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Steve Salisbury discusses the death of Junior Seau dead at 43
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49ers pursuing Peyton Manning
49ers pursuing Peyton Manning
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Moss to 49ers…. Nice Move
49ers sign Randy Moss to a one year free agent contract and it is a risk free move!
Warriors trade Monta for Bogut and it is a great deal!
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Peyton’s Place?
PEYTON’S PLACE?
Where does Peyton land? I break down the possibilities and pick the winner.
Now that Peyton Manning has been released from the Indianapolis Colts, the question becomes “where will he play next?”
Before we get into all of this, let’s be clear that if Manning is not healthy enough to play, this may be a moot point. But, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that all is well with his health and he is moving on to continue his career.
The first thing that must be stated is that this is his choice. As much as any team is deciding whether to make a play for Manning, he is doing his research and will come up with a team that makes sense.
Sources are reporting that Manning wants to play for a solid organization where he has the best chance of winning. It has also been said that he prefers the AFC to the NFC, but would play for an NFC team. Many speculate that the NFC is superior to the AFC and he may see the path to the Super Bowl is easier through the AFC.
In reality, Manning is one of the NFL’s greatest ever and, even at 36 years old, he has the chops to put a team over the top. That said, about half the league either has a franchise QB or is heavily invested in a guy they hope can be the franchise QB. So, we will eliminate those teams from contention. They are New England, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati, San Diego, Oakland, Indianapolis, Dallas, NY Giants, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina and St Louis.
That leaves fourteen teams who will (or should) look into signing Manning. They are Washington, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Arizona, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, Cleveland, Tennessee, Houston, Miami, NY Jets and Jacksonville.
Of these fourteen, we put them into three categories;
Ice Cube’s Chance in Hell, Crazier Things Have Happened and It Makes Sense
Ice Cube’s Chance in Hell
As the name indicates, these teams have no shot.
Minnesota- Manning is 36 years old and is not going someplace where he will spend time on his back due to a poor offensive line and at the bottom of the NFC North standings.
Cleveland- Come on. It’s Cleveland.
Jacksonville- He wants to win. Remember?
NY Jets- Jets are a mess. Rex Ryan talks too much and Santonio Holmes is the best offensive weapon. Finally, I just do not see Peyton Manning playing in New York, where he would be compared to his brother. Not to mention, they already have a QB in Mark Sanchez.
Tampa Bay- Team in flux that already has a young, up and coming QB in Josh Freeman. Getting out of the NFC South will be tough let alone the NFC.
Crazier Things Have Happened
Odds are against it, but all of these teams have something that could attract Manning.
Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder will pay whatever it takes to get Manning. Unfortunately, this decision will not be about money.
Tennessee #18 played his college ball there and they are in the AFC South, which would allow him to stick it to the Colts twice a season, but their roster is not loaded with Super Bowl caliber talent.
Kansas City Joe Montana finished out his career with the Chiefs. KC has a great fan base and a lot of talented players. A major drawback is the fact that gets cold in KC and Manning has not played well in the cold.
Seattle The Seahawks are ALL IN on Manning and they have money to spend. They have great running game, decent receivers and a solid defense. Maybe I am wrong but I do not see Manning’s wife allowing Manning to move his young family from south Florida to the Pacific Northwest.
San Francisco The 49ers apparently have no interest in Manning, but they should. They were one game from the Super Bowl with Alex Smith. They’d win it with Manning at QB. This would be a great destination for Manning. San Francisco is a solid organization, has a spectacular defense, special teams and coaching staff. Not to mention, it is a warm weather city. However, the 49ers are building a winner around Alex Smith. Ummm, okay.
It Makes Sense
In my mind, here are the real contenders.
Denver Regardless of what you have read, the Broncos need a QB and this is one QB they would love to sign. They play in the soft AFC West, have a great defense, have offensive weapons and are well coached. I have not seen Peyton win too many games in the snow, but don’t sleep on Denver.
Arizona The Cardinals have gone after a Super Bowl winning free agent QB in the past and it paid off. Kurt Warner turned the Cardinals into a Super Bowl team. Peyton Manning could do the same thing. The Cardinals have a solid defense, tremendous offensive weapons like Larry Fitzgerald and play indoors. They appear ready to move on from Kevin Kolb, less than a year after giving him a huge contract. This could put Manning off.
Miami Manning has a second home in Miami, the Dolphins play in the AFC, there is no income tax in FLA and the city of Miami has a history of getting the big names. LeBron James, Pat Riley, Jimmy Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal to name a few. I am sure that Dan Marino is putting daily calls into Peyton spruiking the benefits of Miami. Even though, they do not appear one player away from a Super Bowl, the Dolphins are very much in this race.
Houston Simply, a great destination for Peyton. First of all, they are a very good team. Ever heard of TJ Yates? Neither had anyone else but the 3rd string rookie QB had this team into the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Texans play in the AFC South, which would allow Peyton to torment the Colts twice a season. Houston plays indoors in a warm city and they have a very talented team. But, would they really pull the plug on Matt Schaub?
Peyton wants to make his decision by next week because he is looking to start learning the offense and become familiar with his new teammates. Given the timeline, he needs to move quickly. However, a decision this important will not be made in haste so you can bet Manning will do his due diligence on each suitor.
I truly think the two best chances to win are Houston and San Francisco. Although, Arizona and Denver also offer Manning the opportunity to win. In the end, he is a man with a young family, like many of us. Moving sucks and you do not do it unless you absolutely have to, so I see him in Miami next season.
What do you think?
Steve Salisbury lived in Melbourne for 10 years where he co-hosted the very popular “Born in the USA” at 1116 SEN for 5 years. His US sports knowledge, sense of humour, wit and affability resonates with the Australian audiences.
