I would like to take this opportunity to say letting Manning go was one of the worst moves I've seen in all of pro sports...

they reach post season with luck who is 55% the QB Manning is, even broken Manning is invaluable as a mentor

but this, the main reason you keep Manning?

is so the OPPONENTS don't have him...

Broncos reaching the bowl? 85% chance

the broncs/ravens game isn't over 1:25 to go 4th

that is all...

Tied-up with 30 seconds to go...

What a good game.

Flacco holds on the ball too long. Looked like a deer in the headlights on that last 3rd down play in OT.

Peyton is soo good even the Ravens catch his passes

Manning looked absolutely awesome today. He's like Elway now. A loser as a Bronco when the game is all on him. Elway could only win with one of the most dominant running backs of our generation. Now Manning is in Denver and totally blows it with INT's AT HOME as the #1 seed with the chance to go play in his hometown for the Superbowl. HAHAHAHAHAHAA. Screw the Donkeys. I still hate them. I don't care if we are out of the AFC West. I hate the Broncos more than any other team in football and it fills my heart with cheer to see them choke on it AT HOME!!!! WOOOOOOT WOOOOOT!!!!

Elway for GM of the year. He sure built a great team there. Signed one guy and played in a weak assed division.

Lesson learned today: never pick Manning to win in cold weather.

Did DVOA say Ravens would win?

That's a lot of cash to keep one player away from your opponent. Manning was due close to $28 million had he stayed.

It was smart business AND football to move on.

That TD the Ravens got to go to overtime is why they lost. The Broncos not even trying to score with 2 TO, the ball, and 30 seconds to win at the end of regulation, was a confidence neutering move. Media had better roast Fox tomorrow.

Fox is a knucklehead. He proved that in Carolina. He comes in and rallies the troops for a few. He's Steve Spagnuolo part 1. Spags had the same gig in New York and was the same type of head coach.

That had to be a hard decision for Indy, but I think they made the right one. I know we're supposed to pretend that Luck is horrible on these boards, but drafting him sets them up for a long time.

I agree with Rat. Indy did the right thing and selected the right QB

$20+ million for a guy one throw from a career ender is not a wise move. You have to move on. If he had restructured, then sure... you do it and draft Luck and if he doesn't work then you cut him and start your rookie, but Luck was about as ready to play as anybody, so no sense in messing around with it.

I've had that neck surgery. It's brutal. I've had 2 for the same things he has had 4 surgeries for. He's a battler, but what he has is the same thing that ended Mack Strong's career. It's very risky. He is bolted up tight (just like me) and isn't in danger of paralysis more than anybody else. But your arm does get tired. I saw him REALLY pushing hard on some of those sideline routes tonight.

I know I'm no Peyton, but I could throw further after my surgery than before. Those bones are small, and you don't lose a ton of motion. The one thing I noticed (and believe me... I threw a lot, probably a hundred balls a day which is a lot for a layman). I had better distance and little discomfort (where before I could barely lift my arms). But I realized that I got tired a bit quicker and started to lose velocity and distance and really had to adjust. Then the next day was an SOB because it hurt so incredibly bad. Then 2 days later... you're fine again and off you go. So I know that he will be able to continue to play. If I with all of my malladies can still throw a ball then you better believe the best-armed QB of this generation will be fine, but the Colts had to move forward and rightfully so. I see it as very similar to the situation in Green Bay with Favre. It was just time to move on.

$28m when you don't know if the guy will ever play again and you own the #1 pick when the best two QB's to enter the league in years are set to go 1-2.

They made the only call they could make.

Rat wrote:That had to be a hard decision for Indy, but I think they made the right one. I know we're supposed to pretend that Luck is horrible on these boards, but drafting him sets them up for a long time.

Who says Luck is bad? Everyone's saying that he's not Rookie of the Year. Those are two completely different things. Most of us appreciate that he'll be a very good QB for a very long time, but this year, he was a turnover machine. It happens to a rookie who tries to do too much.

Luck is everything Manning was as a rookie and then some. Plus he's got a much better cast to start with. He'll win a Superbowl quicker than Peyton did at this rate.