I was watching Mike & Mike this morning on ESPN2 & an interesting topic came up: what should the Colts do with Peyton Manning? They talked a lot about drafting Andrew Luck (which looks like a strong possibility), and then either trading Manning or cutting him outright. Manning's new contract doesn't actually come into effect until next season, so the Colts have the chance to cut him at the end of the season and incur a smaller monetary penalty. Personally, I think that Manning has a few more good years in him and, given the right situation, he could take a second team to the Superbowl. I'm not too sure that the Colts will let Peyton go if they end up taking Luck with the number 1 pick, but for the purposes of this entry we'll assume it is the case. Basically, I wanted carte blanche to write about some fun destinations for Peyton (I'm going to assume he can go to any other NFL team). The three teams I’ll be talking about have Superbowl-caliber defenses, but significant issues on offense.
Let's start off with a team that would definitely be in on the Manning sweepstakes if it were to occur: the San Francisco 49ers. I know, the Niners are in the driver's seat to be one of the top 2 teams in the NFC this season and it doesn't look like they need much help. However, there is no way that Alex Smith remains a semi-competent QB for more than 1 or 2 years, and I don't think that Smith at his best could lead a team to a Superbowl victory. Peyton Manning can, and has before. I think Manning would respect Jim Harbaugh as a coach, and would immediately become the team leader in the locker room. In Indy, he consistently made stars out of his main targets (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark) and he would upgrade at most offensive positions with San Fran. I'm not sure if Manning has ever played with a wideout as naturally gifted & talented as Michael Crabtree and I think he could bring the best out of a player that has been maligned for work ethic. Vernon Davis is at least as good a tight end as Dallas Clark is, and Frank Gore is much better than every Colts RB since Edgerrin James in his heyday. The 49ers offensive line is flush with high draft picks, with 3 first rounders (Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis) and a second rounder (Chilo Rachal), so Manning would be well protected. I think Peyton could definitely put this team over the hump, since their defense is already elite.
The second team that I'll consider for Manning is one that I am a fan of: the New York Jets. I'm not sure if the team would be willing to give up on the Sanchize yet, but I think you have to jump at a hypothetical opportunity to snag one of the best QBs of all time. Sanchez has been thoroughly underwhelming in his first two and a half seasons with the Jets, although he has helped them to 2 straight AFC Championship games. I give more credit for those gutsy postseason victories to the stellar Jets defense, and the once potent running game. This season the Jets have been streaky, but have put together some quality wins over the Chargers and Cowboys. With the addition of Manning instead of Sanchez, the Jets offense would be much better. The good wide receiver talent that the Jets have could be boosted further by the on-field intelligence and vision of Peyton Manning, and the passing game would open up holes for Shonn Greene and LT to burst through. I don't know how Manning would work with coach Rex Ryan's brash style, but the two could combine for a Superbowl title. I also don't think Eli Manning would be too happy about his big brother coming in and stealing his New York City spotlight. I'm pretty sure Jets fans would embrace Peyton if he helped Rex back up his big Superbowl talk with a win in February.
The last destination I'll talk about is by far the least likely to actually happen, at least in my mind. I am not a big fan of the team itself, but this is the most interesting place Manning could end up, both for his success and his ultimate legacy. I'm talking about the big, bad Baltimore Ravens. Bear with me. Manning would have to, in wrestling parlance, take a serious heel turn for this to happen. His image would completely change, especially if he embraced the attitude of the Ravens that the defense has built over the past decade or so. Of the three teams discussed here, I think Baltimore would be the place where Manning could have the most success. The Ravens defense is insanely good, and really hasn't dropped off at all in the past few years. The offense has some legitimate weapons: RB Ray Rice (who can catch the ball well out of the backfield) and WRs Anquan Boldin & Torrey Smith. Manning would be able to bring his unique style of offense to the Ravens, who have put good players around current QB Joe Flacco. Although the Ravens have won a Superbowl, they have never really had a great quarterback and Manning would be one. I can't even imagine how much of a juggernaut this team would be with a QB as historically good as Peyton Manning, so I would love to see him in those awesome all-black uniforms celebrating a Superbowl with T-Sizzle & Ray Lewis.
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