The Acceptance Stage Of Grief

[Susie Q]

I accept the decision and understand it.

Rightnow I do not accept the ride I was taken on nor understand why Irsay took me for that ride.

go colts

My thoughts exactly Joker.

[Gman]

I'm here. I hope andrew luck becomes the next best qb to ever be, but I can't say I have actual expectations of that. I'll always be a colts fan and I'll always be a peyton manning fan. I suppose I'll at least loosly follow whatever team he's on but I'll be here in coltsville and I've accepted the fact that the greatest qb in recent history is gone from out team. Too bad he had to follow in Johnny U's footsteps like that.

[ConBro]

I'm currently in Australia for the semester, so I unfortunately missed the press conference live, but my parents taped it. I just watched the PM portion via nfl.com. I cried with Peyton. God Bless that man and everything that he has done for us. This is ConBro, checking in.

[Jaric]

I accept the decision and understand it.

Rightnow I do not accept the ride I was taken on nor understand why Irsay took me for that ride.

go colts

Consider the possibility that perhaps Irsay didn't want to believe it himself? Self delusion certainly isn't just limited to us poor huddled masses.

Just a thought.

[Gman]

The Colts owner is the biggest politician of all times - weeps (crocodile tears) and tries to show off his concern while sticking in a dagger at your heart in the name of business. How many times has this spineless bofoone fooled us into believing that he will bring back PM if he was healthy. Now I hear he does not have a team for Manning to win championship - who is he hoodwinking, who did away with the team. Come on be a man and say you wanted to control the team just like the Jerry Jones and suffer the consequences. If Luck was supposed to be the next PM then why is he not putting his neck out and saying we will bring chamoinship in 3 years. You clean house you be prepared for the consquence, that is why every business has a transition plan - not this bofoon. I will take my money and watch pacers, wait for PM to return to Indy and kick some b___. Go Manning Down with Horse shoe owner.

He didn't want to say we will have the championship in three years in front of peyton on their departure day like that. He did say that's something to talk about at another time. Everyone knows he thinks Luck is the next PM, but he didn't say it out of respect for PM. Even though, IMO too, he's a rascal, he still had enough class to treat manning with respect in their departing speeches.

[cjwhiskers]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmnitGfaI4

=/

[FanFromtheWasteland]

I have the same empty feeling in the pit of my stomach that everyone else seems to have. Knew it was coming but it still hurts anyway.

Peyton I wish you well (except when you play us) and good luck to where ever you end up calling home. You are ALWAYS welcome to stop in and say hi.

Now as colts fans we need to look with optimism to a new team a new QB and hopefully a renewal of our winning ways.

[coltsfanohio]

I am sad, but if Peyton says he is at peace with it, I have to be too. I guess in the end, it makes sense. Peyton needs to/wants to play for more than one year, and Luck can't/won't sit for more than a year. It wasn't until during the press conference earlier that that became clear to me.

I am excited for what is to come. I hope Peyton goes to a team where he has the tools to win another SB. He deserves to go somewhere where he no longer has to carry the team. Best wishes to him and his future.

I am also excited to see how Luck pans out. It is not everyday you have the opportunity to draft a prospect like Luck, and you simply can't pass that up.

I can't be mad at Irsay for making the decision to release Peyton, because I believe what was said in the press conference about the circumstances dictating the outcome. I am, however, upset at him still for the way things lead up to this point.

Last night I went to bed thinking I was at acceptance, but I woke up still in denial. Now I can truly say I have accepted it and can move on, still a Manning fan, and still a Colts fan.

[The Peytonator]

I guess I'm here now.

Hey it is just a game.

[Colts420]

it honestly feels like a death in the family. Ive come to accept the fact after watching the press conference. I thought both were class act and we still have our memories and peyton will sign a one day contract when he is ready to hang it up to retire a with us.

[buccolts]

I almost got here about 4 days ago, but still had it in the back of my mind that Peyton may come back.

Suffered a big set back earlier today, but found my way.

So, who's the next FA the Colts will sign?

Any news would help.

[deedub75]

I accepted it once we secured the #1 seed but it still stings.

[Corndog]

Been here since I heard Manning had his 3rd or 4th(depending on who you believe)neck surgery. I actually thought he would retire, but over the last few months realized he will atleast try, maybe even succeed playing for someone else. I don't know if I am prepared to see him in another uniform, but last season helped me accept what it means for him not to be back. I am happy the team scorched earth in the front office and coaching department, but it will be a rough couple of season coming up. Looking forward to seeing how it goes, but will have my lowered expectations I bring into most baseball seasons. Thank god IU basketball is back! I atleast have one team that isn't in rebuilding mode.

[GoColts8818]

I've been thinking and reading most of the day. I am still pretty numb. I am not really sure if it's going to fully set in for me that Peyton is gone till I see him in another jersey. Still I am willing to accept that this was the right move for the long term and I do mean long term future of the franchise. I've been here before. I know in no one way was Jim Harbaugh even remotely close to being the same player Peyton was for the Colts but I had the same emotional attachment to Jim Harbaugh that I think a lot of people have to Peyton Manning. Harbaugh was all-time favorite Colt's player, yes even more than Peyton Manning. The day he was traded I was upset just like a lot are today even though I knew it made sense. Still I always was and always will be a Colts fan so I was ready to embrace the new guy who turned out to be Peyton Manning. Had I stayed bitter and upset about the Harbaugh trade I would have missed out on the whole Manning era. Just food for thought. I know this is hard and is a very painful day for Colts fans but this too shall pass.

With that said I know it hurts and it's going to hurt. This is one of those moves that in all likely hood is going to hurt for years to come but in the long run I think it's going to pay off. When I say long run I don't mean by the end of next season probably even the season after that. This is a move that will probably sting the rest of Peyton Manning's career. Jim Irsay has done everything in the world to show fans this team is a total rebuilding mood, even saying as much today. This isn't 1998 when we had one of the best GMs in the game and an experienced coach in Jim Mora coming in to a team that already had two future Hall of Famers on offense in Faulk and Harrison along with other talented players like Dilger, Pollard, and Glenn waiting on Manning. This is a team whose probably best offensive skill poistion player waiting on Luck is Dallas Clark and there is no promise that Clark will still be here next year. Add to that we are going to have a rookie GM and a rookie Head Coach they are going to need time to grow just like Luck (and it could be RG3 but I doubt that.) Andrew Luck is NOT going to be Peyton Manning day one. It is unreasonable to expect him to be. There are about four QBs in this league who can say they are on the same level as Peyton, Brees, Brady, Rodgers, and Eli and I'll admit putting Eli in that group is reaching a little bit. So there is no way a rookie is going to walk in day one and be Peyton Manning.

With that said it's reaching a bit to say just having Peyton Manning alone was going to make this team a playoff team this past year. What was exposed this past season was that this team had a serious lack of talent after Peyton Manning. That's why the GM was fired. We aren't going to have a total turnover in talent in one off-season it's going to take time. We weren't a Super Bowl team in 2010. We were a team that had to rally to make the playoffs late. Now that talent is two years older and frankly some of them were going to leave anyways. Before someone says well Peyton Manning alone makes us a playoff team let's be honest about this, Peyton Manning has proven when he feels like he has to do everything by himself he puts too much weight on his shoulders and struggles. Before that four game winning streak we had in 2010 we had a four game losing streak that happened largely because Peyton was throwing too many INTs because he was trying too hard. Like all players he needs other players around him to bring out the best in him. I don't think we are in poistion right now to put that kind of talent around him and I don't think we are going to be in the near future.

One thing Irsay said today was talk about giving Peyton a chance to win. I think on a level Irsay felt like it was unfair to ask Peyton to stay around and help the team rebuild for the rest of his career. So that leaves us with Andrew Luck. He's going to need this time to grow and learn. That's how players learn in this league by playing. They don't learn by standing on the sidelines hodling a clip board and barely getting any practice snaps. Remember Peyton didn't like to share snaps. That wasn't going to change even with Luck coming in here. It doesn't hurt that Andrew Luck has been touted as the best prospect coming into this league since Elway. Can Luck fail sure he can. You know what Peyton's health isn't a sure bet either though. He even said today he stil had work today. Say it does turns out that Peyton Manning can't play and Andrew Luck is as good as people are saying he will be are people still going to be killing Irsay for doing this?

By rebuilding I think you are going to see a team that is built differently from the Manning teams. I think this is going to be a more balanced team that wont require the QB to be Superman every week for the team to win. The other thing this move does is free up cap space. Maybe not right away but in years to come. Manning's contract is gone after this season so it's going to give us more money to play with in future years. I wont lie this year is going to hurt and probably hurt a lot. However I think it's going to set us up for the future to add some more very key peaces to puzzle.

Last thing to those being hard on Jimmy Irsay today. I understand being upset I really do. Don't think for one second this isn't killing Irsay. You could see it today at the presser. Like him and Manning said circamstances lead to this. Irsay didn't cut Manning because he wanted to do it and you are kidding yourself if you think Irsay took any kind of joy in today. For people saying he lied if you want to look a things that way that's your right. WIth that said I would say maybe Irsay had been lying to himself during all this. He wouldn't be the first person to ever do this when facing a really hard decision which I think cutting Peyton Manning counts as. I think it's very possiable it took Irsay a long to come to understanding that this was honeslty the best move for the long term future of the franchise.

Also just worth mentioning. How many people who are mad today spent this year yelling suck for luck! Careful what you wish for. You might just get it and you are going to get it. With that said I know not everyone upset today was one of thost people. Just something to remember if people are upset, a lot of people are going to get what they said they wanted all year in Andrew Luck. I know most people didn't want him at the expense of Peyton Manning but that's how the cookie crumbled.

The last thing I want to get to is something I saw someone say earlier today that really bothered me. I am not going to sit here and tell anyone that they are a fan or aren't a fan. I am in no poistion to judge someone like that. However I saw someone say "I hope some of you don't drown on the sinking ship" or something to that efect. I am sorry but that's what fans do. They stand by their team when times are hard and that's exactly what is going on here times are hard. Anyone can be a fan and pro Colts when they are winning 12 games a year. That's easy. However you see true fans when they stand by the team when they are losing and rebuilding. With that said I am in no way saying that person isn't a fan or anyone else isn't a fan. That's up for other people to say. What I am saying is that it doesn't in anyway make someone wrong for standing by their team during hard times and that's how I took that comment. I will say this if you are running away because times are hard and you don't want to support a losing football team then don't get upset when someone calls you a bandwagon fan because that is the very defenation of being a bandwagon fan. I will also say leaving because you want to cheer for Peyton Manning that is different too. Again I am speaking in very general terms I am not saying anyone fits those catagories.

[John Dee]

Go Colts.........

[Warhorse]

Here.

No.....no that was not my spitwad.......hey! Undecided Frog started it!

No.....it was Uncle Mark who was talking! Anyway.........I hope Joker feels healed at some point...he's cool.

Thanks Maureen, you tell it straight.

Kudos to Jaric, you're like the keel on a ship.

[Girlzarefanstoo]

I just came by to console my friends - it was a rough day for me and I haven't even had a chance to see the video, so I can't even fully comprehend how it felt for you guys. These are the days in sports that you never forget... the lows that make the highs that eventually follow a little sweeter.

I'm glad you have an active grief recovery group going here :-) It helps!

EDIT: Okay, just watched the press conference, that was heart rending. Peyton went out with class - I would expect nothing less. It's obvious that those two respect and love each other. You couldn't ask for a better "break up" but break ups still hurt.

[bavanlan]

You have been sporting the suck for Luck button since week one. I was not on board.

I'm still in stage denial.

You need to change your avatar to this:

Moral imperative.

[coltsfanfw]

I have accepted it, I understand the "WHY" of it.... It doesn't mean I like it, and sure doesn't mean I feel any better about it. There have been 2 athletes that transcended the sport to me, Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning. They were both more than just a sports star to me, they were everything that was right about the sport, about how to compete, and how to make yourself better than those you compete against. So do I accept it, yes.... But we lost a great person and a Star among Stars.