There has been much talk over the last month about the situation with Peyton Manning and his status with the Indianapolis Colts for the 2012 season and beyond. I’m not going to get into any of the speculation at this point of whether or not Peyton will be playing for the Colts in 2012 or ever again because there’s been much too much of that going on in the media this past few months as we near the March 8th deadline for his roster bonus.
What I’d like to touch on is the fact that for those of us True Blue fans out here, Peyton will forever be a Colt. Even if he never again sets foot on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium in his blue and white #18 jersey that’s how he’ll always been seen by the fans. If the Colts release him and he signs with another team, he’ll always remain a Colt in the hearts and minds of us true fans!
I think of the greats such as Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and I am reminded that they too had to leave their teams in the twilight of their careers but how do we think of them? Unitas was a Baltimore Colt (even he played for the Chargers at the end of his career), Montana was a 49er (even though he was traded to the Chiefs at the end of his career), Rice was a 49er (he played with the Raiders and Seahawks at the end of his career). Few people remember the “other” teams that these players played for at the end of their careers. Likewise it will be with Peyton not only for the great things he has done on the field in Indianapolis but also for the great things he has done off of the field and for what he has meant to the city of Indianapolis.
Unfortunately this may be the year that we are forced to say goodbye to one of the all time greats of the game and if we do, it will be much too soon for many of us. However, we must remember that we have been blessed with an organization such as the Colts that has integrity and has players such as Peyton Manning who is not always getting in trouble and bring undo attention to themselves in the media (such as the likes of Tom Brady/Ben Rothlisberger with some of their “extra-curricular” exploits or players such as Terrell Owens or even coaches with the lack of class that Bellicheck shows). Our team has been built with players that can be role models such as Manning, Freeney, Hunter Smith, Reggie Wayne, etc that give so much back to the community (and so many more that I cannot name right now).