As Colts owner Jim Irsay continues to keep everyone waiting regarding the status of coach Chuck Pagano and G.M. Ryan Grigson, it’s possible (if not likely) that Irsay is making calls to see if he can lure someone to Indy who would provide an upgrade over his current power structure.
How about Peyton Manning?
Yes, I recently explained that Jeff Garcia has no business trying to be the head coach of the 49ers with no real coaching experience. But there’s a difference between Garcia and Peyton Manning. A gigantic difference.
Manning is regarded as one of the smartest football players ever to have helmet padding make a red imprint on his forehead. Manning is viewed as a man who inevitably will get the keys to an NFL franchise and drive it directly to contention. He has the brain, the ability, and the work ethic to make it happen.
Six years ago, when John Elway joined the Broncos, I expressed skepticism, due in part to his lack of relevant experience -- and due in part to Dan Marino’s three-week stint as a Dolphins executive in 2004, a stint that ended when Marino realized that doing the job right entails a commitment much bigger than he was able to make. But Elway has proven that he can do it, and one of the safest bets in the history of sports would be that Peyton Manning can do it, too.
The question isn’t if he’ll do it but when. And why shouldn’t Irsay do anything and everything he can to get Peyton Manning to assume control of the football operation and build the team into the contender that it was when Peyton was playing?
The question is whether Manning, whom many thinks has ownership aspirations, would do anything without equity. Which then makes the question whether Irsay would shave off a few percentage points to ensure that the value of the franchise will be enhanced by the tireless efforts Peyton Manning would bring to the annual quest for football supremacy.
It’s a move the league should encourage as well, because the NFL would benefit mightily from having Peyton involved in the Competition Committee and other efforts to make the game better.
Think of the various dumb things that the league does from time to time. Peyton Manning would be able and willing to speak out against those dumb things, and he’d have the credibility to keep them from happening.
So it would be a win for everyone. Except perhaps for the teams that would have to contend with a Colts team under the guidance of Peyton Manning.
