It should come as very little shock to anyone paying attention that too much has been made of the flap between Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay.
I say it isn’t much of a shock considering much of the ammunition for the perceived war has come from an Indianapolis Star columnist who cares much more about calling attention to himself than he does to presenting an accurate portrayal of virtually anything.
But this is what I believe.
The Colts won’t pay Manning $28 million on March 8.
It would be a fool’s play.
Manning currently doesn’t deserve that money until he is proven to be healthy enough to play in the 2012 season at his previous level of performance.
I fail to see any way that he can prove that by March 8.
The money he is owed on that day should be restructured into performance incentives.
So that cash wouldn’t be lost to Manning unless he is unable to play.
Whether or not this comes to pass depends upon both Irsay and Manning.
First of all, from Irsay’s viewpoint, how badly does he want Manning back?
How much money is he willing to wager on the Colts QB being healthy enough to compete?
He has the rest of the team to think about.
He needs money to keep some of the team’s free agents from leaving, to sign draft picks and maybe to lure some other free agents to town.
Can he afford to spend much money on Manning without any assurance of his health?
Then there’s Manning.
How badly does he want to stay in Indianapolis, and how much confidence does he have in his own recovery?
If he has a good feeling about his ability to play in 2012, then he could accept much of that $28 million in performance incentives.
If he is ready to move to a different team, then he could insist that the contract be unchanged.
That would almost certainly mean he would be on a different roster next season.
I have very little knowledge on this topic that hasn’t been widely circulated and speculated this past week.
Still, this is what I think is going to happen.
Irsay and Manning will work out a new deal in the next four or five weeks.
It will be heavily incentive based.
The Colts will draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick.
Manning will work toward getting himself ready for the season with his eye on being the No. 1 QB.
By the time training camp rolls around it will be painfully obvious that Manning just can’t make it back.
The team will offer him a role — perhaps as quarterbacks coach — and he will help mold Luck into a top-notch signal caller, if not in 2012, then very soon.
I will in no way root for this to be the accurate predictor.
Manning has been my favorite Colt since he was drafted. I would greatly miss him on the field.
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Contact sports editor Rick Teverbaugh: 640-4886, rick.teverbaugh@heraldbulletin.com
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