Miami Dolphins Fly to Indianapolis to Visit Peyton Manning

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and other significant staff members met with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis from a span of four to six hours.

Yes Indy, not Miami. The Dolphins were smart to take the initiative to go to Manning instead of waiting for Manning to go to them, which may not have happened. 

Mortensen says from his sources he heard it was a "good meeting." Miami sending all supporters—including head coach Joe Philbin, who is calm, cool, and collected to convene with the quarterback—was an intelligent move.

This is exactly what Manning needs at this time. He does not want to be out in the open and have the spotlight shining on him, but isn't that what Miami is? Stars out, cameras out?

It is hard to believe that Miami is not on the rise in Manning's list of teams now that the two sides have met on Monday. It all comes down to Manning: What does he want to do?

If you are part of the Miami Dolphins organization, you can not sit back. Look for them to be aggressive and have the urgency to retrieve Manning. 

Subsequently, if GM Jeff Ireland and owner Stephen Ross are not aggressive enough, the loss could be bigger than just Manning; it could mean they miss out on free agent quarterback Matt Flynn.   

The Miami Dolphins are close to $16 million under the cap, which could persuade the quarterback to join the team. Plus, the possible additions of his fellow teammates like offensive lineman Jeff Saturday, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark could enter the mix. 

With just a little under 15 hours left on the eve of 2012 NFL free agency, Manning has a lot of thinking to do, and so do the Dolphins. Watch out, this free agency period is going to be fun to watch.