It has been a dark season in Indianapolis with the noticeable absence of Peyton Manning and everyone is asking themselves the all important questions, will he be fit to play next season? If so, will he still be playing for the Colts?
Peyton Manning is no doubt a future hall of famer, with his stats speaking for themselves. As the league's only four time MVP Manning has achieved many great things in his career, including ranking 3rd on the lists of all time completions (64.9), passing yards (54,828) and touchdowns (399), trailing only to Dan Marino and Brett Favre. No doubt had the events of this season not happened, it is likely Manning would have gone on to surpass Marino's 21 touchdown lead, which would have brought him much closer to Favre's impressive 508 passing touchdowns.
The future for Manning however is unknown as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation for his neck following a series of operations within 18months, all aimed at fixing nerve damage within the players neck and shoulder. After being sidelined due to this injury and it's recovery period, it is unknown exactly how long it will be before Manning is fully healed, or if he will be back to full playing strength. However should Manning be fit to play next season his future with the Colts has not yet been confirmed.
When it comes to the topic of Manning's future, there are many rumours circulating and with teams such as the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets both expressing a keen interest in the quarterback providing he is fit to play next season, everyone is wondering what lies in store for the legend. With both teams looking prepared to pursue him aggressively should he become available, Irsay has a tough decision to make in regards to the future of Manning. With the 35 year olds recent neck injury highlighting that the star isn't indestructible the risk of reinjuring his neck needs to be considered, the owner has to ask himself if he can afford to keep Manning and pursue Andrew Luck.
"Suck for Luck" became the phrase used this year by the fans of this seasons poorly performing teams such as Indianapolis, Minnesota and Miami; all of which are on the lookout for a franchise quarterback. The term was referring to quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford who prior to this season was labelled "the next Manning", and was seen as being the potential upside for the team that came bottom of the league this season, and therefore will hold the first draft pick. Many Colts fans were even seen prematurely sporting jersey's with Luck's name on it early on in the season, when it was questioned whether Manning would ever return.
However NFL.com's latest headline on the matter reported today stating that Manning told the Indianapolis Star this week "I don't want to get into some kind of fan campaign with the owner (Jim Irsay), but i think it's well documented that I want to play in the same place my whole career". This teamed with Archie Manning's previous statement "Peyton kind of likes his roots in Indy" hinting the fact that Peyton wants to stay with the Colts, could look promising for Colts fans should his neck fully heal.
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