Fuck Manning.

Succinct.

Let me elaborate.

Manning picked the worst possible option. And he screwed half a dozen other NFL teams by taking so long to decide.

Manning was cut well before free agency started. He knew then the Broncos wanted him. He knew then what his options were. He dragged his feet for weeks while his potential suitors were stuck in free-agency limbo, not certain whether they could afford to sign players or not. This, ultimately, screws everyone, even the team he eventually signed with.

Manning had the option of playing for the following teams:

1. Tennessee - Where his wife is from, where he played college ball, where Bud Adams basically wanted to give him a job for life, part ownership of the franchise, everything. The Titans roster is not that bad; he'd have a solid RB and a decent OL (especially since the Hutchinson signing). I can't figure why he'd prefer Denver over TN.
2. Arizona - He'd have warm weather, a dome, a stud defense, the best WR in football, and an outstanding coaching staff that is stable and well-established. Eleven games indoors next year. A relatively easy divisional schedule. Again, Denver seems a weak alternative.
3. Miami - Warm weather, new ownership, weak division. I honestly think he was afraid to face Brady here.
4. Washington - The Redskins wisely stopped chasing Manning early, and will be better in the long run for it. My guess is he didn't want to be in Eli's division.
5. San Francisco - A late entry that made no sense. There's no way Harbaugh gets along with Manning as his QB. Manning expects to run his own offense. Harbaugh isn't the right coach for him. Now the Niners might lose Smith to Miami.

Manning is 36 years old and wants something like $20 million a year. He hasn't played for a year and a half. He's a big risk. Elway is taking this risk because this is the only way the Bronco fan base will forgive him for discarding Tim Tebow.



If Jacksonville is smart, they call Denver and offer a 3rd round pick for Tebow. The Broncos won't get better than that. Tebow goes back to Florida, and makes the Jaguars interesting for the first time in a decade.



Denver had better draft a solid backup. And if the Manning gamble fails, expect the Bronco faithful to turn on Elway in an ugly way.

This is one of the best offseasons for a Giants fan possible.

- Redskins trade Rams for RG3 (cmon, that's pretty much what it is). Even though I think RG3 is going to be a fantastic QB and will be a thorn in the side for years in the NFCE, it will take a few years to develop and without those 1st rounders in 2013 and 2014, it will prolong things. Opens the window for the Giants to take advantage in the immediate future. Plus, I kinda felt sorry for the Skins not having a franchise QB.

- Redskins and Cowboys salary cap punishment. Though their is a decent chance that these penalties will be lowered or even overturned, it still helps the Giants since we gain additional cap that we need badly due to having an expensive roster and it hurts our rivals.

- Saints Bountygate. Fines, suspensions, loss of draft picks. This punishment is going to be much bigger than what happened to the Patriots and it could also cause potential drama for the Saints this year that might cause them to crash. Also, just shut up Brees. We know you knew and you're just trying to save your own ass. Keep quiet.

- Redskins sign Pierre Garcon for 4 year, $30 million dollar deal. Seriously? That is a ton of money for a dude who hasn't done jack squat. This draft is WR deep and even without your 2nd, you still could of picked up someone good later on and used this elsewhere. Like maybe getting Carl Nicks?

As for Peyton...

I'd say Miami was worse than Denver due to the fact Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross are fucking looney tunes. Sure, you have the great weather and environment but there's other options for that. The only attractive option in Miami was having Jake Long at Left Tackle.

Also, I think part of the reason he didn't choose the Cardinals was that deep down inside, he's afraid of getting reinjured. Facing that 49ers defense twice a year with Justin and Aldon Smith pass rushing him has to be intimidating. ESPECIALLY with the Cardinals having Levi Brown as their LT.

While he took a bit longer than a professional of his stature should of, he had all the freedom in the world to explore his many options and meet with these teams. On the other hand, something tells me Peyton enjoyed the courtship and private jet rides experience of the whole ordeal. He was wanted badly and it made him feel great.

They do have a better offense than what the Broncos have at the moment. The only thing I can think of is that Elway has experience in what Peyton is now seeking: Superbowls in his twilight years.

Levi Brown. SF defense. NFC. That's my guess on why he wouldn't want to go there.

Afraid of Patriots and the Dolphins FO and ownership are whack a doodles.

You already nailed it on the head.

He would of never fit in with that locker room. They operated like a Flight from Basic Training essentially. Everyone is one cohesive unit and no one is bigger than anyone. Peyton would of disrupted that.

Tebow was never really his guy since McDaniels drafted him. He also has this thing for being one of the most controversial players to come into the NFL for years and quite frankly, I think it was too intimidating for Elway to handle and Peyton gives him the perfect excuse to move on from it.

I think we might end up seeing the Broncos trade Tebow to the Jags for Blaine Gabbert and a 4th or 5th round pick. The Jaguars get their hometown hero and messiah. The Broncos get a younger and more traditional QB to sit behind Peyton for a few years.

Betting the ranch for RG3 is a desperation move by Shanahan.

Then again, Washington hasn't drafted a "franchise" QB since Heath Shuler. Let's hope this one works out a little better for us...

The Salary Cap "punishment" is absolute bullshit. Everyone in the league was playing with the same rules that year. Beating up teams that spent money is fucking un-American, and I don't expect either owner to take this lightly. And why in the hell does the players union support this action?

I really hope RG3 works out for the Skins. I enjoyed watching him in college and with him coming to Washington, the fanbase will get a much needed shot in the arm for the short term. And if ends up being really good (which I think he definitely has the potential to be) and maybe even deliver a Super Bowl, it'll be a win as far as I'm concerned.

As far as Peyton to the Broncos...meh. I didn't even want him to leave the Colts in the first place, even though it was inevitable, but I felt Cardinals or the Titans were better fits. Still, if Peyton is even close to what he used to be, he'll be fine.

I am curious where Tebow lands now. The Jags front office has said they're good with their QB situation but it makes too much sense for Timmy not to go to Jacksonville.

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"Belief can change worlds and change lives but it can also make us blind."

From what I recall reading, the league "recommended" that even though the 10-11 season was uncapped, that teams should not sign long-term front loaded contracts with the intention of acquiring marquee players at a bargain price. Essentially, the league wanted to avoid rich teams like the Seahawks who have billions of dollars from their owner that could of bought the entire FA market and once the front loaded part was over, the salary would of become realistic when it returned to a capped season. I suppose this is the Haynesworth contract biting the Skins in the ass again.

RG3 is an excellent QB compared to Elway or a more polished Rodgers coming out of college. Luck and RG3 are some of the best QB prospects to come out in years and the only thing that will hurt them is the team built around them.

As if the Redskins need further punishment for the Haynesworth deal... like I said, the whole thing is stupid. It smacks of some #OWS bullshit.

RG3 is a good kid - by all accounts, he has great character and leadership to go with immense athletic talent. The Redskins, for all their dysfunction, are not cheap - if RG3 doesn't have a solid team around him, it won't be for lack of trying.

Washington had to draft a QB and RG3, besides Luck, looks to be a NFL ready QB. Does anyone really think that Rex is the long term answer for Washington?

Manning to Denver makes weird sense, and I think that not playing in the NFC and having to face his brother was a big part of that decision. PLus, look at where he is playing. That place is a dream for a player like that. Being able to throw in that thin air like that. Plus the pieces are there to make a run for the Super Bowl.

But if he really wanted a Super Bowl next year, then the 49er's were the simplest choice. Now, they may lose Alex Smith to the Dolphins. Which should please me to no end as a Seahawks fan, but Alex Smith ain't that great of a QB and not a deep threat. Put a QB that can throw the ball and give him WRs that can catch and that team is very dangerous.

I am really excited about what Matt Flynn signing with the Hawks. Now we got a QB that can effectivly use BMW, and Rice. DJax can go sit on the bench for a while and we can start grooming a QBOTF in the next few years. Just going to be interesting to see how he does in a daily basis.

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Meanwhile.... back at the

This off-season seems like it's going to go down for a disaster in Miami. Traded away their best WR in a season where they're trying to pick up a QB. They couldn't get their first pick, Manning, but it seems like they're a shoo-in for Flynn, since his old OC is now their HC. Yet they low ball the guy so thoroughly he goes to Seattle for what I think is a really reasonable price (3 year/10 mill guaranteed, incentives up to 24). And now their best hope is, what, Alex Smith deciding the Niners hurt his feelings and wants to come there? I'm not a big Smith fan, but the dude's no Jay Cutler. He's smart enough to not begrudge his team for pursuing a top-5 all-time QB. That's why he publicly announced on Saturday that he wouldn't sign with another team unless he couldn't make a deal with SF.

As Flynn goes, I think Seattle fans should be fairly excited. It's not some sure-fire thing like if you'd picked up Tom Brady in free agency, but I've watched him play a fair amount in the past and I think he has a nice combination of mechanics and mobility that show a lot of promise. He's probably not going to change the entire offense overnight with the WR corps in Seattle, but with Lynch in the backfield he can do some good things. I'm interested to see how he plays in a system with a solid RB like that, since it's going to be something of a change from the pass-first offense in GB.

You know who I DID really like this off-season, though? Mario Williams. Free agency comes around, he meets with the teams he's interested in playing for, works out with them, and then makes up his mind. None of this three-week foot-dragging. Dude weighed his options and then made up his mind.

(I also think Manning didn't want to have to continue playing against Williams twice a year).

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E

Agreed with all of that. Miami screwed the pooch, Williams acted like a pro, and Manning has been disappointingly gutless in his prolonged free-agency.

He could have picked Denver on day one and saved a lot of teams a lot of trouble. Because nothing really changed. He wanted to stay in the weak AFC, in a weak division, on a team that will cater to his every whim. Denver was always the "safe" choice.

What was funny about Mario was that the experts were saying that only two teams had the money/cap space to sign him and expected him to go to either Seattle or (Atlanta?).

And suddenly Buffalo appears out of nowhere. His first and only stop.

As for Flynn, I agree. I really don't know what Miami was thinking. I wonder what there offer was since the Seattle money wasn't what I expected. But I guess that it's coming for a guy that has only played two games and not a Kolb type of situation that AZ went through last year.

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Meanwhile.... back at the

Everyone knows the real puppet master behind this whole "Manning Watch" episode is Archie. That's who they refer to when they speak of the "Manning Camp". He knew that parading Peyton around like this would possibly drive up the money for his son's contract. I have a theory that Peyton was never actually a serious option for SF but that info became public for two reasons:

A). More competitors for Peyton's services helps him get more of his demands.

B). The possibility of Peyton to SF was also designed to scare Alex Smith in getting him to sign his contract.

Thing is, Tom Condon probably didn't expect for Alex Smith to be upset enough about the situation to go run to Miami for contract negotiations.

Anyway, I blame Peyton and Eli for relying so much on their daddy to help them out in the business aspect of the NFL. I guarantee you that if Eli doesn't retire as a Giant, the same shit is going to happen with him.

Fucking Eli pulled that shit as a rookie out of college already. You remember who actually drafted him, don't you?

And, of course, it makes sense that the guy to sign Peyton is the same douche who fucked the Colts so bad they left Baltimore in the first place.

Where does Tebow-mania land?

Jacksonville?

Miami?

Cleveland?

49ers?

Denver?

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Meanwhile.... back at the

I meant if and when Eli becomes a free agent in his twilight years. Jerry Reese will want to move on but Eli will still want to play. We'll see him on the private planes getting his "contract for life" from the Raiders or maybe the Saints if Drew Brees is no longer around since New Orleans is Manning City.

As for Eli and the Chargers, the biggest cockblock on that deal was Ryan Leaf. He became friends with Peyton back in 98 and they both told each other about their experiences with the organizations. Leaf pretty much said he was left to his own devices once he signed his contract and was treated like a piece of shit. Peyton tells daddy and you have what we have now.

Has to be the Jags. Just makes way too much sense. Exchange Tebow and Gabbert.

Him on the Jags would be a coup for their new owner, and allay any suspicion he's going to move the team to LA. It'd also solve attendance problems to a large degree. I feel like they are going to pursue him like he was Peyton Manning.

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E

Ryan Leaf? Come on... I find it hard to believe that failure had any influence on the Manning family.

Archie already didn't like the Chargers, so I don't think it took any real mental gymnastics for him to decide what Leaf said was true.

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E

Whatever. Shit like this, whether its Elway or Manning, really defeats the purpose of having a draft order based on previous year performance. The whole idea is to give bad teams a chance to really improve. When star prospects fuck over the teams that draft them, it really bugs the crap out of me. I'm old enough to remember Elway doing it, and Eli's stunt was just as bad.

If you want to break the union and declare a right-to-work free for all, that's fine. But that's not how the NFL works - you have a draft, you have a union, you have contracts. Every time they let some prima donna weasel out of the system like this, it screws franchises and screws the competitive balance.

It's pretty much shit and I don't know why they're allowed to get away with it. I mean, I doubt Matthew Stafford or Suh were excited to go to teams coming off historically bad years and play for a franchise that hadn't won a title since there was only one Korea, but they didn't demand to be traded, they sucked it up.

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E

Exactly - and, eventually, the Lions started to get it right.

I grew up in Maryland man... we hate us some Elway and Irsay...

Yeah, that move was Seattle/Oklahoma City levels of shitty. Like the movie Major League.

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E

I still can't believe the NBA let that happen.

I mean, Sacramento (SACRAMENTO for fuck's sake) has managed to swing a deal to keep their franchise... but Seattle can't?

The fact all those incriminating emails were leaked rather than legitimately obtained probably saved him from a fraud lawsuit by the city.

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"Damn, snowcone, what were you for Halloween, a bitch? You best be ready for this shit, Cranberry Juice, cuz you bout to get FUCKED." -L Dubba E