FOXBORO, Mass. —It’s a bizarre scene this season in Indianapolis, where Colts fans have begun customizing Andrew Luck jerseys and Indy vice chairman Bill Polian has publicly entertained the thought of drafting Luck with the top pick in next year’s draft.
This, of course, is despite the fact that the Colts still have Peyton Manning on the active roster. Manning, unquestionably one of the five greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, just signed a Tom Brady-like contract extension this summer, too.
Yet, the Colts are 0-11 in Manning’s absence, and they’ve got a two-game cushion on the race for the No. 1 draft pick, which will all but certainly be used on Luck, regardless of who has it.
It makes sense, too. Even with Manning on the team, it’s not irresponsible to take Luck to groom him for the time being, whether it’s one season or four. Though the latter scenario might not be ideal, it could still ensure the Colts don’t skip a beat once Manning retires or continues his career elsewhere.
But again, the Colts’ franchise has been built around Manning, and their record without him proves that. Take it one step further, and the Colts have 141 victories in Manning’s 13 seasons as a starter, including their three-win campaign during his rookie year in 1998. The Colts only have 88 victories in their other 15 years in Indy, including this one, without Manning running the show.
Yet, Jim Caldwell won’t have it. During Wednesday’s conference call with the New England media, Caldwell refused to discuss the positives that could come from Manning returning to the lineup this season, and he also hated the idea of bringing up Luck, even if his boss discussed the Stanford quarterback on a radio show just two days prior.
“I don’t get into that,” Caldwell said. “As a matter of fact, I don’t even entertain the thought, OK? There’s a time to talk about those things when the season is over with, and then there’s a time to focus and play football, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re trying to get our team better. That’s our only goal at this point in time, try to get ready for a great team that we’re facing this Sunday.”
