The Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck drama that seems to be unfolding in Indianapolis is almost fit for its own television show. The Indianapolis Colts will have the first pick in this year’s draft and they have publicly said that they will take top prospect Andrew Luck. The main question, is Peyton on board with this decision? Will Peyton ever play again? Does Archie Manning need to stay out of both Eli and Peyton's professional careers?
In my personal opinion I do not think that Peyton Manning will return to playing football. Peyton has had multiple neck surgeries now and for the first time he has missed a start since he became a starter. And not only did Peyton miss a start he missed an entire season. Peyton will also be 36 years old in the 2012-13 season. With this being said I think Peyton Manning will retire and I have been saying this for a few weeks now. Yesterday a rumor was sparked that Peyton was going to announce he was retiring and that he would announce it by the end of the day. This rumor was sparked by Hollywood actor Rob Lowe. Lowe is apparently close friends with Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner. Lowe stated later on NFL Network that his sources were a "darn good source." Later Irsay basically stated that Lowe had no clue what he was saying and the rumors are false. The question still arises; do we trust what this guy said? And why would he say something like this, to bring attention the team? I am not really sure and I guess we will not know unless Peyton retires or does not. Either way usually where there is smoke there is fire. I think this idea adds fuel to my fire that Peyton never plays again.
The next question is what if Peyton does not retire? Do Andrew Luck and he co-exist? I think they can, as long as their egos do not get in the way of each other. It will also be imperative for Luck to realize that he is going to have to sit for a few years behind Peyton before he gets his chance to start. I think this would be a good thing for Luck. It will allow him to mature and get used to the NFL game pace. Hopefully Peyton realizes that he is getting older and that soon the Colts will need to begin to develop a quarterback to replace him. If he does realize this he will be a great mentor to Luck and Luck will become an elite quarterback after just a few years in the league once he starts playing.
Now on to Archie, I believe that Archie needs to learn to stay quiet about Peyton and Eli's careers. Throughout both of their careers Archie has consistently stuck his nose into their business. If any commentator criticizes Peyton or Eli, Archie jumps all over them. When the Colts were originally first thinking about taking Luck, Archie stated he did not think this was a good idea, only to later say that he thought they could work together. Archie also forced Eli to the Giants when he was first drafted saying that he would never allow his son to play San Diego and only would allow his son to play for the New York Giants. So of course, Archie got his wish and Eli was taken first pick by the Chargers and traded immediately to the New York Giants.
The bottom line is the Colts and Peyton are in a sticky situation. Peyton is getting older and will likely never be as solid of a quarterback as he was. And when/if he comes back he will be going back to a mildly okay team at best that is in the middle of re-building. Will Peyton mind losing perhaps many games in a season knowing he could be in his last few years? But there is a small loop hole in the hole situation. If the Colts cut Peyton before the final 5 days of the 2011-12 season (Late February) they can get out of his contract without any penalties and Peyton would become an unrestricted free agent.
Ultimately this should be an interesting situation to watch unfold. What do you think will happen with Peyton? Will he retire? Will he be released by the Colts? Or will he be the Mentor for Luck in the next few seasons? Let me know what you guys are thinking!
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