According to NFL Fanhouse, Jim Irsay plans to pay Peyton Manning sometime and it would make Manning the highest-paid player in NFL history.
“We know that Peyton’s going to be the highest-paid player in the league,” Irsay said. “It’ll get done. There’s no question about that, and it’s something we’ll focus on in the offseason.”
And plus, Manning could make up big for this deal if the Colts win the Super Bowl. All is going good for the Colts’
“messiah.”
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Here we are at the Week 2 juncture of the current NFL season and already questions are being asked about Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning’s current contract. Let’s clarify at least one thing immediately: Manning’s current contract expires next year.
But if owner Jim Orsay has anything to do with it, an extension will be a done deal before this season is over.
According to Irsay:
“With Peyton, it’s about the last thing you worry about. You know that he’s going to be with the top guys at the position. It comes down to just getting things worked out and moving things forward. I expect it to quietly get done, but there are no conversations going on with the season going on.”
I think I am being obvious here when I say that the Colts’ fortunes rest with Manning and his future success. And it has been proven that Manning is a winner, as evidenced by his regular season win-loss record along with a Super Bowl ring.
Unlike his father Bob, son Jim is an owner who actually gets it. He realizes who his bread and butter is and has compensated Manning very well; therefore, I expect Manning to remain an Indianapolis Colt for the remainder of his career.
Colts made the transition of power official on Tuesday, formally introducing Jim Caldwell as the club’s new head coach. Caldwell was named Tony Dungy’s eventual successor last January and took over the reins on Tuesday, a day after Dungy announced his retirement.
“From this day forward I’ll thrive in the quality environment Jim Irsay, Bill Polian and Tony Dungy have created,” Caldwell stated. “I want to thank each one of them for the confidence they have placed in me and what a privilege it is to direct one of the great organizations in the National Football League.”
Caldwell had been a member of Dungy’s staff for each of the past eight years, starting in 2001 with Tampa Bay and for each of the last seven years with the Colts. He served as quarterbacks coach for the first three seasons with Indianapolis before earning the title of assistant head coach before the 2005 campaign.
“I want to thank Tony for what he has done for me over the years,” Caldwell added. “He set a great example for all of us in this profession.”
Caldwell’s lone head-coaching experience came on the collegiate level with Wake Forest from 1993-2000, guiding the Demon Deacons to a record of 26-63 with one winning season and one bowl appearance. He was also a college assistant at Iowa, Southern Illinois, Northwestern, Colorado, Louisville and Penn State.
The city of Indianapolis today announced their “official” bid for the 2012 Super Bowl. The city has the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium set to open this August, and with the new retractable-roof the stadium would be the perfect site for the big game. “It’s not just another stadium, it’s a very special facility,” said Colts owner Jim Irsay. The city had tried for 2011 Bowl, but lost to Dallas’ new stadium by a vote of 17-15. The deadline to throw your hat in the ring for the game is April 1st. Three other cities, Phoenix, Houston and New Orleans are cities that are expected to try and land the game.
If Tony Dungy does what a lot of people expect him to do, which is step down as the Colts head coach, their new head coach is already in place. Owner Jim Irsay confirmed on Thursday night that Jim Caldwell will be the teams new head coach when/if Dungy calls it quits. That could be as early as Monday as Dungy said after the teams playoff loss to the Chargers he would talk with his family in Tampa Bay and then make his decision known.
Caldwell, the teams current assistant head coach, may already know Dungy’s decision, as he has taken himself out of consideration for head coaching jobs in Atlanta and Baltimore. He was thought to be in the final running for the job with the Falcons, who also were turned down by Jason Garrett who instead decided to return to Dallas. Irsay stated directly that “Jim Caldwell would be the guy” if Dungy walks away.
The only head coaching experience that Caldwell has was when he was at Wake Forest. He spent eight seasons as the coach of the Demon Deacons. He did though coach the Colts through the tough stretch when Dungy missed a game when his 18-year-old son died back in 2005. It seems with him taking himself out of the running for two other jobs that its a “for sure” that Dungy is walking away and Caldwell is going to be the next head coach of the Colts.
There has been plenty of speculation in the last few days about the coaching future of Tony Dungy and if he will return to the Colts next season. There was such talk after the team won the Super Bowl last season, and there was some thought then he would walk away. The talk now seems to be heating up, and now there is a report about a meeting between Dungy and team ownership about the situation.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that Dungy met with team owner Jim Irsay on Friday to talk about the situation. Irsay told Dungy that he wants him back in 2008, but Mort is stating that part of the increased speculation about Dungy leaving is that Dungy’s children have moved to Tampa to go to school. Irsay wants Dungy as the coach as the team will move into brand new Lucas Oil Stadium next season.
There continues to be the thought that Dungy wants to be around his family more as they are still dealing with the death of Dungy’s son just two years ago. Win or lose, I think that this will be the swan song of Dungy. He has won a Super Bowl, has great respect around the league as a coach and person, and can surely do other things that will continue to make his mark around the league without having to be on the sidelines.
