Irsay showing his true colors

**Uli2001** · 01-27-2012, 08:21 AM

It seems that once an Irsay, always an Irsay. All the talk about how the son is different from the father must end now, with the way he's been handling his team and treating the guy, Manning, who WAS the franchise for the past 14 years, and the only reason they have stayed in Indianapolis and gotten a big nice stadium.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/75...ublic-comments

I like one of the comments below this story, which goes something like: "Peyton, please be quiet so I can sell some tickets between now and the day I will cut you. -- Irsay"

**pslholder96** · 01-27-2012, 09:31 AM

I think you're a little of my base. Jim Irsay is no way nearly as bad as his father but I get your point. I see a divorce coming here and it's a shame. Peyton put that franchise on the map.

**lovefootball** · 01-27-2012, 10:01 AM

Irsay now gets to show everyone what he can do to rebuild a football team that stunk up the field in 2011.If Manning goes, It will be safe to assume that the colts are average again. Nothing wrong with the colts missing the postseason for a long while. Hope the indiannapolis fans don't abandon the team. LOL

**sailorsam** · 01-27-2012, 12:52 PM

I feel bad for Pagano for going into that snakepit.
Robert Irsay was the Big Weasel, Jimmy is the Little Weasel.
I'd love to see Peyton go to the Jets and lead them to the playoffs and beat Indy on the way.

**pickles** · 01-28-2012, 04:34 AM

I don't think the Younger is as bad as the Older, but I've always felt the whole franchise was overrated as a "model of consistency."

The fact of the matter is, they stunk for a long time w Jimmy in charge, and weren't any good until Polian and Manning showed up. Now, both of those guys are gone, and, imo, they're going to stink for a long time again. UNLESS, Luck is everything he's hyped up to be, and despite what many believe, that is no guarantee.

**HoustonRaven** · 01-28-2012, 08:23 AM

How does this show him to be on par with his father?

If I were an owner, I'd be upset too my star QB is running his mouth.

**pickles** · 01-28-2012, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

How does this show him to be on par with his father?

If I were an owner, I'd be upset too my star QB is running his mouth.

Again, I'm not saying he's on par w his father.

But I do think he hasn't accomplished a whole hell of alot in the league, except luck into drafting Manning 14 years ago, and if he hadn't done that he would have uprooted that franchise from Indy too.

And if he didn't want his star QB to give an interview, which wasn't even inflammatory, maybe he ought not run his fucking mouth to Rob Lowe about Peyton Manning's intentions. Manning doens't deserve that respect after all he's done for that franchise?

I sure as hell think so, and if I was Manning, I'd be pissed too.

**DarthCorvax** · 01-28-2012, 12:55 PM

I don't think he's as bad as his father. I haven't seen Irsay flying into the LA Coliseum to drum up interest in a move. Not, so far as I know, has he called plays. But then again, the way Caldwell was using time outs, it might have helped if he had.

Be that as it may, the thing that Manning is pissed about is in the same vein as Irsay Sr. Manning's quote was that people that he's worked with in the building were showing up and finding that their keys weren't working. It would seem that according to Manning, they were showing up and found they were out in the cold. Which is basically what happened that March in 1984. House was cleaned out and that was it. Fortunately for them, it's just Manning that's moving and not the entire team.

Manning thought he was entirely different from the father. I put the quote into an earlier post, but to paraphrase, Manning asked if things couldn't have been done better, was there a better way than to have people show up and find they've been fired?

In the same vein, but not quite as bad. And FWIW, the son did hire a good head coach.

**RavenScallywag** · 01-28-2012, 01:46 PM

This is why I was suprised Pagano chose to go to that franchise. That organization is going through such a strange time right now. They're just two years removed from playing in a Super Bowl. One losing season (granted, debacle of a season) costs nearly the entire FO and coaching staff their jobs, the franchise QB is clearly unhappy with the way the owner is running things. Other than having the top pick in the draft, not much going for them as far as easing into a new head coaching gig. But, Pagano was the one who decided now was the time to be a head coach.

That said, Irsay making those comments was not Bob Irsay like. You'd expect that kind of behavior from half the owners in the league. The closest thing that Jim Irsay did recently which had me scratching my head is when he started a twitter contest to give away SB tix to whoever guessed the next Colts HC. BEFORE he had picked one. You're already turning your head coaching search into a promotional contest? I'm almost wondering if he looked at the majority of responses to decide who to hire.

**pickles** · 01-28-2012, 02:11 PM

Some of it though doesn't make sense to me. You want a new head coach? A new GM? Sure, that's your perogative.

But do you really need to fire the strength coach? WTF did he have to do w a 2-14 season? And you have to do it right in the middle of his workout w Manning?

It seems to me, and others have speculated, Irsay is just flapping his dick around to do it and put his stamp all over the organziation.

For some reason, I don't that's going to work out for them. Before Polian and Manning, they were a fucking joke. I suspect the same will be true afterwards.

**Ravenswintitle** · 01-28-2012, 02:57 PM

They have major cap issues too; it's going to be a mess there for a while. Especially given the other teams in that conference are getting a little stronger.

**HoustonRaven** · 01-28-2012, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by pickles

Again, I'm not saying he's on par w his father.

But I do think he hasn't accomplished a whole hell of alot in the league, except luck into drafting Manning 14 years ago, and if he hadn't done that he would have uprooted that franchise from Indy too.

And if he didn't want his star QB to give an interview, which wasn't even inflammatory, maybe he ought not run his fucking mouth to Rob Lowe about Peyton Manning's intentions. Manning doens't deserve that respect after all he's done for that franchise?

I sure as hell think so, and if I was Manning, I'd be pissed too.

Not sure how the Polians scouting Manning since he was in high school can be called "lucking" into him.

And winning a Super Bowl is a pretty big deal.

This feels like Bmore sour grapes.

**pickles** · 01-29-2012, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Not sure how the Polians scouting Manning since he was in high school can be called "lucking" into him.

And winning a Super Bowl is a pretty big deal.

This feels like Bmore sour grapes.

LOL. Scouting Manning since High School? So I guess they were the only ones that knew about him? They really unearthed a diamond there, right from obscurity.

The fact is everybody in the NFL knew who Manning was from high school. And every team in the NFL would have taken him #1 that year if they'd been LUCKY enough to have the #1 pick. This wasn't some scouting and development job; they had the #1 pick the year Manning came out so they took him, just like everybody else would have. It's called luck. They stunk before Manning and they'll stink after Manning.

And firing everybody in the building, a week before you host the Superbowl, sure isn't going to speed the recovery process up.

They were an awful team this year. They'll be worse next year. Even if Luck is the second coming of Manning, which is highly unlikely, they're still going to have to rebuild that team around him. It's going to take a few years before they're respectable even. I wonder if we'll be hearing about what a great owner Jimmy is when they win 14 games in half a decade and they're being blacked out.

**Mista T** · 01-29-2012, 05:27 AM

I expect to see the Indianapolis franchise wallow in or near the AFC South basement for the next 5 years. Pagano will be the first of many head coaches to be axed quickly. After having had the taste of being one of the NFL's top teams, Irsay will not have the patience to await rebuilding results.

It wouldn't surprise me that Jimmy is back on drugs to see him through this fiasco. Like father, like son.

**HoustonRaven** · 01-29-2012, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by pickles

LOL. Scouting Manning since High School? So I guess they were the only ones that knew about him? They really unearthed a diamond there, right from obscurity.

The fact is everybody in the NFL knew who Manning was from high school. And every team in the NFL would have taken him #1 that year if they'd been LUCKY enough to have the #1 pick. This wasn't some scouting and development job; they had the #1 pick the year Manning came out so they took him, just like everybody else would have. It's called luck. They stunk before Manning and they'll stink after Manning.

And firing everybody in the building, a week before you host the Superbowl, sure isn't going to speed the recovery process up.

They were an awful team this year. They'll be worse next year. Even if Luck is the second coming of Manning, which is highly unlikely, they're still going to have to rebuild that team around him. It's going to take a few years before they're respectable even. I wonder if we'll be hearing about what a great owner Jimmy is when they win 14 games in half a decade and they're being blacked out.

Yep. Sour grapes.

**The Excellector** · 01-29-2012, 08:22 AM

At what point does it become luck? They were a really bad team, got the #1 Overall pick and drafted Peyton Manning. Now, right after Manning's time there is done, they get the #1 pick again and will be able to draft Andrew Luck.

**pickles** · 01-29-2012, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Yep. Sour grapes.

Hahaha. You caught me Detective. I don't like the Colts. And I'm going to enjoy watching them suck.

But what did I say that was incorrect?

Is it any coincidence that the Colts were the worst team in the NFL the year before Manning showed up, and the year after he "left?"

Do you expect them to turn it around quickly, or will they most likely stink for the next few years?

If they do stink for the next few years do you think the fans will support them like they have w Manning, or will it revert to what it was like before he showed up?

Do you expect Irsay to show patience and stability in the face of rebuilding the franchise, or will he continue w this amateur hour crap he's already begun this off-season?

**pickles** · 01-29-2012, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

At what point does it become luck? They were a really bad team, got the #1 Overall pick and drafted Peyton Manning. Now, right after Manning's time there is done, they get the #1 pick again and will be able to draft Andrew Luck.

They weren't just bad for a year when they got Manning, or on a downswing or anything like that, they were consistently one of the worst franchises in the NFL. Now that he's gone they immediately return to being one of the worst franchises in the NFL. That isn't a coincidence in my book, maybe it is for others.

Luck, may be a great, great QB prospect. In fact, he surely is; he maybe the best QB prospect since Manning. That doesn't mean he's going to be as good as Manning. In fact, he most likely will not be. I'd bet on that, and the odds would be quite in my favor.

They're not going to plug Luck in for Manning next year and win 10 games like nothing ever happend. They're going to be very bad next year w Luck. They won 2 games this year, and they're losing alot of their best players, on top of Manning. This will be a multi-year rebuilding effort.

Let's see how the fans support that, and what kind of patience and organizational-building skills Jimmy shows in the process.

**Uli2001** · 01-29-2012, 03:42 PM

Now reports surface that the decision to release Manning has already been made several weeks ago.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/75...?eleven=twelve

Which would only make a LOT of sense, given all the turnover that is going on over there. But of course, Irsay denies it. Why would he release Manning before he has to, and miss on all those season tickets he can sell before that? Why would he release Manning now, except to show him respect and give him a chance to look for another team sooner rather than later?

**Ravenswintitle** · 01-29-2012, 05:09 PM

I don't think it takes a capologist to see that they are going to cut him around the end of Feb and rebuild. He knows it and that's probably a part of why he's lashed out a bit. it's over