Peyton Manning: It's Foolish To Stop Indianapolis Colts from Taking Andrew Luck

Something strange is afoot in Indianapolis. Now that it's clear the Colts are going to end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the discussion has shifted to whether or not the team will use that pick to snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Earlier in the week, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's father Archie stated that Peyton and Luck wouldn't be able to coexist on the Colts. Clarifying his remarks on The Dan Patrick Show, Archie said he made the comments because he doesn't think Luck looks like "the kind of quarterback who's going to sit," intimating that if the Colts were to draft him, he could take over the starting job in his first year.

The Colts have a number of options when it comes to the future of the quarterback position and how they can handle using their first-round draft pick. Should Manning's recovery from two 2011 neck surgeries be complete by the time the draft rolls around in April, then drafting his successor becomes a less-immediate priority.

They can then parlay that No. 1 pick into a number of extra picks by trading it, and use those to shore up their sinking defense, add other necessary components and perhaps pick up a later-round quarterback worth developing over a season or two.

However, should Manning not look likely to play in 2012—or play at the high level everyone has come to expect from him—then using that pick to nab Luck looks like the Colts' best option. And if the elder Manning is right—that Luck wouldn't be willing to sit out his rookie year—bringing him on the team could spell the end of Peyton's time in Indianapolis.

Surely there are a number of teams willing to pick up Manning in trade, even though it means significant hits to both the Colts' and that team's respective salary caps. Then Luck can get that starting job he's been angling for and Indianapolis can move on with their quarterback of the future.

But no, it's not as simple as that. Archie has said a number of times in recent days that while he and his son talk about his recovery from surgery, they don't discuss the future of his career.

There's no way this is true, and in fact, there's every indication that Peyton and Archie have had a number of discussions not just about Peyton's future but the possibility that Luck could become a Colt.

The only explanation for Archie's recent media tour is to serve as Peyton's mouthpiece at a time when Peyton isn't permitted, out of respect, to say anything disparaging about Luck or his team's plans to, or to not, draft him.

It's Peyton, not Archie, who is worried about Luck's desire to play right away, as it might spell the end of his illustrious career even if he is eventually recovered enough to take the field and play at a high level.

But Archie has tricks up his sleeve as well. The night before making the comments about Luck, he spoke on the phone with Luck's father, Oliver.

Perhaps Oliver made it clear that his son, as the consensus No. 1 overall draft pick and a high-caliber talent, won't be comfortable sitting on the bench for a season or two as a developmental quarterback, even if that means learning the pro game from one of the best to ever play it.

However, the Colts' ultimate decision isn't Peyton's to make (nor is it Archie's, nor the Lucks'), and while he certainly has a level of influence over the proceedings (some may argue that he has more than head coach Jim Caldwell in this case), he shouldn't be trying to derail the front office's plans just because they don't suit his preferences.

If the Colts aren't convinced that Peyton will be healthy enough to start in 2012 or beyond, they certainly need to look to the draft to get a long-term starter.

The team can't afford to start any more Kerry Collinses or Curtis Painters if they want to get back to winning, and going with a proven commodity like Luck is just what the team may need come April, despite all of the other glaring problems made very clear in their as-of-now 0-12 season.

Peyton needs to examine the situation as objectively as possible and realize that drafting Luck wouldn't be a personal insult. While Peyton has been the face of the Colts for many years, ultimately the team is bigger than Peyton and will outlive both his career and him.

He shouldn't try to tamper with a decision that is simply not his to make. Of course, Peyton's influence is all over the decision anyway, albeit indirectly. But directly, he has no reason to try to steer his team away from drafting Luck, nor should he send his father out into the media to disparage the idea of Peyton and Luck being able to coexist on the same team.