March Madness- sans brackets….

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What a week in sports! Peyton Manning has found a new home, Tebow has found a new house of worship and the NFL came down hard on the New Orleans Saints. Don’t even get me started on my bracket.
On Tuesday, March 20th, Peyton Manning signed a 5-year, $96 million dollar contract with the Denver Broncos. After a couple of weeks of visiting potential suitors, like the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and the Tennessee Titans, Manning was more than ready to say yes to hall of famer John Elway. It is going to be weird seeing Peyton in a jersey that is not white and blue. But, it will be intriguing to see if arguably the best QB in the game comes back from four neck surgeries to be the steadfast leader he once was. Passionate Bronco fans, fresh off the roller coaster ride that was Tim Tebow, can’t help but be ecstatic over signing Manning. Even diehard Tebow supporters can’t bring themselves to knock down Peyton.  How could you? One QB has proven himself, the other has a lot to prove. Manning says all the right things and is the ultimate leader on the field. But, why did Peyton pick the Broncos? It wasn’t about the money. Any of Manning’s numerous suitors would have given him the contract his career paved the way for.  So, what was it? Let’s look at the Denver Broncos. They have a solid backfield, a pretty convincing offensive line, and nearly $40 million dollars left in cap space to provide Manning with the targets he needs (possibly Dallas Clark or Peyton’s former teammate, Jeff Saturday). Denver has a rich history and consistently competes. The decision seems like a no brainer to me. Out of all of Mannings would be suitors, the Broncos are Mannings best chance at another Superbowl ring.
What about Tim Tebow? After, a few days of back and forth, Tebow is officially traded to the New York Jets. Procedural issues delayed the trade initially, but the Jets had no intention of letting a little thing like procedure get in the way of their fantasy. Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum was insistent during a conference call Wednesday night, that he will use Tebow as a back up QB to Sanchez, a backup QB that can run the Wildcat. We will see how long that back up position lasts. Tebow is Rex Ryan’s dream QB, and it is no secret that Sanchez and Rexy don’t get along. The Jets had enough internal issues before this controversial trade. It is only a matter of time before the team or the media, or both, blow up this fairy tale for Ryan and Tannenbaum. This is just another crazy chapter in the book of Rex Ryan.
Earlier this month, the NFL reported, after a two year investigation that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the brain trust of a scheme that payed players to injure their opponents. The report implicated as many as 27 Saints players. This came as a surprise to many, considering the solid reputation of the New Orleans Saints. Commissioner Goodell doesn’t seem to share the sentiment. Goodell indefinitely suspended Gregg Williams, fined the Saints $500,000, handed out minor suspensions to the GM and assistant head coach, and suspended head coach Sean Payton for one year. Payton is the first head coach to suspended for a season. The NFL came down hard on the Saints to set an example that this behavior will not be tolerated. Really, these players actually needed extra motivation to do their job. The veteran minimum is $355,000, I’m sure that extra grand  a player would make to see a player carted off the field was worth it. What a joke!
Less than two weeks until opening day, my focus turns to baseball. Till next time….