Manning did not sound pleased with the Colts organization in an interview with the Indianapolis Star, he also said he has no immediate plans to retire. "I'm not in a very good place for healing, let's say that," said Manning, who is recovering from neck surgeries, of the Colts. "It's not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least. Everybody's walking around on eggshells. I don't recognize our building right now. There's such complete and total change." With Manning sitting out the 2011 season, the Colts plummeted to a 2-14 record and the abysmal season led to the firing of Colts vice chairman Jim Polian and his son Chris, who was the team’s general manager. Later in the offseason, the Colts axed head coach Jim Caldwell. Indianapolis does have the No. 1 pick, which they are expected to use on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Manning said in the interview that he has talked with new GM Ryan Grigson, but he expects owner Jim Irsay to make the final decision on his future in Indianapolis. Manning is due a $28 million option on March 8. "One of the things about football is, it's a relationship business," Manning told the paper. "Sometimes guys get fired, it goes across the ticker, 'Jim Caldwell got fired' and that's that. But when it's every day in a relationship business ... with Bill (Polian), with Marvin (Harrison), Edge (James), guys who retire, get cut, traded or fired, it's just really hard. I don’t think I have an emotion for it. "The new (management) team doesn't have a relationship with these guys like I do, and I know a lot of players feel that way about them (the departing coaches), too." Source: NYPost
The whole article is an interesting read. http://www.indystar.com/article/201...e-Colts?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com I don't think Manning was saying anything that all of us wouldn't feel if the people you had worked for or with for years were fired. This team had been phenominal for a decade. The interesting part in all this is Manning's abilities and his subsequent injury may have set this all in motion. He has covered up so many mistakes, miscues, and weaknesses all these years. Two years ago this team was preparing for the Super Bowl, with a lot of the same players that they had this year. It could be said that the running game was better this year. Take Manning out of the picture and the team goes 2-14. It just seems surreal that his own abilities and strengths may cost him his job. The Colts would probably be in LA if Manning had never come to Indianapolis. No Team, no stadium, no Super Bowl championship or host. Nothing changes that.
Letting Manning walk could mean the Colts lose other key Free Agents...epic fail...prepare for the "good old days" when Indy was a doormat.
No Edge, Reggie, Clark, Freeney, Mathis, maybe no Jim Mora and his 'playoffs!?' rant either. lol They would still have Marvin Harrison but he may not have become the prolific receiver that he was with Peyton. If they took Ryan Leaf, that franchise would've sunk.
well, this article pretty much confirms for me that Irsay is becoming more like Jerry Jones.......... an owner that has his hands in everything ................ and Irsay didn't used to be this way..... he used to let his football people make the decisions.
Just sad to see how all of this is coming down in Indy. Why? Solely because of Peyton Manning. The IndyStar.com article is a very good read and nowhere do you read Manning banging the organization. I would have anticipated Manning saying something negative after his strength and conditioning coach was canned just before a workout. But no, in true professional style that is Peyton Manning, nothing harsh was said. The rest of the NFL needs to learn from Manning how to handle the most dire of situations for an NFL organization. Having said that and reading between the lines, Manning's days in Indy seem to be over. It's apparent that Irsay is starting all over and there is just no way Peyton is in the Irsay equation....banking on Andrew Luck to make his future teammates stars as did Manning. Good luck with that. For as much as Manning loves Indianapolis, his church, the fans, etc., he really does deserve better than this. He probably should have been included in conversations with Irsay during the dismantling of the Indy staff. Who better than Manning could have given Irsay sound advice? But the sheriff knows better than everyone else and Manning has to be counting the days until he puts a For Sale sign in his front yard.
yep, the entire article is an interesting read and another thing i find important from peyton's quotes is that it sounds like peyton not only wants to keep playing but his words indicate that he hasn't been told by any doctors that he can't get back on the field very soon. His comments nearly eliminates the option of retirement and leaves us with him being released, traded, or staying with the colts and luck riding the bench.
I have yet to see anything that really backs this up. As a Colts fan, my interpretation of recent events is , Bill Polian's been with the Colts for 15 years, and over that time had taken near complete control of the team. Simply put, all Irsay has done is hire a new GM, and the new GM has had significant turnover in a bad coaching staff. He has said that the Manning decision will be his, but that doesn't equate to Jerry Jones. If Irsay wanted Jerry Jones' level of control, he wouldn't have hired a GM and there wouldn't be so many coaches being interviewed with links to the Eagles.
