Peyton Manning's career might be fading into darkness instead of the sunset. |
Well that's simple, it's been a combination of Peyton's career threatening neck injury and the presence of Andrew Luck waiting in the wings. But one of the most overlooked situations adding to Peyton's growing insignificance is the emergence of Eli. The younger Manning has become a superstar himself, and is one Super Bowl victory away from doing something no one thought possible: being better than Peyton. Anyways, the dangers of playing in the NFL can make even the greatest of superstars come and go. Manning may not have come and gone like Shaun Alexander, but his career has taken a swift turn for the worst.
It's truly unfortunate to watch one of the NFL's greatest players fade into darkness so fast. Things have gotten so bad for Manning that the Jets are inquiring about him, and the Jets seem to be the moratorium for aging great QBs(see Brett Favre and Vinny Testaverde). What makes things worse is that this situation is not Peyton Manning's fault at all. It's not like his 2011 was filled with interceptions and embarrassing losses; he was hurt, an uncontrollable set of circumstances. A guy with his positive attitude and serious demeanor should never have the misfortune of sitting out one of his final seasons, but it happened, and things just got worse.
I don't blame the Colts for how they've handled this situation with Peyton. They're in a tight spot. You can't simply just dump a superstar who brought you 12 years of success and a Super Bowl. But at the same time you can just hold onto him and give up an opportunity to have the next 12 years be just as good as the last. The Colts need to draft Andrew Luck. What they do with Manning after making the selection is their decision. Either be cut throat and send him on his merry way, or try to keep him around to nurture Luck. However, if Peyton decides he doesn't want to teach the Stanford QB, then they must make the tough decision to send #18 elsewhere.
This year has been a brutal one for Peyton Manning, one he will certainly never forget. I would hope to think he has the ability to comeback and compete at a high level, but any injury to your neck is a scary sight. If Manning never touches a football again, I'm content with saying he's a hall-of-famer. But a serious fall from grace could hurt his chances if he takes issue with the Colts selection of Luck. Either way, Peyton Manning is no longer the QB or player we thought of. He's steps away from becoming an absolute afterthought, and that's simply sad.
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