One of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, one of the best winners in the history of the NFL, even Manning can be “kicked off” the team he did so much for. Try to think when the Colts last missed the playoffs under Manning; it’s difficult to do. But I believe the Colts made the right move.
I think they realized that even with Peyton, they were no longer a Super Bowl contender. Their defense has been bad for numerous years. And now they don’t have a running back, their wide receivers are average, and their offensive line is aging quickly. So they decided to go in another direction, start from the bottom, and begin rebuilding. But even though his reign in Indianapolis is over, Peyton Manning has the chance to start again in Denver.
The big question, though, is how will he do? How will he fare in a new town, with new fans, a new scheme, new personnel, and a new offense? The answer is probably pretty well. He inherits a lot of talent throughout the offense, and the Bronco defense has gotten better over the past few years. And Manning’s a smart guy. He’ll learn the offense, but soon enough, there won’t be a playbook, the plays decided by Manning at the line of scrimmage. But if Peyton leaving Indy wasn’t big enough news itself, how about the fact that Manning chose to take over the team with Tim Tebow on it.
Last year Tebow led the Broncos to an incredible run to make the playoffs, grabbing the attention of every fan and sportswriter in the country. But now he is a New York Jet, getting more spotlight than he ever did, now just waiting for his opportunity to show New Yorkers what Tebowmania is really about. The only problem is Mark Sanchez, the man who says that he’s happy to have Tim in town and is intrigued to play with him. But let’s face it, nobody likes when your team brings in another guy at your spot because it says you’re probably not good enough.
Nevertheless, the Broncos really upped their status for a few years. With the addition of Manning, the Broncos immediately are the team to beat in the AFC West and strong contender for the AFC championship. As most teams would, they saw an opportunity to take an elite, Super-Bowl-winning quarterback over an average one
On the flipside, the Colts now are going to begin their Manning-less era and embark on a long and painful journey of recovery. They have some bright spots, including the sack-fumble specialists Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis and the number one pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but for Colts fans, the road ahead is really bumpy.
Peyton is a perennial winner. During his tenure with the Colts, they consistently won 10 games and went to the playoffs. His career may be on the down slope, but he knows how to win. And with his new 5-year 96 million dollar contract, he has already started winning in the mile-high city.