There is something uncomfortable when a player synonymous with one franchise changes teams. Nobody could picture Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves as a Chicago Cub. The thought of Paul Pierce as anything other than a Boston Celtic is just wrong. And not one person who watches the Yankees could picture Derek Jeter wearing anything other than pinstripes.
When a long time player changes teams, it's kind of like when you run into someone you graduated high school with. Sure the dinner to catch up is nice, but seeing them outside of the environment you remember them in is just weird. And Manning wore Colts blue and white as well as anybody wore a uniform. Seeing him calling 10,000 audibles at the line of scrimmage for a different team is going to be slightly awkward the first time it happens.
Still, the world of sports is a business. Men who make more money in a season than most of us will ever see in our entire lives are responsible for choosing their gladiators wisely. Otherwise the masses will not be appeased, and heads will roll.
John Elway the vice president of football operations will now be known for more than dealing with a quarterback he despised. Elway will be known for helping to bring a quarterback arguably greater than himself to the Broncos. Even though the Broncos don't have Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, or Tennessee's Chris Johnson, or Brandon Mar.... (oops neither do the Dolphins), Elway and co convinced one of the best ever to come to Colorado.
Sure spending 96 million dollars for a quarterback who just came off of four neck surgeries and planning on keeping that same man until he is 40 is risky. But Broncos brass should not and will not be blamed for going after Manning. Even at the cost of one of the most polarizing athlete in sports today.
Even the most devout Tim Tebow lovers can not argue the move from a football standpoint. Peyton Manning is already in the top ten in virtually every passing statistic (3rd in passing yards, 3rd in touchdown passes, and 5th in completion percentage to name a few). Tim Tebow is nowhere near that plateau. Manning knows what defensive players are going to do before they do, Tebow does not.
Tebow plays quarterback like a bumbling intern of medicine. Manning has a hospital named after him in Indianapolis.
The final chapter of Manning's career may be spent in a different horseshoe, but it ultimately will not tarnish his legacy in the slightest. Manning will be remembered for the Superbowl he brought to Indianapolis, not some huge contract he signed with Denver.
Manning may run with different horses now, but he will be a Colt through the end of days. For 14 years Manning brought countless good memories to Colts fans, and brass alike. Not many franchises can say that they have been without a quarterback controversy for more than a decade. There was never a question about Manning using performance enhancing drugs. Manning never had any dirty laundry aired out for the world to see. Manning was the definition of a professional in Indianapolis, and he will forever be remembered as a colt.
Fans, media, Elway, Tebow, everyone who watches football will still get to see Peyton Manning play. The uniform will be different, but the player and person remains the same. And Manning will stay the same, right up until he signs that one day contract to retire an Indianapolis Colt.
