Arizona Cardinals Hiring of Frank Reich Does Not Automatically Equal a Manning

A lot of heads turned yesterday when the Arizona Cardinals announced that they had hired Frank Reich, former Buffalo Bills quarterback and former quarterbacks coach for Peyton Manning, as their wide receivers coach.  My head stayed put.  Sure it makes you go hmmm, however, the hiring should be looked at for what it is, a hiring for the wide receiver coaching position.  For now, that’s all it should be viewed as.

Ok, I get just like all of you that Reich was Manning’s coach with the Indianapolis Colts.  I get the Cards are considered a front-runner for Manning’s services should the Colts not pick up his option by March 8th.  Let’s not connect the dots – yet.

First of all, it is all moot if the Colts do pick up the option or find another deal Manning can live with and stay with the Colts.  Secondly, Reich will be coaching wide receivers, not quarterbacks.  Yeah, sure it helps to have a familiar face on the coaching staff, but let’s be real.  Reich is staying here whether Manning comes here or not, so to say they hired him for the sole purpose that they plan on dealing for Manning, is just plain ridiculous.

I imagine however that the Cards would have expected this speculation to occur once Reich was hired, so maybe they are trying to add some fuel to to fire without coming right out and saying it.  Of course they can’t say anything publicly about Manning.  That would be tampering.  This could be the Cards way of saying they plan on pursuing Manning if the Colts let him go.  However, until that is a known fact and until the Cards are publicly chasing Manning, consider this hiring as nothing more than a void filled at the wide receivers coaching position.