3 Reasons Why Joe Theismann Is Right, Peyton Manning to Redskins Is Awful Idea

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Normally when Joe Theismann speaks my eyes glaze over and I lose all interest in what is being said. But last week he claimed that signing Peyton Manning would be a "horrific idea" for the Washington Redskins.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I completely agree with what Theismann is saying. The Redskins and Manning would be a terrible match for a few reasons. Here are the three that I think are most important.

It's Not a Long-Term Solution

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First of all, signing Manning may make the Redskins better in the short term (provided he's actually healthy) but it wouldn't help with the team's desperate need for a long-term solution under center. As Theismann claimed, it would be a temporary stopgap, not a move to ensure future stability.

Manning may return fully healthy, but he'll be 36 years old in March. That makes him an over-the-hill quarterback with a serious injury history who could be knocked out for a season from one solid hit. 

Regardless of how this move would look on the surface, when you take a deeper look at it, signing Manning may not be a smart an idea as it appears to be. He carries a lot of baggage and while he would almost certainly improve the team's offense, that's not saying a whole lot. In the long run it could hurt the team's search for a long-term franchise quarterback.

Washington Needs Receivers

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While it appears that the Redskins will hand out the franchise tag to stud tight end Fred Davis, the franchise really has no other great targets.

I really don't think Manning would have the patience to essentially start over with guys like Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney at receiver. He is going to demand Pro Bowl-level play from the guys catching his passes.

While the Redskins could dip into the free-agent pool to go after someone like Vincent Jackson or Dwayne Bowe, I just don't see that happening. Those guys will create bidding wars for their services and considering that both guys have had off-the-field troubles I'm not sure risking a ton of cash on them would be a good idea.

Daniel Snyder, Mike Shanahan and Peyton Manning Is a Bad Mix

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At this point in his career, Manning is essentially his own offensive coordinator. For the past few seasons in Indianapolis he has basically run the offense how he sees fit. Would he really want to bow to a new head coach in Mike Shanahan, who runs a different style of offense than the four-time MVP is used to?

I personally think Manning wants to go to a team where he can essentially run things the way he wants and has the control to get the players around him to fit into roles he likes. I sincerely doubt Shanahan will allow something like that to happen.

Also, now that Manning has had a very public falling out with Colts owner Jim Irsay, I don't think he'll want to have anything to do with another overbearing owner like Daniel Snyder. It just seems like a bad fit all the way around.