Breaking Down the Peyton Manning Saga, Steve Young “Everything is in Place in Washington…”
The marriage between Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts is on the brink of divorce. With Indy totally cleaning house in the front office, and bringing in a new head coach, its obvious the Colts are in rebuilding mode. They hold the #1 overall pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft, and its no secret, they will select Stanford QB, Andrew Luck.
Keeping both Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning doesn’t seem financially plausible. They would have about $50 million invested in the QB position if they attempted to do so. With the lack of talent currently on their roster, they can’t afford that. Not to mention, drafting a Quarterback #1 overall this day in age, typically means he’s going to be a day 1 starter.
With that said, there’s still questions surrounding Peyton’s health. He’s been cleared by his doctors, however, there’s uncertainty on if he is in football shape. Can he throw NFL caliber passes? Does he have enough arm strength?
At the end of the day, one thing remains consistent, this is Peyton Manning. A guy who’s one of the best Quarterbacks to ever play the sport. Not many works harder than this guy. Football is his life and no matter how you slice it, wherever he goes, failure is not an option.
The Colts owner, Jim Irsay and Peyton Manning are rumored to be in the process of orchestrating a meeting within the next 7 to 10 days. The city of Indianapolis recently hosted the Super Bowl, and in two weeks they will also hold the annual NFL Combine. Therefore, its important the two sides meet, without distractions, and before the combine seems very likely.
March 8th is when the Colts must make a decision on paying Peyton Manning a $28 million bonus. According to reports you can throw that date away, because Peyton wants this process to be dealt with “sooner than later.” He does hold leverage in this, therefore we can expect that wish to be granted.
So now the question is, where will Peyton Manning play in 2012? The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets are two teams often mentioned. However, there’s a strong buzz circulating around the Nation’s Capital. Peyton Manning to the Washington Redskins is reportedly “very likely.”
We can go through the pros and cons all day, but lets make this clear, bringing in Peyton Manning would not resemble past failures. Washington has a bad history of bringing in big names, paying them big bucks, only for them to cash their check and not perform. Peyton Manning is not of that mindset. Again, he’s not going anywhere to fail. If Peyton Manning is healthy enough to play football, he will have success.
According to NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, Peyton could decide on his next team the day he’s released. Schefter believes teams will act quickly and should already have a contract ready to offer. With more than one team in the “Manning Sweepstakes” the organization would likely have to front load a contract, with the rest being incentive-laden.
Some believe Peyton Manning has already examined his possible options, and may already know what team he wants to sign with. ESPN analyst and HOF QB, Steve Young had an interesting statement in regards to this, “I don’t want to insinuate that there is tampering going on because I’m not saying that, but if I’m Peyton Manning, I’ve already done this or maybe not me but somebody is doing the work and negotiations taking place and things are ready.. I mean if I’m Peyton Manning its already in place.”
Steve Young elaborated on which “place” he’s referring to, “If your bringing in Peyton Manning, you’re handing him the keys to the offense. What coach is big enough to do that… (he and Trent Dilfer both said) Mike Shanahan. With the Owner, the history, finally getting someone who’s unprecedented, not someone on the decline, not somebody that’s kinda the last stop… Then some say, what about Donovan McNabb, that didn’t work… that’s way different. This one is a game changer. I think everything is in place in Washington to actually pull the trigger.”
I’m sure Joe Theisman wouldn’t agree with that statement after saying, “Peyton Manning to Washington would be a horrific idea.” However, Steve Young knows Mike Shanahan. He was a part of the 49ers during Shanahan’s tenure there.
There will be mixed feelings on Peyton becoming a Redskin, given the uncertainty of his health. In my opinion, he’s worth taking a flier on. Outside of maybe trading up, I don’t believe signing Peyton would effect our approach on drafting a QB. The Redskins have a ton of options, and you have to trust them to make a prudent choice.
Follow me on Twitter: @Roccoskins
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