In case you've been recovering from too many Whip-Its the last few two days, Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay have kind of been acting like idiots, using the Indianapolis Star's Bob Kravitz as a carrier pigeon to toss public pot shots at one another. Today, both men did what they should have done in the first place: Talked face-to-face and then issued a joint statement through the team's website.
JOINT STATEMENT FROM PEYTON MANNING AND JIM IRSAY*We would like to dispel any misperception that there might be any hard feelings between us.
Since 1998, we have enjoyed a great relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust. We have always been able to talk and address matters we’ve faced over the years, not just as owner and player, but as friends. We had a long talk today and we want to assure Colts fans everywhere that we are both committed to maintaining our close relationship and to working together through any challenges the future may bring.
Just an observation guys: If you have a relationship based on mutual respect and trust, you don't need to communicate to each other through Bob friggin Kravitz. Glad you've talked the issues out, but come on. If I wanted this kind of drama, I'd start rooting for the Jets.
And here you thought you'd be sparred the insane ramblings of a once great NFL executive:
NEW YORK – January 27, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that former Indianapolis Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian has joined SiriusXM NFL Radio, the only radio channel dedicated to the NFL 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.Polian will make his debut on Monday, January 30, on Late Hits (8:00 – 11:00 pm ET). He’ll host the show again on Wednesday, February 1, and Friday, February 3, and will be heard regularly on the channel throughout the year. SiriusXM NFL Radio is available to listeners nationwide on channel 88 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as "The Best of Sirius").
I'm actually a little surprised ESPN wasn't able to snatch-up Polian and have him do football commentary the way they use noted gasbag Bob Knight for their college basketball coverage. Like Knight, Polian has a brilliant sports mind and offers occasional nuggets of wisdom about the game he was so closely associated with for decades.
Also like Knight, Polian is batsh*t nuts, thinks way too highly of himself, and treated people who worked and played for him like urinal cakes.
In case you are wondering, no. I will not to be tuning into this show and transcribing every little thing that dribbles out of Bill Polian's mouth. While it was certainly entertaining to listen to ole Bill routinely make an idiot out of himself, and then laughably try to thwart our efforts to transcribe what he said to a larger audience, I'm just not up to it anymore. Let someone else do that sh*t.
Now that the Colts have found their man to lead the newest phase of the 'shoe, we can expect the defense to receive a significant makeover.
Chuck Pagano's vision for the Colts defense is far from crystal clear, but he certainly seemed to be excited about the opportunity to work with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (if he re-signs) in 2012.
On Thursday, Pagano gave both of the Colts defensive ends a ringing endorsement:
"I was talking to Mr. Irsay, if Wade Phillips can go to the Houston Texans and install the 3-4 with no offseason and make Mario Williams an outside linebacker and stand him up on early downs, that the two explosive, great athletes, the great pass rushers that we have on the edge here, I don’t see an issue."
Does this mean we can expect Freeney/Mathis to flirt with a role similar to Mario Williams? Maybe. It's exciting to think about, at the very least. I've always pondered about the damage Mathis and Freeney could do if they were utilized properly in a hybrid scheme. Heck, if Jerry Hughes sticks around, maybe we'll even see Pagano get some worth out of him in the Joker role.
In addition to Pagano's comments, Mathis was clearly excited when he learned that the former defensive coordinator would be interviewing for the then vacant head coaching job.
Ravens coach Pagano interviews for Colts job.....
— Robert Mathis (@RobertMathis98) January 24, 2012#iDIGG!!!
Ravens coach Pagano interviews for Colts job.....
— Robert Mathis (@RobertMathis98) January 24, 2012#iDIGG!!!
Now that the Colts now have their new General Manager, and their new Head Coach, it's time to transition fully into draft mode. What better way to do that then with the annual Senior Bowl, which is Saturday afternoon at 4:00 ET on the NFL Network. It's the premiere draft-prep game for seniors to make an impression on actual NFL coaches and scouts, playing against one another. A good number of top prospects will be there, and if you're into the draft even a little bit, you should make a point of watching Saturday afternoon.
The Colts obviously have a boat-load of holes to fill going into 2012, so there are a lot of positions to watch Saturday. In fact, when I sat down to start going through players to watch, I had 61 guys. That's a few too many, but when there are seven positions that I think the Colts will target (not including QB), it's a lot of guys. I narrowed that list down to 25 players that I think we as Colts fans should keep our eye on, and a set of 7 that I feel will definitely be looked at by the Colts.
The positions I initially pulled, in no particular order, are C, OG, WR, DT/NT, DE, OLB, CB, SS. There may be more once we learn about Coordinators, what kinds of schemes they'll run, etc. There's also the uncertainty of several big-name free agents that we don't know about right now, but we will know about before the draft. I made the list broad, with the assumption it'll probably shrink as we get close to the draft.
After the jump I have a table of all guys to take a look at, as well as a quick blurb on the top guys for the Colts, at least in my opinion...
Ugh.
On a day that we should be celebrating our new head coach and the fire and passion he will be bringing to this town, all of that gets pushed to the side for a storm that is brewing more furiously than ever.
Peyton Manning isn't happy and now Jim Irsay isn't happy.
After new head coach Chuck Pagano delivered an uplifting, confident, and lighthearted introductory presser, Irsay spoke with the local media and took the floor to air out some grievances of his own. While trying to remain diplomatic and respectful of his family-like relationship with Manning, Irsay didn't hesitate to take some shots (subtle or not) at his likely former franchise quarterback.
Irsay began with an "all due respect" styled approach. You know what that means...
"Look, I have so much affection and appreciation for Peyton," Irsay said. "We’re family, you know, we always will be and we are."
But...? There's always a but and sure enough, Irsay delivered. He referred to Manning as a "politician" and stated that he is "campaigning". He also started to get a little more blunt with his words:
"I don’t think it’s in a good interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don’t," Irsay said. "He’s such a big part of that and everything else, but the horseshoe always comes first.
"I think one thing that he’s always known, because he’s been around it so long, is you keep it in the family. If you’ve got a problem, you talk to each other. It’s not about campaigning or anything like that."
Irsay then went as far as to discredit the picture Manning painted in his interview with Bob Kravitz, a picture that not surprisingly revealed the Colts facilities in a very depressing light, due to the firings that are obviously personally heart-wrenching for Manning.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 48 hours, you’ve probably come to the realization that Peyton Manning is not a very happy camper. Manning’s candid, but depressing perspective from Bob Kravitz really hit home for a lot of fans.
The new era in Indianapolis is definitely more than just some firings.
Like with Kravitz, Manning’s somber attitude and frustration carried over to another Monday interview with Judy Battista of The New York Times.
While reflecting on his little brother’s stellar 2011 campaign, Peyton compared his connection with Tom Moore to that of Eli and Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. He made it clear that Moore had no business in being banished from the team.
"There’s a reason Eli and Gilbride have been together for so long, because Gilbride has called good plays and Eli has played well. Me and Tom Moore earned the right to stay together. It’s a compliment to Eli and Gilbride. If you call good plays and it’s working, they shouldn’t want to fire you."
My translation: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Oh, and the Polians effed up.
Now with the Polians replaced, Manning has seen every other connection to his past given their walking papers, with the exclusion of Clyde Christensen. The fact that Christensen remains with the team is strange, yet a decent sign for Manning. It’s possible – unless he's been granted some protective order of his job for Manning – that Chuck Pagano will ultimately do away with the coordinator for his own choice though.
Chuck Pagano is the main man in blue... Is the Peyton Manning divorce inevitable?... Chuck likes to run... and Bill Polian still loves #18...
FROM THE SADDLE (official team news)
GREEN APPLES AND ROAD APPLES (media analysis)
The Colts hiring Chuck Pagano seems to be viewed as a positive not just by fans but by current Colts players as well. When the rumors hit the web earlier this week that Pagano would get an interview with the Colts, Robert Mathis tweeteed:
Ravens coach Pagano interviews for Colts job..... #iDIGG!!!
— ROBERT MATHIS (@RobertMathis98) January 24, 2012
Now that it's official that Pagano will become the new coach in Indy, that might increase the chances of the Colts re-signing Mathis this offseason.
Colts receiver Pierre Garcon also seems to be high on Pagano, using Facebook to express his feelings on the hiring while, at the same time, weighing in on the future of Peyton Manning:
Garcon hit the point home by posting a picture of the team's 2006 Super Bowl ring... a ring he himself didn't earn because he was not on the Colts roster in 2006. But, whatever. We get his point.
Garcon may want the Colts to keep Manning, but Manning might not want to stay. In recent interviews with Bob Kravitz and Judy Battista of the NY Times, Peyton has described the Colts organization in less-than-flattering terms. It seems obvious that the P.R. power game has begun, and that Manning's tenure in Indianapolis is quickly drawing to a close.
