Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s infamous remarks about Peyton Manning last week may not have come off the way he wanted them to. That does not mean there was no truth behind them.
Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history and probably the best in Colts franchise history. Irsay created a buzz by essentially admitting he was disappointed the team only won one championship with Manning, which many interpreted as a shot at Peyton. After Indy’s huge win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Showtime’s Inside the NFL had their cameras rolling while Irsay addressed the team.
“That other guy next door (Peyton Manning), is one of the greats and I have nothing but gratitude towards what he’s done for this team,” Irsay said, via Eye on Football. “But today is today. And we all know that we want to go and get this (Irsay holds up his right hand with the Super Bowl ring on it). Anyone who doesn’t want more than one of these shouldn’t wear a horseshoe because that’s what it’s about.”
Winning a championship should be the ultimate goal on every player’s mind, but Inside the NFL hosts Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Dan Marino felt that Irsay would have been better off keeping that to himself.
“There is no reason for that. I mean, they won the ballgame,” Marino said. “As an owner, you have to feel pretty darn lucky to have Peyton Manning for 14 years and win a ring. There are a lot of guys who have played in the NFL and have been great players including me, I feel like I was a good player, and I don’t have a ring. So I don’t think you go there at all.”
Manning has had his struggles in the postseason, but he brought the Colts a championship and over a decade of winning football teams. That’s much more than most franchises can say about their quarterback. Irsay can go off on the media all he wants in an attempt to prove his point. In reality, it wasn’t one that needed proving to begin with.
