Peyton Manning Saga

Just as I was about to start writing this entry, I read a story posted four minutes ago saying Manning was medically cleared to resume his NFL career.  What this means is still up for debate now, but we will know what this news could do in the coming days.  This ongoing Manning saga has been big news even with the Super Bowl to take place on Sunday.  Manning missed all of this past season because the nerves in his neck simply weren't regenerating properly and he could not play. He lost zip on his passes as he threw a little bit, but it was hard for me as a football fan to see Manning on the sidelines.  Even though he beat the Bears in the Super Bowl a few years back, I still love what he does as a quarterback as well as an ambassador for the NFL.  Manning is just one of those good guys and is really funny, funnier than most people would expect.

 It must eat at him a bit to see his brother Eli leading his team back to the Super Bowl with a chance to win two rings to surpass Peyton's one ring.  I know he must be itching to get back on the field, but his future now is still very uncertain.  Him and Irsay's relationship is a little uneasy right now, and Colts management has a big decision to make in the next month or so.  Do they cut their rock and reason why they were relevant their past decade, or do they keep him and possibly have to pay him and Andrew Luck?  Manning has done so much for that city and I think should be able to dictate what happens here.  I'm not even sure he really wants to be there and seen as a mentor to Andrew Luck.  I think if the Colts want Luck, they want him to play right away.  It's that simple.  Both QB's might not be able to coexist in Indy together as great as they are.

So that leaves us with the question of where Manning could land.  I've been hearing numerous destinations, including Miami, Washington, New York Jets, and most recently the Arizona Cardinals name has been thrown in there (something I read on rotoworld.com).  The Dolphins make some sense because they have a good amount of talent to boot on the offensive end and aren't too shabby on defense either.  They weren't as bad this year as their record may indicate.  Washington makes some sense, but I don't know if Manning would want to play for the likes of the control freaks, the Shanahan family. We then see the Jets, whose dysfunction may only bring more turmoil if they get Manning and abandon ship on Sanchez, who I don't think too highly of as an NFL quarterback.  The wild card team here could be the Cardinals, who don't trust Kolb all that much and have a pretty decent young team on paper.  Manning's veteran presence could lift them to new heights, similarly to how Kurt Warner came in and righted the ship in Arizona.

This is just a small look at what is going on in the world of Peyton Manning.  Manning has been a phenomenal player in his career and I wish the best possible situation for him for the rest of his career.