Peyton Manning: Why Colts Should Deal Face of Franchise on Draft Day

Transition is never easy. In the case of the Indianapolis Colts, it will be downright ugly.

It may be unthinkable. It may be hard to stomach, but Peyton Manning has to leave the franchise he has ruled for so many years. It will be hard to see someone else under center, but we l knew this would happen at some point. 

Manning was not going to live forever as the Colts' star quarterback, and the end is never as glorious as the miraculous meat of a legend's career. 

With that, we say goodbye to one of the greatest to take snaps in the NFL. Reggie Hayes of The Boston Herald writes a column covering what looks to be the beginning of the end for Manning in Indy. 

The issue starts with Jim Irsay firing the Polians and making comments about "how beneficial it was for Manning to start as a rookie."

The owner has it in his mind that Manning has played his final great game. And that is really what this question has to come down to. Has Manning seen his best days? With a neck injury that kept him out en entire season, it's hard to see how another grueling NFL year will do him well. 

Manning could be one hit away from retirement. If you are the Colts that did so horribly in 2011 that people begged for them to suck a little more, you don't want to deal with a franchise player who could go down at any moment. 

With the first pick, the Colts get one of the surest things we have seen in a prospect at quarterback. Andrew Luck is not Peyton Manning. 

That is one guarantee we can make straight off. Luck will not have Manning's career arc, nor would we want him to. The hope that he can be even more successful is always there, but the point is to provide the best possible avenue for such things. 

A talent as versatile as Luck should be utilized from the start. This is a player that would benefit with on-the-job training far more than sitting in the bullpen for a couple of seasons. 

We then have nature of having two top-tier quarterbacks on one team. Peyton Manning will have to play under a rare and odd circumstance where a few errors would send him to the pine. Should a legend be relegated to such measures?

Imagine the very real circumstance of a rusty Manning struggling early, only to hear chants of Andrew Luck from the stands. That is no way fro him to go out. 

If Irsay is indeed thinking of usurping the great one from the get go, then Manning needs to be dealt. The influx of talent and youth would be tremendous. That in turn would solidify the Colts for another long dynasty, only this time Luck will be on their side. 

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