Peyton Manning: Andrew Luck or Not, Manning Must Be Colts' Starter Next Season

With a win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night the Indianapolis Colts are getting close to playing their way out of the sweepstakes for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Even with Luck in the fold, however, Peyton Manning must be the starter in 2012.

According to an ESPN report, Colts' owner Jim Irsay believes that as long as Manning is healthy next season, he will be a Colt. While some may feel like Irsay is being a bit presumptuous, I think he is making the right move in supporting one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

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I think the situation is if he's back and he's healthy, I see him coming back and playing here, Irsay said in a 10-minute interview before the game with Houston began. I think the hope is that his health is in the position where he could return again. That remains uncertain and that's something that's first and foremost on my mind.

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You have to believe that Manning would be at least a little disillusioned if the Colts drafted Luck, but if both quarterbacks are on the roster come opening day next season, Manning has to be the starter. He has proven too much and done too much for the organization to simply be thrown on the trash heap at this point.

The best-case scenario for Manning would be if the Colts ended up with the second or third pick thanks to their winning ways. This would likely allow the organization to draft a player like USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, who would be a huge help in the important task of protecting Manning.

Provided Manning is healthy, he is still one of the top quarterbacks in the game and because of that I believe it would be best for the Colts to avoid drafting Luck. Manning likely has a few very good years left if his neck can hold up, so Indy would be best off bringing in help for the legendary signal caller, not competition.

If the Colts do end up with the No. 1 overall pick, though, they likely won't have any choice but to go with Luck. With one of the hottest draft prospects in recent memory on the team there might be some pressure to play him, but that simply can't happen with a healthy Manning around.

This certainly isn't an ideal situation for Manning, but it has to be reassuring to hear Irsay come to bat for him. Irsay didn't go so far as to guarantee that Manning would be the starter regardless of whether or not the Colts draft a quarterback, but you can pretty much infer that.

Sticking with Manning may be considered a risk by some, but the Colts owe Manning and the fans that risk. Maybe Manning will never be the same quarterback he once was, but he at least deserves a chance to prove to everyone that he can be.