And the Clock Is Ticking On...Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning

And I start this opus off with a quote:

"Remember back when seasons don't change, late December winds bringin' pain, back to me..." Augustana, "Mayfield."

There's a lot of pain circulating around Indianapolis these days. The beloved Colts are 3-3, in third place in the AFC South (they share the same record with Jacksonville but lost at home to the Jags), and Peyton Manning hasn't looked this unsettled since 2001.

That was then, and this is now.

Peyton Manning has established himself as an elite quarterback in the NFL. Considering the difficulty of the QB position, that is a huge accomplishment in itself.

Manning is a sure-fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer, Super Bowl champion, amazing football player. He is arguably the NFL's best QB and has been for the last six seasons. His personality and character are impeccable, as he has helped financially in many of our nation's tragedies and lent his heart and time.

I respect Manning more than any player in the league, both on and off the field.

His appearances in commercials may be a tad cheesy, but funny nonetheless, and his willingness to lend his feel-good humor and awkwardness to TV is somewhat admirable.

Peyton Manning will go down as one of the best, most eloquent players of all-time. Unfortunately, he is human, and his body's time clock ticks away like everyone else's.

When I was a child, I would watch sports and convince myself that the players never would get old. Guys such as Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Shaquille O'Neal, Brett Favre, and Steve Young would be forever young, and I will marvel at their talents forever.

Then, they suddenly looked vulnerable. Jordan came back to the Washington Wizards and looked below elite, Drex retired, Shaq resorted to dry disses of Kobe Bryant, Favre is barely averaging 200 yards per game in a Jets uniform, and Young is hosting Monday Night Football's pregame.

Let's just say I got the idea.

Athletes are not super-humans. They age just like us, and when they do, their talents dwindle away with it.

It doesn't seem the same when the best athletes regress with age.

Things seem to be irreparable. When Jordan retired, everyone wondered how the NBA would survive. Then came Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. After Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and John Elway called it quits, Peyton, Tom Brady, and Donovan McNabb came about.

No matter what, the fraternity of athletes will forever change hands, giving way to a young, new crop of talent.

Is Peyton Manning on the decline? Is the time ticking on his career?

To some, this may be a premature assertion. After all, Manning has taken the Colts to the playoffs six consecutive years and they currently sit at .500, which isn't horrible. Not to mention, Manning reportedly had two knee surgeries in the offseason and may still be recovering.

He could easily return to his usual numbers, right? He did it two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens, currently the NFL's top-ranked defense. No cause for concern.

Really?

Let's look at it this way.

Peyton Manning's statistics for the 2008 season so far are far below his standards. The fact that he had knee surgery months ago and have been playing for seven weeks takes some relevance from that issue.

After all, his mobility in the pocket has looked the same. Perhaps the ball release from his hands is where we can notice the knee problem the most, as some of his throws lack power. Week Six against Baltimore put those assumptions to rest, as his throws looked normal as ever.

Week Eight vs. the Packers, Manning seemed to make mistakes reading the coverage, as his two picks looked choreographed. So it's safe to say that his errors shouldn't be blamed on his knee at this point.

Here are Manning's 2008 season stats:

136/224, 60.7%, 1531 yards, 8 TD, 7 INT, 9 Sack

To put those numbers in perspective, after seven games his numbers rank like this against his career stats:

60.7% (second worst of career)

TD to INT ratio (second worst of career)

9 Sacks (On pace for 20 sacks, worst since 2002)

1,531 Yards (On pace for 3331, would be lowest of career)

To add insult to severe injury, the Colts may miss the playoffs, the first time since 2001. Their tight hold on the AFC South may be relinquished, and that would be a first since 2002.

Needless to say, there's a lot of concern in the Colts' camp.

Is Peyton finally slowing down? His elite counterpart Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in Week One, and his reign as first or second best QB in the NFL may just be over.

Did Manning's knee problems contribute to his season's famine? The question remains, but one thing that is undeniable is that Peyton has hit a slide like an amusement theme park.

If it weren't for a few bonehead plays by Texans QB Sage Rosenfels, the Colts would be 2-4 and last in the AFC South.

It's clear that neither Manning nor the Colts look the same. Perhaps their leader is slowing a bit and the team is following suit.

Marvin Harrison missed everything but all of last season with a knee injury, and he doesn't look the same. His 2008 season is very low, by his standards, and as good as Anthony Gonzalez and Reggie Wayne have been, it isn't enough.

TE Dallas Clark has been hurt and is aging as well, and Tony Dungy seems prepared for his football afterlife. Football nation, the time may officially be ticking on the Indianapolis Colts' dynasty.

I am not, by any means, completely counting Peyton out. He is an unique talent, and he will indeed bounce back with some productivity. The question is: Will it be enough to propel the Colts into the postseason?

If so, how much time does Manning have left? If not, has he reached the twilight of his illustrious career?

Only the ticking clock will tell, but come December, Peyton and the Colts may be singing that Augustana tune with pillows gracing their heads.