SB Nation 2011 Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are 0-10, and are now the favorite to draft Andrew Luck No. 1 overall in 2012. But, for those expecting Luck and Peyton Manning to coexist on the same Colts roster... um, no. It's not realistic. It's not practical. It's not happening.
Nov 14, 2011 - As the St. Louis Rams gathered in their 'victory' formation in the final minute of their 13-12 win against the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, the subject of where Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would go at No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft shifted solely and completely to the Indianapolis Colts.
With the Rams (2-7) beating the Browns and the Dolphins (also 2-7) securing their second win in a row by clobbering the Redskins this past Sunday, the Colts (0-10) become the unquestioned worst team in football. They are now two games 'up' in the 'Suck 4 Luck' sweepstakes, and the cold, hard reality of a Colts team quarterbacked by someone other than Peyton Manning next season is something Indianapolis fans must begin to comes to grips with.
Like, now!
If the Colts suck enough to get the No. 1 pick (which looks likely to happen), and if they use that pick on Luck (which they definitely will), Peyton Manning will not be the starting quarterback in Indianapolis next year. People expecting Luck and Manning to coexist on the same Colts roster are delusional people. It's not realistic. It's not practical. It's not happening.
If you're thinking a Manning-Luck transition will be like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, think again. Look at the details. Look at the personalities, the health, and the draft stock of the men in question.
For starters, Aaron Rodgers was the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Prior to Rodgers rampaging his way through the 2010 playoffs en route to a Super Bowl trophy that year, he was best known as the QB from Cal who some expected to go No. 1 overall only to slide painfully all the way down to 24. Go back and watch the footage from that draft. ESPN kept cutting to Rodgers' mug every time a team passed on him, and from picks 2 to 23, he had the look of someone recovering from a swift kick to the crotch.
Rodgers fell to the Packers at 24 because he had throwing mechanic issues and was in absolutely no condition to play right away for any NFL team. He needed time to mature and grow as a passer. He needed practice reps to learn the complexities of the West Coast offense.
Oh, and the Packers, at that time, had a healthy 35-year-old future Hall of Famer named Favre already entrenched. VERY entrenched.
For Indy, taking Luck No. 1 overall would mean Luck would have to play immediately. Luck doesn't have the throwing mechanics issues that it took Rodgers years to sort out. And, unlike Favre when he was 35, Peyton Manning is not healthy. The spinal fusion surgery he went through to help repair a nerve issue in his neck that is preventing him from feeling muscles in his throwing arm has been healing slowly. Manning still hasn't thrown a football in a practice, and is reportedly just beginning to start jogging again.
The Colts have until March to decide on picking up the option on Manning's contract, which would pay him $28 million dollars next year.
But, even if Manning were fit and healthy, a prospect like Andrew Luck is likely not interested in sitting behind a player like Manning. Luck wants to play now, and he has the ability, should he not like the situation in Indianapolis, to make the same power play to Jim Irsay that another Stanford quarterback (John Elway) did to Irsay's father back in 1984. Thus, if you want Andrew Luck Colts fans, the meme out now is you better be prepared to watch him play Week One.
If not, then hope the Colts draft someone else (and good Luck dealing with the backlash).
As the Colts keep losing, the slow, creeping reality of a Manningless team in 2012 is something Indianapolis fans and media must begin to accept. Earning the No. 1 overall pick would mean an immediate end to the Manning era in Indy. As ESPN noted last week, should the Colts take Luck, Peyton Manning would walk away from the Colts peacefully knowing full and well that Luck would become the new face of the franchise.
So, for you Colts fans out there showing up to games at Lucas Oil Stadium wearing Andrew Luck jerseys, I hope you know what you're saying when you make that kind of statement. Andrew Luck in Indy means Peyton Manning isn't.
Are you ready to accept that? Are you ready to turn that page? Maybe you are, but no Manning in 2012 also likely means no Reggie Wayne. No Robert Mathis. No Gary Brackett. It would bring to an end an era in Colts history. As is typical with the end of one era and the beginning of another, losing will become the norm.
Are you ready for that too?
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