Hey y’all. It’s me Tyler “Emmitt” Perry from such films as Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I get Married and the recently released Good Deeds. Most people don’t realize I’m a very, very, very, very passionate football fan. Perhaps it’s all the costumes I wear? that throw people off.?For a brief period Oprah and I actually entertained the idea of buying the NFL after Rush Limbaugh tried to buy the Rams. That’s not a typo. Not an NFL franchise! We were actually planning on buying out Roger Goodell’s contract, combining the the Oprah Winfrey Network with the NFL Network and I was going to become president of NFL Films. My first objective was hiring Morgan Freeman to narrate highlights but that’s all in the past.
As a connoisseur of stage melodrama, I’ve spent the last few months enamored by the real-life drama unfolding in Indianapolis between Peyton Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay. Here in Atlanta I’ve seen what happens when an owner and the organization endure an acrimonious split with a star quarterback. Arthur Blank used to serve as Michael Vick’s butler when the Michael Vick experience was sidelined prior to the 2003 season.
I was also watching yesterday when the 14-year marriage between Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay ended. I haven’t seen a goodbye that emotional since the final ten minutes ?of Brian’s Song. I was also watching in 2007 when Peyton Manning finally put a (Super Bowl) ring on Irsay’s finger. Sadly it’s similar to how most long-term relationships in the 21st century end. When Peyton’s neck failed to heal he stopped putting out….huge numbers on the field and along came the younger, more mobile Andrew Luck with his Stanford education and Elway comparisons. ?It’s not surprising nor is it hard to believe the Colts would release Manning. Look at it from their perspective. Andrew Luck (or RGIII) will make $22 million over the next four years while Peyton was due to make $28 million guaranteed?tomorrow.
Ultimately, the Colts and Manning staged an amicable divorce and both read off of well-written scripts at the press conference. (Seriously, whichever Colts speechwriter penned those words understands great composition.) Peyton will find himself a new offense and the Colts will elope with Andrew Luck (or RGIII) and sign him before the NFL Draft. I just wish Jim Irsay had asked for my advice earlier in the process. I can’t help but think that this is the rare instance where I could have shined words of wisdom on this difficult situation.
Just replace the idea of a side chick/mistress with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and you get the basic idea. Basically?Det. J.C. from New York Undercover‘s theory states?that?a problem could arise if the Colts think they?re sacrificing a beaten down Peyton Manning for the best quarterback prospect since John Elway. But what happens if they find out Andrew Luck is missing a critical component of becoming a great NFL quarterback or crumbles under the pressure while Peyton wins a Super Bowl or two in a new uniform?
What if the 20% that Manning lacks and that Andrew Luck has, including youth doesn’t pan out to equal the 80% Peyton Manning brought in practice, in the locker room, film room, or every Sunday at the line of scrimmage?
Peyton may be down but he appears to have plenty of football left in him. While Luck may have all the physical tools and a great football IQ we have no idea what his 
legacy will be in six to ten years. What if Luck has already peaked and he only turns out to be an average starter? If Luck doesn’t pan out, Colts fans may find themselves spending their fall Sunday afternoons inside a gallon of Haagen Dazs while watching my MADEA marathon on TBS and longing for the one that got away.
