Peyton Manning Signing with Arizona Cardinals Would Be Epic Mistake for QB

The Arizona Cardinals are no stranger to taking chances on an aging veteran entering the twilight of his career.

While Kurt Warner's miraculous comeback was aided by Matt Leinart's ineptitude, there are a couple of other superstars who also fit the bill.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reminds us:

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Signing Manning is the kind of move Mike Bidwill loves. See Emmitt Smith and Edgerrin James.

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) March 6, 2012"

Neither player's success in the desert was anything close to Warner's, but that isn't the point Somers was making.

Obviously the Cardinals, and any other quarterback-needy team for that matter, will consider adding Peyton Manning.

The question is, should Peyton Manning consider them?

As Adam Schefter points out:

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Clarification on P. Manning's status. He becomes free agent once his name appears on NFL waiver wire, which could be as early as 4 ET today.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2012"

Peyton is free to sign with whichever team he wants as soon, or as late, as he wants.

Do the Cardinals have a chance? Absolutely. Is the best choice for Peyton? Not by a long shot.

Forget about the fact Arizona would be admitting to making a costly (both literally and figuratively) mistake in trading for Kevin Kolb last year—the chance to sign a Hall of Famer doesn't happen every day.

But Peyton joining the Cardinals would be a considerable risk to his health. Do you know how many teams gave up more sacks than the Cardinals in 2011? One, just one.

Quarterbacks lined up under center in Arizona were sacked 54 times last season, one shy of the league high set by St. Louis. As great as Peyton is at shuffling his feet and getting rid of the ball, there is no way he'll be able to survive standing behind that line. To make matters worse, the Cardinals were the league's 24th-ranked rushing offense.

They simply weren't a good offense last year, and almost all of it starts with the offensive line.

Larry Fitzgerald is of no use to Peyton if he can't find the time to throw him the ball.

There is no guarantee that the Cardinals will fix their line enough this offseason to protect No. 18 thoroughly. They've been trying to get it done, and it simply hasn't worked of late, whether in free agency or the draft.

Naturally there is excitement amongst current Cardinals about the possibility of Peyton coming to the desert.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Darnell Docket has already started his "Peyton to AZ" campaign and took it even further by calling in to NFL Network's LA office, talking about offering Manning everything from free parking passes to a new barber (via Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar):

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We are a team that is a few pieces away from getting back to the big game. We got a perfect fit for him in Arizona. He can get his number and I'll get him parking passes, free doughnuts on Saturdays. I'll make sure my guys clean his cleats up real well. I'll give him all my connections, even my barber.

"

Unfortunately there is also the question of how Peyton will mesh with head coach Ken Whisenhunt. At this stage of Peyton's career, is he really going to bend to the will of a coach who is extremely set in his ways?

If there is one thing we know about Peyton, it is that he won't "Favre" up this situation. He'll find the right team, sign the right deal and end his career there in a few years' time.

Signing with the Cardinals is far from the best possible scenario. His ending in Indianapolis will be one of the most unceremonious ever, and to risk ending his NFL career in a similar fashion by signing with a questionable team would be even more painful to watch.

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