Peyton Manning: Wild and Crazy Rumors Drown Legacy

Forget saying farewell to Colts legend Peyton Manning, because he is already gone. 

Consider that Manning was a bigger-than-life figure that was more of an logo for Indianapolis than the famed horseshoe. 

Now he has been reduced to a broken quarterback or the piece to another team's puzzle. It all depends on who you talk to. 

CBS Sports’s Mike Freeman writes on the hottest rumor of the moment:

"Speaking of Peyton, everyone I speak to in the NFL — and I mean just about everyone — believes if Manning becomes a free agent, the Washington Redskins will sign him."

With nonchalance, the thought of Manning in a Redskins jersey is thrown out there like a tissue that drops from one's pocket. 

I am just as guilty, treating Manning as some name that gets thrown around fantasy drafts. There is no meaning anymore to the name Peyton Manning, or at least, the meaning has changed a great deal. 

One of the greatest to ever play has always been a Colts quarterback, and the thought of anything else would have been seen as a sin of the highest order. 

We have some so far the other way that Manning is getting trashed by some that think he has nothing left. 

Indianapolis Star's Bob Kravitz has hit out that Manning has nothing left to offer the Colts. Kravitz was on The Tony Kornheiser Show Wednesday. 

He stated that Manning was done in this town and that it was finally time to move on, at least in much more words. Via CBS Sports. 

"

I think people are starting to sway over to Jim Irsay's side on this. It's such a no-brainer. It's been a no-brainer since they went to 0-13. He could give them money to play football. Andrew Luck has got to play, okay? It's not even about the $35 million anymore. I mean, the guy's arm is a noodle, he can't throw like an NFL quarterback, and by March 8, there's no way of knowing whether he's going to be ready or not.

"

It's never pretty at the end of an athletes career, but this is getting a little ridiculous. The man that built Lucas Oil Stadium with his talent, poise and leadership now has a "noodle arm." That is how a legend will be labeled as he is forced to pack his bags and head somewhere else. 

Amid the rumors that have owner Jim Irsay ditching Manning or the Colts quarterback leaving on his own accord, there is the discussion on Peyton's little brother, Eli. 

The nation now has a conundrum facing them on whether Peyton is even the best Manning around. The thought would have been laughable just a few weeks ago. 

Yet somehow, it is getting entertained daily. 

Peyton Manning will one day retire, and his legacy will be examined for the good years, the ones in which he won multiple MVP's and a Super Bowl. 

For the time being, he is being reduced to nothing more than an old quarterback that some in Indy may not even want anymore. 

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