If one of your businesses were about to be taken from you for practically pennies on the dollar by the State government, wouldn’t you do all you can to protect your investments? Moving was Irsay’s only option. So please stop bringing it up because every one of you would have done the same.

“Selfishness” implies that Manning had some sort of obligation to play for the team that drafted him; there was no such obligation. He simply wanted to exercise the freedom that most of us have to one extent or another, that of choosing his employer. I don’t have a problem with that. And I’m not sure where a “lack of modesty” came into play, either.

adantsa says:Feb 22, 2012 8:49 AM

I am not a Colts fan, but I hope he does not pull an Eli. The selfishness and lack of modesty from the move Eli pulled (I was not alive when Elway did it) will stick with me, and hes still one of my least favorite players.
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I thought he was a punk at first also, but take a look at how many players have had issues with that idiot Smith as the GM. The Mannings have a lot of connections throughout the NFL and undoubtedly knew of a problem when they asked around. He was drafted a season after John Butler had died. That situation may have been quite different had Butler still been in charge.

O.K., say the powers that be adopt the rule that you propose. An invitee promises to participate in all of the activities, but when the time comes, he begs off, claiming a “twinge” in his shoulder or a “tweaked” hamstring. What then? The bottom line is that there’s no way to force these guys to work out.

And if you try to do so, guys who are guarranteed to be top picks just won’t go and will wait ’til their respective pro days to work out. That’s not what the teams want. They at least want to interview the guys and weigh and measure them at the combine. Your suggested solution sounds good, but it’s unworkable.

I don’t know what, if anything, you do for a living. But imagine that you went to school or into training for whatever profession you chose, came out at the top of your class, outshining everyone else, and you reward for that was not getting to pick where you worked.

Meanwhile, others in your class who were far inferior to you and not nearly as accomplished, got to pick the company they worked for based upon where they thought they had the best chance to succeed.

Sound fair? Listen, I understand that these guys go into this with their eyes wide open and know that this is the life they have chosen and the draft is part of that.

But unlike you, I don’t resent people who rebel against conformity. Systems are designed to be worked. If you can work it, more power to you.

Don’t be a lemming.

Either you do all the drills, or some other guy should get the invite.

On the one hand he is a power guy with a howitzer for an arm.

On the other hand he needs work on his outside throws.

If you are going to talk up a client, you need to go back to PR school.

Oh, but it is to the rest of us who remember the elder Mr. Irsay sneaking his office furniture out of Baltimore in the dark of the night.

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I find it fascinating that people forget the Maryland passed legislation that could potentially make the team State Property at midnight.

If the state says “I’m going to take control of your business tomorrow morning” who among us wouldn’t move tonight?

Years later we learned that there was never any competition at all but that the Colts created the appearance of competition for a couple of reasons.

1) to create uncertainty for the other teams so they had to expend energy researching various options

2) to lower the salary demands of Manning.

If Luck were to throw and he is as impressive as everyone says he will be than it will be (even more) obvious he will be the #1 and his salary demands (or in this day and age guarantee money demands) will be higher.

If Luck does not throw the Colts can still claim to be deciding between the two quarterbacks.

Luck throwing smells like Peyton Manning advice to this long time Colts observer.

Oh, but it is to the rest of us who remember the elder Mr. Irsay sneaking his office furniture out of Baltimore in the dark of the night.