5 Things the Indianapolis Colts Learned This Season

The Colts have been one of the top teams in the AFC, let alone the entire league for the past decade. Peyton Manning and his squad have entertained us with their high-powered offense, their great rivalry with the Patriots and Manning’s maestro-like work on the scrimmage line.

However, with Manning’s injury, the Colts have collapsed and shown that this team may never have been as good as we thought it was. We have all been witness to Manning’s power. No other player is more valuable to his team than Peyton Manning, but it looks like the Manning era is coming to an end in Indy.

This season has made all Indianapolis Colts fans feel like they should put a bag over their heads.

The Colts players should do the same, too.

But cheer up, Colts fans, your team has learned quite a bit this season. Your team’s future is brighter than the halo over Tim Tebow’s head.

And it’s not just Andrew Luck, though he’s a big reason why.

Here are the five things the Colts learned this season.

The Colts Now See That Curtis Painter Is Not Their Future

Curtis Painter has been on the Colts bench for a few years, waiting his turn and hoping he will be the next Aaron Rodgers. It is obvious Painter is nowhere near Rodgers, but enough about Curtis’ viewpoint, let’s look at this from the Colts’ aspect.

For so many years, the need to look for a quality backup quarterback has taken a backseat. And why not? You’ve had a relatively injury-free Peyton Manning for more than 10 years. Now that the Colts have seen that Manning is human and can miss games, Painter was given a shot to be in their future plans.

His play speaks for itself.

Painter has struggled and it does not look like he will ever be a regular starter in this league.

Time to say goodbye to Painter.

The Colts still have Manning, but the search for a young heir apparent is top priority.

The Colts Learned They Need a New Coach Who’ll Bring in a New Culture

You cannot go at best 4-12 or worse and still keep your job, let alone possibly 0-16. As much as I think Jim Caldwell—with his soft-spoken, Tony Dungy-like ways—is a good guy, there is no reason football-wise that they should keep Caldwell.

Remember, this is business, not personal.

It’s obvious that Caldwell’s success, much like all of the whole team’s success these past years, has relied solely on Peyton Manning. This was an error on Caldwell. The fact he has not been able to find any success within his team this season (running game, defense, special teams, development of new talent, etc.) is a failure of his coaching job. A sign of a good head coach would be to show a least some success in one aspect of his team (see Bill Belichick in 2008).

Caldwell has not done this.

It’s time for the Colts to find a new coach, and there are plenty of good candidates out there. Jon Gruden is the first name that comes to mind. An offensive-minded, gritty, get-in-your-face coach ready to lead Manning (or someone else) is a much-needed change in Indy. Maybe even give consultant and former Ohio St. head coach Jim Tressel a shot.  

The Colts Learned Their Team Never Had a Shot This Year and Needs an Overhaul

The Colts thought they had a good, solid team for this year, even without Peyton Manning.

Boy were they wrong.

The Colts have been criticized by some in the past for not being as good as they seemed. Critics always said it was all Peyton Manning and he carried that team, a la the way LeBron James did in Cleveland.

I don’t know if that’s 100 percent true, but it sure looks like it.

Playing in Indianapolis may not seem like it’s the best thing to do right now, but next year it will be a very attractive place to play in. Regardless of who is under center, the Colts will attract free agents this offseason. Players will want to play with a Hall of Famer in Manning with the chance to win a ring.

And who wouldn’t want to play alongside a young talent like Luck if he’s the starter?

The Colts will spend money this offseason on the defense as well. Clots vice chairman Bill Polian and owner Jim Irsay know they have many holes to fill. It’s obvious Manning not playing is not the only reason the Colts are awful. If Manning is let go, the Colts will have even more funds for free agents.

Re-signing Robert Mathis will be their top priority. Also, look for the Colts go after Texas DE Mario Williams or Titans CB Courtland Finnegan.

This would be a win-win for the Colts as they take away a top player from division rivals.

As far as players not wanting to live/play in Indianapolis: Indy is not Miami as far as a night life or culture, but money will make up for that.

Money makes up for most things.  

The Colts Learned They May Need to Let Manning Go Sooner Rather Than Later

The biggest and toughest thing Colts fans will have to endure is seeing Peyton Manning let go.

It will be difficult for Bill Polian and the Colts organization to do, but it is something that has eventually to be done. It’s the best business decision they can make. It doesn’t have to be immediately, but Manning’s time in Indy must be stopped for the betterment of the franchise.

I say “stopped” because Manning is very competitive and will not want to be faded out. You’ll have to rip the jersey off him.

If drafted, Andrew Luck is not a QB that belongs on the bench for more than one year. In a recent radio interview, Peyton’s father Archie Manning expressed how Indy cannot keep Luck on the bench if the Colts decide to draft him. Archie realizes the talents and skills of Luck and knows that is something Indy cannot pass up on.

Peyton Manning's career has been stellar, but he is not the future of the Colts. And now with an injury that could possibly linger for the rest of Manning’s career, the Colts are obligated to look out for the organization’s best interest.

And their best interest is to move on, and move on soon.

The Colts cannot trade Manning without paying him $28 million, so he would have to be released. The Colts have been good to him throughout the years and don’t owe him anything. In fact, they did Manning a favor this year. The Colts put him on the active roster when he was obviously not going to play anytime soon, and with that Manning got paid $20 million.

Twenty million dollars to not play.

When the 49ers had to choose between Steve Young and Joe Montana, the Niners chose Young—even after four Super Bowl titles Montana brought the team—because it was for the betterment of the organization. The Packers chose an unproven Aaron Rodgers over their icon Brett Favre. Why? Because it was for the betterment of the organization.

Both the Niners and Colts made great choices as Young and Rodgers respectively led their teams to Super Bowl titles, both in less than two years after they became starters.

I’m not saying Andrew Luck is going to be just like Young or Rodgers, but what I am saying is choosing Luck would be for the betterment of the organization.

The Colts should not go the rout of the Miami Dolphins, who—due to over-relying on Dan Marino and never having a high enough draft pick for a QB—have not been able to find a replacement for Marino (11 years and counting).

If you have an opportunity to draft the franchise QB to replace Manning, you do it. Plain and simple.

With all the commercials Manning makes, it seems to me he’s a good businessman. I’m sure he will understand.

If he doesn’t, well, then that’s too bad.

Don’t worry, Peyton, the Colts will help you pack up and move. As we all know, the Colts have experience packing up things and moving out of a city.

The Colts Learned Andrew Luck Is Their Future (Obviously)

Just because Peyton Manning is in Indy doesn’t make drafting Andrew Luck a tough decision to make. Drafting Luck is the most obvious “you have to be a moron if you don’t draft him” decision in recent draft history. I won’t go into detail why Luck is the best player to draft—there are thousands of articles and hundreds of experts telling you that.

Please don’t think the Colts need to trade the pick. That’s a joke. Let’s say you trade the pick to the Cleveland Browns, who have two first-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, for two No. 1 picks and a few other picks. It’s more than likely one of those first-rounders will be a bust and other one will more than likely be a pretty good, but not franchise-changing player.

Meanwhile, the Browns will have a superstar for the next decade.

Draft picks are gold. Ask the Detroit Lions how important making good draft picks are—it can rebuild your entire organization. Every pick is a risk. Some are good, many bad.

The Colts have had their share of first picks in the draft. The then-Baltimore Colts took John Elway with the first overall pick back in ’83. Even though he didn’t play for the team, it still was the obvious draft choice to make. The Colts got a bust in 1990 when they picked Jeff George. Indy made the right choice in 1998 when it picked Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf.

The Colts are at a crossroads in their franchise’s history. 2012 is another ’83, ’90 and ’98.

Is Andrew Luck a risk? Of course. He’s human. He can get hurt. He could even become the biggest bust of all time. It’s all a big risk to take.

But Andrew Luck is the best risk to take in an NFL draft in a long time.   

Conclusion: It’s Business, Not Personal

The overall lesson for the Colts: A new era will begin next season. Whether it’s with a new coach, a new system, fresh free agents and/or a new franchise quarterback, the Colts will not look or ever be the same.

The Patriots—the best team of the past decade and the Colts’ biggest rival—have always been smart about football. They know football is a business.

You think Bill Belichick is going to keep Tom Brady when sees signs of Brady's skills fading? Of course not. Belichick will look for a new QB and a year later will ship Brady out of Boston. Why? Because Belichick is in the business of winning.

Belichick and Pats owner Robert Kraft are the gold standard of how to keep an NFL competitive for years: You sell players before their skills begin to diminish. Sell high, buy often (not low).

The Colts need to learn from the Patriots.

Teams like the Jets, Texans, Bills and Bengals (yes, the Bengals) all have young players and will be forces in the AFC for a long time. And that’s just the AFC!

The 49ers, Lions and the defending champion Packers are all young teams in the NFC that will be competing for the Lombardy Trophy for years to come.

Getting emotionally invested with Manning is not the thing to do. Yes, Manning is the greatest player in Colts history, and yes, he deserves better than to just be sent packing. I understand that, but Manning is not bigger than the franchise. It may seem so—especially with how badly the Colts have played—but don’t be fooled, this is not the case.

The Colts were there before Peyton Manning and they will be there after he’s gone.

Do the Colts really want to delay the inevitable rebuilding process?

I don’t think Jim Irsay and Bill Polian will allow that to happen. They are businessmen first. This year is year one of the rebuilding process. The next steps are written on the wall for them to see.

2011 has been a rough year for the franchise and the fans, but it is the best thing that could’ve happened to them.