Now imagine him in a Seahawks Uni. Cool right?
Over the past few weeks there have been two stories that have been covered to death in the sports world. The latest one has been Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. The other… Peyton Manning. Manning’s health has been talked about to death. If he’s going to return to the Colts. What his relationship is like with team owner Jim Irsay. What teams would be interested in his services if he doesn’t return to the Colts. You get the drift.
I put up a poll (attached below) a few days ago asking you guys who you think will be the starting QB for the Seahawks. As of the time of this writing, Peyton Manning had collected 23% of the votes. The other options were Tarvaris Jackson, 36%; Matt Flynn, 23%; and other; 18%.
Going into the 2012 off-season, it could be argued that the Seahawks have two key needs to address. The first is either bringing back Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 1,204 yards and 12 TD’s. Lynch also had 212 yards receiving with another score. If Lynch is not re-signed then it’s very possible that the Seahawks will seriously consider Trent Richardson with either the 11th or 12th selection in the 2012 NFL Draft.
The second need is at quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson had a season that many actually considered to be better than what was expected of him. Unfortunately it was still a subpar performance and not what the fans or coaches want to see from such an important position. The Seahawks are on the right path to becoming a regular contender for not only a playoff spot, but to be a major force in the NFL. To complete the process of getting the Hawks to the top, the team has to find a QB that can lead them there.
Should Peyton Manning be that quarterback? At least for the next few seasons?
Pros:
- He’s Peyton freakin’ Manning!
- Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.
- No one is smarter than him when changing plays at the line and recognizing what an opponent is trying to do defensively.
- If healthy, even at just 90%, he’s a better option than Tarvaris Jackson.
- Manning would be the ideal mentor for a young QB taken in this draft or the next.
Cons:
- Manning is 35 years old. He’ll be 36 when the 2012 season begins.
- Though he has been cleared for football activities, the injury still hasn’t been healed to the point where he can throw at an acceptable velocity and duration. Think of a relief pitcher in baseball.
- The cost could still be pretty high even given his condition. Manning is reportedly willing to restructure his contract to be heavily related to performance clauses. No word if that would be the case for any team other than the Colts.
- Any deal with Manning would prevent the team from moving on with a young QB now.
Summary:
I believe that if the Seahawks can bring in Manning with a two or three year contract that had the majority of the money tied up in starts or performance clauses, the team should go for it. As stated above, Manning would be the perfect mentor for a young QB taken in an upcoming draft. If Manning doesn’t perform as expected the team can have the option to move on with no real negative effect.
If Manning never plays again, or ends up elsewhere, it won’t be the worst thing in the world. It will only allow the Seahawks to find their QB of the future and move on to becoming one of the premier teams in the NFL in a slightly different, hands on approach.
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Paul Novak
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