Kallas: If Peyton Wants Another Ring, It's Time To Leave Indy
By Steve Kallas
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If Peyton Manning wants to win another Super Bowl, why stay with the Colts?
Isn't this the real question? Just three days before the $28 million bonus payment is due to Peyton, why aren't people looking at it from this angle? If you're keeping score at home, the Super Bowl-winning list reads: arch-rival Tom Brady with three, little brother Eli Manning with two and big brother Peyton with one.
How is Peyton going to climb up that list?
The bottom line is that the only way that Peyton has a chance to win another Super Bowl (or more) is to leave Indianapolis.
WHY STAY?
Well, the reasons to stay are pretty obvious: money and comfort level. By giving Peyton his $28 million bonus on March 8, owner Jim Irsay will prove his "love" for Peyton. But with Andrew Luck on the immediate horizon, why would he do that? Loyalty? Maybe. According to Irsay, he and Peyton have met a number of times. But the decision (a "very difficult one," according to Irsay) hasn't been (only publicly?) made yet. His comfort level as a dome quarterback and living legend-status in Indianapolis are also great reasons to stay there.
If Peyton gets his money and stays, he will be even richer than he already is and will continue his march to unbelievable regular-season records. You know the regular-season numbers: 141-67, 54,828 yards, 399 TD passes, only 198 interceptions, four regular season MVP awards (more than anyone) and on and on and on.
But you also know the postseason records: 9-10 in playoff games, 1-1 in the Super Bowl, one Super Bowl MVP (compared to two for both Brady and Eli).
CAN HE WIN ANOTHER SUPER BOWL IN INDIANAPOLIS?
Doing so will be virtually impossible. While the Colts defense has always lagged behind the Colts offense, it was really bad this past year. The Colts gave up 430 points this year (26.9 per game, 28th in the league). The defense was 25th in yards allowed, and it only picked off eight passes the whole season. Awful numbers, especially if you look at them from a potential Super Bowl-winning perspective.
So which came first: a terrible team because of no Peyton or a terrible defense? Well obviously Manning, out for the season, came first. But the Colts defense has some big holes. Weak in the secondary, and apparently switching to a 3-4 defense under new head coach Chuck Pagano and new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, there will certainly be an adjustment period, to say the least.
Offensively, who will Peyton throw the ball to? Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez are both unrestricted free agents. While we all would agree that Peyton, if healthy, can lead a team to victory with almost any group of receivers, even he has his favorites.
Plus, the Colts have already cleaned house on the coaching staff (head coach, defensive coordinator) and upstairs (no more Chris and Bill Polian).
All of this would point to a new QB and the savings of many millions for Irsay. It may be a public relations nightmare at first, but why risk your future on a QB, as great as he is, whose health and throwing ability are, apparently, still questionable?
If Peyton comes back to the Colts and is healthy and can throw, most of us would agree that he is great enough to give the Colts an excellent chance at making the playoffs.
But a Super Bowl-winning team?
Hard to believe that could happen.
BUT CAN HE ACTUALLY WIN A SUPER BOWL SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Another fascinating question. If he were to wind up with one of what are viewed to be the two leading candidates (Miami and Washington) to get his services if he is let go by the Colts, well, that would be a big hill to climb (from non-contender to Super Bowl champion), even for a healthy Peyton.
Even though Washington beat the Super Bowl champion Giants twice this past season, Peyton would be in a brutal division with still, arguably, the fourth most talented team in the division (Giants, Eagles and the Cowboys all are incredibly talented teams).
Competition-wise (and weather-wise), he might be better off in Miami. But even in the AFC East, you have the always incredibly tough Patriots (and that won't change next year), along with the talented (but up-and-down) Jets and the getting-better Buffalo Bills. Will Peyton be able to go into New England, Buffalo and/or New York late in December and win big games?
Well, that's a very difficult question to answer.
CONCLUSION
Well, whatever choices Irsay and, then, Peyton, make, it is going to be very difficult for Peyton to get two, let alone three, Super Bowl wins. That really seems all that is left for him to accomplish. Every regular-season record is great, but to be called the greatest regular-season QB ever is almost (but not quite) faint praise.
You can bet that Peyton would like to catch and/or pass both Brady and Eli for the stat that should mean the most to star QBs: Super Bowl wins.
And reaching that goal cannot happen in Indianapolis.
Can Peyton win another Super Bowl in Indy? Let us know...
