Peyton Manning: Tennessee Titans Could Be Sleeper in Manning Sweepstakes

Things have just gotten really interesting in the pursuit for Peyton Manning, as now the Tennessee Titans plan to visit with the future Hall of Fame quarterback sometime this week.

Of course, there are a ton of positives if the Titans were to land Manning for next season.

For starters, he would instantly make the Titans a playoff contender, and maybe even a Super Bowl contender with Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt in place on offense.

It would also mean a ton of hype and publicity for a franchise that hasn't enjoyed much over the last several seasons.

Television ratings would be through the roof, especially when the Titans meet the Colts twice in the regular season.

I'm sure the NFL would love to see Manning go to the Titans for that major reason.

As great as that seems, are the Titans really ready to forget all the great things Matt Hasselbeck did for them last season, and all the great things Jake Locker could potentially do once he gets the opportunity?

The Titans have glaring weaknesses in other areas that need to be addressed before they can become a great team, no matter who is at quarterback.

It can't be forgotten that the Titans are extremely thin on the defensive line, most notably at the defensive end position.

If the Titans can't put pressure on the quarterback, then they'll never survive their brutal 2012 schedule.

Bud Adams, the long-time owner of the Titans franchise, has made it very clear that he's willing to do whatever it takes to bring Manning to the Titans.

Adams has still yet to win a Super Bowl as the owner of the Titans/Oilers franchise, so he could be willing to go to desperate measures to get Manning in a Titans uniform.

The problem with that is that it would be detrimental to the team financially in the long run.

It would mean that Hasselbeck's moderately large contract would have essentially been worth one 9-7 season.

But so much of today's mentality is that "win now" attitude, and Manning would certainly help the Titans win their fair share of games next season.

However, a Super Bowl is still far fetched.

Manning won just one Super Bowl on all of those great Colts teams during his 14 seasons there.

Is Manning really worth wasting the contract of Hasselbeck and forcing Locker into a difficult situation for the next few seasons?

What it really comes down to is whether or not Manning still has emotional ties to the state of Tennessee after playing his college ball at the University of Tennessee.

Another thing that favors the Titans' chances is that head coach Mike Munchak was teammates with Archie Manning on the Houston Oilers in the early 1980s.

Also, it would be hard to argue that no other group of fans would welcome Manning to his new team more than a bunch of passionate Tennessee Volunteer fans.

The Manning-to-Titans scenario isn't as far fetched as it once seemed back when news broke that a website had been created entitled "Come Home Peyton."

Now, there seems to be some substance to the possibility. Other strong possibilities that remain are the Cardinals, Broncos and Dolphins.

All of those teams make more sense for needing Manning than the Titans do. The Titans have two very capable quarterbacks, while the other candidates have pretty much nothing at the position.

Manning wants to make the decision as soon as possible, and we could know as soon as the end of this week on his next destination.

Will it be Nashville? The jury is still out, but it's more probable than it once was.