just about every record a quarterback could, all the while making sure he represented the values of his team and community. Perhaps Peyton's greatest legacy was the way in which he carried himself and demanded that his other teammates do so as well. Manning was somebody we could all look up to and respect. His incredible success on the field wasn't cheapened by off the field issues such as convictions of animal abuse or chargers of sexual assault. He practiced what he preached and succeed by adhering to his values of hard work and clean living.
Fourteen years later Peyton Manning will leave Indy as one of the greatest players of all time, a Super Bowl champion and someone who will be forever beloved by Indiana and NFL fans. We will miss him dearly and wish him all the best. Watching Manning in Dolphin's orange or Cardinal red will be painful but as Manning himself said in his news conference earlier today, we will always be able to cherish the victories we shared together.
Each time we head down to see Colts' home games, we will be reminded of number 18's legacy as we take our places in Lucas Oil Stadium, the house that Peyton Manning built.
Manning begins free-agency tour by meeting Broncos
By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—Peyton Manning’s whirlwind free-agency tour kicked off in grand fashion Friday, complete with a chartered plane coming to pick him up and a helicopter hovering overhead as he met with the Denver Broncos.
And this was only Day 1 of his adventure.
Manning spent the day in Tim Tebow’s neighborhood, chatting with the Broncos for nearly six hours.
The four-time MVP is the NFL’s marquee free agent after being released by the Indianapolis Colts two days ago. The Broncos rolled out the red carpet for Manning’s visit, too.
Brought in from Miami on a plane sent down to swoop him up, Manning spent the day with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who also serves as Denver’s vice president of football operations. Manning was escorted around the building, with coach John Fox and general manager Brian Xanders along as well.
When his marathon da
y was over, Manning hopped into the same silver SUV he arrived in and was whisked away without talking to reporters.
His next stop? There are more than a half-dozen other suitors, with Arizona and Miami among those expressing interest.
But spending the first day in Denver certainly made for some interesting conversation. After all, this is a city still engulfed in Tebowmania, especially after the unorthodox quarterback led the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
But having Manning in for a visit raised anew the question that has hovered over the team: Is Tebow a long-term solution or just a feel-good story for a season?
As news spread of Manning’s arrival—with reporters and TV helicopters covering every inch of the Broncos facility—a handful of curious fans started making their way over.
“Let’s do it, Peyton,” one of them yelled through a gate upon spotting Manning walking out of the weight room. He glanced over and gave a quick wave.
Across the parking lot, one fan with an Elway jersey, another with a Tebow jersey and a few more with Manning’s iconic Colts No. 18 showed up.
“Peyton Manning is a terrific leader. He has amazing aim and seems to have a sixth sense of what’s going to happen on the field. He’s phenomenal to watch,” said Graham Millar, a lifelong Colts fan who lives in Aurora, Colo. “You feel like you’re watching a psychic. But it’s preparation. He knows exactly what to expect from every single player on that field.”
According to The Denver Post, the Broncos sent a plane to pick up Manning in South Florida, where he has a condo. He had traveled there after an emotional news conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday, when he said goodbye to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1998 and he led to the 2007 Super Bowl championship.
The plane then stopped in Stillwater, Okla., where Elway, Fox and Xanders were watching Oklahoma State’s pro day. The Broncos management met up with Manning, and everyone flew back to Denver.
ESPNews carried live coverage of the flight arriving at an airport in Denver, then also followed Manning’s car ride to Broncos team headquarters. And while Manning met with Elway and Co., inside the building, a blue helicopter hovered overhead outside.
This was only the beginning.
Arizona, Miami, Kansas City, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington are among the other possible destinations, as Manning becomes one of the most coveted free agents in the history of the league, even though he turns 36 later this month and is coming off a series of neck operations. He missed all of last season, and the Colts decided to cut ties rather than pay a $28 million bonus that was due this week.
It’s not often that teams get a chance to sign a quarterback who has thrown for more than 50,000 yards and nearly 400 touchdowns, been picked for 11 Pro Bowls, and been a Super Bowl MVP. Manning’s importance to the Colts’ success was never more apparent than last season, when their record plummeted to 2-14 without him.
Because he was released and went on the waiver wire Wednesday, Manning is allowed to negotiate and sign with any club immediately; he does not need to wait until the free-agent period that begins Tuesday.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt confirmed in an interview with NBC Sports Network that was scheduled to air Friday evening that his team is pursuing Manning.
“I don’t know how important money will be to him, but I’m sure it will be part of the equation,” Hunt said. “He’s going to be looking for an environment that he’s comfortable in.”
He declined to say whether
the Chiefs already have offered Manning a contract.
“I don’t think
it would be appropriate for me to talk about discussions at this point,” Hunt said, “but he is somebody that we’ll want to talk to.”
———
AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed.
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Really think Redskins would give up 3 1st round picks and try for Manning... they want RG3 who could be one of the best ever IMHO. Give Griffin time as he's the real deal and could be one of the better QB's in a long while. RG3 is sick!
__________________
If you aren't gambling to win, then you shouldn't be gambling...
Really think Redskins would give up 3 1st round picks and try for Manning... they want RG3 who could be one of the best ever IMHO. Give Griffin time as he's the real deal and could be one of the better QB's in a long while. RG3 is sick!
Really think Redskins would give up 3 1st round picks and try for Manning... they want RG3 who could be one of the best ever IMHO. Give Griffin time as he's the real deal and could be one of the better QB's in a long while. RG3 is sick!
Big xii defenses sucked recently except for the very top. Rg3 faced 5-6 of the bottom tier defenses statistically in all of college football last season. Not to say he wont be good, but I'm not sold. Hope I'm wrong, cuz he seems like a nice kid, but I'm saying he wont have the career of newton, luck and Dalton.
__________________
Two of the most ignorant, classless pieces of filth I've ever run across.............
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAYMOND
the fucking bunger king around my house -- out of bussiness!!!!!!!!
put a black man iin the white house and the country turing into a fucking getto
The free-agent quarterback showed up Sunday morning with Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, stepped out of a white SUV and nodded and waved to cameramen as he walked past a security gate and into a building.
Related content
A few minutes earlier, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald arrived in his own car.
This is the second stop on Manning’s tour of teams he might end up signing with. The former Indianapolis Colts star met with the Denver Broncos on Friday night at the team’s headquarters.
After Arizona, Manning reportedly is going to Florida to meet with the Miami Dolphins.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—Peyton Manning spent nearly 61/2 hours at the Arizona Cardinals’ headquarters and training facility on Sunday in meetings designed to lure the superstar quarterback to the desert.
The session was even longer than the nearly six hours Manning spent at the Broncos’ facility in Denver on Friday night.
Manning waved and smiled at cheering fans as he walked from the building to coach Ken Whisenhunt’s white SUV. With the coach at the wheel, Manning waved again as the SUV pulled through the security gate and past the loud supporters.
He was expected to return to his home in Florida.
It was unclear whether the four-time MVP planned to meet with the Dolphins
TEAMS win championships. I don't get you guys that put it all on the QB.
Marino sucked according to your standards for a QB.
Yet Dilfer STILL was no good
Pick and choose what's convenient for your argument.
Not even close, Jacko.
I use playoff record and championships won to sort between the upper tier qbs. Manning is great, but not top tier all time. Sub 50 playoff winning %???? I can assure you he is no Brady or Montana.
Off the.top of my head, these are the best in my football watching life....
Montana
Brady
Elway
Marino
Manning
Brees still making his case. Favre vastly overrated. Dilfer can blow me
__________________
Two of the most ignorant, classless pieces of filth I've ever run across.............
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAYMOND
the fucking bunger king around my house -- out of bussiness!!!!!!!!
put a black man iin the white house and the country turing into a fucking getto
If they called defensive holding on the Patriot DB's, Manning would probably have 3 rings right now. Take away the onside kick for the Saints and you'd add another one.
In my opinion Manning is 2nd only to Jerry Rice as best player ever to play the game. If I were him, I'd go to San Fran and win a couple titles...
I am not sure if peyton is even considering miami like people assume....that being said....
I really like flynn....already has 2 records on same team as rodgers favre and starr........rodgers endorsed him and was sincere when sayin he was legit...he is younger cheaper and healthier then manning.....and he knows philbins system......
Of course I would love manning, but would be just fine with flynn .....compared to our alternatives, I would be happy with burt reynolds at qb compared to what we have had in previous seasons....
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W/L record is with an average of -110 to -115 juice on each individual play. gL
Peyton Manning continues to meet with teams before deciding where to sign.
(Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—A person familiar with the situation says the Tennessee Titans will be visiting with four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning in his search for a new team.
ESPN.com first reported Titans coach Mike Munchak will meet with Manning after a session with Miami coach Joe Philbin.
The person spoke to The Associated Press Monday about Manning’s meeting with the Titans on the condition of anonymity because the location and time of that meeting remains confidential.
Related content
Titans owner Bud Adams made it known Sunday he will do whatever it takes to sign Manning to get back to the playoffs and win his team’s first Super Bowl. Adams told The Tennessean he had talked to Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, asking for a visit with the quarterback.
Manning has plenty of connections to Tennessee.
He starred at the University of Tennessee, leading to his first name becoming a popular choice for newborns in this state. His wife is from Memphis, and Manning already knows the Titans’ facility a bit, having practiced against Tennessee a few years ago when the Colts came to town for some joint practices.
Munchak also was a teammate of Archie Manning in 1982 and briefly in 1983 with the then-Houston Oilers. Munchak just hired Dennis Polian—son of former Colts general manager Bill Polian—as his assistant.
But the biggest key is Adams, the 89-year-old billionaire who wants back in the playoffs. His Titans have been only twice since 2004 with both trips in 2007 and 2008 lasting only one game each. A meeting with Manning could come in Houston where Adams still lives after relocating his Oilers to Tennessee in 1997.
“I want Manning,” Adams told The Tennessean. “I’d love to see him in Titan blue after watching him so many years with the Colts. … I want him. I am ready to do what it takes to get him aboard, and I think he’d be the guy to get us into the playoffs.”
The Titans already have veteran Matt Hasselbeck, signed to a three-year contract last July, and Jake Locker picked with the No. 8 overall selection in the 2011 draft. But Hasselbeck is due $5.5 million in salary this year after getting a chunk of his deal last season.
So far, Manning has met only with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.
He was expected to be heading back to Florida, but did not show at the Dolphins’ headquarters Monday despite reports he would meet with the team.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross arrived at the team complex at midmorning, and several players—including quarterback Chad Henne—showed up around the same time to work out. Henne is a free agent and not expected back this season.
A media stakeout at the complex began when a local TV station camera crew arrived at 4 a.m. Half a dozen TV cameras and a handful of reporters eventually gathered across the street. They weren’t allowed on the team’s property, but a Dolphins official brought out water, pizza and napkins.
Curious motorists occasionally pulled up to ask for an update.
Manning spent nearly 6 1/2 hours at the Arizona Cardinals’ headquarters and training facility on Sunday in meetings designed to lure the superstar to the desert.
The session followed a meeting of nearly six hours Manning had at the Broncos’ facility in Denver on Friday night. The two sessions were evidence that, for the time being at least, Arizona and Denver appear to be the top two contenders.
———
AP Sports Writers Steve Wine in Miami and Bob Baum in Tempe, Ariz., contributed to this report.
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As good as manning is, I feel he is overrated by the masses. His inability to win in the playoffs is a bigger deal than is made. Jmo, of course.
I think Peyton may be the top QB of all time & made Indy better than they were....It wasn't his fault that the Colts always had a shitty defense....
__________________
Blindly following my plays can be hazzardous to your wallet.
"When you lose your money, you lose nothing.
When you lose your health, you lose something.
When you lose your character, you lose everything"....Meyer Lansky
"There are 3 times in life when it's useless trying to hold a man to anything he says....when he's madly in love, drunk, or running for office"....Robert Mitchum
I use playoff record and championships won to sort between the upper tier qbs. Manning is great, but not top tier all time. Sub 50 playoff winning %???? I can assure you he is no Brady or Montana.
Off the.top of my head, these are the best in my football watching life....
Montana
Brady
Elway
Marino
Manning
Brees still making his case. Favre vastly overrated. Dilfer can blow me
Imo you can't always use playoff records to determine how great a player is because if you did then we have to throw out players such as Peyton, Marino, & Sonny Jurgensen in talking about the greatest QB's & just pick Otto Graham as the greatest because his teams won a lot of titles....
__________________
Blindly following my plays can be hazzardous to your wallet.
"When you lose your money, you lose nothing.
When you lose your health, you lose something.
When you lose your character, you lose everything"....Meyer Lansky
"There are 3 times in life when it's useless trying to hold a man to anything he says....when he's madly in love, drunk, or running for office"....Robert Mitchum
TEAMS win championships. I don't get you guys that put it all on the QB.
Marino sucked according to your standards for a QB.
Yet Dilfer STILL was no good
Pick and choose what's convenient for your argument.
Agree....
__________________
Blindly following my plays can be hazzardous to your wallet.
"When you lose your money, you lose nothing.
When you lose your health, you lose something.
When you lose your character, you lose everything"....Meyer Lansky
"There are 3 times in life when it's useless trying to hold a man to anything he says....when he's madly in love, drunk, or running for office"....Robert Mitchum
I use playoff record and championships won to sort between the upper tier qbs. Manning is great, but not top tier all time. Sub 50 playoff winning %???? I can assure you he is no Brady or Montana.
Off the.top of my head, these are the best in my football watching life....
Montana
Brady
Elway
Marino
Manning
Brees still making his case. Favre vastly overrated. Dilfer can blow me
Montana had it all. Tommy Kramer, Lynn Dickey, Dan Fouts, Archie Manning would of all won there. Montana was supported by the best offensive lines, the best receiving core, the best defenses to get him the ball back and a hell of a running back. Peyton Manning would of killed teams just as easy if he had all that.
__________________
3-16-12..... Had my worst beat ever followed by my luckiest win ever 3 hours later.
BleedingPurple, I totally agree. Bill Walsh was so far ahead of the rest of the league at that time and ended up with talent all over the place as well as the perfect offense way before defenses could adjust to it.
Its always apples/oranges comparing players from different teams and different eras.
The reason Manning had such a bad defense is b/c he had so many weapons on offense. Brady has benefited greatly from a great defense and more of a system on offense.
So you have the salary cap involved but you also have a handful of guys who have really taken advantage of the gradual rule changes trying to put more offense into the game. Manning probably the first and best to take advantage of all this.
So many variables but I think at the end of the day, its Manning. The last few years, this Colts team is awful without him and a title contender with him.
The last few years, this Colts team is awful without him and a title contender with him.
4 players on offense have been or will be released 1 year after he sat out the season with injury.
2 of those were considered top of the line at their respective postions.
they are lookin' for a job now..
you can shake it out and use any criteria ya want..
but when you watch the man play the position 221 games as if he invented the position you know you have watched Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci with a football as the instrument and the defenses as his landscape.
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Peyton Manning continues to meet with teams before deciding where to sign.
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