BY NATHAN BYRNE

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

 

The pieces appear in place for Peyton Manning’s departure from the only NFL team he’s ever played for. The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Jim Caldwell just a couple of weeks after dismissing the father-son team of Bill and Chris Polian from the front office.

Now, head coach, Jim Caldwell gets his walking papers. Fred Roggin from NBC Sports points out Peyton Manning’s significance to the team’s success.

FRED ROGGIN: “It’s the latest in a handful of moves made by the team in the last two weeks. Caldwell led Indianapolis to the Super Bowl in 2009, but without the injured Peyton Manning, the Colts were 2-14 last season.”

Colts owner Jim Irsay told The Indianapolis Star he’s made moves like this once before -- back when the team took Peyton Manning in 1998.

 

JIM IRSAY: “It’s a big change, for the franchise, and at the same time, there’s players, other coaches, many people on the staff that will go forward into the new day.”

The Colts have made no secret of their intent to select Stanford QB, Andrew Luck, with the first pick in the NFL Draft. Does Peyton Manning figure into the team’s future plans?

A roundtable of reporters discussing the Colts’ latest moves produced this prophecy in The Los Angeles Times...

“...despite owner Jim Irsay’s contention that Manning is there to stay, look for him to be the next Colt to ride out of town.”

But new GM Ryan Grigson says he hasn’t even talked to Manning yet, according to a CBS Sports report.

“‘I reached out to him, missed his call and we haven’t been able to hook up yet, but we’ve tried,’ Grigson said, adding that Manning's status with the team is on the back burner for the time being.”

Then there’s little brother, Eli -- who jokes about a future that features him and his brother, Peyton, playing as crosstown rivals for New York’s two NFL teams in a Toronto Sun report. All in good fun, but...

“...even that was probably saying too much as far as Peyton is concerned.”