Peyton Manning really wanted Colts to take Andrew Luck

Shareece Wright (29) and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) walk off the field after the game at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers defeated the Colts 19-9. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Peyton Manning will- and should- always be remembered as a legend for the Indianapolis Colts, and Andrew Luck is quickly carving out a legacy of his own with the Colts organization. He had a rough night against the San Diego Chargers yesterday, but Luck also spearheaded an upset over the Seattle Seahwaks the week before and did an impeccable job of leading the Colts to the playoffs in 2012. We all know about how the Colts moved on from Manning and made the wise decision to move forward with Luck, but it’s interesting to hear always-entertaining Colts owner Jim Irsay talk about how Peyton Manning pushed for the Colts to draft Andrew Luck.

Irsay told the USA Today’s Jarrett Bell of what Manning said, “He said, ‘You’ve got to take Andrew. You have to. You’re crazy if you don’t.'”

Taking Luck was undoubtedly an obvious decision for the Colts, and they would have been crazy to not pick a guy as talented and smart as Luck. For all we talk about him as a Stanford grad with a killer football IQ, we also have to remember just how gifted of an athlete and how strong of a passer this guy is. Manning is right on, and it’s great to hear that he didn’t hold back or show any abrasiveness towards the Colts following their decision to move forward with a new QB in the draft. Robert Griffin III is a good QB despite his struggles this season, but I’ve never viewed him as being in the same class as Luck.

The whole interview with the USA Today was about Jim Irsay showing no regrets in releasing Manning, and I definitely agree with him. Read this quote from the interview, “Circumstances created this decision. You have to understand there’s no way this occurs if he’s in Indy. It’s just impossible, where our salary cap was. Having him stay at the type of number that he expected and deserved to earn and all those things.”

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