Kerry Collins Signed: Implications for Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2011

Kerry Collins is going to be a Colt. Serial tweeter and Colts owner Jim Irsay announced that the team signed the recently-retired Collins. While Colts faithful should be glad that we won't have to suffer through a Curtis Painter-led start to the season, it's hard not to be disappointed with the implication that Peyton Manning won't be able to start the season.

What does the addition of Collins mean for the Colts moving forward? This article will explore a couple of new realities as we close out the preseason and move quickly toward the opener against the Houston Texans.

I will write this from the perspective that Manning will miss up to five games to start the season. Since we don't have a solid timeline for his return, this is all speculation. He hasn't thrown with the team at all, so it seems fair to guess that he will miss at least two games, and possibly as many as four or five. 

Let's break down a few key implications for the Colts as they prepare to deal with the reality of life without Manning.

The Colts offense will be simplified to accommodate a new QB

Collins will only have a few short weeks to get into a rhythm with Colts receivers. He's going to have better options than he had with the Tennessee Titans, but it will still take some time to get used to throwing to those guys.

Collins is a smart QB who minimizes mistakes and is generally very accurate. Collins had a statistically decent year in 2010, and I think he still has some gas left in his tank. 

His velocity and pocket presence are not as sound as Manning's, however, and this will mean that the Colts will probably scale back some of their more exotic receiver packages. Expect Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme to get lots of targets in the middle of the field on shorter throws. Addai and Brown will most likely see more screens out of the backfield as well.

The running game will need to be much better than it has been recently. Collins was able to lean heavily on the mammoth production from Chris Johnson in Tennessee. The Colts aren't designed as a run-first team, however, so the Colts may try to pound the ball on the ground more than they would with Manning under center.

The offensive line is still in transition, with new players being expected to step up early this year. Anthony Castonzo will need to be solid at left tackle and the interior linemen will need to work on their run-blocking technique so that they can open holes for Addai, Brown and either Javarris James or Devin Moore. 

The Colts will lose a game or two that they probably would have won with Manning at the helm

Manning has made a habit of leading late-game come-from-behind surges the past few years. He is masterful at the two-minute drill. Collins just doesn't have the chutzpah to have those type of late-game heroics much anymore.

With their defensive tackle upgrades and a healthier secondary, the Colts defense should be better this year. Still, they are not an elite unit, and they are not very good at winning games themselves. The Colts are much better on D when Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis can pin their ears back and get after opposing teams' quarterbacks. They are less effective when they have to play from behind.

The drop-off from Manning to Collins isn't nearly as great as from Manning to Painter, but that doesn't mean that Collins can easily replace a Pro-Bowl caliber player.

The Colts will cut Curtis Painter and keep Dan Orlovsky

Orlovsky has looked better than Painter in game-time situations. If the Colts hold on to Painter, I will be very surprised. Mike Hartline would be a better option (as a developing rookie) to keep around. We've seen what Painter can do, and it doesn't amount to much. As a matter of fact, it's quite wretched.

With Dan Orlovsky as the backup for Collins to start the season, that would mean that Hartline would probably end up on the practice squad. Painter should be set adrift to never haunt Colts fans again.

Here is hoping that Manning makes a quick recovery and is able to start sooner than some have projected. The best record the Colts can probably hope for if Manning's neck injury prevents him from opening the first five games of the season is 3-2. And it could be worse. It is a rough day to be a Colts fan.