Manning Era is Over

Word out of Indianapolis is that the Colts are moving ahead with plans to cut Manning by the Wednesday deadline for his 28 million dollar roster bonus.  Personally, I think that cutting Manning is the best decision that the Colts can make. I know that it can be hard for fans to watch a superstar player, the face of a franchise, walk away. San Diego fans saw that happen just a few seasons ago when LT left. As great as Manning has been for the Colts, it is time to move on. He gave them everything he had;  no doubt about that. The problem is the Colts have far too many holes to address on this team to keep Manning. As we saw with this team, when Manning was healthy, they were always a good team, regardless of talent at other positions (exceptions to guys like Freeney, Mathis, Clark). Without Manning, they, to put it lightly, fell apart. There are deficiencies at basically every position. For the future of this team, it is in their best interest to invest that money into a new system and focus on building a contender again. If Manning is fully recovered, keeping him would only hinder that progress. Yes, they could have Andrew Luck waiting in the wings. If Manning leads this team as he has in the past, that will put them at a lower draft position. Even if Indy just uses high picks (as long as their scouting is good), they will have a chance to rebuild quickly. If they trade down, they could also stockpile picks. Either way, Manning is done in Indy. He has produced at a high level and will be a first ballot HOF for sure. Maybe now the Chargers can fix that awful draft decision about some Leaf guy (only kidding). Whatever team gets Manning will certainly have a lot of hype. If he can play, watch out. He may just take an afterthought team to the playoffs.