There has been a lot of talk – maybe too much talk – about where free agent QB Peyton Manning will land this offseason. He has been meeting with and been linked to a variety of teams including the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos (and Philadelphia Eagles if you listen to sports radio in that town).

Most have been crossed off the list and now it appears that there is one team standing: The Denver Broncos.

According to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, the team will sign Manning “barring an unexpected snag in contract talks.”

Boom!

So what does this mean for Tim Tebow? Tebow was drafted in the Josh McDaniels era and was inherited by John Elway, who could never seem to hide his disdain for the young signal caller. Tebow managed to shut Elway up a bit with lots of wins, but you could tell that Elway was just never going to get on board with him.

So, according to Adam Schefter, the team will look to deal Tebow and be rid of him once and for all. And let’s be honest, they have to move him. They can’t have him sitting back there as a distraction to Lord Peyton.

So, where will he go? I think of two teams that could use him off the top of my head: The Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

The Jags need to sell some tickets. They need to get fans interested and Tebow still has a butt ton of fans in that area of the country. They’d win some games and catch Tebowmania very quickly. It would energize the fan base for new owner Shad Khad, who is looking to get some return on his investment. The only down side to getting Tebow would be what do you do with Blaine Gabbert? Shelve him? Trade him? To who? Who would want him? He’s played a little bit and not shown much, even if he has no weapons around him.

The Dolphins would also look to bring him back to Florida. They have been snubbed by just about every free agent QB on the market not named JaMarcus Russell. No one seems to want to play there, Ryan Clark said so. The Dolphins also need to re-energize their fan base and Tebow could help them do that.

Things are getting interesting!

This may come as shocking news to many of you, but former Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning is now a free agent. It’s true. He’s already had meetings with the likes of the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, but there is another team that is hell bent on signing him.

The Tennessee Titans.

It’s a great fit for everyone involved, unless your name is Jake Locker or Matt Hasselbeck. Peyton played his college ball in Tennessee, so he’ll already have a large following (as if he wouldn’t have a following anywhere on the planet. Well, maybe not Uganda).

And to make it even sweeter, Titans owner Bud Adams wants Peyton…bad.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Adams is “willing to give (free agent Peyton Manning) a blank check to come to Tennessee.” An Arthur Blank check? Would save Adams some money for sure.

But, that’s pretty strong stuff. What about the fact that you just used the No. 8-overall pick on Locker? And a bigger problem is that the coaches and front office don’t seem to want anything to do with this plan. But, will it matter?

Just when you think you know where Peyton will land (Denver was 95% sure they’d land him), this crap happens.

Wait a minute. I think we got a little ahead of ourselves with that headline. It doesn’t look like Peyton Manning is dead, he was just released by the Indianapolis Colts.

Phew!

So yeah, after passing for more than 54,000 yards, earning four MVP’s, 11 Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl title, the Colts have cut Peyton Manning.

So now what? Now, the speculation starts. It’s rumored that just about every single NFL team wants to sign this guy (Tom Brady is getting old). The Cardinals just gave up a second-round pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for Kevin Kolb. Doesn’t matter; they are linked to wanting Peyton. The Seattle Seahawks are rumored to be willing to sign him for any amount of money. The Miami Dolphins think they have the leg up on everyone.

In short, there are a lot of teams that need QB’s (like the Colts!) and anyone would love to have Peyton provided he can still play. And all indications and reports are that his neck and arm strength are improving.

Let the rumors and speculation begin…Peyton is officially a free agent.

I know we’re all getting sick of all the Peyton Manning talk, but it’s really just beginning so we might as well just shut up and like it. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated says that NFL sources tell him that Manning didn’t have three neck surgeries as we’ve all thought.

He’s actually had four.

And while we don’t know exactly when they occur, Banks says it was between March and September of last year. Sounds like his neck problems run deeper than we’d thought as this surgery went unreported.

Sources also tell Banks that Peyton has potentially developed bone spurs just above where he had September neck fusion surgery. I hope these are doctors that operated on him, because that’s quite a raft of speculation. Banks is told that the Colts organization believes that, even if he does play in 2012, he’ll need another surgery.

How many surgeries can this guy take on such an important and sensitive part of the body before it’s time to just call it quits.

There has been a lot of talk – maybe too much talk – about Indianapolis Colts (soon to be former) QB Peyton Manning and his ability to play football. On one hand, they say he’s medically cleared to play, on the other, people who have watched him work out say that it’s just not there yet.

Appearing on the B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi is saying the latter. Based on the people he’s talked to that have caught balls from him lately, Peyton’s velocity is down and he can’t throw to his left (ask Rick Mirer is that’s going to be a problem).

Photo Caption: And Warren Moon says he’s still giving people the “limp wrist” hand shake.

“I’ve talked to people who’ve caught the ball for him,” Lombardi said on the show. “He can’t throw the ball to his left. He can’t throw the ball across his body, because he doesn’t feel it. People that catch the ball for him say he doesn’t really have velocity on the ball yet.”

Now, the question becomes, will he ever get that back? Nerve regeneration in the neck ain’t a sure thing and if he can’t get these abilities back then he is toast.

The timing of this report is a bit curious. Just a couple days ago, there was a report from sources who would know about Peyton Manning’s neck condition that said he’d probably never play again.

Now, Chris Mortensen is reporting that Manning has been medically cleared to resume his NFL career. Of course, it’s Mort, so take this with a grain of salt.

“Peyton Manning medically cleared to resume NFL career, per sources. More coming on ESPN now. #NFL32,” Mort tweets.

Doctors said that “if the nerves in his arm had regenerated to a satisfactory performance level.” So basically, he’s safe to play, if he can play. It’s only a medical issue in the sense that he might not have the arm strength to be a stud anymore.

Time will tell, but let the “where will Peyton play” sweepstakes bonanza circus begin.

There has been a lot of talk lately – maybe too much talk – about Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. He’s gone back and forth in the media with owner Jim Irsay, he’s due a $28 million bonus in March and there has been a ton of speculation about who could sign him if/when the Colts eventually cut him.

But, in the end will any of it really matter? All signs point to Peyton being toast due to his three-time surgically repaired neck.

Two sources with knowledge of Peyton’s neck condition tell Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports that the nerve cells are not healing as hoped and not progressing at a rate that would allow him to play again. They say he began throwing in December, but that his velocity isn’t coming back and they don’t think it ever will.

Photo Caption: “Of course you can’t read it, there’s nothing written on it. So you don’t have a concussion, get back in the game.”

Yeah, that’s not good. OTR’s father-in-law is a doctor and he keeps telling us, “necks are a tricky thing” while shaking his head. So all this talk about where he’ll end up next season is probably a waste of time. Maybe the Colts should just make him their QB’s coach and have him develop Andrew Luck.

We already know about the issues the New York Jets are having with Mark Sanchez and their possible desire to go after Peyton Manning. But, we couldn’t possibly think that they would be the only team interested in one of the best QB’s in NFL history should be become available.

And ESPN‘s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting that you can add the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins to that list. The Dolphins are hardly surprising given that no amount of second-round picks or free-agency signings have filled the QB void since Dan Marino left. And no, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler don’t count.

But the Cardinals? The Cardinals just gave up a second-round pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kevin Kolb. And then they gave him a big contract. So…you are admitting that you made a major screw up and Kolb isn’t remotely who you thought he was?

On one hand, that’s a big mistake to admit that quickly. On the other hand, I give them credit for moving on before the error is compounded by more losing.

We mentioned previously that actor Rob Lowe was tweeting about Peyton Manning’s retirement. He said that he could be wrong, but that his people tell him that Manning will retire today from the Indianapolis Colts and NFL as a whole.

Well, Jason La Canfora of NFL Network got a hold of Manning’s agent Tom Condon, who was unaware of any plans that Peyton may have had to retire today.

He told La Canfora that these reports were “news to me.” He also told him that all of this was “the first he’d heard of it.”

Photo Caption: “Hey Curtis, shut it for two seconds. I’ve got Rob Lowe on the line and he watches a lot of CNN.”

That’s not to say that an agent would put out false information. Hell, they do it all the time. But, it’s another side of the story and, if Condon is to be believed, you’d think that Peyton would have discussed this with him at some point. That $28 million roster bonus doesn’t all belong to Peyton, you know.

Stay tuned.

There has been a lot of talk (maybe too much talk) about the future of Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. With an injured neck that just can’t seem to get right, many have speculated that he will just retire.

And now, we get word from someone who says that Manning will retire today. Everyone’s favorite boss on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” Rob Lowe, tweets that he’s hearing that Manning will hang them up. Here are his tweets:

Hearing my fave, #18 Peyton Manning will not return to #NFL. Wow. #Colts

@richeisen My people are saying Manning will retire today. What do you hear? #NFL

#Colts fans, let’s hope my info is wrong. Don’t like being wrong, but this time… I’m hoping #NFL #Manning

As of this posting, Manning has not yet made any announcement and Lowe is hardly known for breaking sports stories. But, hey, he’s a high-profile Colts fan who probably knows several people in the organization. And, his sitcom is based in Indiana, so there is that sitting right out there too.

Not sure that this is a shock really. There was a good portion of the season spent wondering whether or not the Indianapolis Colts would be joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only two teams to lose all 16 games.

But, without Peyton Manning, was head coach Jim Caldwell really culpable? The Colts think so, as they have shown him the door and fired him not long after the Polians got the boot.

In short, the Colts are rebuilding. And that might just be yet another reason for Peyton to play elsewhere next season (if he’s able to play at all). All new coaches, front office execs, new systems….nah, Peyton can’t be bothered with that crap.

And he likely won’t have to. It’s widely expected that the Colts will take Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the first-overall pick in next April’s draft.

The Peyton Manning era is likely over in Indy.

In the first two years of the Mark Sanchez/Rex Ryan regime in New York, the Jets made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. No matter how it happened nor how ugly it may have been, they got within a sniff of the Super Bowl in their first two tries. Tough to argue with that.

Unless it’s a year later and you missed the playoffs this season. That has seemed to change a lot of people’s tunes, especially when it comes to the ability of Sanchez and how the organization handles him.

“They don’t want to be truthful with him,” one prominent player told Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “They treat him like a baby instead of a man. He goes in a hole when someone tells him the truth.”

A team source also told the News that mounting criticism during the season caused Sanchez to un-follow every member of the New York media. You f’ing serious?

“So that should tell you everything,” the source said. “He just doesn’t have the mental toughness to be great… especially in New York.”

Others told the News that players in the locker room are getting pretty frustrated with the way the team treats him.

“They see the organization babying him,” said a Jets source. “They see him with a sense of entitlement. He’s been given all this and hasn’t done anything. They call him ‘San-chise.’ They make him the face of the organization. They gave him the captain tag. He’s not a captain. He should have never been a captain.”

The News says that none of the Jets players that they spoke to about this story agreed with Ryan’s decision to make Sanchez a captain. Wow.

Members of the team also said that they would love to bring in Peyton Manning next year, but someone inside the building says that that’s not going to happen.

“I don’t think that he’ll come here,” a member of the Jets organization said. “We have to change the perception of our organization. We’re not the organization that players said they wanted to play for a year or two ago. We’re starting to come across a little flaky. We talk the talk. We don’t back it up. We’re out of control. There’s no discipline. It’s a mess right now.”

Regardless, it sounds like the Jets need to fix a ton of stuff inside the facility there. Something’s broken big time.

The Indianapolis Colts knew they were screwed when Peyton Manning continued to have issues with his neck. They just really didn’t know how screwed. If they did, then the Polians would still have their jobs.

So, Peyton was out all year and one of the early-season attempts at a band-aid was bringing in gray beard Kerry Collins. Collins didn’t work out, largely due to the fact that his best years are behind him and the Colts thoroughly stink with Manning.

When they shelved him on IR months ago, they said he continued to experience “concussion-like symptoms.”

But, Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star, which is a newspaper filled with articles and news, calls BS on the concussion stuff. He writes:

But the part I truly hated was the exit strategy. Nobody will ever convince me Collins suffered from “concussion-like symptoms.” That, I’m told from someone who spoke to Collins directly, was not true. I was also told Collins approached the team about letting him retire and go back to Nashville, Tenn. It’s my understanding Collins gave the team a break on that $4 million deal, a retiree rebate, if you will. I’m guessing nobody will ever come out and tell the truth about this, but I trust my source enough to mention it here. And so we move on.

Hmmmm…that would make sense. In the midst of a terrible season where Collins is just getting knocked around, I could see him throwing in the towel. He doesn’t need the money (I have no clue if that’s true) and he’s too old to be taking a beating for an awful team.

There is more than a lot of smoke coming out of the Peyton Manning camp regarding the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to draft (or not draft) Stanford QB Andrew Luck. His dad Archie decided to pipe up recently and say stupid stuff about Peyton and Andrew not wanting to be on the same team, or that they wouldn’t be comfortable being on the same team.

When Peyton went on CBS with James Brown last Sunday, he didn’t sound all rosy at the idea of the Colts taking Luck with the first-overall pick next April.

“Questions will answer themselves in the spring,” Peyton said through an interpreter. “I haven’t had the chance to think about 2012. In December of 2011, we’re trying to get a win.”

Photo Caption: “With the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select, Andrew Luck, quarterback, Stanford.”

In other words: “No, I don’t him anywhere near this team. And I’m a Manning, so I’ll bitch until I get what I want.”

And now, ESPN‘s Adam Schefter is saying that the feeling around the NFL is that if the Colts do take Luck, that Peyton will force a trade out of town (if he can still play).

“But inevitably Manning is going to have to let his feelings be known for the Colts, and the sense around the league is there will not be room for both quarterbacks, Manning and Luck, in Indianapolis,” Schefter writes.

If Manning can play again, we’re guessing this would be one of the bigger trades in recent NFL history. And it could be the biggest bust of a deal that sets the franchise that receives Manning back several years. We expect the Dolphins to do it because that’s what they do.

Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning probably won’t play again this year. At least we don’t think he will. Why would he? He’s got nerve problems in his neck and he’d just be rejoining a team that probably would have one or two wins at most. And that’s being generous.

Well, long-time Colts beat writer Phillip B. Wilson thinks the problem could be worse than that. He writes that he thinks there is a good chance that Manning never plays again.

“I’ve [sic] also officially leaning beyond 50-50 on him ever playing in Indy again, if anywhere,” he writes. “Let’s say I’m 40-60 against it being possible. Maybe even 30-70. And if Manning doesn’t talk to us on Dec. 1 and say he’s throwing and getting it all back, if he says there’s still problems with the nerve regenerating and he has fatigue in his arm from a third neck surgery in 19 months, the number plummets to about zilch.”

As OTR‘s father in-law doctor tells us all the time, “necks are a tricky thing.” And the fact that Manning continued to have these surgeries says that something is really wrong there. And only Peyton himself knows if he’s feeling any closer to playing.

We just don’t see the need to risk it. You have your passing records and a Super Bowl and plenty of money. Call it a day and go coach a high school team.

We learned today that Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning (heard of him?) had cervical fusion surgery on his injured neck Thursday morning. We’ve been hearing that he would need another surgery, but some reporters denied that it was imminent.

Well, it was.

Now, the question becomes how serious of a surgery this was. Sure, cervical fusion sounds like fun, but is it?

Photo Caption: The Colts’ playoffs hopes captured in a single photograph.

Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star thinks that, based on the doctor he spoke to, Manning is done for the season.

“For what it’s worth, #Colts fans, doc I spoke to does not think QB Peyton Manning will return this year,” Wilson tweets.

The Colts have known for some time that this was a big deal. Manning is expected to miss 2-3 months at a bare minimum. They signed Kerry Collins, who will now be “manning” the team for the foreseeable future. This absolutely kills the Colts’ chances of winning five games this season.

No word on injured reserve yet, but one would have to think that decision will be made in the coming weeks.

Most NFL teams are pretty secretive with their injury report and don’t give out any more information than they are required to by the league. The official injury status report usually comes out Wednesday, so that’s when we thought we’d get Peyton Manning’s official status from the Indianapolis Colts.

But no, the Colts have decided that they want the world to know that Peyton is indeed doubtful for Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Houston Texans.

“During the last week, the rate of improvement in Peyton’s rehabilitation process slowed,” the Colts said in a statement. “Over the weekend Peyton experienced soreness in his back. It was originally thought to be a normal reaction to his rehabilitation regimen. When the soreness persisted, the Colts medical team decided to initiate diagnostic tests and to consult with a number of specialists around the country who have been involved in Peyton’s case from the outset. That process continues.

“As a result of the most recent development the doctors have decided that Peyton will not practice. His participation therefore, in Sunday’s game versus Houston will likely be doubtful. We will update his playing status as required by NFL policy as the week goes on.”

The team describes the situation as “a complicated neurological recovery, the end date of which is unpredictable,” and they say they’ll provide “concrete medical facts” when they have them.

So yeah, consider Peyton out for Sunday. With all the reports surfacing in the last day, it doesn’t sound like he has a chance in hell of being on that field. Now, the real question becomes when and whether he’ll be able to play at all.

We’ve been mentioning Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning quite a bit on OTR lately. First we mentioned a report that he would need an additional procedure on his neck, then we passed along Mort’s report that that wasn’t true.

Now, CBS’ Mike Freeman says that the Colts are prepared to be without Peyton for 4-5 weeks. That’s not saying that he will be out that long, he’s just saying that it’s a possibility…and it could be even more.

“I can tell you the coaches are preparing for a longer period of life without Manning,” writes Freeman. “They are hoping for the best but now fearing the worst.”

We don’t know exactly what “the worst” is, but it doesn’t sound good. In a very tough AFC, we can’t see the Colts making the playoffs if Manning is out for 4-5 weeks. We could be wrong, who knows? In fantasy football, we can’t see touching this guy before the 5th or 6th round.

We mentioned earlier that there was an ESPN 1070 report out there that Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning would need another procedure on his troublesome neck. Colts President Bill Polian said that he was not aware of such a procedure, but didn’t flat-out deny it.

Now, there is a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who says that at this time, Manning doesn’t need another surgery on his neck.

“Filed to ESPN from @mortreport: Peyton Manning is being revaluated [sic] by several doctors bc of slow progress. No other procedure planned now,” tweets his colleague Adam Schefter.

Keep in mind that Mortensen is wrong quite a bit. That’s not to say that he’s wrong here. We have no idea what to believe, other than Peyton isn’t 100% healthy. Even his mention of slow recovery means that it’s reasonable to assume that he won’t be ready for the start of the season.

But, how long will Peyton be out? The fact that the team signed Kerry Collins would indicate to us that they don’t think he’ll be ready soon.

We’ll keep following the reports, but who the hell knows right now?

So you just were all excited that Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning fell to the fourth round of your fantasy draft. Hooray! What a steal!

Ummm…maybe not.

According to John Michael Vincent of ESPN 1070, Manning needs another neck procedure according to multiple sources and will be out indefinitely.

“I’m not trying to be a newsbreaker,” Vincent said. “Never cared for that. I thought you would like to know. Seems to be solid. If I’m wrong U can torch me.”

Well, the Colts have responded, but not in the “that is flat-out false” manner in which you’d think.

“I don’t know anything about that. I honestly don’t,” President Bill Polian told Peter King.

So, draft another QB as of now. Remember Peyton took some time early in the year following his bursa sac injury a few seasons ago to hit his stride and get right again.

This would be devastating for Colts fans. No Peyton means no winning anything. And as far as fantasy football, not having Peyton hurts every single player on that offense.

This isn’t terribly unexpected since long-term deals are incredibly difficult to negotiate when there is no CBA on the horizon. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Indianapolis Colts have slapped the franchise tag on quarterback Peyton Manning.

“Filed to ESPN: Colts put franchise tag on Peyton Manning,” he tweets.

The Colts still plan to make Peyton the highest paid player ever, but it just ain’t happening right now. This is the second time the Colts have done this to Manning. In 2004, they slapped him with the tag before negotiating a seven-year, $98 million contract.

Manning will make 120% of his 2010 salary, which will have him at about $23 million for 2011.

Here’s a thought for Peyton: Take less money so the team can put better players around you. The Colts in this decade with Manning, Harrison, Edgerrin, Wayne, Freeney, etc. put so much money into their elite players that their depth suffers. And you can see that when the injuries pile up (except for WR really. Somehow they still get by with those guys), especially on defense, the team goes south. So, if Peyton cares about winning, he won’t push for the biggest contract in history.

For all the talk about QB’s and who belongs where… I think it’s pretty clear who’s who in the NFL.  Some are elite.  Some are on their way.  Others are simply overrated.  If you had your choice, all things considered, who do you want to be the QB of your team?  The theory is simple.  If you can’t justify taking a guy ahead of one of the names in the Tier above him… he doesn’t belong. 

I’ve got my list of Tiered QB’s.  Let’s see what you think:

*In no particluar order*

Tier 1 

Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Drew Brees
Ben Roethlisberger

The above mentioned are the elite QB’s of the NFL. They’ve proven to be winners in the regular season and post season, all rock the hardware and have earned respect across the NFL. Can you really argue with anyone on this list? You may want to sneak another name on it…but you simply can’t offer a name that, at this moment, has the pedigree to compare. Let’s see what Aaron Rodgers does in two weeks and we might need to adjust.

 Tier 2

Aaron Rodgers
Philip Rivers
Mike Vick

These are the guys that everyone has their eyes on.  The guys that can put a game on their shoulders and virtually win it for their respective teams when called upon.  The only problem… championships.  Rivers hasn’t had much success in the post season, but few will argue that the guy is a hell of a QB.  Vick has transformed his game to a more complete package and if it isn’t a fluke, he has a real shot at a ring.  He’ll have an even better shot if he signs elsewhere!  Rodgers will quickly be vaulted to a Tier 1 with a win against the Steelers.

Tier 3

Matt Ryan
Eli Manning
Jay Cutler

This is a tough group to judge. I like Matt Ryan. He is a young, up-and-coming QB who could have some pretty nice years ahead of him. He typically makes the right decisions and puts in a solid effort week in and week out. I still don’t believe Manning is a great QB. He is good and it stops there. Yes, he has a Super Bowl ring, but so does Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson. Don’t see me putting those guys on any top QB lists. Regardless, for as many stinkers as Manning puts up, he has a few games where he looks like he should be considered one of the better QB’s in the league. Jay Cutler has something about him that makes him special…at times. There is no denying his talent, but sometimes he looks terrible. This past weekend will also hurt his credibility and he’ll have to fight through that.

Tier 4

Sam Bradford
Matt Cassell
Matt Stafford
Josh Freeman

These are the guys that are young, relatively inexperienced and may make the biggest impact down the road. Matt Cassell has the most experience of the group and this season he quietly put up a very impressive season. It helps when you have the best rushing attack as a compliment, but let’s not take anything away from Cassell. He is a very solid QB who can be special. Same goes for the other three on this list. All three are young and uber talented. Josh Freeman and Sam Bradford have already shown that they not only belong in this league, but they will be the stars of it in 3-4 years. Stafford’s only knock is whether or not he can stay healthy. When he’s on the field, Detroit can win. He has show the ability to lead the team down the field and there is something that say’s winner about him.

Honorable Mentions:

Joe Flacco
Tony Romo
Matt Schaub
Mark Sanchez

It’s hard for me to include these guys in the top tiers of QBs. In all reality, look at the lists above. Would you take one of the honorable mentions over anyone I’ve listed? Personally, the only one I have in question is Eli Manning. I may take Sanchez over Manning, but I’m not sure if that is simply because of my pure dislike of Manning’s game. To me, Sanchez has “it”… whatever “it” is. He is another guy I simply see as a “winner” but not enough upside to put him in with Stafford, Bradford and Freeman.

Romo just doesn’t scream “top QB” to me. I know he has numbers and flash, but something doesn’t resonate with me when I compare him to the others. It’s really that simple to me.

Matt Schaub is a tough one, but again, I can’t put him ahead of anyone else on this list. Some games he looks like he can be a very legit QB and other games he disappears. If you can validate putting him ahead of the above listed, I’ll at least listen.

Finally, Joe Flacco. This one will probably receive the most puzzled looks. Flacco has been a very good quarterback in Baltimore, but I have yet to see him do anything special. He lacks a certain quality that I think every elite, or at least, very good QB has. When I watch him play, I see solid, not special. So again, I can’t put him ahead of the proven, those on the cusp, the ones with star qualities or even those who simply show the potential to be great. Sorry Joe.

Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs had a conference call with Pittsburgh reports recently and he had some great quotes. We want to hang out with this guy. T-Sizzle said that the NFL favors the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, while not caring too much about anyone else.

“The league has their favorites,” Suggs said. “One being in Indy and one being with that other team up north. Besides those two, everybody is fair game. Some quarterbacks are getting the calls right away. Some quarterbacks they don’t care.

“Like I always said, Carson Palmer got hit in his knee in 2005 but there was no rule made. Then Tom Brady got hit in his knee and all of a sudden there is a rule and possible suspensions, excessive fines — it’s just getting ridiculous.”

Not exactly true. They did change a rule so you couldn’t hit a QB at or below the knee.

He was then asked about Ed Reed. “When you’ve got a guy like that, he’s like American Express,” Suggs replied. “He’s everywhere you want to be.”

When asked about his improved play this year, he said “I quit doing cocaine.”

Then there was this gem. Perhaps our favorite of all of them. He was asked about the fight between Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan. “Maybe [if] I throw some punches at a quarterback with a bad hairdo, I’d get thrown out of the league,” he said.

T-Sizzle is great.

Let us preface this by saying that this seems to be one writer’s speculation. We kept looking for a quote or a source in this story and didn’t find one. But, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports says that if the New York Jets don’t come to an agreement with all-world CB Darrelle Revis soon, the relationship could be over.

As in…for good.

“Here’s a little piece of information for Ryan and the rest of the New York Jets: If Revis doesn’t get a new contract soon, New York doesn’t have to worry about the star cornerback showing up,” Cole writes. “Ever.

“As the clock ticks to the beginning of the NFL season, the relationship between the Jets and Revis is ticking toward an end. A divorce, really. That might sound like hysteria to some but it’s reality.”

Cole notes that Revis’ asking price isn’t all that crazy considering that a guy like Peyton Manning is probably going to get $25 million per year when he gets his next contract. So, is Revis crazy for asking for $16 million a year?

Don’t forget, as Cole points out, that Revis’ uncle is Sean Gilbert. This is the guy that sat out a year looking for $4-$5 million a year from the Washington Redskins. He missed an entire year, and then got $7 million from the Carolina Panthers.

With that kind of advice in his ear, it’s not crazy to think that he’ll stick to his guns and possibly – we emphasize “possibly” – never play for the Jets again.

Since 2004, Indianapolis Colts QB Jim Sorgi has the best job in all of football. All he had to do was play some snaps in the preseason and backup Peyton Manning, who never gets hurt. You just stand there and look pretty, Jim.

But, according to Matt Brei on Twitter, the Colts are planning on cutting the 29-year old, who has never shown anyone whether or not he can play.

Photo Caption: Most likely late in the third quarter of a meaningful preseason game against the 49ers.

“Indianapolis Colts informed us they will be releasing QB Jim Sorgi today,” Brei tweets.

Sorgi battled through injuries last year (people only noticed because Polian pulled his starters late in the season) and now the Colts are going to be in the market for a new backup QB. Curtis Painter is borderline capable of even playing in the UFL. He was terrible last year and they’ll need to do something.

Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning has undergone surgery to fix discomfort in his neck, according to Adam Schefter.

“Colts QB Peyton Manning underwent neck surgery in Chicago yesterday. Colts don’t deem the injury serious, but anything with Manning notable,” he tweets.

“This condition has existed intermittently for the past four years, but at no time did it interfere with his training, practice or playing regimen,” the team said in a release. “While it never has affected Peyton’s activity on or off the field, the Colts’ medical staff, after post-playoff examination, thought it best to resolve the situation now.”

We have a tough time believing that it never bothered him during the season or during games. Why would they even say that? Well, any injury has to be disclosed on the injury report each week. By saying that it never bothered him, they can use that as their defense as to why he never showed up on injury reports.

When the Colts arrived at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, following their 31-17 loss to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, they were greeted by a grand total of 11 fans.  That’s impressive.

The group of fans huddled together in the snow outside the closed Express Mail sorting facility at the airport, where the planes arrived in the afternoon.

If the Colts had won the Super Bowl, airport security guards were expecting crowds of at least two times that amount.

Peyton’s younger brother Eli (one of the 11) was seen chucking snowballs at the team, but his throws were sailing over the players’ heads.  Apparently, Eli isn’t good at throwing anything in cold weather.

We think the Manning Face is hilarious and we decided to post some examples. But if you want true, full-on hilarity you have to go to ManningFace.com. Awesome stuff. These guys are annoying.

This is pretty juvenile, but so are we, so it works great for us.

According to this writer for Nola.com, here are the top five players in jersey sales this season:

1. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings – A great buy. Why wouldn’t you want to look exactly like every other person at the Metrodome. “You have a Favre jersey too?! No way! Me too!!”

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts – Nothing says “I’m a Colts fan!” like letting the world know that you know who Peyton Manning is.

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints – How can you not love this guy? No, but we mean like, as more than just a football player.

4. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings – It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have much room to run and his numbers have fallen off…..you still have to have that jersey. Remember his rookie year when the idiots on TV were openly opining whether or not he was already the best running back of all time? Shouldn’t you lose your job as an analyst for even vocalizing that?

5. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers – By getting the jersey of a defensive player, you are telling everyone that you watch all aspects of the game. You are a true fan who doesn’t just get up to freshen your cosmopolitan every time Big Ben isn’t on the field. Well done. You are hardcore.