[Jim Irsays Surprise Hire As Head Coach Is....]

If Peyton's healthy, I pray we keep him for 2 more years, then he retires as the greatest Colt to ever don a uniform!! With that said, I hope Andrew Luck is drafted this year, placed into a couple packages per game (or allowed to play the 4th quarter of blowouts) and tutored willingly by Manning. Favre ruined much of his reputation with his unwillingness to help Aaron Rodgers, who's proving himself a better quarterback than Favre. Let's hope that given a similar situation, Peyton will stay the lead dog, but will embrace the opportunity to help shape and mold the next Indy legend and leave the game in a couple years with ultimate honor and focus on the franchise's bright future his final gift to the city.

[Jim Irsays Surprise Hire As Head Coach Is....]

I can't state too emphatically how much I DON'T WANT Jim Tressel as head coach!! Firing Caldwell was fine and appropriate, though he seems a very fine, upstanding man. He simply couldn't "excite the troops" and adjust game-planning enough to adjust to life without Peyton. Firing the Polian's was due, as they built a team that could ONLY exist with Peyton as quarterback, and no plan B was ever considered! BUT HIRING A KNOWN CHEATER?!?! I believe Jim Tressel is a good football mind and likely has great regrets about his poor decisions at Ohio State. I wish him well, but not as our coach! Where's the Gruden interview? Where's the Brian Billick interview? Where's the courting of Cowher to at least see if he'd CONSIDER an interview? Losing Peyton and hiring Tressel in possibly the same year will do for fan excitement and ticket sales what pouring water on a birthday cake does for keeping the candles lit!!