Peyton Manning Rumors: Will Peyton's Comments Seal His Fate in Indianapolis?

Rebuilding a franchise is an ugly business, and the comments put forth by Peyton Manning signal that his reign as the Indianapolis Colts quarterback is at an end. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, January 24th 5:40 p.m. ET

NBC Sports reports Peyton Manning is completely in the dark on the Colts' search for a new head coach. That would speak volumes about where the team is at in considering Manning is their franchise quarterback. 

Manning spoke out on Tuesday about the Colts, a franchise that is not that far off from a decade's worth of consistent playoff success. 

His words were not inflammatory, nor were they all that surprising. As you can see, they go a long way to describe a franchise that is in flux, and one that will look extremely different a year from now. Via the Indianapolis Star:

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"I can't give you a prediction because [owner Jim Irsay] and I will sit down at some point and he'll get a feel for where I am and I’ll get a sense of what direction he wants to go. Right now, I have no idea.

All I know is I'm still under contract to the Colts. I'm still the quarterback of the Colts. That's why I'm in the building every day trying to get healthy."

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This is a vital notion that gets lost on all of us. Manning, as of right now, is the superstar quarterback of the Colts. He is a legend who deserves to have the right of first refusal on his position. 

His claim that he is still the QB makes things messy as a retirement speech is unlikely to happen anytime soon. 

As for how Manning sees things in Indy, that is a different matter. Perhaps he would be inclined to look for work elsewhere, or just hang them up if this continues. 

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"I'm not in a very good place for healing...It's not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least. Everybody's walking around on eggshells. I don't recognize our building right now. There's such complete and total change.

I guess it's the reality of the football world, just not something I've had to deal with very often. But I'm in there every day, so I have to sit there and see it. Everybody's being evaluated and I'm no different. It's not the best environment.

I think it's well documented that I want to play in the same place my whole career."

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While the caption is lengthy, it serves to take in the tone and tenor of Manning's words. The Colts that he loved and adored are gone. 

What's left is a team that has already been thrashed from a disastrous season and is being rebuilt, starting with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. 

Manning isn't saying that he will leave if Andrew Luck comes to town, he is merely stating that times are tough on the home front. 

With that said, I don't see a smooth transition from glorious yesteryear to fantastic future with Manning in place. 

Irsay has already taken a sledgehammer to the whole house and only needs to knock down one last load-bearing wall. 

Manning shouldn't be all that bummed to walk away from Indy; it's not like this place resembles the one he left for the sidelines anyway. Those good ol' days are gone, and Manning knows it. 

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