And the Colts season is over. With Manning the Colts are Super Bowl contenders. Without Manning the Colts are one of the worst teams in the league. That's how important he is to this franchise.
I think this statement is contingent on whether or not the Colts can press through the first half of the season without Manning. They face a few difficult games at Houston and New Orleans, with Pittsburgh and KC at home. If they can win one of these games without Manning, they face 4 very beatable opponents in Cleveland, TB, Tennessee, and Cincinatti. Manning is a workhorse and unless he has further complications, he will spend as much time rehabbing his neck as he does watching game film. The Colts do have a bottom 5-7 defense in the entire NFL, but they still could win shootout games as they've done so many times in the past.
Kerry Collins is a shell of his former self (let's face it, his original self wasn't anything to brag about) and won't be able to do much and Curtis Painter wasn't exactly blowing people away in the pre season. If the Colts were smart they'd go pick up David Garrard because he is easily a better option then anyone else on the current roster.
Even without Manning, they still have an explosive offense with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, along with a healthy and motivated Joseph Addai after signing a 3 year deal. I wouldn't sleep on Collins even though he's learning a complicated offensive system in Indianapolis. Would Garrard be a better fit? Sure. But Collins has a very strong arm himself and receivers who, if given time, can break deep. The Colts drafted O-linemen in the first two rounds so their line should be better then last year, and give Collins more time this year then they have Manning in years.
The Colts don't have the luxury of a good enough team and good enough back up qb to still have a winning record like the Patriots did when Brady went down. Just like that year, however, this year will seem like something is missing in the NFL. The Colts have gone to the playoffs 9 straight seasons and have made it 11 out of the 13 years Peyton was starter. This year the 9 straight streak will end.
I think Collins, along with the rest of the offense, is good enough to manage through part of a season respectfully without Manning. Collins isn't a guy you want starting 16 games at age 38, but he still has value in the short-term because of the weapons he has. Defense is where they are most vulnerable
else, but this team could still put up alot of points. If Peyton is able to come back mid-season, this team should have a respectable( like 4-4) record and be able to make a push. In the worst division not named the NFC West, they still have a chance to make a run down the stretch, with only NE, Baltimore, and Atlanta as difficult opponents in the second half of the season.
This also makes the AFC South one of the worst divisions in football. The Texans will finally get over the hump and make the playoffs pretty much by default. The Titans are awful, the Jags suck, and now the Colts will be fighting to just not finish last.
Which is why the Colts have a chance to succeed in this division. The Jags may now be the worst team in the league after cutting David Garrard and going forward with Blaine Gabbart as QB, and the Titans aren't much better. Houston is a good team with a difficult schedule. I think their season is contingent on Collins just keeping them respectable(which I believe he can) and Manning returning in time for the team to make a second-half charge. If Manning doesn't return by mid-season or at all, I tend to agree that their 9 year streak will be over, but they won't be in the basement even if he doesn't play.
Something that he needs to be extremely caareful with. Manning seems aageless in how he plays and if he winds up with rehabilitation not going well, he'ld be best to shut it down and aim for next year. A cervical spine fusion is nothing to mess with and the fact it was his second surgery this year makes it an even greater cause for concern and increases the possibility of re-injury.
I still think they'll have one of the best offenses in the league. I think Kerry Collins at 38 with the weapons he has will still allow them to be dynamic, and Addai should receive more carries and be better then he has in years based upon him finally being healthy. The defense has always been their achilles heel and the biggest reason why they've only won one SB with Manning at the helm. There's bound to be more pressure on them to get stops, but I dont know if they're capable of doing so, and they're not a big play defense the way they were five years ago.
Manning's career going forward?
Peyton plays like he's ageless, and it's hard to believe he's 35. Even if he doesn't play one game this year, i believe he'll come back healthy and behind a better O-line next year, which will allow him to run the system that's been tailored for him, possibly better then he ever has. Manning is QB I could see playing to 40 and beyond, and still being one of the best QB's in the league. He is the best player on the Colts and the team is built around him, but there are plenty of other options available to them, including a deep group of receivers and possibly the best 1-2 combination of TE's in the league in Clark and Tamme. Manning will be back next year at the latest in an offense tailored to him with plenty of weapons. What's not to like going forward?
