Waiting for Peyton Manning Not the Best Option for the Arizona Cardinals
By Scott Allen
Peyton Manning. Yes, I’m going to talk about him again, just as everyone else is doing as well. There are so many rumors regarding the current Indianapolis Colts quarterback right now it’s not even funny. Sources say he will retire. Others say he hasn’t made a decision. Manning himself supposedly says he plans on playing. Whatever the real truth is, I just don’t think it is worth a gamble for the Arizona Cardinals no matter how much I would love to see him in a Cards uniform. If the Cards didn’t have a $7 million decision on Kevin Kolb to make by March 17th, I might feel differently.
It’s not just the money I’m worried about. I’m just worried about being left without a quarterback other than John Skelton. I mean, I like what Skelton did in relief of Kolb in 2011, however, the Cards are the type of team that would need to know Manning’s status before they committed to him and not Kolb.
I know not many Cards fans are fans of Kolb however I didn’t particularly think he bombed in 2011. Sure, he made mistakes, some very costly, however I have to look at the overall picture. He wasn’t the main cause of many of those losses early on. He didn’t fumble the Washington Redskins loss away. He didn’t play on the defense that couldn’t stop the New York Giants in the last five minutes of the game. Sure, his offense took a dive in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens, however, the defense didn’t exactly stop the Ravens either. So, let’s stop pretending the 8-8 record is all Kolb’s fault and at the same time, let’s not give 100 percent praise to Skelton for the wins either.
The fact is, I do disagree with some people’s assessment that the Cards haven’t changed and wouldn’t spend the money to get Manning. I just don’t think this team is in a position right now to be able to wait. They need a quarterback who can get a full off-season in. Manning doesn’t fit that mold, but I do think Manning would be a good fit in Arizona. It is nice to dream, it just isn’t going to happen.