# Who Is The Colts' Starting QB Next Season? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 27, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859 "2012-01-27T14:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/21 "2012-01-27T20:19:30Z")
Did they sell out all of the time in the pre-Peyton years, when they had nothing but mediocrity in their (post-move) history? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/22 "2012-01-27T20:19:35Z")
Ok then…who will sell more jerseys, Luck or Orlovsky and Collins combined? It comes down to this – high-draft QBs have been showing their stuff out the gate for awhile now, and it’s insanity to think that Indy fans would let a prospect with _this much_ hype ride a clipboard for one minute without having a collective conniption. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/23 "2012-01-27T20:54:35Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Did they sell out all of the time in the pre-Peyton years, when they had nothing but mediocrity in their (post-move) history? Football pre-1998 was a bit of a different creature. But no - Indianapolis was a terrible football town back then. I could see them spiraling back into that pattern with sustained terribleness, but that would take a lot of work. I’m not sure if a town can “become” a football town, but this city is pretty nuts for their Colts. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/24 "2012-01-27T21:04:26Z")
Most likely Luck, but possibly whatever veteran they bring in will start in week one. Manning will not be on the roster. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/25 "2012-01-27T23:02:59Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Why on earth would they start Orlovsky or Collins over Luck? I think teams are realizing that QBs can come in and start from day one now, especially when they’re getting paid #1-overall-pick money (even after the new CBA). I’m not saying it’s a certainty. I’m just saying there are possibilities. The Colts have Orlovsky and Collins. And Manning for that matter. Luck looks great but he’s really an unknown quantity at this point. Now suppose, hypothetically, another team decides it wants to build its future around Luck. They approach the Colts and offer them a phenomenal trade for their first draft pick. Let’s say the Vikings offer them Adrian Peterson and the third pick. Now you’re Ryan Grigson. You’ve got the medical reports that Manning will probably be playing in 2012. Worst case scenario, you start Collins for a few games until Manning is fully recovered. And you’ve got a chance to put them out on the field with Peterson plus whoever you get with your third pick - maybe Morris Claiborne or Justin Blackmon. Do you give all this up to take Luck - who might turn out to be another Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell? Are you saying there’s absolutely no way something like this might happen? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/26 "2012-01-27T23:33:50Z")
Another not-too-far-fetched possibility is that they draft Luck who has a promising preseason but suffers some injury in the final game that keeps him out of the opener. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/27 "2012-01-28T00:33:05Z")
The Colts franchise is basically being rebooted. They’re going to stay bad for a good while, even with Manning playing (and hoping not to get a head hit that would make his neck injury, well, permanent). Why would he want to stick around there? There aren’t any more 'ships available to the team in his remaining time there, whatever that is. He can’t improve his public standing or commercial opportunities etc. in Indy any more. He’s a player and he wants to win. If he can still play safely/at all, his best bet is a team that already has all the good young players it needs in place except a QB who can show them how to win. I’m thinking Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/28 "2012-01-28T00:39:24Z")
It’s Luck. Peyton Manning has played his last down of professional football. He ain’t coming back. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/29 "2012-01-28T01:00:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Did they sell out all of the time in the pre-Peyton years, when they had nothing but mediocrity in their (post-move) history? Damn, who _did_ they have before Peyton? I’m drawing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/30 "2012-01-28T01:02:29Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Damn, who _did_ they have before Peyton? I’m drawing a blank. They had Jeff George. I remember him from when the Colts were still part of the AFC East. I don’t recall if there were other quarterbacks between George and Manning. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/31 "2012-01-28T01:21:15Z")
Found it. Jim Harbaugh. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/32 "2012-01-28T02:04:49Z")
Irsay and Manning are doing damage control. If he is at all physically able to play it will be Manning. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/33 "2012-01-28T05:34:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > …He’s a player and he wants to win. If he can still play safely/at all, his best bet is a team that already has all the good young players it needs in place except a QB who can show them how to win. I’m thinking Houston. Not unless he wants to play for the vet minimum or close to it. Foster, Williams, and a few others are going to want their money this upcoming year. I suppose if they let Williams walk, they could scrape together enough for a semi-competitive offer, but that’d be silly, as silly as this Manning/Irsay kerfuffle has turned into. You can win with Schaub, provided he’s healthy. It irks me to think of how far this Texans team could have gone in the playoffs with a healthy Schaub. Oh well, at least most of the team is young, and is coming back next year. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/34 "2012-01-28T13:31:05Z")
Sure. He might plausibly \*take \*the minimum there, just for a chance to win once more. Schaub? Let’s just call that theory “unproven” and leave it there. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/35 "2012-01-28T19:00:08Z")
Until this week I would have put money on Manning but Irsay’s recent comments suggest he is setting things up to avoid a controversy when Manning is cut/traded. I voted for Luck, but if I were running the team I’d trade the pick regardless of whether Manning stays or not. The three first rounders it would fetch could turn the team around in a season or two; Luck won’t even if he lives up to the hype. I don’t think there’s much question that Schaub is a winning quarterback. The Texans’ problem was always the defense (at least during the Schaub era) until this year. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/36 "2012-01-30T14:04:18Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > It’s Luck. Peyton Manning has played his last down of professional football. He ain’t coming back. Based on…? People keep saying this, but it’s pure speculation. The nature of his injury and the procedure he had to fix it aren’t all that risky - it just takes time. I’ve never seen so much medical speculation before that even compares to the conclusion-jumping that people engage in regarding Manning’s neck. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/37 "2012-01-31T01:56:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Based on…? People keep saying this, but it’s pure speculation. The nature of his injury and the procedure he had to fix it aren’t all that risky - it just takes time. I’ve never seen so much medical speculation before that even compares to the conclusion-jumping that people engage in regarding Manning’s neck. Then why did it take three different surgeries (including one that’s experimental enough that it’s not authorized in the US yet)? ---
**Author:** ![Jesus\_Christ\_s\_Child\_Bride](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jesus\_Christ\_s\_Child\_Bride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jesus_Christ_s_Child_Bride)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/38 "2012-01-31T04:45:37Z")
Sources say Manning is not healing. > **[Sources fearful over Manning's ability to return](https://sports.yahoo.com/jc-cole_peyton_manning_colts_neck_surgery_jim_irsay013012.html)** > > Peyton Manning's rehab from neck surgery isn't going well enough to give hope that he'll return, according to two sources. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/39 "2012-01-31T13:50:58Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Then why did it take three different surgeries (including one that’s experimental enough that it’s not authorized in the US yet)? Three \*different \*surgeries. Because the first two were procedures with a low chance of success, but an extremely high chance of a very quick recovery, and the third has a much higher chance of success, but a much longer recovery period. If you’re trying to get ready for a $26m football season, which are you going to try first? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859/40 "2012-01-31T14:46:26Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Then why did it take three different surgeries (including one that’s experimental enough that it’s not authorized in the US yet)? It didn’t. Manning has had three cervical spine operations, and his neck is now fine. The most recent operation was a fourth procedure to correct a separate injury to the radial nerve. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-colts-starting-qb-next-season/610859.md?page=3)