On Thursday morning, once we caught wind of Reggie Wayne’s inflammatory comments about the Colts’ decision to sign quarterback Kerry Collins, I went straight to the Indianapolis Star for the exact quotes.
The only problem? The Star left out the best stuff (or, from the Colts’ perspective, the worst stuff).
Last night, the Star offered up more quotes from Wayne, again omitting the best (worst) stuff from Wednesday. Philip B. Wilson of the Star led off his column by applauding Wayne for supporting teammate Curtis Painter, even as Wayne tossed new teammate Kerry Collins under the same bus where the offensive line was pitched by Peyton Manning after that 2005 division-round playoff loss to the Steelers.
And then Wilson offered up an intriguing theory/explanation/excuse for Wayne’s outburst. Wilson thinks Wayne said what he said in order to get Peyton Manning even more motivated to return to the field by Week One.
The possibility of the Colts bringing in Brett Favre was mentioned. Said Wayne, “Brett Favre . . . I feel the same way about Kerry Collins walking in this door, that’s going to push Peyton even more to want to play, you know what I’m saying? That’s just what it is. I got nothing against T.O. or whatever receiver is out there, you bring them in here, I guarantee my game is going up some more.”
The idea makes some sense, even if the ability of sheer will to speed the regeneration of nerves remains medically unproven. That said, Wayne’s decision to trash Kerry Collins seems to be unrelated to the motivation that Collins’ presence will provide to Manning.
And the Star seems to be going out of its way to prevent Wayne’s remarks from causing any trouble for the home team.
Our own theory is slightly more simple. Wayne hasn’t been happy with his contract for well over a year, and the team has done nothing to address his concerns. Thus, on the rare occasion (for the Colts) when a potentially controversial team-related topic lands in Wayne’s lap and he can choose to toe the presumptive party line or say whatever he wants no matter the mess it may cause, a guy who thinks the team isn’t treating him right naturally will gravitate toward the latter.
At least the Colts still have a local media that is all too happy to grab a mop.