I'd be stunned if he retires, too much money and pride is on the line, especially if his brother gets his second ring.
Heheh. I thought the thread title said humor and read through it thinking.... NONE of those were very funny.
One thing about Peyton - he has great respect for the history of the game. He doesn't need a big media market - Indianapolis proves that. But going someplace with a rich history that he can make himself a part of....? I think that would very much appeal to him. That in mind, I think SF is a scary-good landing spot. Very good team he instantly makes better. Plus, if the Colts have any say (ie a trade), he's going to the NFC.
1) Trade is nearly impossible because of the health issue and the $28 million pricetag. If you can find a team willing to *give up* anything for a guy whom will be owed almost 30 million very soon and might not even play another down in his life, you definitely trade him, though. But I'd be shocked if happens. 2) SF is an interesting proposition, but I think it's very likely they reach a long term deal with Smith. Can you see Peyton dealing with that offense? I can't. Harbaugh is a QB handler and very hands-on with his offense, Peyton needs to go somewhere he can run the show. San Fran is probably not that place. If he wants to swallow his pride and chase a ring, SF might be the ticket. If he wants a bigger payday and to have it be the Peyton Manning show, I think Miami would be perfect for that. Spoiler (Although, deep down, I want him exiled to the NFC West!) Spoiler
I don't see him swallowing his pride if he still has it. Also, I genuinely feel (if healthy) he can make pretty much any team a contender. Tampa Bay, Arizona, whoever.
I'm lame-o-rama when it comes to salary issues... so the $28MM kicks in regardless of where he is? That's not, like, Colt-only roster bonus? So this is strictly a keep or release proposition? (BTW, I think he's a goner; I think the Colts are smart/luck to start over with Luck.) I would think the offense is more a reflection of Smith's limitations than an indication Harbaugh is a bad fit for Manning. Remember: Little Pee-Pee Manning, Jr., put up HUGE #s under Harbaugh at the Stanford. So I think it's safe to assume he can build an offense around a smart, big-time QB talent. And SF is pretty loaded on offense. If I'm Pee-Pee, to me - that's a prime landing spot: revered franchise, big market, plays his brother every year, easy division (no MIGHTY TEXANS to contend with, yo!)... It's a scary-good fit, IMO. And, gets that SOB as far away from us as humanly possible.
Basically if the Colts don't either cut or trade him by March (8th I think), then the Colts owe him $28 million in bonus money (not salary), no matter what happens. So yeah, it's a keep or release proposition. Taken from the Indy-Star: The other side of that coin is that Harbaugh built that Stanford offense... the Colts offense? Peyton built that. He ran it, too. We'll likely never see a QB who ran a team the way he did. That entire offense was called and executed by him. Nobody could poop unless Peyton told them they could. This year showed just how dangerous a proposition that can be, as coaches don't get hurt, but players do. Crabtree, Ginn Jr... ugh, Vernon Davis sure. But had he done jack doodle until basically the last 4 weeks of this year? Not really. The 49ers have an extremely athletic offensive line and a good stable of young running backs, but a pass first team they are not. I just can't see Peyton fitting in there, both coaching and personnel wise. A team like Chiefs, Jets, or Dolphins have a decent setup for Peyton to step in and be the man. The Dolphins, IMO, being the most ideal situation. He could get them a wild-card as soon as next year. Plus 2 matchups a year with Brady would be awesome.
I think you're short-changing Harbaugh. If Pee-Pee wants to come play for you, you build an offense around his talent. He did that for Luck; Luck did not inherit a QB-friendly offense. The "ugh" starts with Alex Smith, though. You don't think a guy that made the likes of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie legitimate NFL WRs couldn't have a similiar impact on talents like Crabtree and Ginn? And Davis has been ballin' for years - who's record do you think Gronk recently broke for most TDs in a season by a TE? Guy's a stud that's been stuck with a below-average QB. Manning would obliterate in SF. Does anyone really think Reggie Bush is a legitimate 3-down back? Other than Brandon Marshall and Jake Long, that offense is putrid. And you're running second-fiddle to Brady and the Pats in that division for the rest of your career. Brady.... or Kevin Kolb? Brady... or Sam Bradford? SF is already the best team in that division. Obliteration.
Well, considering Reggie Bush has been the league's leading pass catcher at RB practically his entire career... I'd say that's a good fit. Brandon Marshall is loads better than anything the 49ers have. Anthony Fasano is allright, too. They have a good OL, Long, Incognito, Pouncey, Colombo. If he can make it work in SF, he could probably make it work even better in Miami. Now, if he wants to be gifted a division crown, that's an entirely different matter. If he cares about being "second fiddle", then surely he'd hate playing in the most obscure division in the entire NFL stuck in the least media friendly timezone. If he wants to be front and center, I'd say Miami is the place to be. It will be interesting to see what factors into his decision.
Can I ask a totally legitimate question that's likely racist though I don't intend it to be? Great. Do white people (under 60) like Miami? I don't see it being an appealing location for Pee-Pee. He went to school in Knoxville; has spent the past 14 years in Indianapolis. I would think Miami would be a total shock to his system. And SF is a marquee franchise, DM. Playing games at 9am didn't seem to dent Joe Montana's legacy. He'd be on primetime probably more as a 49er than he was as a Colt - and he was on all the freaking time as a Colt. But yeah - going to be REALLY interesting to see where he goes. My greatest fear is that goes back to Tennessee, which makes so much sense, I don't even feel good mentioning it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-brandt/the-peyton-predicament-pa_b_1233840.html excellent article hitting all the high points. peyton is as good as gone. this has steve mcnair/brett favre/joe montana written all over it. i can't wait to see where he lands, but i'm beyond happy that the colts reign of terror in the AFC south looks to be officially over.
Any more or less than SF would be? Probably not. I don't think the location has much to do with it, he's only going to be whereever he goes a couple of years. Not like he's going to live or retire there. I think it's going to come down to 3 things. 1) Ability to win 2) compatibility with staff 3) money/fame. In that order. I seriously doubt this. It's pretty well documented that teams on the west coast get far less media coverage. Although he'd be certain to get the late game on the monday night double header in week 1 every year. So that's something, I guess Miami, in terms of franchise "marquee" isn't exactly chopped liver either, ya know. Playing in a division against Rex Ryan and Tom Brady? Holy smokes. The New York and Boston media machine would slobber all over that. If he wants attention Miami is where it's at, yo.
So true. For instance, I just learned, like literally 25 minutes ago, that there's an NBA franchise in Los Angeles called the "Lakers" - who knew???? Crayzee. Good west coast teams get PLENTY of media coverage. And so, too, does Peyton Manning, who became a media star playing in freaking Indianapolis, for gosh sakes. They’d follow him anywhere. Wait, wait, wait... didn’t you list "Ability to win" as his top priority? The Dolphins just wrapped up a 6-10 campaign, their fifth losing season among the last six, and play in a division with the NFL’s best QB and, some would argue, team – not to mention a pretty good Jet team that played in the AFC championship game 2 of the past 3 years. The 49ers, meanwhile, just lost in the NFC conference championship game after a 13-3 season and play in what is routinely the worst division in football. If winning is important, San Fran is a much better destination. He would rule that division for the next however many years he plays.
You're never going to convince me that Peyton Manning + West Coast is going to get more attention than Peyton Manning + East Coast. Never. The Lakers are the exception to the rule and a different circumstance entirely, comparing them to the 49ers is kind of silly. Hell, even Lakers fans complain that they get less media attention than they deserve because of their timezone. This isn't an unheard of concept I'm bringing up, Ric, it's pretty commonly accepted. Yep. And I think Peyton can win with them. Not as easily as in SF, obviously, but there's more than one factor at play here. I don't think he will get along with the coaching staff or personnel in SF, and I also don't think he'd get as much money or exposure out there. So, we'll see if SF's easier path to winning can overcome those other factors. You don't need to lay on the snark so thick, fyi.
Then there's the obvious Alex Smith situation. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Smith-Confident-Hell-Return-as-49ers-Quarterback-138130438.html The stars just don't seem to line up for Manning to SF quite as neatly as they have for other teams.
Peyton Manning + the 27th moon of Saturn is going to generate PLENTY of media attention. He hosted SNL, Donny - as a Colt. He's his own media conglomerate. To suggest the east coast would raise his profile is silly given it's already higher than any other player in football, including his brother's, and that guy actually plays in NY. I sincerely don't know if you did, but I lived through the Montana/Walsh years in San Fransico and there was no media compromise when they competed for a Super Bowl every year. They were a marquee NFL franchise and were treated as such for the better part of a decade. And the Lakers are far from the exception - USC generated TONS of media coverage; so, too, did Tim Tebow operating in a different time zone. But the west coast has mostly been a graveyard, success-wise, in all major sports the past decade. *That*, not its time zone, is why its coverage has waned. But there's ample evidence to suggest that if a team merits it, they will ram a WC team down our throats incesessantly. Take how quickly the Clippers have jumped to the front of the line. They LOVE the west coast. LOL. *ARCHIE* Manning gets more coverage than the Miami Dolphins, DM. (And I'm not kidding; I'd like the networks to STOP interviewing Archie Manning; I don't care about his opinion.) Peyton could play for the Edminton Eskimos and they'd follow him around like little puppy dogs. He will get maximum exposure wherever he goes. And he's already a national spokesman for several companies - Miami will not raise that profile because it can't really get much higher. Oh, come on...
