March 7, 2012
Peyton Manning’s impending release isn’t axis-tilting news. Even the most diehard Colts knew it was coming.
But when Indianapolis put perhaps the greatest quarterback of our era on the market, it was like firing a starting gun. If you thought there was too much speculation about his potential landing spots before, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
As soon as the news broke, newspapers, web sites and broadcast affiliates in NFL markets began espousing the virtues of their teams. The more prudent ones also articulated the flaws.
Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett was forced to defend a relatively innocuous tweet -- "Peyton to AZ!!!!!!" – to the NFL Network, because dreaming of playing with a future Hall of Famer could be construed as disrespectful to the Cards’ current quarterbacks.
ESPN went so far as to outline each NFL’s team’s chances of landing Manning, ending it with a grade that ranged from “high” to “no chance.” In case you’re wondering, ESPN rated the Cardinals’ chances “medium.”
We all know the positives working in Arizona’s favor because we’ve all read and heard them a thousand times over the past three months. The Cards have en elite and rare, non-diva receiver in Larry Fitzgerald. They have a pair of strong, young running backs in Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams to take the pressure off Manning. They have a players’ coach who loves to throw the ball around the yard. They have an emerging defense that was among the league’s best over the second half of the 2011-2012 season. And they play in a dome so Manning won’t have to brave the elements much in case that four-times repaired neck develops a chronic case of arthritis.
The negatives? A suspect offensive line and that pesky March 17 timeline for giving incumbent QB Kevin Kolb his $7 million roster bonus.
How it will play out is anybody’s guess – and rest assured, there’s a lot of guessing going on. But the one positive in this for Cards fans is they should know quickly -- that is, unless they decide to keep Kolb and sign Manning (yeah, we just threw that out there).
With Kolb’s deadline just 10 days away, the Cards will most likely have to complete their Manning evaluation and make a decision by then. If Kolb gets paid, there is no local angle to this story any more.
If Kolb isn’t carrying a $7 million check by March 17, it’s because the Cards are certain they will sign Manning (if they don’t do it even earlier). Not that signing Manning would calm things down. If another Super-Bowl winning veteran quarterback ends up in these parts, the circus will follow, setting up permanent residence in Tempe and Glendale.
-- Craig Morgan
