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His boss encouraged him to continue to find time to work out. So even in the most harried and stressful times in the frantic early stages of his tenure as the Colts' new general manager, Ryan Grigson periodically found his way to the team’s weight room.

“I lift weights a few times a week,” he said. “I should do more cardio. I feel like I got ran so hard as an athlete, if I don’t have to run I don’t want to. I like to lift hard.”

Forty-five hard minutes or an hour in the weight room take him way back, to early childhood memories.

“We had York weights in my basement. I was five years old and I’d see my dad down there with my uncles with their work boots on and cutoffs and tool belts, down there lifting. My brother is a big lifter. I just stick to basic movements that crush you real fast. It’s more work and less time. That’s all I can do here.

“The workout is the same every time: dips, pull-ups and bench press. I do it hard and I do it fast and I get out. It definitely clears your head. It’s good to get that blood flowing. Even early on [Colts owner] Jim Irsay would tell me, ‘Get in that weight room, get a workout.’ It gives you energy. When I was burning that midnight oil early on to the point it was ridiculous, when you had no time to sleep because you couldn’t turn your mind off, without those workouts, coffee and the support of my wife, I don’t know if I would have made it through.”

He had more to make it through than most first-time general managers.

Grigson took over a team that was about to part ways with an icon. He had no relationship with Peyton Manning, and Irsay was making the call. But as Grigson was introduced as the new GM, and later when he spoke to the press at the combine, he faced hard questions he couldn’t really answer. He sweated under the bright lights, and squirmed at least a little.

Nearly anyone would have.

Fast forward to last week’s draft.

He looked and sounded like a different guy, talking about his draft picks and the start of something, not the end.

“People have told me that, that I seem more relaxed,” he said. “When I am in the moment before, I’m still being me, maybe I just have my game face on, I don’t know. It sure is nice now to be able to talk about the guys we took and not have to sidestep anything.”

He’s not being cliché when he talks about going day-by-day, minute-by-minute, and even second-by-second. He spoke of being ultra-focused. When you are a laser beam like that, it’s believable when you talk of having no timetables for a return to prominence.

Before the draft, Irsay tweeted out a reminder of how long it took the Colts to win a playoff game after drafting Peyton Manning in 1998. (The Colts beat the Broncos and the Chiefs in the 2003 postseason.) Many analysts thought the plea for patience wasn’t something the owner needed to send out at that time.

But clearly, despite adding No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, the Colts need time. They cut or lost at least 10 of the 22 players who would have been opening day starters if the old regime stayed in place and kept its people. They are eating a giant amount of dead money against their 2012 salary cap to gain financial freedom in 2013.

When I said something about the need for patience being obvious, Grigson was pleased.

“That’s refreshing to hear you say that,” he said. “A lot of people seem to think that we can do that all at once. You have to have four drafts combined and 30 picks to get all the best players that you wanted. It’s not happening.

“There has to be an element of patience within the organization. That was a very key trait I saw in Mr. Irsay from day one. We have pillar guys who are helping us moving forward. But everyone knows no one is looking at us to do anything.”

The Colts couldn’t address every position of need in the draft and they have to reshape some of what remains. Indy will have to scheme around and deal with being weak at certain positions this year, like at cornerback.

“There are positions that scheme-wise, haven’t been as vital due to what they did,” Grigson said. “At specific positions we need different body types maybe, different types of athletes with different skill sets.”

During the initial minicamp and in offseason workouts, guys have picked things up, bought in and started learning nuances of the position that may be different. Players who will ultimately be gone may be asked to transform their game.

“They’re working, it’s nice to see guys really working,” Grigson said. “Coach [Chuck] Pagano and his staff have created an air of enthusiasm. We know we have a very long road to hoe and no one denies that. But we’re out there doing what we can control, and that’s to go full speed, to listen, to get in the playbook, to lift the weights, to condition, do all those things, the little things with high intensity.

“I look at it in a very simplistic view. I tell my kids if you hustle and work really hard, good things happen. If you cherry pick and just kind of loaf around, nothing’s ever going to fall in your lap. You’re not going to be that guy who gets a fumble recovery for a touchdown or a pick bounces off someone’s shoulder pads and lands in your hands. That usually happens to someone who’s flying around.”

His wife and five children have not joined him in Indianapolis yet, which gave him more leeway to put in the ridiculous hours he felt were necessary before the draft. His only respites were those weight room sessions, Sunday Mass and an occasional frozen pizza heated up and eaten while he watched the news or found a decent movie, preferably a comedy.

Otherwise, he was watching film, assessing issues, making decisions.

When I’ve asked people around the league about Grigson, they talk about him with respect. He’s regarded as a quality personnel man with the qualities needed to lead a front office and build a team. He inherited a tough situation with Manning’s departure, but he’s also incredibly fortunate to have Luck.

Grigson knows this rebuild is going to be hard and take time. He’s excited to get to another stage, where he can walk past the clicker in his office and not have it work like a magnet, pulling him back to watch more film. At this stage, player study no longer trumps everything else.

But even at this slower time, there is plenty pulling at him, plenty to do. He will soon add to his scouting staff. He’ll continue to work with Pagano, trying to maximize the coach’s chances of success. He’ll watch offseason practices, considering the tiny pictures and the big picture the tiny ones combine to create.

“It’s like I’m a rookie left tackle and every game I’m facing Michael Strahan, Bruce Smith, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis,” he said. “Hopefully in the end all these experiences that I’ve had will help me to be a better GM and a better football man.”

Hopefully, at least three times a week, he’ll find his way to that weight room, fall into his routine, and build up the sort of big sweat that clears his head, at least for a little while.

“As long as it keeps me from looking real bad,” Grigson said, “then I’ll keep doing it.”

There is increasing buzz that the Kansas City Chiefs might try to find a way to draft Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill is considered a draft riser. The Chiefs have closely investigated him in recent weeks, and because the team doesn’t think it has many pressing holes, the time might be right to grab a quarterback. I think the Chiefs will draft a quarterback early in the draft, but Tannehill is the only attainable quarterback available who could challenge to take Matt Cassel’s job away. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. thinks Tannehill could eventually make the Chiefs a special team .

Getting Tannehill might not be easy. The Chiefs would be extremely lucky if he fell to them at No. 11. The more likely scenario would require the Chiefs moving up to get him.

There has been a lot of speculation that the quarterback-needy Dolphins will take Tannehill at No. 8. New Miami offensive coordinator Mike Sherman was Tannehill’s college coach.

So, if the Chiefs really want to get Tannehill, they might have to jump up to No. 7. However, Cleveland could also take Tannehill at No. 4. Last week, Colts’ owner Jim Irsay tweeted that Tannehill is a draft gem, and teams might have to trade up to No. 3 with Minnesota to get him. The Eagles and Seahawks might be among the teams interested in trading up to take Tannehill.

I’m not sure the Minnesota scenario will be necessary to get Tannehill, but quarterbacks create unique scenarios.

Moving from eight spots from No. 11 to No. 3 would cost multiple first-round picks, and that might be too pricey. However, if Tannehill is on the board at No. 7, Kansas City could try to move ahead of the Dolphins and take him for a much more reasonable price. The Jaguars have the No. 7 pick.

So Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted that the team was having a private workout today with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and that they wanted to have one as well with Robert Griffin III but that Griffin's agent turned them down. This has, as everything that has anything to do with the NFL does in the age of Twitter, become a huge deal.

Knowing that it's certain to fall on deaf ears, I hereby offer a plea for everyone to relax. We'll never make it through the next 23 days if we keep up like this. Do you want to know what it means that Griffin turned down the Colts' invitation for a private workout? Nothing. Ab. So. Lutel. Ly. Nothing.

There is no event in sports (other, apparently, than uniform unveiling) for which the hype and anticipation exceeds the quality and importance of the thing itself than the NFL draft. And part of the outsized hype is this desperate need to find clues in every little thing everyone says and does. Here are some key things to remember, on this Griffin issue and in general:

• Almost everything that any team official or agent says publicly about the draft at this time of year is somewhere on the spectrum between misleading and outright false. Posturing, smokescreening and negotiating are the order of the day, and teams love to play games and drop clues that lead people in the wrong direction.
• Irsay and the Colts are almost certainly taking Luck, leaving Griffin for the Washington Redskins, but there's absolutely no reason for them to make their decision on April 3. And even if they did, there's absolutely no reason for them to tell anyone what it is. There are 23 days left before the draft, and no one knows what might happen to or with Luck or Griffin in that time. The Colts have every right to wait right up until the night of April 26 to decide, and they owe it to no one to let us know what they're thinking.
• The Colts weren't the only team to ask Griffin to do a private workout, and he declined all such invitations. Griffin wanted teams to come to Baylor's pro day instead, in part because he wanted to share some of his spotlight with his college teammates. As I understand it, he didn't work out for the Redskins either.
• These private workouts are, like almost everything else this month, overblown. Teams decide which players to draft based mainly on the players' college tape. And they can meet with these guys in private at the scouting combine. Just because a guy is having a private workout for a team doesn't mean that team is drafting him. And just because he isn't having a private workout for a team doesn't mean that team isn't drafting him. The Eagles are working out Ryan Tannehill even though there's no way they're drafting him. Some teams just like to take an opportunity to meet a guy and get to know a little bit about him. You never know when that might come in handy down the road -- whether you're playing against him, considering acquiring him, whatever.

The overwhelming likelihood is that the Colts are taking Luck and have known it for some time, and that the Redskins will get Griffin. But nothing that's happening today offers any viable clues about this. And if you're the Redskins -- and this really is the most important point I can make here -- it doesn't matter. Andrew Luck is your worst-case scenario? Plenty of teams would trade places with you.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- As you may have heard, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has been wandering around the NFL owners meetings saying his team is undecided on whether it will take Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Irsay could be telling the truth, or he could be putting up a smokescreen, as everyone does about the draft this time of year.

One thing is certain, though. The Washington Redskins, who traded three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the Rams earlier this month to move up to the No. 2 pick, don't care. They know they're getting one of those premium quarterbacks, and that's all that matters.

"That's a decision, when you get to the second pick, you've got to feel great about both guys," Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday morning. "There can't be any, 'Oh, I hope I get this guy, I hope I get that guy,' because you don't know what's going to happen. You know what's reported, but you just don't know, especially with this process. But when we did move up to that position, we had to feel great about both of them before we gave up what we gave up."

It's widely believed the Colts have been set on taking Luck for some time, and the likelihood is that the Redskins will end up with Griffin. And because of Griffin's exceptional speed and mobility, conventional wisdom has begun to coalesce that says Griffin "fits Shanahan's system" better than Luck would. But Shanahan disputes that notion, indicating that he believes it underrates Luck's athleticism.

"I say both of these guys, because they've both very athletic," Shanahan said. "When you take a guy (Luck), who's 6-4, that's 240 (pounds) and can run a 4.6 forty, that guy can move pretty good. And obviously with Robert, running a 4.4 or under, usually guys that are that fast can't throw. And he can do both."

The Redskins have not worried, since making the trade, that they paid too much. The franchise has been in need of a franchise quarterback for years -- decades, really. And Shanahan believes that it's an essential ingredient to a championship team.

"The Super Bowls that I've been involved with, with Steve Young, with John Elway, both were franchise quarterbacks," Shanahan said. "They can make plays when everything breaks down. And if somebody can do that, then you've got an opportunity, once you get to the playoffs, to do something special. Now, can you still win without one? Sure you can. But you'd better be pretty special."

Shanahan said he and his staff are spending 11 hours a day preparing for the rest of the draft, going over every possible player and trying to identify potential future stars they can find in the later rounds. But what the Redskins did when they made the deal with the Rams was buy themselves their biggest present a month before Christmas. And every day, they walk past it, wrapped and sitting under the tree. And as excited as they are, they're happy to wait to unwrap it, because they know it's going to be awesome.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay says his team likes Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III and hasn't decided which of the two star quarterbacks it will take with the No. 1 pick in next month's draft.

"I think they're both outstanding young men," Irsay said during a break in the owners meetings here Monday. "I don't think it's either-or, where only one of them is going to succeed. I think they're both going to be great."

It's long been assumed the Colts would take Luck with the first pick, and after the Washington Redskins traded up to get the No. 2 pick in the draft, it's been assumed that they'd take Griffin. In truth, the Redskins are expecting the Colts to take Luck and excited to have Griffin. But if the Colts did take Griffin instead, the Redskins would be thrilled to have Luck fall to their spot.

Since they have the No. 1 pick, the Colts could, if they so choose, do a contract with Luck (or Griffin, or any player they want, actually) in advance of the draft.

"If we decided to do a deal early with one of them, that's something we could definitely look into," Irsay said. "But we're still in the evaluation process right now."

It's possible the Colts have always been and remain set on taking Luck, and that the public interest in Griffin is a negotiating tactic Irsay is attempting to use with Luck. The Colts have been enamored with Luck for a long time. ESPN analyst Bill Polian, who was the Colts' GM until a couple of months ago, has said last week on NFL Live that he believes Irsay is set on Luck as Peyton Manning's successor in Indianapolis.

The key thing to remember, though, if you're a Redskins fan, is the team believes (as Irsay says his team does) that there are two can't-miss quarterback prospects in this year's draft, and the trade the Redskins made with St. Louis ensured they will get one of them. Which one it is doesn't matter as much as the fact that the Redskins believe that No. 2 pick sets them up at quarterback for years to come.

At the news conference making Peyton Manning’s release official, Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated more roster moves were pending.

They came down Friday, and the remaining roster is a barren landscape.

Gone are halfback Joseph Addai, tight end Dallas Clark, safety Melvin Bullitt, linebacker Gary Brackett, and quarterback Curtis Painter.

All but Painter are proven players who played important roles in the system the team run under the team’s top executive, Bill Polian, and coaches Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell.

Those three powers are gone, and new GM Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano are starting with a virtual clean slate.

Addai is not the type of back the team will want as it looks to get bigger and more powerful. Clark, Bullitt and Brackett are officially injury-prone and aging.

Some of these moves bring accelerated cap hits, and might cost more than the significant salaries the players were scheduled to make will save.

But in a year, the team should be in much better financial shape -- and be adding instead of subtracting.

The next big question is defensive end Dwight Freeney, who's due $14 million this season and carries a $19 million cap number.

So what’s the future hold now that Peyton Manning and owner Jim Irsay have spoken about the Colts releasing the quarterback?

While I feel sure Manning knows the process, he said his thinking has been about where he’s been, not where he’s heading.

A creature of habit and a lover of regimen, he said he’s in “uncharted territory” now. He knows what a typical NFL March is, but he has no idea what this March will be like.

Manning said after being unable to throw or work with teammates for a long time, “It feels like home being back out there."

While he emphasized Indianapolis will remain home, he’s now on the market for a new football home.

As for his ability to play on, he said: “I am confident.”

"I'm throwing it pretty well. I've got some work to do. I've got some progress to make. But I've worked real hard."

He said he has no interest in retiring. No one, he said, loves his job or loves playing quarterback more than he does.

As he referred to notes to make his initial statement, I thought he was as emotional as we’ve ever seen him. He’s a guy built on composure and poise, but he showed us the human side -- one opposite from the jokester in TV commercials -- in this goodbye.

He goes out at peace with the way things have played out, and at peace with Irsay and the organization.

That peace is an important piece to this, as he starts to envision life somewhere else after 14 years with the Colts. Irsay said he’s rooting for Manning to have a chance to go out a winner and that the move is in his best interest.

“As a franchise, where we are right now with the salary cap, where we are rebuilding, we’re definitely a few years away,” Irsay said. “I want to see him come back and play great, there is no question about it. Just like in 2001 when he was completely healthy and everything else and we didn’t have everything to surround him. I want that opportunity for him as well to succeed at the end of his career.”

Just to sign a draft class the Colts will need to make roster moves, Irsay said.

Manning certainly has to wind up in a better situation than that.

An emotional Peyton Manning, pledging that no one loves playing quarterback more than he does, said goodbye to the Colts in a 20-minute news conference this afternoon.

It sounded like he was anticipating an afternoon of goodbyes with support staff at team headquarters with whom he’s had long-term relationships. When he spoke of one faction of those people, the equipment guys, his voice cracked.

“It’s weighed real heavy on my heart but, yeah, I am at peace with it,” he said of parting with the team that drafted him first overall in 1998. He and owner Jim Irsay both said that it wasn’t a decision either of them wanted to make, but one the circumstances dictated.

He was most emphatic about his thanks to fans of the Colts.

“This town and this team mean so much to me,” Manning said. “It truly has been an honor to play in Indianapolis. I do love it here. I love the fans and I’ll always enjoy having played for such a great team. I leave the Colts with nothing but good thoughts and gratitude to Jim, the organization, my teammates, the media and especially the fans.

“I haven’t thought yet about where I’ll play. But I have thought a lot about where I’ve been. And I’ve truly been blessed.”

Turning to fans specifically, he said: “Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart. I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback.”

With the offseason in full swing, let’s take a look at one major question facing each AFC South team as it begins preparations for the 2012 season:

HOUSTON TEXANS

Can they keep Mario Williams?

He’s an incredible pass-rushing talent most every team would love to have. Yet the Texans might be in a position where they have no choice but to watch him move on as an unrestricted free agent.

They should have had planned better and not have allowed themselves to be in a position where the franchise tag is an impossibility. They cannot tag the defensive end-turned-outside linebacker for $22 million, so they either have to sign him or allow him to test the market. He talks affectionately about the Texans and what the franchise did for him, and that leads some to be optimistic about the team’s chances to hold on to him.

But once he’s out there and being courted, things can change in a big way with big dollars on the table.

Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed are great talents, but they’d be better, and the entire defense would be better, if Williams were part of it.

It would be difficult for the Texans to watch Williams lift someone else's defense and put up big sack numbers. He’s also been hurt a lot, however, and if that continues, maybe there won’t be so much regret if he moves on.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

How does the Peyton Manning saga sort out?

It’s widely presumed the team is parting ways with the four-time MVP quarterback.

It would have been impossible to imagine a year ago. But several unlikely developments have all come together at the same time -- the uncertainty surrounding Manning’s arm; the team’s ability to draft Andrew Luck; the dismissal of Bill Polian and Chris Polian in the front office as well as coach Jim Caldwell and most of his staff; the hiring of new general manager Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano; other core players (Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Robert Mathis) reaching the end of their contracts.

The soap opera has been long and drawn out. It needs to be resolved so the focus on the Colts can be about those new leaders, Grigson and Pagano, the messages they want to send, the guys they want on the roster, and the systems they intend to run.

Owner Jim Irsay has been sloppy as he’s tried to gain upper ground in a public relations battle with Manning, who has not comported himself perfectly, either, as he’s tried to manipulate the story. But for the health of the organization and for the benefit of Manning going forward, this thing needs closure.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Who can they add to help Blaine Gabbert?

No team should do more to assess the free-agent market for wide receivers than the Jaguars, who had a terrible, insufficient group last season.

Mike Thomas can be a good slot guy, but if the Jaguars really want to maximize Gabbert’s chances of success in his second season, he needs his primary targets to be much better. Jacksonville has plenty of cap room, and a new staff can sell someone like Vincent Jackson on the chance to be an unquestioned No. 1 and be paid like it.

Beyond the people he will be throwing to and the ones who will be protecting him, Gabbert’s new coaches will be a big piece to his progress. Can coach Mike Mularkey, offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and quarterbacks coach Greg Olson get Gabbert more confident in the pocket and better able to focus on his reads than on the people around him?

The team has talked of having a better veteran backup behind Gabbert to help him. The Jags need that guy to be a safety net, too. It’s possible the 2012 Jaguars can compete for a playoff spot, provided they get sufficient play from their quarterback.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Can they become more of a playmaking defense?

The Titans got great contributions from several rookie defenders -- middle linebacker Colin McCarthy and defensive tackles Jurrell Casey and Karl Klug will be a big part of things going forward. So will strongside linebacker Akeem Ayers, who wasn’t as productive in his rookie season as the Titans hoped.

Will the team be able to find more playmakers to fill out their defense? Odds are cornerback Cortland Finnegan will depart as a free agent, and although the team hopes to re-sign Jordan Babineaux as one starting safety, it should be looking for an alternative to another of its free agents, Michael Griffin.

The Titans would be well served to find someone with more upside as a playmaker in Griffin’s spot. And although they still expect big things from Derrick Morgan, it’s again time to find a consistent pass-rushing defensive end.

They need to rush better from everywhere, which is why they hired Keith Millard as a multi-position pass-rush coach.

Getting bigger up front didn’t necessarily pay off the way they planned. Stopping the run first was a theme, and they finished 24th in run defense.

One clumsy part of Jim Irsay’s comments Tuesday got passed over for the bigger elements of the news.

So we circle back.

On Peyton Manning's nerve regeneration and ability to throw, Irsay said: “I always want Peyton to understand the risk-rewards about playing. We want to make sure he understands the long-term aspects of his health in trying to play."

I think Irsay should be completely confident Manning understands.

He’s a smart guy who’s not going to force himself onto a football field if he can’t play or is at risk. And his doctor has already said Manning's neck isn’t a risk now, so it’s about the arm strength.

This idea that part of what Irsay and the Colts need to do now is protect Manning from himself is nonsensical to me. And somewhat insulting.

The health risk issues connected to the neck have been addressed, and clearly Manning and his medical people think he’s fine to play.

If muscles aren’t firing to allow him to throw the way he’s used to, that’s a different issue entirely.

It’s serious for sure, but it’s not as if he’d be putting himself in danger stepping on a football field without his laser, rocket arm.

I get it. Jim Irsay is in a tough spot.

He can’t pay Peyton Manning what he’s scheduled to make, but letting an icon go is hard and comes with serious ramifications from a team’s fan base. The Colts owner has to take Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick while looking to the future, but knows a healthy Manning could be far better in the present.

“We want this to be his decision,’’ Irsay told ESPN Tuesday. "We want him back if he wants to come back. We can work out the contract if he wants to work it out. It’s going to be Peyton’s call …’’

"We can work out the contract if he wants to come back. We want him to make the call. He’s earned that. We want him to have the chance of finishing his career here if that’s what he wants to do.’’

Spare me this, please. Spare us all. Tough spot or not, it’s more spin attempting to gain high ground on a guy Irsay simply can’t out-climb.

A healthy Manning won’t want to surrender any practice work to Luck, and so immediately Luck’s growth will be stunted by the legend in front of him. Luck doesn’t need time on the bench. How exactly does Manning finish his career in Indy when Luck has to play by 2013?

One year of such a situation would be OK, but then everyone faces this whole complicated predicament again in a year, perhaps minus the cap complications provided Manning would re-do the deal now.

It’s not about the money. Manning has indicated he's willing to sign an incentive-laden deal that would reflect the uncertainty of his health if he's set free, so why not in Indy? Well it’s about having leverage and being able to get in the best situation.

Call him greedy if you like. If I’m Manning, I’d prefer to be free and see just how interested the rest of the league is in me. The Colts with new GM Ryan Grigson, new coach Chuck Pagano and a lot of veteran players in limbo don't look to be a great setup for a late-career Super Bowl push.

Irsay has talked in the recent past like money wouldn’t be the issue. That's was a careless thing to say when eventual dead money charges on the cap, not just cash expenditures, are at issue. He's changed his stance and money's the issue for him now.

If I am Manning, here is the one way I’d consider trimming my deal: If I really felt like I wouldn’t be able to throw well enough to convince a new team to sign me before everyone has to make decisions on their quarterbacks.

Irsay told The Indianapolis Star he expects to meet with Manning within the next seven days to discuss the quarterback's future in Indy.

But Irsay sure seems to love the limelight that’s coming with this. He said before the Super Bowl he thought they’d meet soon after the title game. And that didn’t happen. Maybe it’s Manning delaying things? We don’t know.

I won’t be surprised however, if in seven days we hear from Irsay, likely via Twitter, that the meeting still hasn't happened.

He’s got until March 8 to keep spinning, after all.

Gene Wojciechowski does a nice job in this piece of recounting Joe Montana’s separation from the 49ers and comparing it to what’s unfolding for Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts.

“NFL history repeats itself. The circumstances aren't exactly the same, but they're similar enough. Bottom line: Divorce proceedings between a generational player and the franchise he helped make famous are never easy. ‘It was horribly difficult,’ (Niners team president Carmen) Policy said the other day by phone, describing Montana's departure from the 49ers in 1993. ‘At that time he had won four Super Bowls. He was the quintessential comeback kid. He was so revered in the community, so loved in the locker room.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Frederick BreedonIt's difficult to miss all the signs that point to the Colts separating from QB Peyton Manning.

"In a strong, strong way there are similarities in terms of what Peyton Manning has done for that franchise in Indianapolis. You almost can't think of the franchise without thinking of Peyton Manning. … To separate is really, really difficult and heart wrenching."

But I have to disagree with Wojciechowski’s conclusion. He believes the Colts should do whatever necessary to hold on to Manning.

“Maybe you push back the March 8 due date on Manning's $28 million option bonus. Maybe you say, ‘I want you to begin and end your career wearing the horseshoe, but you've got to work with me on this $28 mil. Can we restructure it?’

“Maybe you tell him, ‘Come back, play another year, help mentor (Andrew) Luck or RG3 and then we'll put together an organizational golden parachute for you. And if you play like pre-neck surgery Peyton, then we'll re-up you for another year or you go somewhere as a free agent.’

“Professional. Reasonable. Logical.”

But not feasible.

The NFLPA tells me the first renegotiated of a contract can take place at any time. Then the second cannot happen within a year if it causes a salary increase over the first redo.

So Manning's contract isn’t the big issue, actually.

The issue is every move the Colts have made since the end of the season has been intended to set up a fresh start and a new era. And as much as the Colts love Manning and appreciate his work for them, finding a way to keep him on a team that’s going to undergo a major rebuild under a new GM with a new coach and staff and with the No. 1 pick coming to town is impractical.

It’s too late to take the path Woj wants, and while taking it is in some way the noble thing to do to preserve what’s been a beautiful thing, it’s not the practical thing to do for the long-term health of the franchise.

It’s in no way easy. It’s incredibly emotional for all parties involved.

The odds that all these factors would arrive at the same time were incredibly low: Manning’s continued uncertain health; the secondary bonus coming due that triggers the remainder of his contract; the Colts’ terrible season without him that resulted in the No. 1 pick; the availability of Luck with that pick; Irsay’s frustration with Bill Polian and Chris Polian coming off that failed season that led to their dismissals; the hiring of Ryan Grigson as the new GM; the removal of Jim Caldwell; the hiring of Chuck Pagano as the new coach; looming decisions on three old-guard guys heading to free agency -- center Jeff Saturday, receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Robert Mathis.

If Irsay had decided to attempt to load up for a three-season push for another Super Bowl with Manning, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it. But he either had to go all-in in such fashion, or bail and start anew.

He’s already well down the path to the second strategy. And the Colts brass needs to line up with the approach Policy took with Montana.

There is a Jim Irsay-Manning meeting looming. There is a lot of talk about a decision still to be made. It's hard for me to imagine Irsay hasn't already made it and we aren't just waiting for it to play out.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jim Irsay likes the spotlight and he found it in Indianapolis Thursday night, joining an all-star rock band on stage at a Super Bowl party.

Stephen Stills and John Mellencamp were the headliners on stage along with superstar drummer Kenny Aronoff, former REM bassist Mike Mills and blues rocker Kenny Wayne Shepard. My sources rell me Meg Ryan was also in attendance. (Thanks for the tip, boss.)

Irsay did his part on Bob Seger's "Turn The Page."

Read into that what you will with regard to the Colts starting a new era with Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano in place as the new general manager and coach and Andrew Luck expected to replace Peyton Manning at quarterback.

INDIANAPOLIS -- It would be naïve to think the Peyton Manning story wouldn’t come with layers of posturing.

I mistakenly thought that all parties would cool it this week, to allow the Super Bowl to take center stage, for Manning to stay out of the way of his brother, Eli, who quarterbacks the Giants.

But Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter managed a combo report Thursday: Manning’s been cleared physically to return to play.

That doesn’t come out, I don’t believe, unless the Manning camp wants it out. And the Manning camp should have waited until Monday.

Colts owner Jim Irsay pledged not to talk about the Manning situation this week and said he'd sit down with Manning to discuss what will unfold next week.

Then came the story that said Manning’s been physically cleared to play, but still has to reach a performance standard in terms of arm strength.

Irsay was compelled to counter via Twitter: “Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for The Indianapolis Colts. Team statement coming on Friday.”

Andrew Luck arrived in town yesterday too, promoting Gatorade and doing interviews with all the local TV stations.

Do we believe it's a coincidence that the Manning news came out synched up with that? I certainly don’t think so.

You haven’t exactly minimized the story, fellas.

Reports suggesting Peyton Manning won’t sufficiently recover from neck surgery to resume his NFL career are not accurate, to hear Manning tell it.

"I really feel good," he told ESPN's Trey Wingo at the Super Bowl. "I continue to make progress every day. Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me. I just had a great day today with rehab, just got back from the facility, and that's what we continue to do. Just keep trying to get better. So far I have. That's the plan from here on out."

Of course, Manning can feel good and still not be healed enough to return to NFL play. He plans on getting better and the wish from everyone is that he does, but we know nothing definitive and he shared nothing definitive about the status of nerve regeneration following serious neck surgery before last season.

He still may not know.

He declined to predict what's going to happen with a March 8 deadline for a $28 million bonus. If the Indianapolis Colts don't pay it, he'll become a free agent.

Manning said he understands the ongoing conversation but simply won't contribute to it this week. He'll talk to owner Jim Irsay after the Super Bowl and doesn't expect the verdict to come down to the last second.

It certainly shouldn't. It's not that complicated.

"Either way, it's going to be good," he said. "I'm at peace, and it'll be a positive thing, I can assure you."