Is Ben Roethlisberger clutch? Kyle Rodriguez looks at the question, starting with a simple look at playoff performances. 

Indiana is a simple place, really. You can size it up quickly. There's no complicated topography. There're some hills in the south and some lakes in the north, but for the most part, what you see is what you get. It's flat.

Flat can be deceiving.

Flat makes distance hard to judge. Objects are always further away than they appear. Nothing sneaks up on you in Indiana. You have a feel for that water tower a mile or so before you get to it. Of course, you can't read the graffiti until you get up close.

Hoosiers are like so many water towers. You see them; you size them up, but don't expect to read them from afar.

The Indianapolis Colts have fans from all walks of life, from different generations, who have different motivations. Prior to Peyton Manning's move to the "Hoosier State," a few things were true about the NFL fanbase in Central Indiana.

First, Colts fans were used to disappointment. Even the prospect of playoff appearances or a chance to advance in the post-season was cause for extreme celebration. Second, there was no extended period of stability amongst the franchise in the front office or on the field. Philosophies changed often to suit an ever-changing player dynamic and no identity ever really took form -- at least until Jim Harbaugh stepped in and helped create the "Cardiac Colts" moniker for his late-game heroics. Third, fans were loyal to the Colts as a whole, to the team's impact on the city, and to the team's successes and failures as a professional football franchise. There was not a delineation between being a fan of a "player" over a fan of the "team."

Once Bill Polian and Peyton Manning arrived in 1998, that all changed. A superstar was born that transcended even his own team amongst NFL followers. Fans for every NFL team likely include a group of Manning fans. Even some Colts fans are really fans BECAUSE of and FOR Manning over the franchise itself.

Once upon a lifetime ago, I was in seminary.

Seminary and I didn't get along so well. I had a handful of truly life changing classes taught by some remarkable men. I also had a few classes that killed my soul.

One in particular required me to color code the Koine Greek texts of the Gospels. The idea was to help crystallize a theory of text criticism that would eventually help us do something or other. To be honest, it was hell. I'm not sure if I mean that ironically or not.

I resented being forced to endure long lectures about text criticism that did nothing to help me explain, learn from, or enjoy the text. Still, part of being 'a professional' (that's a topic for another day, let me tell you), was knowing and understanding things that were inherently boring and only distantly useful.

This is not an essay about seminary.

Something doesn't add up. Frankly, a LOT has not added up for weeks, and perhaps I continue to be in denial that Colts' QB Peyton Manning will likely be released within the next 2 weeks. But the latest news is among the strangest.

It's Friday, and you know what that means: time for another installment of The Horseshoe Diaries! This week we're treated to a touching story from Caleb. No 'lead in' I write would do it justice, so let's go straight to it.

It has been an offseason of high drama and constant change for the Colts. Nearly every day, the team has been in the national headlines, typically because of some hint of a rumor that Peyton Manning tossed his car keys to his wife "with good velocity", or because Jim Irsay tweeted, "Sad, but true, do what you gotta do. Scooby Scooby do."

Kyle Rodriguez continues to evaluate clutch quarterbacks, concluding his examination of Eli Manning. 

First off, apologies for my lack of content over the past couple of weeks, I've been extremely busy. Anyway. I've decided to continue the Five Plays series in the current period, with a switch in focus towards potential cap casualties. The players under scrutiny at this point in time for salary related reasons are some of the most crucial players in our recent period of success - namely, Peyton Manning; Dallas Clark and Dwight Freeney. I've decided to do Peyton first, because he's more significant to the team and the decision will impact the franchise for several years.

The facts with Peyton are as follows:

• The Colts owe Peyton a $28m option bonus, due on March 8th. His potential base salary for next year is $7.4m.

• We in the public domain still have little other than hearsay in terms of knowledge about his current injury status, which confuses the waters.

• Manning and Jim Irsay have been engaged in a very public battle for the hearts and minds of Colts fans, leading to questions about whether he'd want to return or potentially negotiate a new contract for a more favourable cap scenario.

My plays today will be little more than a reminiscent whistlestop tour of Manning's greatness. We're all well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and so while I'll point out my observations, don't expect anything groundbreaking. And on that note, we begin..

Kyle Rodriguez moves to Eli Manning in his continuing evaluation of clutch quarterback play.