Peyton Manning’s free agency has caused plenty of excitement in the NFL because it’s rare a Hall of Fame quarterback becomes available. Teams are recruiting him, wining and dining him, and preparing to sign him to a multi-million dollar deal. The problem is Manning may not be the MVP player we remember.
Though he’s reportedly made progress over the past month, sources told Yahoo! Sports says he still has a ways to go.
“So far, so good,” a source told Yahoo’s Jason Cole. “The question is still where is it going to stop, but the progress over the past month has been steady and that’s what you’re looking for.
“Is this a situation where I would hand the guy [a lot of guaranteed money]? No, I would be hesitant because there’s still a ways to go … really, that stuff is outside my expertise, but it’s hard to know for sure that he’s absolutely going to be ready at a certain time,” the source said. “I think he’ll be OK, but I don’t know exactly when.”
Manning missed all of last season, and the year before, analyst Ron Jaworski observed that Peyton’s skills — specifically his arm strength — were diminishing. Even though Manning played well, I noticed the same thing. Manning won’t be the same guy he was five years ago, but he’s still smart and his football acumen gives him an advantage over most defenses.
This report reminds us that signing Manning comes with risk and does not make you an instant contender. Some teams are so desperate to have a game-changing quarterback, the risk is worthwhile.
