Peyton Manning Injury: Did Colts Wait Too Long to Shut Down QB?

What everyone in the NFL feared and expected has been made real: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is done for the year, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay at a breakfast this morning.

While no formal statement or announcement that Manning has been sent to IR has surfaced just yet (and for these reasons, Irsay is currently backtracking), it's safe to say that we won't see him under center in 2011. The fact that we all knew this months ago makes the only thing surprising about the announcement is its timing.

Even prior to Manning's third surgery at the beginning of September, it was already clear that he'd likely miss most, if not all, of this season. The Colts probably had a better idea of this situation far earlier, perhaps after Manning's second surgery in May.

However, Indianapolis didn't seem to express any sense of urgency to find a quarterback to adequately replace their offensive leader, content at first to rely on backup Curtis Painter and, when that failed during the preseason, signing retired veteran Kerry Collins back into the game.

Collins, who struggled in his first two regular-season outings with the team, was benched in favor of Painter in Sunday night's 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The fact that Manning has yet to be placed on injured reserve highlights that the team still had hopes that their star quarterback may return; however, for anyone familiar with Manning's injuries and subsequent surgeries, it was clear that if he played this season it would be medically amazing.

That hope likely stalled out the team's search for a better quarterback, and now the team is stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to find a solution for their slumping offense.

The Colts needed to be on the hunt for a starting quarterback in May; the fact that they didn't really do so even with the signing of Collins is proof that the organization had an unrealistic view of the team's chances without Manning.

The Colts sit at 0-3, a hard deficit to surmount even with a stable quarterback situation. Now, they must face it without a clear leader on offense, an inconsistent defense and a running game that is untenable as the season wears on.

Reality can surely be a bitter pill to swallow, especially when the reality is that your league-leading quarterback won't play this year; however, the fact that the Colts were so hesitant to accept it is proving to be the biggest challenge for the team to overcome.