Kravitz: Don't blame Irsay or Manning
Bob Kravitz says that although it appears Peyton Manning's time in Indianapolis is over placing blame on either owner Jim Irsay or the future Hall of Famer would be inappropriate. In fact when it's all over very little will have changed between the two:
Surely, the relationship between Irsay and Manning has taken a hit and been strained. Manning had some issues with the way Irsay handled his business in recent months. Irsay was upset with some of the things Manning said to me in a story in The Star and was flabbergasted by the recent Manning-throwing video.
In the end, though, the relationship will endure and re-strengthen once the divorce proceedings are complete. These two men have done too many remarkable things together, taken too fantastic a journey, for it all to fall apart now. When the two profess their love and admiration for one another this afternoon, do not cynically dismiss it as a bunch of empty happy talk. It is real. It is very real.
Once you get past the nostalgia and wistfulness today's presser will surely bring there are few parties that share in the blame including both Manning and Irsay. You can make the case that Bill Polian's decision to not have a veteran or reliable QB on the roster behind Manning is to blame. You can blame Jim Caldwell for not winning more games in 2012. You can blame Gregg Williams and his ruthless bounty system. You can even blame Tony Dungy for retiring when we all felt he had gas in the tank. It's all pointless and in some cases misplaced blame however: the cold reality is that this is a business decision and nothing more.
This has little to do with emotion and much to do with finances and the perceived best interests of the team. Peyton Manning will be appreciated, lionized and possibly even hated should his post-Colts career take a Brett Favre dramatic turn. He'll be knighted in some circles, reviled in others. None of that changes the fact that Jim Irsay felt that paying $28 million for a thirty-six year old quarterback who is recovering from four neck procedures in nineteen months was not in the best interest of the team. Emotions will be high but the bottom line is that this decision was all about the bottom line.
Perhaps the realization that this is strictly a business decision is the most disheartening part of this long saga.
Yeah, whats disheartening is seing 12 teams or whatever who are interested in OUR QB...cept hes nto anymroe thanks to idiot irsay and clowns like Kravitz who frequently abuses his power of the pen
1 Like
Taking everyone at their word in today's conference, I think Irsay is putting way too much stock in Andrew Luck. Unless Peyton is a really terrific actor, I think he was willing to sign a new contract that reflected the uncertainty of his recovery. I'd have taken him up on that and probably traded the Luck pick, or maybe drafted him as an insurance policy that could be traded later if Peyton was fully healthy.
I understand other owners have made similar decisions - dropping Montana for Young or Favre for Rodgers. But both of those replacements had spent several years on the roster and the teams had plenty of time to evaluate them. Luck is a rookie. Rookie QBs often don't turn out as well as advertised. Lots of top 5 picks end up as complete busts, many become solid players, but very few become superstars. I think three QBs taken in the top 5 picks over the last 30 years warrant that title: Elway, Aikman & Manning. Hopefully Luck will be the fourth, but giving up two or three years of Manning to make room for any of the others would have been a major mistake.
Also our O-line is terrible. Peyton was used to it due to his HOF credentials and decade plus of NFL expereince.
Luck has none of that
2 Like
I've never actually lit a bag of shit on fire and left it on someones doorstep after ringing the doorbell. I have a feeling that if I lived near Bob, I wouldn't be able to say that.
@18to88 - How about paying more than 18 wanted and more than they could afford to give him and remain competitive. Blame there fore sure.
1 Like
Kravitz is a typical media type - overly critical with no self-awareness to admit when you're wrong. For years all he's done is bad mouth Manning and the Colts and now that the era has passed, he never looks back and see how skewed and ridiculous his opinions and comments are/were. Writers who do nothing but second-guess in order to have something to write about are worthless.
Agreed, I despise kravtiz. if you have read his articles over the years he has been nothing but a Manning hater...
3 Like
Fuck Bob Kravtiz. Fuck him right in the ear. He helps start this shitstorm by leading the charge to railroad Bill Polian out of town, and now he's all misty-eyed and he doesn't want us to blame anyone? Fuck you, Bob. I blame you.
Sorry for the language but if any day ever demanded profanity, it's today.
1 Like
@squirrel I couldn't agree more. Ironic... that Wormtongue Kravitz the epitomy of EVERY thing that is wrong in Sports Journalism today will still have a job in Indy. And the person that was the best at his craft for the last 14 years, will not.
