Irsays Breaking News...wants Peyton Back *if* ((Merged))

[doogansquest]

Hold on to that thought, and we will see how things unfold, okay?

Boy, you REALLY don't want this to happen, do you?

Peyton will do what he can to stay.

It's really up to the nerve.

We know now that Irsay never had plans to cut him, he wasn't so excited to have Luck that he was willing to dump the GOAT, even if healthy; the media has just been wrong.

There was smoke without a fire.

[doogansquest]

I was going to say, maybe I missed it but where did Irsay say a word about Manning have to compete with Luck in camp? If Manning comes back and he's healthy he's going to start over a rookie. I think as per normal this Kravitz being Kravitz.

Well said.

[BleedingBlue]

....and here comes Kravtiz to throw these forums right back to December when we clinched the #1 pick. (I am referring to the "will pick sit" posts).

[Peyton and Eli fan]

I'd only consider this good if it came after their meeting and in tandem with Manning.

[FireJimCaldwell]

yep because someone is going to be the bad guy in this with the fans. There isn't away around that and of course Irsay is going to try to push it off on Manning if he can by telling the fanbase we did everything with in reason to try to keep him. He didn't want to do it so we had to do it. Manning is of course going to tell us what they were asking was unreasonable and tell us he's committed to being healthy by opening day and that he's making progress.

I really think Irsay is setting us up to tell us that they offered Peyton a chance to either push back his option date or take a new contract that incentive driven and that Peyton was not willing to do either one of those and due to the fact that the nerve in his arm had not fully healed by now they could not risk the future of the franchise and while they hated to do this it was really the only choice they had left.

Manning is going to put his own spin on it. That's what people do in these situations and people hate it and it's normally why they get messy because someone ends up looking like the bad guy in all of these kinds of situations.

What he's doing is setting the team up to get drilled each and every time they face 18. What he is doing is going to make Houston look far more attractive to 18.

[smittywerb]

http://msn.foxsports...k-report-021412

If Peyton wants to play, and can be his old self, he stays. Period. Irsay is leaving it up to Manning.

Irsay never had plans to cut Manning, wasn't so excited to have Luck that he wanted Manning out. It was all hogwash.

Granted, everything still hinges on whether or not Manning CAN play, but if he can, Irsay is leaving it up to Peyton.

This is the end of this debate (for now).

EDIT: Derp...This thread just went up on the Colts forums. Can never be the first anymore...

A lot of Peyton fans ran with this to the point they threatened their fanhood! lol

But yeah, Irsay is saying "That was my turn, now it's your turn.". This is a business statement by Irsay and what I expected him to do. Irsay is putting the company first before the employee. He is basically saying I will take PM back unless he can perform. I will not throw money at a player just because his name is Peyton Manning.

[ColtsBlueFL]

Of course it's a PR move. It certainly isn't keeping things "IN HOUSE".

He's trying to paint Manning as the bad guy, that part is crystal clear.

He's is not so much trying to paint him as the bad guy, he's setting the stage for Manning to fall on the sword thrown out to him and renegotiate a deal more in tune with medical reality, or let him take that sword and chop away at all the ties between him and the organization. But there won't be a direct response to this, there will be more banter deflecting the onus back toward Irsay. It's not over.

[GoColts8818]

What he's doing is setting the team up to get drilled each and every time they face 18. What he is doing is going to make Houston look far more attractive to 18.

Again read several things out of Houston today and they said no way Manning can go to the Texans they can't aford it and they can't afford the cap hit that comes with getting out of Schawb's contract and they said no way Schawb will sit quietly for Manning.

I do agree when and if we face Manning again it's going to be U-G-L-Y

[FireJimCaldwell]

He's is not so much trying to paint him as the bad guy, he's setting the stage for Manning to fall on the sword thrown out to him and renegotiate a deal more in tune with medical reality, or let him take that sword and chop away at all the ties between him and the organization. But there won't be a direct response to this, there will be more banter deflecting the onus back toward Irsay. It's not over.

Of course it's not over.

Some things are over. Like Manning's career as a Colt. That's over... This mess isn't over? Nowhere near over.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

How hypocritical is it of Irsay to go to the press with this?

[Coltswarriors]

So tell me if I'm getting this right:

Irsay has told Peyton that if he wants to be a Colt bad enough, he will be.

So what will happen is Peyton WILL be cut and Irsay will offer Peyton a new restructed contract with a lower cap number hit? If Peyton says no, he goes elsewhere, if he says yes, he stays a Colt. Correct?

[GoColts8818]

How hypocritical is it of Irsay to go to the press with this?

It's not like Manning has stopped talking since Irsay said hey let's keep everything in house either...

[everybodysgotone]

I read this as one of two scenarios.

1. Irsay is calling the alleged Manning bluff about willing to restructure to a team friendly contract (if that was indeed coming from the Manning camp) In which case that was a brilliant PR move on his part if this has degenerated into politics.

2. He genuininly wants to find a way to end this on a positive note with Manning retiring a Colt.

I'm hoping it's number two. However, if things have degenerated into politics about who is the bad guy in this breakup, I'm going to root for Irsay to come out ahead because it's not a good thing for half our fanbase to hate our owner. That leads to empty stadiums which is the opposite of what we're looking for here.

But I really hope it's number two.

I like this, and put heay emphasis on the authenticity part when it comes to Irsay's motives. He's shown nothing but the utmost respect and dedication to Manning over the years. Although some will disagree I think the last thing Irsay wants to do is boot Peyton Manning. Irsay has a lot more to look at than just one player, even if it is Manning. A lot more to look at than 2 yrs down the road....and a lot more commitment and responsibility than just the immediate future. It would be great if Manning can be a part of things moving forward but I don't think it's likely. Nobody saw this coming 1.5 yrs. ago.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Again read several things out of Houston today and they said no way Manning can go to the Texans they can't aford it and they can't afford the cap hit that comes with getting out of Schawb's contract and they said no way Schawb will sit quietly for Manning.

I do agree when and if we face Manning again it's going to be U-G-L-Y

I've read the comments by the Houston media, and I'm not going to claim to know a ton about their cap, but I've seen reports they have about 4 million of space, and I'm pretty sure they can rework some #'s on guys to create more space. Every team can do that.

Schaub's contract itself shouldn't be hard at all. If they were to trade or cut him, they are looking at less than 3-4 million of cap space tops...

It's already U-G-L-Y

It's going to get N-A-S-T-Y

[BleedingBlue]

Of course it's a PR move. It certainly isn't keeping things "IN HOUSE".

He's trying to paint Manning as the bad guy, that part is crystal clear.

yea, thats the part that is discouraging. No meeting but the PR war continues.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

It's not like Manning has stopped talking since Irsay said hey let's keep everything in house either...

It wasn't Manning who said it was a problem. Thus, not hypocritical.

[21isSuperman]

Schefter's Facebook status was something like "Irsay: We want Peyton back. We can work on the contract if he wants. It's Peyton's call"

[pmanningfan1896]

I fully expect a response from PM's camp, preferably Tom Condon saying something to the effect of:

We welcome Mr. Irsay's kind offer to renegotiate the current contract between PM and the Colts. However, any renegotiations must account for what PM has done for the team and the city, and recognize his franchise QB status going forward. We thought we had such a contract in the current contract. We would be interested to know what Mr. Irsay has in mind now with any new contract that will incorporate these things. If we do not see equivalence, we must decline renegotiation, and allow the Colts to make up their minds whether they really want PM or not. If not, this will allow PM to seek employment elsewhere, where another NFL team will recognize the value of PM.

I see more back and forth along these lines. Nothing new.

Are you kidding me??? It sounds like your being ignorant here...I highly doubt that if Peyton is on the team there is even a COMPETITION between him and luck, considering he's healthy. Plus you must be kidding if you think Peyton is the kind of person to take more money to go somewhere else, he has made it clear that he wants to stay in Indianapolis for his whole career and I fully expect him to do so.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

Boy, you REALLY don't want this to happen, do you?

Peyton will do what he can to stay.

It's really up to the nerve.

We know now that Irsay never had plans to cut him, he wasn't so excited to have Luck that he was willing to dump the GOAT, even if healthy; the media has just been wrong.

There was smoke without a fire.

All he did today was announce (without saying it outright) that the Colts will not be paying the bonus.

[BleedingBlue]

Joe taxpayer, especially those in Marion County will side with the millionaire over the billionaire when this gets ugly.

[Smonroe]

How hypocritical is it of Irsay to go to the press with this?

What did Irsay say today that he hasn't said all along? He's been singing this same song since the interview after the Thursday night game as far as I can tell.

(I'm not pointing this just to you, I'm asking everyone who thinks he's playing a game)

[pmanningfan1896]

I think Irsay is doing what he needs to do to protect the horseshoe. He is merely firing back to sway the court of public opinion, after the other side has fired their medical clearance salvo. Both sides are now being politicians and are campaigning hard to win the PR battle.

There is no battle!!! It is clearly the work of the media, wanting a story and creating this "feud" between Peyton and Irsay when they have made it clear their relationship is as good as ever.

[GoColts8818]

Schefter's Facebook status was something like "Irsay: We want Peyton back. We can work on the contract if he wants. It's Peyton's call"

and I think that is what Irsay was trying to do tonight, put this in Manning's lap so he isn't the one who has to make this call. Peyton opened this door when he called Kravitz and started talking about how he wanted to be a Colt and put the presure on Irsay to keep him here by saying "I want to be here." Now Irsay is pretty much saying okay put your money where your mouth is, you want to be here we can make this work if you really want to be here. Now it's up to Peyton did he mean what he said when he said he wants to be here? If he did then I would look for this to be delt with quickly with Peyton taking a new contract that will keep him here. If not then Irsay has exposed something I've kinda wondered since the start, that Manning didn't really want to be here but was saying what he had to say. I think that's why Irsay called Manning a politician. Now Irsay is doing it right back at him. Unless Peyton truly wants to be here (which he might very well) this looks like it's going to end really ugly with the fan base split between being upset with Manning and being upset with Irsay.

[The Fish]

Fact: regardless of your opinion your guilty of having an opinion. Fact: Some don't like others expressing a opinion on a unresolved situation. Fact: some will try to be the smartest guy in the room. Fact: it's sports, it's not "that darn important". Or at least I thought that was the reasoned approach.

[MSColtsFan]

What did Irsay say today that he hasn't said all along? He's been singing this same song since the interview after the Thursday night game as far as I can tell.

(I'm not pointing this just to you, I'm asking everyone who thinks he's playing a game)

I think he placed all the themes together in one sentence for the first time. The Thursday night game Irsays says if PM wants to be here, he will, not a money issue, a health issue. With Eisen he mentions there are cap considerations. Today he tells the Star that coming back will be up to PM who will have to be willing to negotiate (or renogotiate if you'd prefer) a more friendly contract with outs if unhealthy/unable. So you are right, same themes, but to me he for the first time made clear without the money being discussed, this isn't happening. Something very different than before, when money was no object, he paid him $26 million this year, etc.

[jskinnz]

http://msn.foxsports...k-report-021412

If Peyton wants to play, and can be his old self, he stays. Period. Irsay is leaving it up to Manning.

Irsay never had plans to cut Manning, wasn't so excited to have Luck that he wanted Manning out. It was all hogwash.

Granted, everything still hinges on whether or not Manning CAN play, but if he can, Irsay is leaving it up to Peyton.

This is the end of this debate (for now).

EDIT: Derp...This thread just went up on the Colts forums. Can never be the first anymore...

My Da Nile post from earlier this AM seems appropriate here too.

[WSO]

So tell me if I'm getting this right:

Irsay has told Peyton that if he wants to be a Colt bad enough, he will be.

So what will happen is Peyton WILL be cut and Irsay will offer Peyton a new restructed contract with a lower cap number hit? If Peyton says no, he goes elsewhere, if he says yes, he stays a Colt. Correct?

yes

Irsay is basically saying, hey we aren't paying you 28mill. We want you back as a Colt but with a contract that takes your health into account.

The only way around this is to cut Manning but then offer him to come back to the Colts when the new league year starts. Offer him some kind of contract that is very cap friendly. This puts the ball in Mannings court and takes a ton of pressure off Irsay. If Manning leaves to another team, Irsay can't be blamed. If Manning comes back, they both look like heroes. This is a PR move and a great one on Irsays part. It puts all the pressure on Manning.

Manning will likely have to decide to take more money elsewhere (Miami, Washington etc.) or take less money and come back to the Colts. I think this is why Irsay kept Christensen incase Manning decides to come back.

[BleedingBlue]

I think PM is the kind of guy who would take less even at 100% to stay a colt especially if hes 70- 90%. But if there is never a conversation face to face but instead a public PR war up until March 8th, then anything is possible.

Its like russian roulette, where each guy dares the other to pull the trigger.

[WSO]

The light bulb headed guy on ESPN said Irsay told him he and Manning will sit down and talk within the week.

[BleedingBlue]

LOL i know exactly who are talking about.

[GoColts8818]

I think he placed all the themes together in one sentence for the first time. The Thursday night game Irsays says if PM wants to be here, he will, not a money issue, a health issue. With Eisen he mentions there are cap considerations. Today he tells the Star that coming back will be up to PM who will have to be willing to negotiate (or renogotiate if you'd prefer) a more friendly contract with outs if unhealthy/unable. So you are right, same themes, but to me he for the first time made clear without the money being discussed, this isn't happening. Something very different than before, when money was no object, he paid him $26 million this year, etc.

Yeah but I think it's still be driven by health. If Peyton Manning was fully healthy I don't think we would be having this debate. The Colts would pick up the option and be done with it. That's what I think Irsay means when he says it's not about the money. He can afford it, it's just a question of is it smart to pick up the option if you don't know if Peyton is healthy or not because at that point it locks you into the contract and if Peyton can't play and we have to release we have to gut the team to spend about a third of the cap on a guy who can't play anymore. Yes money plays a role but it still boils down to a health question. Frankly it wouldn't shock me if the new contract (if signed) looked a lot like this with just maybe another option date built in. Maybe it's incentive driven this year and after this year there is an option that if Manning can't play anymore the Colts can release him and be out of the contract meaning if he can't play this year you just stick him on IR and be done with it, not unlike what they did with Kerry Collins when they decided they didn't want him anymore and then not pick up the option. If he can still play the Colts can then pick up the option and have the last two years of the deal pay Manning what they would have paid him under this one.

[wercolts]

Ok so let's say Manning does renegotiate his contract, but at the same time they still want Luck. I've kind of jumped off the bandwagon of having both. You can't really say, "Manning we will resign you for a 2 year contract just to mentor Luck.". How would it be beneficial to have both??? If we resigned Peyton & had Luck how could they build a SB caliber team in the next 2 years, who knows if Luck would even want to wait 2 years?? I just can't fathom having Manning around for 2 years, win a SB, then put in Luck. I think it's either build a SB caliber team for Manning, trade Luck OR keep Luck and prep for the future. Just IMO, perhaps there is a way to keep both, win a SB or have a caliber of team that can (with Manning) and appease Luck (somehow). It seems all but impossible for me unless Luck is willing to sit for 4 years. If Luck is willing to sit for 4 years then he wouldn't pull a power play anyways. Luck has said he doesn't want to be involved in any way with Manning being or not being a Colt. In the end I think it's one or the other.

Look, Peyton's a pretty smart guy and he'll know when to step aside, and I don't believe he would intentionally keep a team or another player from pursuing their goals, and I think he may just be the team guy he's always proven to be and help the new guy and the organization move forward when the time comes. I also think Luck would handle sitting like a professional, at least for a year and probably two. After that he's gonna get a little antsy.

[GoColts8818]

Look, Peyton's a pretty smart guy and he'll know when to step aside, and I don't believe he would intentionally keep a team or another player from pursuing their goals, and I think he may just be the team guy he's always proven to be and help the new guy and the organization move forward when the time comes. I also think Luck would handle sitting like a professional, at least for a year and probably two. After that he's gonna get a little antsy.

I think Luck has been smart about everything he's done and said. He was very quiet about everything till he was asked to talk about it. Then rather than running away from it which would have caused a bigger story he talked about it and said all the right things. However if you listen to him when he's asked about this he's always left the door open to not wanting to come here. I think he's waiting to see how things play out in Colts land and what the situation is going to be. If he finds out the Colts aren't keeping Manning or only want him to sit a year or two he's probably going to be more likely to come here. If they say we want you to sit for four years I could very easily see Luck deciding he doesn't want to come to Indy.

[BleedBlu]

I cant wait till this whole pm situation is solved , i cant sleep at night.

Edited February 15, 2012 by shecolt
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[MR. Blueblood]

I still have a hard time understanding why some people feel that Irsay should just open his wallet without question and pay Manning with no regard to his health status. That Irsay no matter what is going to be the bad guy in this situation because he actually used so logic instead of just using his heart. That Irsay trying to put the team ahead of one guy is a bad thing. That asking a player with an unprecedented injury to give the team some insurance in case he never returns to form is a bad thing. I've felt all along that the ball is in Manning's court if he wants to stay with the Colts. I for one am glad that Irsay has come out and formally placed the ball there. Anybody that has used some reasoning has known that Manning's current contract made no sense for the team to continue with, those that have used their heart see it otherwise.

[wercolts]

I agree, I think Luck would be okay sitting for 2 years tops.

[Coltsagent]

Why all the negative? Did all that loosing suck out the joy? This is GREAT news people! The mere fact that Irsay says he CAN come back is a huge postitive sign for the so called noodle arm. Why did we loose last year: #1 We did not have a good back-up QB, check. AND #2 We did not have Peyton freaking Manning, check. Why cant we take men at their word? PM and Irsay are friends, what if this was the plan? Because Irsay just set it up for PM to look like a hero by appearing to take less money.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

I still have a hard time understanding why some people feel that Irsay should just open his wallet without question and pay Manning with no regard to his health status. That Irsay no matter what is going to be the bad guy in this situation because he actually used so logic instead of just using his heart. That Irsay trying to put the team ahead of one guy is a bad thing. That asking a player with an unprecedented injury to give the team some insurance in case he never returns to form is a bad thing. I've felt all along that the ball is in Manning's court if he wants to stay with the Colts. I for one am glad that Irsay has come out and formally placed the ball there. Anybody that has used some reasoning has known that Manning's current contract made no sense for the team to continue with, those that have used their heart see it otherwise.

Don't feel that, but don't like games. Have the meeting before saying your intentions to the press. Get Peyton's thoughts on it first. Be clear and honest that it's not just about health. Don't say money is no problem and then say money is a problem.

[GoColts8818]

I still have a hard time understanding why some people feel that Irsay should just open his wallet without question and pay Manning with no regard to his health status. That Irsay no matter what is going to be the bad guy in this situation because he actually used so logic instead of just using his heart. That Irsay trying to put the team ahead of one guy is a bad thing. That asking a player with an unprecedented injury to give the team some insurance in case he never returns to form is a bad thing. I've felt all along that the ball is in Manning's court if he wants to stay with the Colts. I for one am glad that Irsay has come out and formally placed the ball there. Anybody that has used some reasoning has known that Manning's current contract made no sense for the team to continue with, those that have used their heart see it otherwise.

because it's not their money and they aren't the ones who will have to answer for it if they get it wrong.

In fact I would dare say most of those fans would be the ones that if the Colts did pay Manning and it didn't work out would screaming at Irsay for picking up the option without knowing if Manning was fully healthy or not in a few months even though they are calling for him it to do it now.

Also for the record I am not talking about the people who are saying hey I would just like to have Manning back if we can. I think almost everyone feels that way. I am just talking about the people who are blindy saying we should keep Peyton Manning no matter the risk or the money.

[UndecidedFrog]

Are you kidding me??? It sounds like your being ignorant here...I highly doubt that if Peyton is on the team there is even a COMPETITION between him and luck, considering he's healthy. Plus you must be kidding if you think Peyton is the kind of person to take more money to go somewhere else, he has made it clear that he wants to stay in Indianapolis for his whole career and I fully expect him to do so.

No, I am not kidding you, and I am no being ignorant.

I fully expect there will be a response to this Irsay PR move from PM's camp.

I did not claim anything about Luck in this thread. Why are you bringing him into this? This is between PM and Irsay.

PM has publicly stated that he would like to retire as a Colt. Irsay is calling him on that. Let's see what happens. If there is agreement, then we will know how much PM values retiring as a Colt. If there is no agreement, we know how much PM values his previous sentiment about retiring as a Colt. Either way, we will know.