If Peyton Manning gets a clean bill of health on his 35-going-on-36-year-old surgical neck … If Peyton Manning doesn’t want to mentor Andrew Luck. … If Peyton Manning is no longer wanted in Indianapolis, you can expect the Jets to make a pass at him, in no small part because they crave stars, and who wouldn’t want a healthy Peyton Manning as their pilot?
And even if all these scenarios unfold, and if the Jets ultimately decide to cash out on their three-year investment in Mark Sanchez, you should expect Peyton Manning to pass on the Jets.
So let us stop with this Manning Madness.
Give Sanchez one more year. Give him one last chance, with a new offensive coordinator and staff, stop coddling him, and hope both he and Rex Ryan show up with a No More Mr. Nice Guy mentality.
“I think the organization does baby him,” ex-Jet and ESPN analyst Damien Woody said, “and they definitely need to bring in a viable backup to really provide that competition. We’ll see which Mark Sanchez shows up after that.”
Baby him? “I think the organization can do a better job of, hey, let the man be a man, and stand up there and take the bullets like all the other players,” Woody said.
Ask yourself this: Exactly why would Peyton want to play for the Ringling Bros., Ryan and Bailey Clown College?
“If I’m Peyton Manning, and I’m seeing all this stuff going on with the Jets, I don’t know if I necessarily want to step in that type of situation,” Woody said. “All this cat-fighting, in-house type of stuff going on.”
Think he’ll want Santonio Holmes in his huddle?
“His true colors kinda came out,” Woody said. “… Can’t do anything with him. It’s too much money against the cap. They’re gonna be stuck with him for two years … so they gotta make this thing work.”
Think Peyton wants Wayne Hunter as his right tackle?
Think he’ll want to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings twice a year?
“I don’t think Peyton Manning’s the answer either,” Woody said. “I don’t believe this team is a win now-type a team. If you really look at the Jets’ roster, they’re not that talented. They have a lot of holes. You need to start building long-term.’’
Think he’ll want to try to turn Eli’s Place into Peyton’s Place?
“It’s not gonna be the same offense he ran with Indianapolis,” Woody said. “… Yes, he was a great player with Indianapolis, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to him being a great player for the New York Jets.
“I think they will pursue him. I don’t think they’ll get him. … If they were to pull something like that, that’s gonna eat a lot of (salary) cap, and there are a lot of other issues they have to fix on this team.
“So, if you bring in a guy like Peyton, it’s only gonna be for a couple years or whatever. That’s not gonna fix things long-term. You need to start getting younger. That’s the problem with the team now.”
How far away is Sanchez from being the Sanchise?
“First of all, that moniker just needs to just go away,” Woody said. “I think too much is being placed on him. Look, there’s a lot of people that failed this year.’’
So if this happens and if that happens, Peyton will pass. It’s put up or shut up for Sanchez.
“Give him one more year, to see if this guy can be the future,” Woody said, “and if it doesn’t happen, then it’s time to look in another direction.”