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INDIANAPOLIS -- At an appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium this evening, Andrew Luck said people smarter than him would be deciding on whether Coby Fleener was the guy for the Colts at No. 34.

Those people, led by general manager Ryan Grigson, decided Luck’s Stanford teammate was, in fact, the right guy.

Fleener is the team’s second-round pick, and will be a prime target for Luck just as he was in college.

The Colts have a couple dependable receivers in Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. Beyond that, they’ve got a reclamation project in Donnie Avery and a tight end who’s more a blocker than a receiver in Brody Eldridge.

Fleener is a giant get and fits perfectly with the idea of surrounding Luck with weapons who will maximize his chances at success.

I wasn’t alone in being surprised he made it out of the first round.

Now I expect the Colts will start to look for defenders as they have major holes at cornerback, defensive tackle and linebacker.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ryan Grigson's film study of Andrew Luck took him beyond reads and recognition, mechanics and throws.

“You’re talking about a guy who, when there is a busted play or he throws an interception, he runs down and hits like a linebacker,” the Colts' general manager said. “On a trick play, he shows the ball skills of an elite receiver.”

Those are nice clips from Stanford, for sure, and they reveal much about the Indianapolis Colts' new quarterback.

But with Luck officially their man, Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano have effectively taken a pledge to add people and craft a scheme to maximize his chances at success -- and not when he turns into a defender or a receiver. If the Colts' new regime stays true to that obligation, it shouldn’t be long before Luck is doing what top NFL quarterbacks do -- completing passes in critical situations and leading his team to wins and playoff appearances.

It’s a familiar storyline for sure. It's the same oath the franchise took with Peyton Manning in 1998.

“I think this thing happened 14 years ago,” Pagano said. “I think it’s all happening again, right before our eyes.”

Pagano went on to rattle off a list of qualities everybody wants in his quarterback and top players: football IQ, character, integrity, work ethic, good family background, worldliness, humility, leadership, passion and competitiveness.

“When you look at clean players across the board, when you talk about height, weight, speed, intelligence -- A to Z, if you want to label him a 9 or 10 in every one of those categories, you probably can,” Pagano said.

The Colts are not slated to pick again until 34th, the second pick of the second round Friday night.

A chorus of analysts say the Colts are duty-bound to add someone who can help Luck, despite the pull that Pagano, a former defensive coordinator, might feel for a defender. My opinion is they don’t absolutely have to go with offense the next time they are on the clock, but in this draft and until the roster is filled out, they should lean that direction more often than not.

Grigson emphasized “this is a team” and that the Colts will do things with a team mindset, acquiring good players, regardless of position.

But he also admitted the obvious.

“Of course you want to protect him the best you can, you want to put players around him that are going to make him comfortable, you want to do things to help facilitate him being great,” Grigson said.

Pagano has emphasized running the ball well and stopping the run, elements that are typically regarded as providing aid to a young quarterback, but elements too that have become less and less important to Super Bowl-winning teams in the modern NFL.

“You’ve got to protect the kid, you’ve got to put enough pieces and enough playmakers around him,” Pagano said. “... You can add a piece here and you can add a piece there to make sure that everything doesn’t rely on Andrew making plays with his arm, and running around making plays with his feet outside the pocket, and extending plays and things like that. We’ve got to play great defense, too, I’m not going to slight that.”

The Colts want to protect Luck with good blocking but are conscious that they will have to protect him from himself as he looks to inherit Manning’s mantle, revive a franchise coming off a horrific year that prompted monumental changes and give the city a new sporting face.

“He’s going to be eager to come in here and think that he’s got to carry this whole thing on his shoulders,” Pagano said. “And that’s the first thing we’re going to tell him. He doesn’t have to do that. He’s just got to do what he does, and that’s play quarterback. And he plays it really well.”

As good as he is coming into the league, Luck is not a finished product. What great collegian is?

Pagano hired Bruce Arians as his offensive coordinator because he effectively helped shape Manning here early on as well.

The new quarterback will arrive in town Friday knowing he’s got plenty he can work on as he evolves into a professional. Play calling can be a big help to him as well, Pagano said.

I wrote earlier of traits Luck has that date back to high school, and how they can be contagious for a rebuilding franchise. He said he doesn’t know whether his longtime ability to compartmentalize will be needed more or less as he becomes a full-time football player. It’s just another of the many things he will learn in the months and years ahead.

For right now, Luck said the most exciting part of things is becoming part of a new locker room and getting to “meet the guys.” It was a Manning-esque comment, deflecting focus, aiming to share it.

Luck said it’ll be an honor to throw to Reggie Wayne, whom he called a future Hall of Famer, as well as Austin Collie and Donnie Avery. He said it will be big to be able to learn leadership qualities from Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

And he seemed thrilled to hear Grigson and Pagano talk about how they’ll surround him.

“It’s exciting to be part of a team where they are saying that they need playmakers and all of that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. ... You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself. You have to realize you have to go through a whole process leading up to a game through a season.

“That being said, I do have high expectations for myself. And I’ll try to do the best I can. I know it’s cliché, but I’ll try to live up to my own expectations and fit in with all the guys and then do the best we can.”

Thoughts on the Colts' draft from two people involved in evaluating personnel for NFL teams:

Guy No. 1:

“I like general manager Ryan Grigson and his first pick is a stud. Nice start.”

“If they are running a standard, pro-style offense, Stanford tight end Coby Fleener would be a great addition for Andrew Luck if he lasts until 34.”

“I like Anthony Castonzo better at right tackle, he’s not a true left tackle to me. But there won’t be one of those at 34.”

“At 34, their goal should be to add something for Luck.”

Guy No. 2:

“The best thing they can do for Luck at the top of the second is help him with a skill guy. Pierre Garcon is gone. Reggie Wayne is old. The tight ends are nobodies. Donald Brown is a nobody. “

“As much as Chuck Pagano has to have help defensively, as much as he’d like a multidimensional pass-rusher like Dont’a Hightower -- a guy like Terrell Suggs or Adalius Thomas who made Baltimore go -- you draft a QB No. 1, you better help him out.

“Whether you are Bill Polian or Ryan Grigson, if you draft that guy No. 1, you have to surround him with weapons. Otherwise he’ll look like [Sam] Bradford in St. Louis. They think they were protecting him with offensive linemen. Woo. But they have nobody to make a play for him.”

“I don’t think Coby Fleener makes it to 34. If he makes it to 32, he won’t get past the Giants.”

“You can help a quarterback with a guy he can hand the ball too. Doug Martin is compact and multidimensional. A lot of the other backs in this draft are specialty players.”

Presuming the Colts make Andrew Luck the No. 1 pick in the draft on April 26, will they focus the rest of their draft on building the offense around him?

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, ESPN’s Jon Gruden was asked about the necessity of giving Luck help in the rest of the draft.

"I think the Colts are a lot different team now, obviously, then they were five years ago. Not only do they have to address needs in the draft, they’re going to have to continue to do that after the draft and in free agency. Obviously a quarterback’s success rate is largely dependent upon those around him, not just on the field but you’ve got to embrace a new system.

"I know Bruce Arians is coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers (as offensive coordinator), they’ve got a new head coach (in Chuck Pagano). They’ve got to increase their personnel. Marvin Harrison is gone. Reggie Wayne is at a different stage in his career. Dallas Clark is gone. I don’t know who the feature back is going to be.

"So I would assume, if Indianapolis does indeed select Andrew Luck, that they will try to upgrade the supporting cast on the field as much as possible."

I think general manager Ryan Grigson will likely need to be careful about leaning too much on one side of the ball.

While the Colts need help at receiver, tight end, on the offensive line and possibly at running back, they also need a strong safety, interior defensive linemen and cornerbacks.

Let’s remember Pagano is a defensive guy and that there are plenty of ways significant defensive additions can help Luck, too -- like by getting him the ball back in good field position.

Kevin in Houston writes: Why is it taking so long to sign Chris Meyers, Mike Brisiel, Joel Dreessen and Neil Rackers? It's fairly clear the Texans were not going to be able to sign/afford Mario Williams. Did this not clear up enough room to get some of these key players back? It just feels like the Texans just don't care.

Paul Kuharsky: Teams don’t operate on fans’ timetables.

The Texans have re-signed Arian Foster and Chris Myers now. Brisiel, Dreessen and Rackers are nice pieces, but hardly urgent. So you let them see the market. If they hit the lottery, you say congrats. If they don’t, you wind up in a favorable position to get them back.

Why make the jump to “they don’t care?” Why wouldn’t they care?

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Chris in Washington, D.C., writes: Your Tennessee bias has been on astounding display over the past week. Could you make it any clearer that you hope Peyton goes there? Last I checked, this is an AFC South blog, not a Titans blog. You should write accordingly. As a journalist, I don't have a whole lot of respect for your coverage right now. Or maybe ESPN "bloggers" should be held to a lesser standard?

Paul Kuharsky: Peyton Manning is the biggest story in sports right now. He’s not considering playing for Jacksonville or Houston. The Colts cut him, so any post about his potential landing spot is of interest to Indianapolis. I’d be writing a great deal about him even if one of his primary suitors was not in the division. But it is.

I’ve written about the goings on with other teams.

None, right now, have nearly as much going on as the Titans do.

That’s how it works -- the biggest story and most active team gets the most attention. When the Texans were in the playoffs, it was them. When the Colts were deciding on Manning, it was them. As the Titans court Manning, it’s them.

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Bo from Spearfish writes: With Jax signing a decent WR (Robinson) and Mincey to stay at DE, what’s their first-round priority? CB? Or do they protect Gabbert with an OL pick. I personally would still prefer another set of hands opposite Robinson.

Paul Kuharsky: You can’t force a priority on a first-round pick, but they still need a big time pass-rusher and a corner. But wide receiver trumps all in my eyes, especially if Laurent Robinson is all they do in free agency.

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Scott in Missoula, Mont., writes: Winston Justice? Really? Why in the world would the Colts take an overpaid, backup OT and give up their position in the sixth round, disregarding for a moment the fact they have Anthony Castonzo and Ben Ijalana, instead of trying to court Evan Mathis, Ben Grubbs and/or Chris Myers, who are proven upper-echelon offensive linemen? Seems like the only positive move Ryan Grigson has had thus far is keeping Reggie Wayne to be Andrew Luck's #1 WR. Your thoughts?

Paul Kuharsky: I think we give Winston a chance, just like we give Grigson and all the newcomers a chance. Ijalana’s hardly a sure thing himself. Grubbs and Myers were pretty costly and the Colts don’t have much money. And swapping sixth-rounders with Philly for Justice was hardly any cost at all.

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Barry in Indy writes: I see where some teams offered a 1st or 2nd round tender offer to their FAs. Do you know if the Colts did this with Pierre Garcon? At this point, the Colts need all the draft picks they can get. Thanks in advance!

Paul Kuharsky: Tender offers are for restricted free agents. Teams are able to retain them with a tender offer, which gives them the right to match any offer sheet they might sign or get the draft pick attached to the tender as payback for not matching.

Teams have no power to attach anything to unrestricted free agents. The only thing they stand to get back later is a compensatory draft pick, third round or later, if the sum of their free-agent losses outweighs the sum of their gains. And those come in the draft the following year.

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Michael from Cypress, Texas writes: No disrespect to Manning, but I think he'd be a great QB coach at Houston. Can you imagine TJ Yates and Matt Schaub getting tips from Peyton?

Paul Kuharsky: Actually I can’t imagine it at all. Why would he want to do that? He’s going to make a ton of money playing and has a chance to try to win another Super Bowl.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

The Texans are in cap hell, and to avoid it being worse down the road, they’ll have to find a way to sign guys like outside linebacker Connor Barwin and left tackle Duane Brown to avoid free-agency problems in 2013, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Mario Williams called Gary Kubiak shortly after he reached his deal with Buffalo, says McClain.

The Texans defense will collapse in Year 2 under Wade Phillips, predicts Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report.

Indianapolis Colts

Reggie Wayne isn’t ready to say the 2012 season will be a wash, says Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star. “"I just want to help build that foundation. It's not set in stone we're going to (stink)," Wayne said. "Who knows? We might shock the world. This time next year, you might be writing that these Colts are some bad boys."

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars might not be finished in free agency, they might just be on pause, says Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. And interest in Ryan Tannehill in the draft could be advantageous for the Jags, GM Gene Smith said.

Chad Henne’s addition creates competition, not controversy, for the Jaguars at quarterback, writes Vito Stellino.

The Jaguars see Laurent Robinson as a guy on the way up, says John Oehser of jaguars.com.

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee likes the leadership and toughness of new guard Steve Hutchinson, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Matt Hasselbeck's been talking with the Titans and understands that the Manning chase is out of his control, says Terry McCormick of titaninsider.com.

A Tennessee House resolution urged Peyton Manning to return to the state, says Chas Sisk. What a silly, hokey, useless waste of time.

The Titans don’t get better with the addition of Hutchinson, says Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report.

KC Joyner discusses the receiver market so far in this Insider piece .

I’ve seized a couple snippets to pass along:

Pierre Garcon, outgoing from Colts to Redskins: The 2009 season is the only campaign in which Garcon posted quality metrics (9.3 YPA), and that was with a healthy Peyton Manning. Robert Griffin III may be a very good pro quarterback, but unless he can play at Manning's elite level (a very big task), the Redskins may be disappointed in this investment.

Reggie Wayne, stayed with Colts: His early-season totals weren't dominant, but from Weeks 12-17 Wayne gained 472 yards on 45 targets (if penalty plays are included). That equates to a 10.3 overall YPA that was highlighted by a 13.0 vertical YPA (VYPA) on 25 vertical targets.

Laurent Robinson, incoming from Dallas to Jaguars: “…[T]here could be some serious upside to this deal for Jacksonville. Robinson had a rare combination of a fantastic short pass YPA (7.8 on 44 targets) and a superb VYPA (14.8 on 34 targets) last season. In addition, he caught five of six bomb passes for 282 yards, so he has the skills to stretch the field. (Note: Bomb passes are aerials thrown 30 or more yards downfield.) Whether he'll have a quarterback in Jacksonville who can get him the ball is another question.”

Reading the coverage …

Houston Texans

The Texans hope to avoid the worst-case defection scenario, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. (News in here: Tight end Joel Dreessen is headed to New Orleans for a visit. Right guard Mike Brisiel is visiting Oakland.)

Recently cut fullback Lawrence Vickers was not out of work long, quickly signing with Dallas, says McClain.

Indianapolis Colts

It’s a three-year, $10.5 million contract for defensive end Cory Redding, a building block for the Colts, says Phil Richards. Says Redding: “I believe we can get this thing turned right back around and just keep winning."

Reggie Wayne: Colt for life. Phillip B. Wilson on Reggie Wayne’s decision to re-sign with Indianapolis.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars landed their first two outside additions in Laurent Robinson and Chad Henne, says Tania Ganguli.

Why a multi-year deal for reserve linebacker Russell Allen makes sense for Jacksonville, from Ganguli.

Tennessee Titans

Was it a long hello, or will Peyton Manning be putting down roots again in Tennessee? John Glennon of The Tennessean reports on Manning’s visit to the Titans headquarters.

Manning’s gut could push him to decide on the Titans, says David Climer of The Tennessean.

The Titans are also working on their offensive line, and hosted free-agent Scott Wells, says Glennon.

The Indianapolis Colts locked up receiver Reggie Wayne and brought in defensive end Cory Redding in their first two moves in free agency.

Their press release announcing the moves offered some insight from general manager Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano.

Grigson on Wayne: “Reggie Wayne has been a pillar in the Colts organization and is already one of the greatest receivers to don the horseshoe. His leadership, sense of team and the way he conducts himself on and off the field are invaluable to the franchise. Reggie continually strives for excellence and that matches the attitude and vision we share as an organization. He is a true pro in every sense of the word and we are ecstatic he is back in the fold.”

Pagano on Wayne: “My relationship with Reggie dates back to our days at the University of Miami and I knew back then that he was going to be a special player. Reggie is a tireless worker who competes at an extremely high level. He’s always been proud to represent the Colts and we are thrilled to have him back.”

Grigson on Redding: “Cory is a big and aggressive interior 5-technique player who is an ideal fit in this defense. This type of player is hard to come by because of the traits required to play over large offensive linemen while still being a force to stop the run. Cory has all of the characteristics to be very successful within our scheme and he will complement the rest of the defense very well. We’re excited to have him.”

Pagano on Redding: “Cory is a fantastic player, leader and family man. He was a tremendous asset to our defense in Baltimore and he pieced-together one of his best seasons last year. Cory will fit in nicely with what we are trying to accomplish on the defensive side of the ball this year.”

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle runs through Mario Williams’ plans and the early developments in free agency for the Texans.

Love doesn’t hold teams together, says Jerome Solomon of the Chronicle. Nice detail here on Williams spending part of Sunday at GM Rick Smith’s house playing video games with Smith’s son.

Four reasons the Texans may have cut Eric Winston, from Lance Zierlein of the Chronicle blog. He should have kept it to three, as No. 4 is not a factor.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts lost Pierre Garcon but managed to re-sign Reggie Wayne, says Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star.

Five reasons the Colts re-signed Reggie Wayne, from Nate Dunlevy at ColtsAuthority.com. I like No. 5 especially.

Garcon is part of the Redskins' receiver-heavy free-agent push, says Mike Jones and Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union talked to Dwight Lowery after he signed a four-year deal to stay with the Jaguars.

Defensive end Jeremy Mincey also re-signed, says Ganguli.

Dallas receiver Laurent Robinson is visiting the Jaguars, says Ganguli. The receiver pool shrunk significantly and if Robinson is the "big" move for Jacksonville, then they're going to have to really emphasize wideouts in the draft.

Chad Henne could be the new backup to Blaine Gabbert, says Vito Stellino of the T-U.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans-Peyton Manning meeting is today. John Glennon of The Tennessean runs through that and the first day of free agency.

Safety Jordan Babineaux and reserve linebacker and special teamer Patrick Bailey re-signed, says Glennon.

The Titans talked for some time about their defensive needs. But their initial push in free agency is all offense, says Glennon.

Cortland Finnegan landed a big deal in St. Louis, says Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

There is a lot of rubble at the Colts headquarter in Indianapolis.

But in reaching a three-year agreement with receiver Reggie Wayne, the team re-signed a second long-time veteran.

With defensive end Robert Mathis on defense and Wayne on offense, the team maintains a link to the highly successful Peyton Manning era.

Wayne and Mathis will be surrounded, largely, by kids.

I was struck Super Bowl week when I spoke with Wayne and he said he would welcome an opportunity to be part of the Colts’ rebuild, that he’d be honored if they wanted him as a piece of the foundation.

“This is what I have, this is all I know,” he said. “So I wouldn’t mind being part of a rebuilding process. They need some old heads too, you know? It would be an honor to still be part of this organization even with a rebuilding phase. I know there are going to be some guys on the team that I still know, I know the head coach, Chuck Pagano, pretty good (from time together at the University of Miami.) I’d just look at it as my rookie year all over again.”

I thought it was insulting to suggest he’d wait around and make his move as a free agent only after Manning landed with his new team.

Wayne will be a huge guy for Andrew Luck, offering precise routes and regularly showing up where he’s supposed to be to convert third downs.

Wayne is a polished pro who works extremely hard, just as Mathis does.

With those two in place, the Colts have tone-setters and models. Now they need to find a lot of the guys they will ask to follow the leaders.

One player I think will be outgoing, one player I think should be incoming, for the Indianapolis Colts once free agency opens Tuesday afternoon.

I’m steering clear of the huge guys on the incoming category, as it’s easy to say a team should covet the best/most expensive player at a position of need.

Outgoing: Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon, receivers: The Colts are looking to cut costs, and that continues with them allowing the veteran Wayne to move on, and with limiting what they are willing to pay Garcon. Garcon is an enticing guy with game-breaking speed. But his consistency to this point isn’t what you’d like. Maddening drops aren’t what Andrew Luck will need at the outset.

Incoming: Aubrayo Franklin or Antonio Garay, nose tackles. Franklin was supposed to be a hot commodity last year as he left San Francisco, and was a quieter player in a 4-3 in New Orleans. Garay is older, but probably has a few years left. The Colts can’t answer everything in the draft, and coach Chuck Pagano has no one who can really be a nose tackle in the 3-4 he’d like to employ at least some of the time.

GMAC from Nashville writes: Offering our 20th pick for [Dwight] Freeney? Are you kidding me? I hope Ruston Webster doesn't read you. You didn't even mention the botched trade, when we sent our first to the Rams for Kevin Carter in 2001. He made the probowl one year and was gone after his fourth... and he was 28 at the time. You think he wanted to play here? C'mon man. I'd rather have a top 20 prospect, who is committed to the team that drafted him than watch Freeney (32), who probably bleeds colt blue, be injured for most of the duration of his contract here. A third at most. I won't make this any longer because you probably won't respond anyway. Keep up the good work.

Paul Kuharsky: Yeah, I won’t respond. I am known for hiding.

People are overly protective of draft picks. Who’s this great pass rusher they will get at 20? Will he be as good as Michael Griffin’s been as a safety after being the 19th pick?

They need a special pass-rusher. Freeney is one. There aren’t many, if any, in this draft. They are gone by 20. Seven of the last 21 defensive ends drafted BEFORE 20th rate as busts at this point to me.

I said start off by offering a second-rounder.

Kevin Carter wasn’t great, but he was a pretty effective player for the Titans. Absolutely he wanted to play for the Titans. Why wouldn’t he have?

Ron from Murfreesboro, Tenn., writes: Any chance the Titans pursue the Saint's Carl Nicks. He's a great player at a position of need for the Titans. Not sure what his price range would be like. If we go out and get him then I think we can focus the rest of the offseason on improving the defense. What are some other offensive line candidates the team will look at both in free agency and the draft?

Paul Kuharsky: Nicks will be the costliest guard in the league. Someone other than the Titans will very likely be writing those checks. A mid-range free agent or draft pick is most likely. Can’t tell you names.

Garrett from Missoula, Mont., writes: If Peyton Manning goes to Miami, what are the chances Reggie Wayne joins him? It seems like a perfect fit with Miami's roster and the history Wayne has there, especially if Manning goes.

Paul Kuharsky: With or without Manning, I would think Miami would be a favorite to land Wayne. He could be great for another QB too.

Larry Dorsch from Pittsburgh writes: Where do you see Tommie Campbell "fitting it" with the Titans?

Paul Kuharsky: He will compete for third corner. He will be the third, fourth or fifth corner and a key special-teamer.

Amy Hamilton from Indianapolis writes: It makes no difference how long we had to prepare. It is profoundly depressing. Sure, it's only a game. I keep telling myself that to no avail. There is no comparison to Favre or Montana. Peyton revolutionized the game and put us on the map. I really don't care if Andrew Luck is the right choice - you stick with Peyton until he's ready to be done. Maybe we Hoosiers are unusual in that respect.

Paul Kuharsky: Revolutionized the game? A bit strong, I think. He’s a fantastic player and unique. Others can’t do what he does (or did) in terms of altering plays at the line. But for that to be a revolution, we’d have to see more guys starting to do it. And they aren’t.

And Joe Montana won four Super Bowls. I know it’s about the team, not just the quarterback, but you needn't be dismissive of Montana in order to be complimentary of Manning.

It was not my sense that most Hoosiers said the Colts had to stick with Manning given the circumstances, just that he deserved to go out gracefully.

Aaron from Jacksonville, Fla., writes: Hey Paul, why is everyone thinking that Miami is "close to a championship" and ideal for Manning? Do they not remember that just last season the Dolphins won only 6 games and also fired their head coach? Sure coaching may be a FACTOR but you have to figure the fault lies with the players as well. Just curious.

Paul Kuharsky; I am with you. I think they are being over-rated – in large part because, while I like Joe Philbin, I know nothing of how he will be as a head coach.

Gavin from Fairmont, W.Va., writes: I am a long time Colts fan and come often to your blog. I keep seeing that Luck is the most NFL ready QB, and I wanted to know your thoughts on this. Doesn’t that, being the most NFL ready QB, mean he has little to no room to improve so you are basically getting what you see.

Paul Kuharsky: No, it doesn’t mean that at all. NFL-ready means ready to play in the NFL. It means he’ll be better at the beginning.

It doesn’t mean has maxed out or won’t have room to learn and get better.

I spoke with NFC West blogger Mike Sando this morning as he was putting together this post.

It’s a great idea and he included a few of my thoughts in good takes on myths vs. motivators for Manning. Still, I’m compelled to circle back to offer a bit more of my thinking on a few of them.

First, there's the idea that the division of a potential team will play a big factor into where Manning lands.

If Peyton Manning likes the opportunity in Miami, he’s not going to shy away from it because of the Patriots and Tom Brady. Al Davis once said he didn’t get heart attacks, he gives them. That applies here: Manning doesn’t fear competition, he intends to instill fear into his competition.

Other things on Sando’s list that I think are overrated:

Offensive line: Yes, a good one would be desirable to work behind. But he’s played behind some bad ones in Indianapolis and he knows how to work around them. He can get rid of the ball more quickly than any quarterback in the league, whether it’s the play as designed to the primary receiver, a quick dump-off to avoid trouble or a throwaway. Given a choice between great route runners or great blockers, I think he'd lean toward the first.

Reggie Wayne: I’m sure Manning and Wayne would both love to work together more. But as I’ve written, it’s pretty insulting to Wayne to suggest he’ll be an add-on item to Manning’s next team. He’s a prime free agent with a few good years left who can do just fine without Manning.

Preference for a smaller market: Look, in a superstar’s world, market size is way overrated. Manning wasn’t walking around Indy undisturbed. When you learn how to be low key in one place, you can apply the same methods to a different place. Manning’s weekly news conference in Indianapolis was packed. He was engaging and measured in much bigger situations, including two Super Bowl weeks. Yes, those weekly sessions will be more packed if he’s with the Jets. Do we seriously think he’ll be turned off by that to the degree where it’s a factor in deciding where he works?

How the 21 franchise tags from around the NFL affect the teams of the AFC South.

Houston Texans

Salary cap limitations likely mean the Texans are not active in free agency. The market may have shifted on a guy like Reggie Wayne, who could have been attractive with Dwayne Bowe, DeSean Jackson and Wes Welker out of the unrestricted free agent picture.

More significantly, the price defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams will be able to attract if he gets to free agency is likely up. The Colts tagged Robert Mathis, the Lions tagged Cliff Avril and the Cardinals tagged Calais Campbell, and they were the next-best pass-rushers for needy teams to target.

Indianapolis Colts

Those three receivers -- Bowe, Jackson and Welker -- disappearing from the market mean that two Colts unrestricted free agents to-be probably fare a bit better. Pierre Garcon has speed and youth to sell and Wayne has veteran wiles and reliability.

The Colts could make another charge at signing Garcon before March 13th, but he may be determined to see what free agency can bring him.

I don’t think they will have much money to spend on free agents, but the offensive line and defensive tackles pools -- their biggest positions of need beyond receiver -- are unchanged.

Jacksonville Jaguars

No one needs a big-time, team-leading wide receiver more than the Jaguars do. I don’t believe they would have been players for Jackson or Welker. But Bowe could have been a guy they were interested in.

Whether or not they will be players for Williams, plan B should have been Mathis. The hit to the potential defensive end market hurts as a big-time pass-rusher is the big defensive need. Cornerback could still be OK with Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan, Kansas City’s Brandon Carr and San Francisco's Carlos Rogers on track to reach free agency.

Tennessee Titans

That San Francisco tagged Dashon Goldson and Oakland franchised Tyvon Branch severely thinned the safety market, which helped prompt Tennessee to tag Michael Griffin. I would have loved to have seen their approach is the two guys from the West Coast were heading for unrestricted free agency.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean reported that Mathis would have been a target and general manager Ruston Webster had said a special, pass-rushing defensive end was one position for which the team might have been willing to overpay. He didn’t say overpay by a gigantic degree, however. With a bid for Williams unlikely, who’s the next best rusher now?