NFL Passion: No Class Colts if Peyton Manning is Traded Next Season

Before I even get into this story I would like to say I am a Tennessee Titan fan, have been since I was a kid. Was when Kevin Dyson came up one yard short of overtime as time expired in the Superbowl when I was in fourth grade, was when I had to watch then AFC Central rival Baltimore Ravens win the Superbowl the next year. Still was when the Patriots and Raiders wouldn't stop eliminating us from the playoffs in the early 2000's, and was when we became AFC South rivals with the Indianapolis Colts. I have always hated Peyton Manning. I was livid when Steve McNair had to share the MVP trophy with him, and almost cried when the Colts won the Superbowl in 2007. One of the only things I had going for me was that Manning hadn't won a Superbowl at the time. Outside of his humorous commercials all the name Peyton Manning has brought me as a fan is grief, losses by my favorite team, and a feeling of helplessness, knowing there is nothing I can do to stop him. With that said, if the Indianapolis Colts get rid of the man that has been their franchise for 13 years in out with the old in with the new fashion, I will have absolutely no respect for the Indianapolis Colts. I hate Peyton Manning as a rival, but as a football fan even I can't deny his impact on the game, being possibly the greatest quarterback of his era, the most proficient audibler to ever come to the game, a multiple NFL record holder, and no doubt a first ballot hall of famer when he walks away from the game. The Indianapolis Colts were just as pathetic as they are now when Manning got here, and after this season's obvious statement of Peyton's worth to Indy, to let him go now would be downright grimy.

To get a true understanding of just how important Peyton Manning has been to the Colts, let's take a quick review of his stellar career. Manning was drafted first overall in 1998 by the Colts. They were 3-13 the year before and 3-13 his rookie campaign. But in his second season, both Manning and the Colts went wild going 13-3 eventually losing to my Superbowl losing Titans in the playoffs. That would be about the only setback Manning has ever had against the Titans. In just his second season Manning threw for 4,135 yards and 26 touchdowns, earning his first ProBowl and All-Pro berths. 2003 -2004 was the year Peyton Manning officially became the man in the NFL, scoring the Co MVP award with Tennesee Titans quarterback Steve Mcnair, the first of four MVP awards and 2 times winning it two years in a row, throwing two perfectly rated games that year, and leading the Colts to their first of seven straight seasons with twelve wins or more, a run that ended just last season. The next season he broke Dan Marino's long standing record for passing touchdowns in a single season by throwing 49. That record has since been broken by Tom Brady. In 2007. Peyton finally sealed his spot in Canton when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Superbowl 41. He would return them there in 2010, losing to the emotional New Orleans Saints. Over his career span Manning has won 4 MVP awards, been to 11 ProBowls, 5 All-Pro Selections as the best quarterback of the year, 3 as the second, has been to two Superbowls, and was the MVP of one. The amount of records he holds is absolutely ridiculous. Here is the list.

• Most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards: 11 (1999–2004, 2006–2010)
• Highest passer rating in a season 121.1 (2004)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards: 6 (1999–2004)
• Most pass completions in a season: 450 (2010)
• Most games with 40+ pass attempts in a season: 10 (2010)
• Most games with 30+ pass completions in a season: 6 (2010; tied with Kurt Warner and Rich Gannon)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 20 touchdown passes: 13 (1998–2010; current)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes: 13 (1998–2010; current)
• Most games with a perfect passer rating, career: 4 (includes 1 playoff game)
• Most consecutive games started to open a career: 208
• Most Consecutive games with at least 2 touchdown passes: 13 (games 1–13, 2004)
• Most consecutive games with at least for touchdown passes: 5 (games 7–11, 2004)
• Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes, season: 6 (2004; tied with 1984 Marino)
• Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes, career: 24 (includes 2 playoff games; tied with Brett Favre)
• Most games with at least 5 touchdown passes, career: 7 (includes 1 playoff game)
• Most games with at least 5 touchdown passes and no interceptions, career: 4 (tied with Tom Brady)
• One of only seven QBs with at least 6 touchdown passes in two games (tied with Sammy Baugh, Y.A. Tittle, Daryle Lamonica, Tom Brady, Charley Johnson and George Blanda)
• One of only two QBs with at least 6 touchdown passes and no interceptions in two games (tied with Tom Brady)
• Most regular games with at least 300 passing yards: 63 (tied with Dan Marino)
• Most regular and postseason games with at least 300 passing yards: 71
• Most games with at least 400 yards passing and no interceptions: 4
• Most career touchdown passes in Thursday games: 25
• Most touchdown passes on a Thursday game: 6 (tied with Bob Griese)
• Largest career TD-INT differential: 201
• Highest career passing TDs/game average (min. 150 TD passes): 1.91 TDs/game
• Highest career passing yards/game average: 263.6
• Second-Highest career completions/game average (min. 100 games played): 22.5
• Most consecutive games with a passer rating over 100: 9 (games 5–13 of 2004 season; record tied by Carson Palmer, 2004–05 and Tom Brady, 2006–07)
• Highest completion percentage by a QB in one month in NFL history (min. 75 attempts): 81.8% (December 2008)
• Most career games with a completion percentage of 70% or higher (min. 10 attempts): 66
• Most consecutive regular season wins as a starter: 23 (2008–2009)
• Most seasons with 10+ wins as a starter (regular season only): 11 (1999–2000, 2002–2010)
• Most seasons with 12+ wins as a starter (regular season only): 8 (1999, 2003–2009)
• Only QB with at least 12 wins as a starter in 7 consecutive seasons (2003–2009)
• Only QB with nine straight seasons of 10+ wins as a starter (2002–2010)
• Only QB to lead five consecutive 4th quarter comeback wins (games 7–11, 2009)
• Most fourth quarter comeback wins in one season: 7 (2009)
• First QB to defeat the other 31 teams in the regular season (Tom Brady did this later the same day, and Brett Favre did it the following week)
• Most wins as a starting QB in a decade, regular season only: 115 (2000s)
• Most wins as a starting QB in a decade, regular & postseason: 124 (2000s)
• Most AP NFL MVP Awards: 4 (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009)
• Most Touchdown Passes in a decade: 314 (2000–2009)
• Most Passing Yards in a decade: 42,254 (2000–2009)
• Most Completions in a decade: 3,575 (2000–2009)

When I look at these numbers, I can't understand how any true, appreciative franchise could throw their leader away in just one season where he was injured after not missing a snap for an entire career! Apparently, this kid is the reason why. Andrew Luck of the Stanford Cardinal has been highly prospected as the number one pick in the NFL draft next summer. The Colts are the only team in the NFL without a win and the front-runners to get that pick. Luck is the best player available in the draft, I get that. So was Aaron Rodgers in 2005, but he still got skipped by 22 teams and benched by the Packers for three years. It doesn't bother me that the Colts are interested in Luck, it bothers me that I hear all these reports of Peyton possibly going out the door. Go ahead and pick Andrew Luck, but keep Peyton in there, let him finish his career in Indy. This franchise owes him that much. I know this is a business, but my goodness. Peyton Manning is and has been the Indianapolis Colts for over a decade, and for them to throw it all away in tasteless fashion would be just painful to watch as a football fan, even a Titan fan. Let's remember, the Packers didn't throw Brett Favre away, Brett Favre retired, the Packers moved on. They had to, they had already told Rodgers he was their man. It's loyalty, something I'm praying the Colts will display in Manning's case. He will still be effective for at least a few more years, let Luck learn the NFL from the sidelines and be the next Aaron Rodgers when Manning retires, knowledgeable and ready. If Indy makes that decision they wilol have no regrets either now or in the future

When it's all said and done Peyton Manning will go down as one of the greatest to ever play this fine sport, and his legacy as a winner, leader, and great sportsman will never be called into question. I hope the Indianapolis Colts understand that when they take phone calls for the veterans services this spring. In 21 years of life, I have never come to Peyton Mannings defense on any issue prior to today, but I felt like it had to be done. There is too much grime going on in the world, and it would be a shame to see business prevail over loyalty once again. If he is traded next season, I will become a Peyton Manning fan, rooting for him no matter where he goes, and I will never respect the Colts as an organization again. I'll just say well Andrew, here's what you have to look forward to thirteen years from now after you've racked up a Superbowl or two. It will be interesting to see if they have the nerve to trade Peyton Manning, even more interesting will be the backlash. In closing all I have to say is coming from the enemy thank you Peyton Manning, because it's guys like you that make this sport so great. If the Colts can't see the value of this man the way this season is going, they deserve to go 0-10 every year.

P.S. Just because you can't play football doesn't mean you stop making commercials Peyton, that's the only time I've ever liked you. It's good stuff.