If Luck Weren't In The Picture Would We Even Be Discussing Trading/ditching Manning?

[mightisright]

My question is this: Is it because this guy is seen as the next Messiah the reason we're arguing about trading or opting out of Manning's contract? If he busted his knee or decided to go back to school and we were just dealing with the run of the mill draft options, would that change everything?

So is it because everybody LOVES this guy or because we're all so afraid Manning isn't coming back 100%?

I'm not being sarcastic, I really do want to know. Because it seems to me that we need to rebuild a TEAM, not just get a franchise QB and logically our best course of action would be to do whatever gives us the best options to stock more talent on our team. Because clearly we're not a SB team right now with either Manning or Luck. So, honestly and objectively, which path gives us the best chance to do that now?

[Smitto]

Nope.. not for me anyway. Who says the colts think Andrew Luck is the best QB, he certainly seems like he's ready to run an NFL offense but Matt Barkley has the same kind of potential Luck has. I think no matter who the QB was this year there would still be talk about trading or cutting Manning.

[mightisright]

Interesting. It just seems to me like nobody would want to trade for an injured Manning and why would we trade away a healthy Manning?

I'm certainly not saying Luck is the best, I don't follow college ball enough to know why everyone is over the moon over him. I just wondered if people would be so eager to boot Manning out the door if Luck wasn't waiting in the wings.....

[GoColts8818]

The media was going to make this a story regardless because it's a good story for them to make. Someone is always going to say you should go with someone younger. The fact Luck is there just makes it a better story. Heck when Brady went down there were even some saying the Pats should move Brady and stick with Cassel because he was younger.

That's why it's best to ignore the media when they start offering their opinions on things because while it might be a little bit more informed than ours it's still just an opinion. Just like Bob Ryan who was on ESPN today and said Peyton Manning should just take the decision out of the Colts hands do the right thing for his family and just retire. You can't tell me that's not driven a little bit by the fact the guy writes for a Boston paper and the Colts have been the Pats major rival for years. Even in Indy you get guys like this, Kravitz is on a no way in the world Manning and Luck can work in Indy kick lately (he's written three stories about it) and no matter how many times he's told they can he just sticks to his guns. Heck 1070 had him on one day and the guy took him to task for saying that Polian was to blame for this season for not having a good back up QB in place but then saying the Colts can't have two good QBs on the roster and pretty much said which is it.

[mightisright]

yeah, it seems like Kravitz is just stirring the nonsense. Wow, they were really saying the pats should ditch Brady for Cassel? But it DOES seem to me like while we need a backup it's not in our best interests to have 2 franchise QBs on the roster for more than a year tops. The best case scenario would be to either opt out of Manning's contract and build a new team around Luck or (my choice) trade Luck for a king's ransom and stock the best talent we can get, go out and get a good FA shutdown corner or safety and get set for a few more playoff and hopefully SB runs. Then we take our lumps like the rest of them and transition out of the Manning years and have a bad season or two while we get the next franchise QB.

It seems to me like historically a seamless transition between two franchise QBs is a very rare thing.

[GoColts8818]

yeah, it seems like Kravitz is just stirring the nonsense. Wow, they were really saying the pats should ditch Brady for Cassel? But it DOES seem to me like while we need a backup it's not in our best interests to have 2 franchise QBs on the roster for more than a year tops. The best case scenario would be to either opt out of Manning's contract and build a new team around Luck or (my choice) trade Luck for a king's ransom and stock the best talent we can get, go out and get a good FA shutdown corner or safety and get set for a few more playoff and hopefully SB runs. Then we take our lumps like the rest of them and transition out of the Manning years and have a bad season or two while we get the next franchise QB.

It seems to me like historically a seamless transition between two franchise QBs is a very rare thing.

Yes people were saying that but just to be clear they were not the magority, in fact most people brushed them off as trying to think outside the box.

Stirring up stuff is nothing new for Kravitz it's what he does. Then when he does and makes someone mad he tries to stand off to the side and act like he didn't do anything...

The problem with trading Manning is the cap hit that comes from trading Manning. The way his contract is set up his bonus would come before we can trade him so we would have to take a huge hit to trade him which is why most people who follow this closely say it's impossiable to trade Manning meaning our only real out wth Manning is to flat out release him which is okay if he isn't 100%. If he is 100%, well then if people thought people lost their minds over the Jets game a couple of years ago they haven't seen anything yet. It would also put a tone of pressure on Luck here because if he wasn't Peyton Manning right away the fan base would turn on him quickly if Peyton was off being Peyton Manning some place else.

There are a few times it was close to smooth was with Miami and there was a few years between Griese and Marino. The 49ers went pretty smooth but they had the chance to play Young and have him prove to be a very good NFL QB before they moved Montana. The Colts did handle have two league MVPs on their roster at one point in time at QB in Johnny U an Moral.

[wirymo]

The Colts need to do to Peyton what Denver did to Elway in the late 90s and surround him with talent to get a few more SB runs.

[mightisright]

Yes people were saying that but just to be clear they were not the magority, in fact most people brushed them off as trying to think outside the box.

Stirring up stuff is nothing new for Kravitz it's what he does. Then when he does and makes someone mad he tries to stand off to the side and act like he didn't do anything...

The problem with trading Manning is the cap hit that comes from trading Manning. The way his contract is set up his bonus would come before we can trade him so we would have to take a huge hit to trade him which is why most people who follow this closely say it's impossiable to trade Manning meaning our only real out wth Manning is to flat out release him which is okay if he isn't 100%. If he is 100%, well then if people thought people lost their minds over the Jets game a couple of years ago they haven't seen anything yet. It would also put a tone of pressure on Luck here because if he wasn't Peyton Manning right away the fan base would turn on him quickly if Peyton was off being Peyton Manning some place else.

There are a few times it was close to smooth was with Miami and there was a few years between Griese and Marino. The 49ers went pretty smooth but they had the chance to play Young and have him prove to be a very good NFL QB before they moved Montana. The Colts did handle have two league MVPs on their roster at one point in time at QB in Johnny U an Moral.

I know there have been some reasonably smooth transitions, but I just think they are FAR from the norm. Esp in the cap era when having 2 franchise QBs for more than the backup's rookie season is financially dumb.

[mightisright]

The Colts need to do to Peyton what Denver did to Elway in the late 90s and surround him with talent to get a few more SB runs.

FINALLY a fan after my own heart!

[wirymo]

Peyton has sacrificed so much for Indianapolis. He deserves at least a decent defense and running game his last several years to take the load off! Besides, nothing would make me happier than for Peyton to win two or three more SB rings and a couple MVPs before retiring as the GOAT!!

[mightisright]

Two more rings and I can die happy!

[deedub75]

Yes. Stack this team and make it to 4 straight Super Bowl victories. We need to get the 2016 Super Bowl back in Indy for Peyton's final year and go out with a bang!

[The Fish]

If the could win games should be the thread title.

[AP18]

There is no logic behind this, but I just have a strange feeling that Andrew Luck will not live up to expectations in the NFL. I'm not saying he is going to be a Jamarcus Russel or Ryan Leaf by any means, but I just don't think he will be the NFL's golden boy like everyone is making him out to be. He is not or never will be Peyton Manning, and until he has a ring and his name covers up the NFL record books, I don't think he should be mentioned in the same sentence as PM. I strongly agree with the Colts trading that number one pick for a king's randsom and adding some super-stars that way. I have looked around and found that DB's such as Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, and LaRon Laundry are set to become free agents. I think the Colts should consider reaching out to one of these guys to help out Bethea and our secondary. While on the same note, we have some long-time Colts who are set to become free agents (Saturday, Mathis, Wayne, Garcon). In a perfect world, we resign all of them. But since we cant keep them all, I think we at least have to bring back Robert Mathis who in my opinion is one of the 5 best players we have. But in sticking to the subject, the future is now and the Colts owe it to Peyton Manning to surround him with talent and make a few more super bowl runs before he retires. I think i speak for us all when I say that I would love nothing more than to see 18 raise the Lombardi Trophy and bring another World Championship back to Indianapolis.

[Nancy]

I want to see Peyton stay with the Colts and retire from the Colts.

[manningstheman]

The reason there has been so much talk about Manning being traded or released is because the dude just had some major work done on his neck. Not once, not twice, but three times. No one was sure how his health was going to be. No one still can be completey sure what will happen with his neck issues. So, that is the reason the team has been discussing a possible drafting of a QB with the first pick. This is possible because the Colts seem not to beable to find their JOCKS this year and win a few of those close games they played. So that has landed this team in the national spot light to draft onf of the elite college QB of their liking. The last couple years Lucks name has come up as the best QB in college. So, all this year his name has been the flavor of the month. So, put all these factors together and you have your answer. Luck or no Luck, Mannings health would have been an issue no matter what. Speculation of his release or trade would have been a subject of discussion all season long. Even if the Colts didnt have such a " Suck for Luck" type of season.

[fvantagio]

Cmon man this is Peyton Manning. The guy is the hardest worker in the league and thats why he is the best in the league. I always wondered if Peyton could actually be stopped. I mean seriously the guy has almost thrown for as much 4000 yard seasons as marino and favre combined in less then half the total seasons. Clearly the only thing that can stop him is an injury, it wont be a defense that figures him out thats for sure. This surgery was to save his career, it wasnt to save his life. Sterling Sharpe said it best when he said that he (sterling) was going to get his surgery regardless if he played again or not. Peyton got his to save his career. There is a difference. Peyton is burning inside we can all see it he hates this year more then we do. I just want to see Peyton on the field again because i think he will be better then ever. Lets just give him a team to come back to.

[mightisright]

Cmon man this is Peyton Manning. The guy is the hardest worker in the league and thats why he is the best in the league. I always wondered if Peyton could actually be stopped. I mean seriously the guy has almost thrown for as much 4000 yard seasons as marino and favre combined in less then half the total seasons. Clearly the only thing that can stop him is an injury, it wont be a defense that figures him out thats for sure. This surgery was to save his career, it wasnt to save his life. Sterling Sharpe said it best when he said that he (sterling) was going to get his surgery regardless if he played again or not. Peyton got his to save his career. There is a difference. Peyton is burning inside we can all see it he hates this year more then we do. I just want to see Peyton on the field again because i think he will be better then ever. Lets just give him a team to come back to.

Right, I don't get all the people that are saying he should retire to "save his health." I don't think he'll do anything stupid. If the fusion hadn't taken he would have retired. I think he'll be back with a vengeance next year. I mean, really, how many plays did he miss when they broke his jaw? One play? Didn't he come back the very next week with his jaw wired shut? He's not going to let this stop him.

[coltsblue1844]

I agree that all of the people saying he "should retire for his own health sake" or "he's got a family now, he should retire" or "he's just one big hit away from serious injury" blah blah blah...do they not realize that once the fusion is complete, his neck will actually be STRONGER than it ever has been? The ONLY issue that his being able to play again hinges on, is the nerve and how well it will heal.

[mightisright]

Agreed. The problem is that we won't know that until dangerously close to the contract deadline at the earliest. So I can understand why people are getting antsy. I just think that we need to focus on rebuilding a good team and not worry so much on whether Manning will be back. Drafting Luck onto the current team wouldn't help us much.

[jskinnz]

This would be a discussion with Luck or not. The overriding factor is Manning's health and the fact that the Colts will very likely end up with the first pick in the draft. The fact that it is Luck as the potentially the ultimate prize gives the story a little more sizzle but the steak would be there regardless.

[coltsblue1844]

I personally think that if Manning is healthy and able to perform at the same level he has the past several seasons, for the remaining 4yrs of his deal, that we should trade the #1 pick for as many picks and players as we can get to help this team NOW...if he's healthy, we KNOW that Peyton is able to take this team to the Super Bowl...and we have no clue how good Luck will or wont be at the next level.

I would much rather go all in and try to win multiple Super Bowls with the KNOWN QB instead of go with Luck and HOPE that he is able to take us to the playoffs in a few years.

Luck is not the last good QB to enter the draft, and may not even be one himself...but regardless of who our future QB is once Peyton retires, we NEED to put a better team together or they will have little chance to play to their capabilities anyhow.

Everyone is entitled to thier opinion, but thats mine.

[mightisright]

^Agreed. Because even if we go all in and trade the pick to stock our team and then Manning's not 100% or gets hurt, it'll be a TON easier to bring a rookie QB onto a great team the next season than ask a rookie QB to carry a bad team with not enough talent. Even Manning when healthy couldn't completely do that, hense only one ring. If he had had a great team around him, he'd have 3 rings by now....

[Andy]

No, because if we traded Manning and have no Luck as a backup... who would be our starter? Painter? lol no. The only reason ppl have discussed trading PM is because the Colts would be drafting Luck.

[supremecoltsfan300]

I agree with many posters here. the stupid thought of manning being traded is only because of the sensationally over-hyped qb Andrew Luck.

[mightisright]

So people wouldn't really be talking about trading/waiving Manning if we only had the run of the mill draft picks?