Manning lottery aftermath
PEYTON MANNING is back at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, eight months after a pretty miserable Sunday in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Broncos lost 43-8 to the Seahawks in just an awful game. The score against the struggling Jets on Sunday could be just as lopsided as Manning sets up shop in little brother Eli’s home. If the Jets can hold Manning under 40 points and 400 yards passing it will be a moral victory of sorts.
In March of 2012, the Jets were one of several teams to make a run at signing Manning after the Colts released him rather than pay his $28 million-option bonus. Manning had missed the entire 2011 season following his fourth and most serious neck operation. The Colts went 2-14 without him and selected Andrew Luck with the first pick in the draft.
The Colts basically traded in Manning for a newer version after first firing GM Bill Polian and coach Jim Caldwell. Luck is already one of the best QBs in the league. It has worked out well for the Colts and Broncos, but not so much for just about every team, coach or general manager involved in the Manning Derby that came down to the Broncos, Titans and 49ers.
As a result, there were career-changing repercussions for the coaches and/or GMs of the teams that failed in their chase of Manning, Here’s a breakdown:
THE JETS
What Happened: After they were immediately rejected by Manning — there was no chance he would play in the same town as Eli and no chance he wanted to join the circus
— GM Mike Tannenbaum foolishly signed Mark Sanchez to a three-year extension when he still had two years remaining on his rookie contract. The new deal was for $58.25
million and included $20.5 million in guarantees over the 2012 and 2013 seasons. It was a kiss-and-make-up contract by the Jets after their brief romance with Manning. The Jets went 6-10 and the Sanchez contract became an albatross.
Casualties: Tannenbaum was fired after the 2012 season. Sanchez was released after the 2013 season.
Where Are They Now? Tannenbaum is an agent for coaches and broadcasters. Sanchez is the backup for the Eagles.
THE TITANS
What Happened: Manning was a college star in Knoxville and the Titans tried to get him to come back to Tennessee to win a Super Bowl in Nashville even though they had invested a firstround pick in Jake Locker in 2011. The Titans were a serious contender in the Manning Derby. Manning really liked Titans coach Mike Munchak and worked out for the Titans in Knoxville. The Titans were 22-26 in the two seasons after they didn’t get Manning. Locker has not established himself as the QB of the present or future and Tennessee could be looking to replace him next year.
Casualty: Munchak was fired after last
season.
Where Are They Now? Munchak is the Steelers offensive line coach.
THE CARDINALS
What Happened: After he visited with the Broncos on his first stop, Manning’s next meeting was with Arizona. The attraction of throwing to Larry Fitzgerald was not enough. The Cardinals then went 4-12 in 2012 with the Fab Four of John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Ryan
Lindley and Brian Hoyer all starting games at quarterback. They were 10-6 with Carson
Palmer last season.
Casualties: Coach Ken Whisenhunt and
GM Rod Graves were fired after the 2012 season.
Where Are They Now? Whisenhunt, after one season as the Chargers offensive coordinator, was hired to replace Munchak in Tennessee. Graves was hired this year as the Jets’ senior director of football administration.
THE DOLPHINS
What Happened: Manning has an offseason home in Miami Beach, but the Dolphins couldn’t entice him to take his talents to South Beach full-time. The Dolphins met with him in Indianapolis, and despite a push from Dolphins icon
Dan Marino, who Manning really respects, they didn’t have much of a chance, especially with then-rookie coach Joe
Philbin not having a track record. The Dolphins then drafted Ryan Tannehill in the first round. Miami went 7-9 in 2012 and 8-8 last year.
Casualty: GM Jeff Ireland was fired after
last season.
Where Are They Now? Ireland was hired as a consultant by the Seahawks before this year’s draft with the possibility of joining the organization full-time. One month later, however, the Seahawks elected not to retain him. He is currently out of the NFL.
THE 49ERS
What Happened: They were very active in their pursuit of Manning, the QB who re
placed 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh in Indianapolis. One reason Harbaugh is reportedly having locker room issues is he wasn’t forthcoming with incumbent QB Alex Smith about his desire to sign Manning. The 49ers were interested enough in Manning that Harbaugh watched him work out at Duke. So did the Broncos. The Niners went to the Super Bowl in 2012 and the NFC title game last year, so you wonder if Manning could have been the missing piece to get them the ring.
Casualties: Harbaugh could be on the way out of San Francisco after the season. Smith lost his job to Colin Kaepernick in 2012.
Where Are They Now? Smith was traded to the Chiefs in 2013 and is their starting quarterback.
WASHINGTON
What Happened: On the day before Mike Shanahan met with Manning at the former Broncos coach’s home in Denver, there was a blockbuster trade: Washington sent three firstround picks and a second-round pick to the Rams for the second overall pick, which was used seven weeks later to draft Robert Grif
fin III. That essentially took Washington out of the Manning Derby, but the meeting took place anyway. Daniel Snyder would have been better off holding onto his draft picks and signing Manning.
Casualty: Shanahan won the NFC East in RG3’s rookie year, but was fired after going 3-13 last season.
Where Are They Now? Shanahan is not employed in the NFL but he is collecting $7 million on the last year of his five-year $35 million deal from Snyder.
THE SEAHAWKS
Manning contacted Seahawks coach Pete
Carroll early in the free-agent process to let him know he was interested in playing for Seattle. Then, when Manning was in Denver visiting the Broncos, Carroll and GM John
Schneider showed up unannounced at an airport in Englewood, Colo., hoping to get a meeting with Manning. He was no longer interested. Instead, they selected Russell Wilson in the third round in the 2012 draft and he beat Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII. Casualties: None. Where Are They Now? Carroll, Schneider and Wilson are in Seattle going for another ring.
The Broncos won the Manning Derby and almost all of the losers are still paying for it.
A ROAD WIN
Good news for the Giants next week in Dallas: Home games are now road games for the Cowboys with so many fans of the opposing team getting into the building. Last week against the Texans, Tony Romo had to go to a silent count for most of the game with the building split about 50-50 between Cowboys and Texans fans. “We played on the road,” Romo said after the overtime victory. Considering how many transplanted New Yorkers live in the Dallas area, Romo may have to go to the silent count again next Sunday afternoon when the Giants show up. There’s going to be an awful lot of blue No. 10 jerseys at
Jerry Jones’ stadium. For sure, Romo will have to go to a silent count Sunday with the Cowboys in Seattle… It was the 25th anniversary last Wednesday of the Herschel Walker trade, the greatest heist in NFL history that set the Cowboys up for their run of three Super Bowls in four years…It’s only the sixth week of the season, but the quarterback merry go-around has started with multiple teams already starting multiple QBs: Vikings ( Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder and now back to Bridgewater); Bills ( EJ Manuel, Kyle Or
ton); Jaguars ( Chad Henne, Blake Bortles); Titans ( Jake Locker, Charlie Whitehurst); Washington (RG3, Kirk Cousins); Panthers ( Cam Newton, Derek Anderson); Bucs ( Josh McCown, Mike Glennon), Cardinals ( Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton); Rams ( Shaun Hill, Austin Davis).
JETS’ WEAK THAT WAS
Just to recap the last two weeks for the Jets: Geno Smith twice yells “F--- You,” to a heckling fan after a brutal loss to the Lions at Met Life Stadium. The next day, Smith helps organize an offensive team meeting and speaks about being accountable. Five days later, Smith backs up his words by saying he went to the movies in San Diego and misses the Saturday team meeting. Michael Vick starts the second half of the 31-0 loss to the Chargers and is brutal. Days later Vick says he wasn’t prepared. Rex Ryan admits if he doesn’t get this mess straightened out he will be fired after the season. Other than that, just another quiet year for the Jets. They are 1-4 right now. In five days, after a heavy dose of Peyton and Tom Brady, they will be 1-6.
L.A. MAYBE
The Rams and Raiders both left Los Angeles after the 1994 season and now there are rumors one or both could be heading back. Of course, the NFL has spent the last 20 years trying to get back into the second-biggest market in the country. Realistic question: Do fans in Los Angeles even care? When was the last time any group in L.A. staged a rally to bring back the NFL? Probably never. The Rams can get out of their lease in St. Louis following the season and owner
bought a big piece of land in the L.A. area not long ago. The Raiders have the worst stadium situation in the league. Of course, if the powers in Los Angeles had stepped up 20 years ago and built a new football stadium, the Rams and Raiders would never have left. Until plans for a new stadium are finalized and the shovel is in the ground, I don’t think the NFL will commit to Los Angeles. If a team relocates there — the Chargers are also a possibility to move up the highway — it will have to play in the Coliseum for a couple of years, which is where we left off with the Raiders.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Seattle’s Percy Harvin touchdowns called back in the Seahawks victory last week in Washington. The flags are just out of control this season. According to an Associated Press story, penalties are up to 17 per game. Last year after five weeks it was 14.7. The AP, using figures from STATS, says illegal contact has been called 56 times, up from 15 after five weeks last year. There were only 54 illegal contacts called all of last season. Defensive holding is up from 52 last year to 113 this year. Already, 15 TDs have been called back, up from 11 after five weeks in 2013. The league made illegal contact and defensive holding a point of emphasis this year. We get the point. Now can the NFL get the officials to back off making it an emphasis? The flags are ruining the game.