Has anyone been following the rumors on the iPhone 5? All speculation, different dates thrown around, what its features are... because I have. I have been waiting to get my hands on that phone for months. And now the story of Peyton Manning is starting to bear a striking resemblance. What is his status? When will he play? Will he be prepared even if he is fully healthy? Who starts if he doesn’t play? I sit and wait everyday in anticipation for good news, just like I do for the phone. But none has come. Manning’s timetable continues to get pushed back and the Colts are now truly preparing for the worse.
At first, signing former Titans quarterback Kerry Collins just seemed to be an insurance policy. Now it appears to be a move to make him ready to play for the regular season opener against Houston. ESPN has come out and said certain sources believe Manning will not be ready for that game.
[caption id="attachment_295" align="alignleft" width="258" caption="Collins is familiar with Indy and Manning "]
[/caption]
Manning, of course, doesn’t confirm one way or the other, a classic Colts PR move. What the truth really is? Your guess is as good as mine. It seems to be pretty up in the air, a 50/50 if you will. It would be hard to believe anyone has a straight answer, no matter how tight they are within the organization. Manning may come out one day and be feeling great, ready to go and get some practices in before opening day. Another option is that he is fully healthy but has had no time to work with the team. Lastly, there is that worse case of him just not being able to play.
The three options are Collins, Painter, or Manning. Everyone hopes for Manning but it has to be noted he has had no time working with the offense, which is very much based on timing and being on the same page with the other players. Should Manning be healthy, the Colts may (however very unlikely) decide he does not give them the best chance to win due to the lack of practice. Remember when Manning missed the preseason a couple years ago because of knee surgery? The Colts started off ice cold offensively, the most likely cause being the lack of work Peyton had with his receivers.
[caption id="attachment_296" align="alignright" width="336" caption="Can #18 really be ready? "]
[/caption]
No doubt that will be something to look out for this year, whether it be Manning or Collins. Only Curtis Painter is both healthy and has worked with the offense for a significant amount of time. Truthfully, the move to get Collins came as a bit of surprise. It makes sense, as the Colts would like to have a veteran option available but it really hurts Painter’s credibility as a true backup. While Painter has struggled a fair amount in the preseason games, reports out of practice said he was doing exceptionally well. Kerry Collins is a true veteran and has had some streaks of success. On the other hand, he has really struggled at times throughout his career and has had all of three days so far with the Colts. Caldwell could have a very tough decision to make in two weeks.
Within the next couple of days, it’s a sure thing to hear more about Manning and how prepared he is or if he will play or what Collins is doing, etc etc. I’ll be tweeting and updating Facebook with the latest news. The season opener about two weeks away and there are still many questions to be answered. Watch the Colts next preseason game coming on within the next couple of minutes on CBS at 8 pm ET.
For more on the Colts, follow ChatColts on Twitter, ‘Like’ the ChatColts page on Facebook, or keep coming back to http://www.chatsports.com/indianapolis-colts
Follow my work on the ChatColts website or read my personal blog @ http://thesportsinsight.wordpress.com/. For questions, feel free to e-mail me (see my writer page for the address and more info. ) or comment on any of my pieces.