Ron Jaworski Suggests Peyton Manning to the Jets; Should New York Listen?

Peyton Manning is still a member of the Indianapolis Colts, but that's not stopping a myriad of analysts from chiming in their own opinion on where Manning may go if the Colts let him loose sometime in the coming weeks. 

ESPN's Ron Jaworski, who just went through his own divorce with Monday Night Football, thinks that Manning could be a fit with the New York Jets.

Speaking with 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, Jaworski didn't hesitate when asked which team best fits Manning for 2012. 

"The New York Jets," Jaworski said. 

He went on to say this about Manning to the Jets:

"

I love (Jets QB) Mark Sanchez, and there are 25 other quarterbacks in this league that I would take Peyton Manning over. (But) there's a turf war in New York. The Giants just won the Super Bowl. The Jets are fighting for every inch of space they can get in the newspaper. How do you get that inch? How do you get the headlines? You sign Peyton Manning.

"

Jaworski isn't the first to have this opinion and he certainly won't be last, especially if Manning is flat out released by the Colts.

But does this marriage make any sense? 

For one, we know there's a history of behavior similar to this from Jets owner Woody Johnson.

After the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLII four years ago, Johnson made the splash of the offseason by trading for Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

Four years later, Johnson is in a similar spot. 

The boisterous Jets have been quieted in New York by another Super Bowl run from the Giants. Getting Manning in green-and-white would temporarily help bring the attention back to the Jets, who briefly held the spotlight by getting to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010.   

From a football standpoint, you would have a hard time arguing that a healthy Manning isn't a huge upgrade over young but wildly inconsistent quarterback Mark Sanchez. If his health checks out, Manning could make the Jets Super Bowl contenders in 2012.

But let's be honest with this situation. 

At 36 years old, Manning isn't going to willingly pick to play in a cold weather city that doesn't play in a dome. He also isn't going to pick to play in a city that is clearly dominated by his little brother Eli. And he isn't going to pick to play for a team with a head coach like Rex Ryan, who really couldn't be more different than the two coaches for whom he played the majority of his career.

I certainly think the Jets would make a run at Manning if the Colts gave him release in the coming weeks.

But thinking this relationship would ever get past the talking stage seems a bit overly optimistic. Manning wants to play in 2012, but I don't think he would want anything to do with New York and Ryan's Jets.