My disgust with Irsay stems from the two-faced dishonesty he’s shown towards the fans that have supported his organization and, in my view, the quarterback that gave his heart and soul (and neck) for it.
I, too, would like to see Manning retire from playing and move into a coaching position. A mind like that doesn’t come along every day.
Maybe dishonest, but you can’t call him stingy. He paid Manning his full salary last year.
I don’t think I know what you’re referring to in Irsay being two-faced. My perspective would be that last season exposed the kind of hole that the Polians had left the team in. Irsay relied on them as the experts and I think they let him down.
If I would criticize him for anything, it was keeping the Polians around too long, for allowing Bill to bring in his boys, and for allowing them to hire a less then stellar replacement for Dungy. (Nice guy, but not an NFL caliber head coach.) The cap damage, the poor drafting, and lack of coaching over the last few years was covered up by Manning’s excellence. In the end, the situation was so bad that there was no way to salvage it and keep Manning.
Manning wants to win another Super Bowl, and it wasn’t going to happen at Indy unless he played for almost nothing. Time will tell if the new management will be proven right, but they seem to be making the right moves. Bill Polian was focused on making it work for his boys and put them in positions of responsibility that they didn’t earn or deserve.