Manning to Part ways tomorrow

[Ray_Dogg]

Has Manning already narrowed his choices? - CBSSports.com

Peyton Manning insists he's made no decision on his possible NFL destination. Sure, Peyton. Sure.

No one in the league believes that. They think Manning has a short list but doesn't want to publicly admit it so he can maximize the inevitable bidding war.

One team official that contacted Manning's agent, Tom Condon, says he got the definite impression that Manning indeed has already decided where he wants to go, or, at least, the handful of teams truly in the mix. The official, who did not want to be identified, believes that Miami, Washington and Denver are the front-runners.

But the official conceded the front-runner will be the team that, in the end, offers the most guaranteed money.

The official believes that contrary to some reports, Manning is indeed open to playing in the NFC, even in the NFC East where his brother Eli, is obviously king of the division.

It's still early in the process but one thing is clear: the Manning derby is fully under way and, despite his public protestations, Manning likely already has a good idea of where he wants to go.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

In the last 14 years, I count five generously: Ravens in '01, Pats in '02, Bucs in '03, Steelers in '06, and Giants in '08.

What this stat says is that good teams tend to have good QBs. Nothing more. 9 out of 14 - considering that a few of those were duplicates - isn't a huge preponderance. Furthermore as I always say......systems make QBs as often as QBs make systems. Put Big Ben on a shitty team and watch him turn into a Rook or Bishop or something. But that is conjecture.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Peyton Manning insists he's made no decision on his possible NFL destination. Sure, Peyton. Sure.

No one in the league believes that. They think Manning has a short list but doesn't want to publicly admit it so he can maximize the inevitable bidding war.

Steve Young said that everything he knows about Peyton, he'd be surprised if this wasn't quietly decided a while back. Said he's way too organized and focused to let it linger, the contacts would have been made a while back and parameters set.

 

[Bemular]

Has Manning already narrowed his choices? - CBSSports.com

Peyton Manning insists he's made no decision on his possible NFL destination. Sure, Peyton. Sure.

No one in the league believes that. They think Manning has a short list but doesn't want to publicly admit it so he can maximize the inevitable bidding war.

One team official that contacted Manning's agent, Tom Condon, says he got the definite impression that Manning indeed has already decided where he wants to go, or, at least, the handful of teams truly in the mix. The official, who did not want to be identified, believes that Miami, Washington and Denver are the front-runners.

But the official conceded the front-runner will be the team that, in the end, offers the most guaranteed money.

The official believes that contrary to some reports, Manning is indeed open to playing in the NFC, even in the NFC East where his brother Eli, is obviously king of the division.

It's still early in the process but one thing is clear: the Manning derby is fully under way and, despite his public protestations, Manning likely already has a good idea of where he wants to go.

Manning gave his wish list to Condon months ago.

 

[Bemular]

Steve Young said that everything he knows about Peyton, he'd be surprised if this wasn't quietly decided a while back. Said he's way too organized and focused to let it linger, the contacts would have been made a while back and parameters set.

I completely agree with this.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Yeah, this is rational. Guy had a good year last year. Unwillingness to give credit where its due is pretty pathetic.

Oh give me a break. Smith gets plenty of credit around here for what he did.

 

[BINGO]

Oh give me a break. Smith gets plenty of credit around here for what he did.

Yup. I even said I loved him!

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Oh give me a break. Smith gets plenty of credit around here for what he did.

Well, I was responding directly to your comment, not the general tone "around here". Nice dodge.

 

[BINGO]

Sources: Peyton Manning favors AFC
Updated: March 8, 2012, 1:23 PM ET
By Adam Schefter | ESPN

Peyton Manning's camp is aiming to make a decision on where he will play next season within the next week, according to sources, who add that while Manning prefers to stay in the AFC, he is open to playing in the NFC.

Sources say 12 teams reached out to Manning's representatives on Wednesday, after he was released, to gauge his interest in playing for their teams. Many of the teams already have been publicized, but some inevitably will want to keep it secret.

Of those 12 teams, sources tell ESPN that the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and New York Jets have actually been in contact with Manning's representatives.

Former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino said Thursday he will not reach out to Manning about his options in free agency, noting that the four-time NFL MVP has enough people "working with him to help him make the right decisions."

But if Manning asks, Marino says "I would definitely answer." Marino spoke at a charity golf tournament, saying Manning "fits with anybody" in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys, however, aren't one of the 12 teams with interest in Manning. A high-ranking team source told ESPN's Ed Werder on Thursday that the team remains committed to Tony Romo and will not pursue, contact or demonstrate any interest in Manning.

The Indianapolis Colts officially released Manning on Wednesday and he will become a free agent and be eligible to negotiate and sign with a team as soon as he clears waivers Thursday. The 14-year veteran does not need to wait until the free-agent period that begins next Tuesday, and he acknowledged his agent already was taking calls.

"I have no idea who wants me, what team wants me, how this process works," Manning told a group of reporters in South Florida after flying to his home there following Wednesday's news conference. "I don't know if it's like college recruiting where you go take visits. I mean, this is all so new to me."

Manning missed the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in 19 months, a fusion of two vertebrae. But Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed the single-level cervical fusion, has stated publicly that he has cleared Manning to resume his playing career and the damaged nerves have regenerated to the point where Manning has thrown the ball with greater distance and velocity in the past few weeks.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Peyton Manning - QB - Colts

Appearing on SportsCenter Thursday, ESPN 980 Washington's Chris Russell said he's "hearing" free agent Peyton Manning does not want to play for the Redskins and has already informed people in the building.
"A couple of different sources inside the organization have told me that Manning's camp made it pretty clear to Redskins officials he doesn't want to come here," said Russell. "... Unless that changes -- and I'm taking my sources at their word -- I don't think Manning's coming to D.C." The Redskins had hoped to make an aggressive offer to Manning, per the Washington Post, but there won't be much they can do if the feeling isn't mutual.

 

[wartyOne]

[/B]

Of course I can. Manning was the de-facto offensive coordinator on the Colts. Just watching the games you can see that he has the freedom to change any play at any time. Harbaugh likes to control every aspect of the offense, even talking into Smith's headset up to the very point where the transmitter is cut off.

No way Manning would put up with that. The whole offensive philosophy would have to change with Manning in there and Manning, not Harbaugh, would run it. That is what I mean about him "taking over the team". Without allowing Manning that freedom ou don't really get the true Peyton Manning.

Lastly, there is no other reasonable explanation that a team that is only a great QB away from being a Super Bowl favorite would not even entertain the idea of signing him. The fit and the timing are absolutely perfect. Its got to be Harbaugh who is shooting it down.

There's several pages after this post, so if somebody else addressed this, I apologize. The way I interpret Harbaugh talking into Smith's headset so much is because he has to. Smith isn't a good enough QB to read the defense by himself, and he never has been.

I don't think the same circumstances would be applicable with Manning. Not that I agree or disagree that the offense would have to change with Manning (as Polian said yesterday, "he can run any offense."), but wouldn't that be a good thing?

Total yards we ranked 26th. Passing yards we ranked 29th. Rushing yards we ranked 8th (not bad, but I also don't think that's sustainable, and Gore is getting older). Scoring we ranked 11th (based on Akers setting records for scoring). If we take the FG's out, and I realize I'd need to do this with every other team to get a true reading of offensive ineptitude, we averaged 15.5 pts a game. I have to believe that Manning, even at 50% of his capability would instantly vault us into the top 10 of everything except rushing yards.

Smith, at his best, won't ever sniff the top half of the league in any of those categories. Sure he posted a 90 passer rating this year, but Rodgers posted a 122. QBR's in the 90's don't mean great seasons anymore. He was slightly above average in this regard. Given all of that, I can't see Harbaugh's ego getting in the way here. Manning all but guarantees Super Bowl victories. What coach wouldn't want that?

 

[wartyOne]

????????????????????????????

lol. Very nice.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Your claim that Crabtree's #'s "probably would" go down with Manning at the helm is quite the stretch, IMO; but, I suppose you could be right.

I believe his numbers would likely go up, but with a healthy lineup of WR's & TE's I think he doesn't reach the "1200+ [yards] easy" you earlier claimed he would reach.

I also think, given the same lineup of healthy receivers combined with a lack of improvement on Crabtree's part it is not out of the realm of possibility that his numbers could go down as well.


I'm not sure what you mean with your "I've been waiting for an update..." comment. Perhaps we have talked before, but for the record, I think Bradford is a better QB than Smith, whether it is at the beginning, middle or the end of a season.

You seem to be a big fan of Crabtree's talent. Would I be incorrect to assume based on your claim that Crabtree would reach "1200+ yards easy" that 1500+ yards would be within reach?

That was your argument, chief. You know, when I said Crabtree would easily have 1,200 yards with Manning and you responded:

A few dropped passes, a couple tips for INT's and Crabtree would be lucky to reach 800 yards with Manning at the helm.

800 yards is less than the 874 yards he had this year. Thus YOU apparently think he would post worse numbers with Manning at QB. My response was dripping with sarcasm.

As I said, if we basically have Crabtree and Davis as our receiving options, I think Crabtree would have 1,200 yards, and yes, I think 1,500 is possible. That's largely because of the lack of alternatives, comparable to Lloyd's 1450 yard season. Crabtree isn't that "good," but with little competition for balls and a more aggressive attack, he could get big-time yardage. Obviously if we add more threats that won't happen.

As for the Bradford comment, in the last discussion you and I had on the ESPN board I said that I would consider taking Smith over Bradford if I needed to win one or two games to start the season, though I certainly would not take him if I were building a franchise. You dismissed the idea, claiming Bradford was already much better than Smith. I'd say the season vindicated my position.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Manning all but guarantees Super Bowl victories

Where do you guys get this stuff? His career playoff record is 10 - 19. "Smith will never sniff this or that"......I'd bet my house one year ago you would have said "Smith will never sniff a playoff win". Probably also "Kevin Kolb is X times better than Smith".

I mean, its always you same guys making the same exaggerated criticisms and same exaggerated praise of all other alternatives.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I'm not sure Garcon serves as a good example of supporting evidence, especially based on the absence of any contrast and the fact his production improved with Painter, a QB perhaps half as good as Manning.

Claiming
"Garcon would have been an afterthought had he gone to most other teams" is on one hand hearsay and on the other, obvious. Thus it doesn't make for a very convincing argument.

Furthermore, you would then need confirming evidence on the other side of the equation as well. The point here is simply this, it is difficult to say how well a player will perform in another system.

That said, however, I do agree with the notion that Manning's instruction for any of our WR's would likely bring a positive outcome, and I would not disagree with the notion part of that positive outcome could be the result of improved technique, at least technique improved to compliment Manning's style of QB play; especially if Manning could reinstate and our receivers could execute sight adjustments.

Two thoughts on the part in bold: first, that wasn't my claim. You do realize when you use quotes you're supposed to actually use the words the other person used, right? It's all the most ironic you misquoted me given that you have my claim pasted immediately above your misquote.

I said: If Garcon had gone to most other teams, I think he's an afterthought.

The crucial words in there are the "I think." It is impossible to prove, of course, but it's a reasonable speculation. Especially given what Manning has done with Blair White, Austin Collie, and Jacob Tamme. We haven't seen any of those guys play for other teams to date, but that's because of how the colts operate.

As for Garcon's production with a poor QB, as said, I believe playing with Manning forced him to elevate his game so that he became a better WR. This is, of course, all speculation. It's not demonstrable. But it's reasoned speculation supported by a reasonable amount of evidence.

Finally, I think you need to brush up on the definition of "hearsay."

 

[Crimsoncrew]

What this stat says is that good teams tend to have good QBs. Nothing more. 9 out of 14 - considering that a few of those were duplicates - isn't a huge preponderance. Furthermore as I always say......systems make QBs as often as QBs make systems. Put Big Ben on a shitty team and watch him turn into a Rook or Bishop or something. But that is conjecture.

Big Ben is on a shitty team. At least on offense. Look what happened without him and with him playing hampered. They fell apart.

 

[wartyOne]

Yeah, this is rational. Guy had a good year last year. Unwillingness to give credit where its due is pretty pathetic.

Smith had an okay year, and a good one by his previous standards, but with him at the helm we were a bottom five offense (thinking back, it might be bottom seven). Regardless of QBR, Manning makes this offense a threat. Smith, at his best, doesn't.

Manning doesn't automatically hand us the Lombardi trophy next year, but I guarantee we'd have the best odds in Vegas if he signs with the 9ers.

I guess I'm just having trouble seeing why Smith's mediocre (by NFL QB standards) season last year means we should stick with him. We didn't stick with Montana when we had Young available.

 

[wartyOne]

Where do you guys get this stuff? His career playoff record is 10 - 19. "Smith will never sniff this or that"......I'd bet my house one year ago you would have said "Smith will never sniff a playoff win". Probably also "Kevin Kolb is X times better than Smith".

I mean, its always you same guys making the same exaggerated criticisms and same exaggerated praise of all other alternatives.

I take offense to the "it's always you same guys" bit, but whatever. I don't know that I would have bet Smith would have beaten Drew Brees in a shootout in the playoffs, but I'm relatively confident saying that nobody else would have either.

My stance is that we're a much more dangerous team with Manning at QB than Smith, so I will concede that Manning doesn't guarantee a Lombardi next season. However, I think it's pretty foolish to think we've got a better shot at winning a Super Bowl with Smith than we do with Manning.

 

[Flyingiguana]

That was your argument, chief. You know, when I said Crabtree would easily have 1,200 yards with Manning and you responded:

A few dropped passes, a couple tips for INT's and Crabtree would be lucky to reach 800 yards with Manning at the helm.

800 yards is less than the 874 yards he had this year. Thus YOU apparently think he would post worse numbers with Manning at QB. My response was dripping with sarcasm.

As I said, if we basically have Crabtree and Davis as our receiving options, I think Crabtree would have 1,200 yards, and yes, I think 1,500 is possible. That's largely because of the lack of alternatives, comparable to Lloyd's 1450 yard season. Crabtree isn't that "good," but with little competition for balls and a more aggressive attack, he could get big-time yardage. Obviously if we add more threats that won't happen.

As for the Bradford comment, in the last discussion you and I had on the ESPN board I said that I would consider taking Smith over Bradford if I needed to win one or two games to start the season, though I certainly would not take him if I were building a franchise. You dismissed the idea, claiming Bradford was already much better than Smith. I'd say the season vindicated my position.

o come on crabtree can't even hold lloyd's jockstrap

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Where do you guys get this stuff? His career playoff record is 10 - 19. "Smith will never sniff this or that"......I'd bet my house one year ago you would have said "Smith will never sniff a playoff win". Probably also "Kevin Kolb is X times better than Smith".

I mean, its always you same guys making the same exaggerated criticisms and same exaggerated praise of all other alternatives.

Manning hasn't had a defense - other than a great pass rush - for most of his career. He hasn't had a run game since 2001. We've got both.

And you're right, it is always the same guys making the same exaggerated criticisms and same exaggerated praise. Praise of Smith and criticisms of everything else. And just for the record, I have been one of Smith's bigger supporters throughout his career.

Let me ask this: if we had a chance to go out and get Andre Johnson for, say, half again what we pay Crabtree, how many of those defending Smith right now would jump at the chance? And if that's the case, how does that differ from Manning vs. Smith?