[Manning, Irsay & Kravitz Saga (Mega Merge)]

Everyone counting on Luck needs to remember that he is no sure thing - a lot of top prospects have trouble in the NFL, or get early injuries from which they never recover. People seem to be thinking that Peyton us the only gamble, and that just is not the case - Luck could be the next Kijana Carter or Ryan Leaf, great prospects with no NFL career.

[Manning, Irsay & Kravitz Saga (Mega Merge)]

If the Colts part ways with Manning, and he then goes to play for another team, it will be bad for the team and bad for the NFL. I am not a Colts fan because of where I live, I am a Colts fan because I liked the integrity with which they operated (or seemed to). I know a former Colts player (who I will not name as I am not speaking for him) who has privately contrasted the tremendous difference between playing for the Colts in the Dungy/Manning era versus the other teams for which he played - day and night, with an integrity and honor that he cherished. That is why I am here.

If Peyton cannot play anymore due to injury, that is a tragedy, but understandable. If he can play but the Colts ditch him for Luck, then everything they say about being a "family" is garbage. Manning can either continue to kick names and take butt, or he can help develop Luck into his successor for the next few years - there is no reason to show him the door, and its a terrible way to treat someone who has done so much for the team.

[Jim Tressel?/why Tressel Should Get The Job (Merge)]

Not Tressel. Please. From Dungy to Tressel in 3 years? Astonishing that the character of the team would change so much in such a short time.

[Caldwell Fired [Merge with Poll]]

I am not sure whether or not Polian should have been fired, although I think that he should have been limited to the recruiting side of things if he had been kept.

I am glad to see Caldwell go. His first season made (or let others make for him) the offensive decision to play it "safe" the last two games of a potentially perfect season - if I had had tickets to those games I would have sued the Colts for charging me to see games that they did not really contest. This last season he demonstrated both the value of Manning and his own ineptitude by taking one of the best teams in the league into the cellar - I know some of that comes down to execution, but two wins? I have seen nothing in Caldwell that says he should be a head coach.

Manning needs to come back. This will be tough, since it will be extremely difficult to keep him and yet still have the money to get Luck, but it needs to happen - if they get rid of him, the Colts will be low for a few years while the team restructures and Luck finds his footing, but if they keep him they can have an easy transition that keeps us in the playoffs every year. Plus, if they get rid of Manning they run the risk of playing AGAINST him...

[Jim Tressel Now A Colts Employee (Merge)]

Tressel didn't cheat.

Actually, he did, just not on the field

The players didn't cheat.

Again, yes they did, just not on the field... what do you think the sanctions mean, anyway? Just because it was not on the field it wasn't "real" cheating?

No players were obtained illegitimately by the university.

You know for a fact that said "perks" were kept secret from prospects?

The players sold some stuff to make money. When Tressel found out about it, he didn't squeal. A poor ethical decision? Definitely.

And one he appeared to make over and over again across his entire head coaching career. This wasn't a momentary lapse of judgement, or a one-time mistake - this started at Youngstown, started again almost immediately at Ohio State, and continued (despite having over a decade to quell it) until it became so blatant that it was discovered and they prepared to throw the book at him.

My issue is that this sort of behavior (and it is a behavior, not a momentary mistake) is symptomatic of a moral failing, a willingness to place winning above all else. No, the Colts do not need to worry about this exact problem, but what else will he be willing to let slide or cover up if it helps him win? A great deal of college player problems involve money simply because that is what they are most lacking, but that does not mean that there are not areas where professionals can err, and when they do will Tressel be involved? His is a minor position, but I do not trust him any farther than I can throw him, and just as he is seeking redemption, many such seekers will actually cheat MORE if it helps them regain the appearance of success and propriety.

Anyway, I neither like nor trust the guy, and I think his employment, however small, is a stain on the organization. I hope that he does redeem himself, but I think it just as likely that in a few years we will see him associated with tainted players or ethical/rule violations again.

[Jim Tressel Now A Colts Employee (Merge)]

I was extremely disappointed in the developments over the past year.

Only the revelations occurred over the past year - the actual infractions cover nearly his entire head coaching career. Interestingly, he has been repeatedly investigated and cleared of nearly identical infractions in the past, even when the players were clearly guilty and no one could explain how he failed to notice things like star players rolling up in new and expensive cars that changed every few weeks.

I do not dispute that his is a minor position, and I am not opposed to the idea that he might redeem himself... I just don't want him doing it here.

[Jim Tressel Now A Colts Employee (Merge)]

This hiring disturbs me too.

People think Tressel's misconduct at Ohio State was minor, but remember that his suspensions were issued while information was still coming out - his decision to resign was an attempt to avoid stronger punishments still to come. No, he did not cheat on the field, his players were breaking NCAA rules (taking cash, cars, and tattoos) and he not only did not report them, he lied to cover up what they were doing and did nothing to stop them from continuing. It started at Youngstown State, continued almost immediately after he was hired at Ohio State, and went on until he resigned in disgrace. During the whole time, he wore an image of almost saintly propriety... while urinating on the rules behind everyone's back.

He may not be the worst coach out there, but he puts winning ahead of honor, and that is NOT something I have ever until now associated with the Colts.