Colts: Is it time for Peyton Manning to Go?

Earlier this week, the Indianapolis Colts axed three-year lame duck coach Jim Caldwell, completing an upper management firing trifecta which included most of the Polian family tree.

The Colts are being dismantled swifter than the 2008 Lehman Brothers starting lineup. All of this shake-up is due to the now infamous neck of Peyton Manning. If his neck is healthy, he could have three more years at a Peyton-elite level at which time he will be 38 years old.

But, do the math; you could potentially have fifteen years of elite quarterbacking with Andrew Luck. He probably won’t ever have the regular reason success as Peyton, arguably the best regular reason quarterback of all time, (9-10 in the playoffs). According to College and NFL Scouts and Coaches, Andrew Luck is the most Pro-ready NFL prospect since John Elway.

No one can ever predict college success will equate to NFL dominance, but we can forecast with almost absolute certainty that with his pedigree, work ethic, and physical tools he will be far from a bust. If your Colts ownership, you must look towards the future.

Manning could come back and in a two to three year vacuum be remarkable, but that only makes us prisoners of a prism lens.

In a popularity contest, Peyton will always be the President Elect in Indianapolis, basically building the stadium with every audible at the line of scrimmage.

But, there’s a reason why fans don’t run NFL teams, it takes an impartial jury, a group of people out to make profits and profess winning above all else. We learned from the Colts this season that maybe they aren’t as rock-solid an organization as we thought. Without a franchise quarterback, they were huffed and puffed around the field like pigs in a straw house, a decline sharper than a diamond knife.

The Colts organization quickly assumed NFL cellar dweller status when number 18 went down. If Manning was the glue that held this team together for the last thirteen seasons, if he was the one thing standing between the Colts as an AFC powerhouse and the AFC’s punch-line, then it’s more of a reason to draft a “sure thing” at the quarterback position.

The actor Robe Lowe tweeted yesterday that Manning is done and Peyton’s father Archie laughed it off. This is one of those rare moments in history when a tweet has a thread of viable substance prompting a real discussion.

Colts Owner Jim Irsay has a choice to make, he got rid of the Polian’s and Caldwell, but is he willing to do what is necessary for his team’s future success? The answer still remains to be seen, but deciding not to pick Luck should have zero to do with the health of Peyton’s neck, that’s nothing more than speculation. His 35 year-old age, 28 million dollars owed next year, and a monster salary cap hit are the inescapable facts.

If you’re going to suck, which the Colts did this year, at least suck for Luck.