Indianapolis Colts: Predicting How the Colts Will Play Without Peyton Manning

The big news of the day is Peyton Manning's neck.

This isn't news the caliber of "Larry Johnson being released by the Dolphins," this is monumental news that could change the landscape of the NFL during the 2011 season.

It's not just the neck injury that is a concern for Colts fans as of the moment; it's the severity of it.

What was initially thought to be an injury that would put Manning out for the greater good of the offseason and preseason, but would leave him healthy to start in Week 1 vs. the Houston Texans, is now being thought of for the worst.

There was a report to come out of a radio station that Peyton Manning's neck injury would require a second surgery and that it could put him out of the entire season.

Nothing of that nature has been confirmed by any major media outlets, however, ESPN has reported that Manning will be re-evaluated by doctors because of the "slow progress" of Manning's neck.

So what was once a question of "How is Peyton Manning going to play this season after neck surgery?" Has now turned into a question of "When will Peyton Manning play again?"

I think most people can agree on this common belief: Peyton Manning's neck injury is more serious than the Colts are letting on.

The Colts have been very hush-hush on this subject ever since Manning received his first neck surgery in May. According to their prognosis, Manning was supposed to be healthy in time for the regular season.

Of course, that hasn't happened and Manning not only missed the entire preseason's worth of games, but he never even practiced. It wasn't until this week that he was cleared to participate in a light workload.

The question now shifts from Peyton Manning on to the Colts. How will this team perform without Peyton Manning? It's almost a certainty that Manning will be out this game and some are saying for next week, also. There's also rumors that are taking advantage of a hot topic, that are stating that Manning might be out for several more games.

The starting QB will be veteran Kerry Collins. Kerry Collins is an experienced game manager who once led the Titans to a 13-3 record, the best record in the AFC in 2008, while throwing for only 12 TDs and 7 INTs.

Collins is on the verge of turning 39; he is not the QB of his younger days in Carolina, New York or even Oakland. He will not put up big numbers and the best you can expect out of him is to not make mistakes. That is why he still gets interest from NFL teams and that is the reason why Indianapolis signed him, other than his familiarity of playing in the AFC South.

This becomes a question of just how good the Colts are outside of Peyton Manning?

Do the Colts have talent outside of Manning? Yes, they have Pro Bowlers in Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne and Jeff Saturday. They have a good overall offensive line and they have talent in players such as Joseph Addai.

However, everybody in the NFL has talent.

The Colts are simply not that good of a team without Manning.

Are they still the top contender to the Texans without Manning in the AFC South? Yes. But are they the obvious favorites and an easy pick to win 10 games without Manning? Not even close.

Peyton Manning is the engine that makes the Colts go. I know some people are tired of hearing this, but he makes everybody around him better.

When Dallas Clark went down for half of the season due to injury, Manning made Jacob Tamme one of his go to targets. Tamme, who had never been a starter in his NFL career and never had more than three receptions in a season, caught 67 passes to rank sixth in the NFL in receptions amongst players in his position.

Manning made players such as Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon into legit pass catching threats in their rookie years. Hell, one of these guys played college at Mount Union.

Manning makes the offensive line look better because of his pre-adjustment reads and his ability to audible and tell the O-Lineman which blitzers to pick up. This is one of Manning's greatest attributes that goes unnoticed sometimes; there are only a handful of QBs, such as Brady, Brees etc. that recognize these pre-snap defensive reads and are able to avoid being sacked because of their recognition on pre-snap adjustments.

Yes, Collins is a veteran that should recognize most of these situations, but Collins is nowhere near Manning's level when it comes to pre-snap reads.

Did I mention that the defense ranked 23rd in points allowed?

This is a team that is an elite team because of Manning. Without Manning, they are no better than an 8-8 team.

Assuming Manning misses the first, let's say four games. The Colts have a brutal schedule, facing the likes of Houston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

They go 2-2 at best without Manning, with 1-3 a more likely scenario.

The point of this article? To illustrate that the Colts are heavily reliant upon Peyton Manning. The last two games of the 2009 season showed just how bad the Colts can be without Manning under center.

Barring a breakout season by Addai and the rushing game, the Colts will struggle without Manning.

In order to win the AFC South, the Colts need Peyton Manning.