Posts Tagged ‘jim irsay’
Caldwell canned by the Colts. Could his exit open the door for Manning’s?
The horrific collapse of the once proud football dynasty in Indianapolis now has another casualty.
In a move that has been rumored since the team first began to trend downward, the Colts have fired Coach Jim Caldwell after three seasons. Caldwell’s tenure in Indy included a 26-22 record, two division titles and one trip to the Super Bowl.
His exit (one of the first moves by new General Manager Ryan Grigson), plus the firings of Bill and Chris Polian, could also lead to the departure of the team’s iconic Quarterback Peyton Manning.
In professional sports, most big time talents come with big time egos. Look at the recently “retired” Randy Moss. Moss may be the greatest deep threat receiver in the history of the NFL, but he would probably be the first to tell you that and has had more than his share of off-field issues. The talent is still there but since the lockout was lifted, teams that he was interested in joining have instead filled their WR voids with other controversial options. The Jets are giving Plaxico Burress a shot (pun intended) and the Patriots decided to 86 the idea of a Moss comeback and traded for 85 (Chad Ochocinco). Moss trained hard all summer and according to his agent, is in phenomenal shape. Then why retire? To be honest, Moss expected to be able to pick his destination, and it was unfathomable to him that he wasn’t wanted. His ego couldn’t take it. So instead of doing the smart thing, taking a 1 year deal for less money, proving he could be a team player and rebuilding his value; his ego decided to hang them up.
But this story is not about Moss. This story is not about any of the big egos athletes that are holding out of camp right now (hello Chris Johnson). This story is about a star that would rather see his team shine than himself. That judges his success, not by monetary gain but instead by his ability to make those around him successful. I am talking about perhaps the man that is the top at his position in the league. Is a guaranteed first ballot hall of famer. He has a ring. He has the blood lines. But he doesn’t have the ego. I’m talking about Peyton Manning.