Thanks For The Memories #18!

After months of speculation and second guessing by fans and analysts it all comes down to today, and a fond farewell to Peyton Manning.  

Everyone knows the story of his injury, his salary and why this is all happening...it doesn't mean as Colts fans we have to like it.  

I know, with the impending draft and projected Colts selection of Stanford's Andrew Luck the Colts should be in great shape in a year or two.   But saying goodbye to Peyton truly is the end of an era.  How many kids in Indiana have been named 'Peyton' because of our love affair with #18?   How many jerseys have been sold?  How many times has he seemingly pulled a win out of his a$$ when we thought the game waas all but over and the Colts defeated.

I wasn't always a Colts fan.  I was into NFL football many years before the Colts left Baltimore.  I was a 49ers fan.  Ironically the current Niners coach Jim Harbaugh was Peyton's  predecessor and the only really quality QB the Indianpolis Colts have had other than #18.  I became a Colts fan once they moved to Indy and I like many, suffered through the horrible years of Jack Trudeau, Jeff George and others that I can't even recall now.  Harbaugh bought Indy out of the darkness to a degree and Peyton put the team in the sunshine for good...until that damn neck injury.

It's truly been a love affair for Colts fans and Peyton. Emotional attachments are hard to break.   I will aalways be a Colts fan, but I'm also a Peyton Manning fan and I'll root for him because his play and professionalism has earned my admiration and respect.

Here's a clip from the Bob and Tom Show of Colts center Jeff Saturday talking about the amicable divorce.