2012 NFL Free Agency: Arizona Cardinals Must Make Huge Push for Peyton Manning

The Arizona Cardinals may have the chance to acquire current Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in a matter of days.

They must do everything in their power to bring Manning to the desert.

Last season, the Cards' made a huge splash in free agency by bringing another quarterback to town.

A former Donovan McNabb backup. A former Michael Vick backup. A guy largely untested and entirely unproved as a starter.

Kevin Kolb.

Kolb came to Arizona with hope that he could resolve the quarterback situation, which has been a festering open wound since Kurt Warner retired following the 2009 NFL season.

Not only did they send a second-round pick and promising young cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to Philadelphia for Kolb, they then extended Kolb a 5-year, $63.5 million deal, which he promptly accepted.

For those keeping score at home, Kolb was offered over $21 million for every win he'd recorded to that point.

He had thrown only 11 career touchdowns. Worse, he'd thrown 14 career interceptions.

This was the guy they brought in to save the day.

However, anybody with one eye and half a brain could see that Kolb was a massive disappointment.

Kolb started only nine games for the Cardinals. Technically, he finished with a 3-6 record. But a little investigation makes things even less impressive.

His first win came in the first game of a season that featured a lockout-shortened offseason. His opponent had the worst record in the league in the previous year, and featured a rookie quarterback who hadn't had the proper offseason to become acquainted with the offense.

Kolb's next win wouldn't come for almost three months.

In a December 4th matchup with the Cowboys, the Cardinals secured a 19-13 overtime win at home against America's Team. However, the game never would've been in overtime if Cowboys coach Jason Garrett hadn't iced his own kicker.

Dan Bailey kicked a beautiful 49-yarder to win the game, only to find out his own coach had called a timeout seconds before the ball was snapped. He missed the ensuing re-kick and the 'Boys lost the game in OT.

Not to belittle the Cards effort, but the Cowboys lost that game more than the Cardinals won it.

Kolb's third and final victory came the following week, against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers.

The good news is that he completed 100 percent of his passes in the contest.

The bad news is that he was injured after a single pass, which went for two yards. He never returned to the Cardinals, sitting out the rest of the season with a concussion.

Though the Cardinals won the game, it can hardly be attributed to Kolb's contributions.

The Cards' big free-agency landing finished with nine touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He completed 57.7 percent of his passes and fumbled eight times, losing three.

He was abysmal—to say the least.

Though they had some success with backup quarterback John Skelton, there's little chance that he could match his short-term success over the length of an entire season.

And with the 49ers emerging as title contenders in their division, the Cardinals need to close the gap if they hope to be relevant in 2012.

Peyton Manning does that.

If Peyton is even 80 percent healthy, there are only a handful of teams in the league that probably wouldn't prefer him over their incumbent starters.

Arizona isn't one of them.

So, while Peyton will likely command a wide-open market with a plethora of suitors, Arizona has to be considered a top destination for him.

The weather is beautiful, the stadium is beautiful (and a dome), and he would be joining one of the best situations he is likely to be offered.

With a young and talented defense, and the chance to throw to one of, if not the best wideout in the league in Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals have a great deal to offer.

Beyond Fitz, the Cardinals also have a fairly effective running game. Certainly a better one than Peyton enjoyed in his final few years in Indianapolis.

Another potential selling point for the Cards is the Kurt Warner situation.

When Ken Whisenhunt decided to go with Kurt Warner over Matt Leinart as the starter in 2008, he retooled the offense to match Warner's skill set. He let Warner have control of the offense and completely designed it to his strengths.

They would do the same for Peyton.

And while any coach trying to lure Manning to come home with them would claim they would be willing to engineer a new offense with him, few, if any can claim they've already done so for another quarterback in a similar situation.

With the Cardinals current salary cap situation, it may be difficult to enact, but I feel they would be a great candidate to also take on Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, should the Colts not re-sign him.

Cards No. 2 receiver Andre Roberts was decent, but not spectacular in his 2011 campaign. Obviously, quarterback play was a factor in his production. But as good as he might be in 2012, it's not as good as Reggie Wayne is likely to be.

Especially if Peyton Manning is throwing the ball.

With emerging reports that Manning and Wayne may be trying to work themselves as a package deal, the Cardinals need to make moves quickly. Especially regarding the salary cap.

They should start by restructuring Levi Brown's contract, who is scheduled to make over $18 million in 2012.

If the Cardinals hope to close the gap on the 13-3 Niners, they need to make some personnel moves.

They should start with Peyton Manning.