Peyton Manning probably won't be wearing white and blue anytime soon.

As the ongoing saga between the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning continues, it is becoming apparently clear that the Colts are moving forward without him. With the veteran QB possibly on the market, teams are contacting the four time NFL MVP. One of the teams, according to Profootballtalk, is the Washington Redskins.

Sources close to the Redskins have stated that if Peyton Manning is healthy and available for next season, they are interested. However, there are many questions left to answer before Manning dons the red and yellow uniform. The list of concerns stated by a league official are "No. 1, is he going to be released? No. 2, is he going to be healthy? No. 3, at the end of the day, is he willing to come back and play in the NFL. We don't know those questions. I think everybody would want Peyton Manning, if he was healthy. You'd be crazy not to want Peyton Manning if he was healthy. Nobody knows now if he's going to be cleared to play. And if he is cleared to play, wouldn't the Colts either want him, or [pick up his option] and then try to trade him?"

It's almost a guarantee that Manning will not be wearing a Colt uniform next season. The possibility of him retiring is greater at this point. Where Manning will end up next season is anybody's guess, but the Redskins seem to have gotten the ball rolling on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.

As the Super Bowl 2012 date and time approach, it appears the New England Patriots may have a date with destiny. The team, led by quarterback Tom Brady, is currently the favorite to win it all.

Right now, just four Super Bowl contenders remain in the NFL, and last year's two finalists are gone. The reigning champion Packers were knocked out by the Giants last weekend, while the Steelers were eliminated by the Broncos two weekends ago. That leaves New England along with the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers. The Pats are favored, mostly thanks to quarterback Tom Brady and his core of receivers. Add to the fact that they have been here before, and won it all before. Experience may trump the up and coming teams.

According to a recent article on NESN, the Pats may have the easy path to another championship. The article notes:

"With Joe Flacco (a mediocre quarterback on his best days) visiting Gillette Stadium on Sunday, and with either Alex Smith or Eli Manning awaiting in the Super Bowl, the Patriots could find themselves taking the easy road to their fourth Super Bowl title."

Of course they are basing this on the opposing quarterbacks that the Patriots may face. However, keep in mind that Eli Manning and the NY Giants defeated the Patriots in a shootout earlier in the NFL's regular season. With that said, and the fact that the Giants also upset the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl several seasons ago, revenge comes to mind.

The Pats' defense has been among the worst during the season, but they have one of the best quarterbacks and best coaches around. Some may argue that defense wins championships, but Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick may have something different to say. Then again, maybe the Pats' D will also decide to show up for a few games, just in time.

Will Tom Brady be enough to get the Patriots another Super Bowl victory in 2012? The Super Bowl 2012 date is scheduled for February 5th, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

As the 2012 NFC Championship game approaches, once again NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning is the "other" quarterback in the game. Last week when the Giants went into Green Bay and pounded the Packers, all eyes were on Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. This was Rodgers' time to shine and keep the Lombardi Trophy in its rightful home. No one gave that memo to Eli Manning.

Always living under the shadow of big brother Peyton, and never seemingly mentioned with quarterbacks Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger, Eli has quietly handled the intensity of a New York media market and produced under pressure by winning a Super Bowl and having the Giants back in the NFC Championship game this season.

So is Eli an MVP candidate?

Why not. Aaron Rodgers was the "can't miss" MVP just 10 days ago and Manning and the Giants went through the pack like sliced bread.

In Manning's last four games, he has thrown for 10 touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards...and oh by the way he faced "better" or shall it be said, "more popular" quarterbacks in every victory (NY Jets' Mark Sanchez, Dallas' Tony Romo, Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers).

So what more can a QB do for an encore? Head into the NFC Championship game vs. San Francisco and see how their QB Alex Smith is coming of age. It's true, Smith is getting better, but time will tell if Smith and the 49ers are a one trick pony or here to stay.

Eli Manning—the true Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL.

No respect.

 

2012 NFL Mock Draft

Updated 1/16/12

 

Round 1

 

1. IND- Andrew Luck QB Stanford Only question will be does he start Day 1 or sit behind Peyton for a season?
2. WSH- Robert Griffin III QB Baylor This is the spot RG3 believers will need to get to, and no team is as QB hungry as Washington right now.
3. MIN- Matt Kalil OT Southern California Blackmon would give Ponder a much needed receiving weapon, but the Vikes opt to ensure Ponder is able to stay upright and healthy.
4. CLE- Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State If Blackmon is on the board at 4 no doubt he will be Cleveland’s pick, they owe it to Colt McCoy to let him have another shot with real playmakers around him.
5. TB- Morris Claiborne CB Louisiana State Best player available matches need for the Bucs, as you have to wonder how much longer Ronde Barber will play, and what will become of Aqib Talib if his legal problems continue.
6. STL- Jonathan Martin OT Stanford Drafting Martin will enable the Rams to slide Roger Saffold to RT and put Jason Smith at guard or on the bench.
7. JAX- Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame Kirkpatrick was who I’ve had slated to Jacksonville at 7 previously, but with the hiring of Mike Mularkey as Head Coach it seems fair to expect them to focus on improving the offense.
8. MIA- Trent Richardson RB Alabama Seems like to obvious of a fit to pass on, though Reggie Bush did have a solid season for them. If Richardson falls past the Dolphins, he could last all the way to #17 to Cincy.
9. CAR- Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama Very tempting to put Quinton Coples here to help shore up the D-Line, but Kirkpatrick improving the secondary will help just as much. Coples has a higher ceiling, but his bust factor could scare teams away.

10)  BUF- Whitney Mercilus OLB Illinois The Bills still lack an impact edge rusher after whiffing on Aaron Maybin and Shawne Merriman. Mercilus has the highest ceiling of any 3-4 OLB in the draft.

11)  KC- Luke Kuechly ILB Boston College Kuechly paired with Derrick Johnson will give the KC defense the top ILB duo in the game.

12)  SEA- Quinton Coples DE North Carolina Reiff would be a very good fit here, but someone has to take a chance on the immense potential of Coples and Pete Carroll does here. Coples can play both as a DE and a pass rushing DT in the Seahawks D.

13)  ARZ- Riley Reiff OT Iowa Providing protection for whoever will be the starting QB for Arizona next season is a must. Great value pick getting Reiff at 13.

14)  DAL- Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama Big risk here taking the troubled Jenkins, but his undeniable talent is needed in the Cowboys secondary, where Terrence Newman, Orlando Scandrick, and Mike Jenkins disappointed in 2011.

15)  PHI- Zach Brown OLB North Carolina The top 4-3 OLB in the draft fits well with Philly, who need to add young talent to the LB and secondary groups.

16)  NYJ- Courtney Upshaw OLB Alabama The Jets have been lacking a pass rush beast, Upshaw should be able to step in and at the minimum provide a significant upgrade across from Calvin Pace. Devon Still would also be a great pick at this spot.

17)  CIN (OAK)- Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska An upgrade over Nate Clements to play across from Leon Hall would keep this defense among the best in the league.

18)  SD- Dontari Poe NT Memphis Poe, along with last year’s 1^st round pick Corey Liuget, will continue the rebuild of their defensive line.

19)  CHI- Mark Barron S Alabama Barron is the smart safety with leadership skills this defense has been missing. Will be the quarterback of the secondary by his second season.

20)  TEN- Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina A pure beast of a pass rusher, Ingram will provide what Derrick Morgan couldn’t in the Music City.

21)  CIN- Lamar Miller RB Miami (FL) Providing a threatening run game will go a long ways to helping Andy Dalton continue to improve as a quarterback. Significant upgrade over Cedric Benson, who could be brought back to backup Miller.

22)  CLE (ATL)- David DeCastro OG Stanford DeCastro at LG next to Joe Thomas would be the best left side of a line we have seen since the Jones-Hutchinson days in Seattle. Combined with C Alex Mack, the Browns would have arguably the best O-Line in the game.

23)  DET- Mike Adams OT Ohio State Jeff Backus was already a question mark for next season due to age, but his injury in the playoffs means the Lions will be looking hard for his replacement at LT.

24)  PIT- Cordy Glenn OG Georgia The mini run of offensive lineman continues as the Steelers will love having Glenn next to Pouncey in the run game.

25)  DEN- Devon Still DT Penn State Still, who many think could go as high as 14 to Dallas, is a great fit to improve the Broncos DT position at #25.

26)  HOU- Alshon Jeffrey WR South Carolina Houston can’t continue to use Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones as its other receiving threats opposite Andre Johnson. Adding Jeffrey will open things up for both Andre and the Texans run game.

27)  NE (NO)- Peter Konz C Wisconsin Konz is one of the best Center prospects to come out of college in some time, drawing even comparisions to Alex Mack. Konz would be an upgrade over both current starter Dan Connelly and former starter (on injured reserve) Dan Koppen.

28)  GB- Nick Perry OLB Southern California The issue that plagued the Packers all season was the lack of a pass rush. The Packers should have taken Brooks Reed in last year’s draft, but taking Perry here will make up for it.

29)  NYG- Don’t’a Hightower ILB Alabama With previous selection Peter Konz off the board, the Giants will look to upgrade their linebacker corps.

30)  NE- Kendall Wright WR Baylor If there is one player skyrocketing up draft boards it’s Wright. His downfield speed would be welcomed greatly by Tom Brady.

31)  SF- Fletcher Cox DE Mississippi State A true value pick for San Fran at 31, they have needs on the team but can’t pass on getting a quality defensive lineman this late in the first round.

32)  BAL- Vinny Curry OLB Marshall The Ravens defense lacks a threatening pass rusher across from Terrell Suggs, as Paul Kruger is more of a role player and Sergio Kindle is a question mark with his head injury. Curry is huge and could be a disruptive force going 1 on 1 across from T-Sizzle.

 

Round 2

 

33) STL- Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State Jeff Fisher puts his mark on the Rams with their first 2 picks going to strengthen the lines. Worthy will start immediately.

34)  IND- Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech Biggest need on the Colts defense is to improve the corners, Hosley will step into camp as a starter.

35)  MIN- Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina With an aging Antoine Winfield, ineffective Cedric Griffin and Chris Cook, and young inexperienced players behind them, the Vikings MUST come out of this draft with a quality corner.

36)  TB- Vontaze Burfict ILB Arizona State Another impact defender for Tampa looking to start a new era of tough Bucs defense.

37)  CLE- Dwayne Allen TE Clemson Already with Justin Blackmon, the Browns add a security blanket for McCoy. Two great pass catchers added.

38)  JAX- Chase Minnefield CB Virginia After passing on Kirkpatrick in Round 1, the Jags luckily have a starter caliber corner sitting there in Round 2.

39)  STL (WSH)- Travis Lewis OLB Oklahoma The Rams, with a pick they would receive in the Redskins deal, add tackling machine Travis Lewis to their improving defense.

40)  CAR- Brandon Thompson DT Clemson The Panthers get a much needed power tackle to put on the defensive line.

41)  BUF- Nick Toon WR Wisconsin The Bills need to add more talent to their receiving corps for Ryan Fitzpatrick, or he won’t have a chance to try and live up to his new contract.

42)  MIA- Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M The new regime in Miami is going to want their own QB to start up with, regardless of how Matt Moore looked for the Dolphins last season.

43)  SEA- Zebrie Sanders OT Florida State A upgrade at RT is needed, as Breno Giacomini saw far too much playing time due to injuries for the ‘Hawks.

44)  KC- Chris Polk RB Washington Thomas Jones is no longer a viable back in the NFL, so the Chiefs would do well to pair a strong RB like Polk with the speedster Jamaal Charles.

45)  DAL- Jared Crick DE Nebraska The Cowboys have been looking for a DE that can fill the void Chris Canty made when he went to New York and to supplant Marcus Spears. Crick fits the bill.

46)  PHI- Levy Adcock OT Oklahoma State Philly needs to get a quality RT so they can slide Todd Herremans back to guard, improving their pass protection for the often battered Michael Vick.

47)  NYJ- Kelechi Osemele OG Iowa State In order to be the power running team of years past, the Jets need to re-invest draft picks into young lineman as they did with Ferguson and Mangold.

48)  NE (OAK)- Andre Branch DE/OLB Clemson The Patriots need a pass rusher bad, as in 2011 Andre Carter was their best player at that trait. Branch will be able to line up at DE in 4-3 and OLB in 3-4 and bring pressure from all over the field.

49)  SD- Bruce Irvin OLB West Virginia The Chargers have lacked a pass rush across from Shaun Phillips for years. Irvin could be the solution that Larry English wasn’t.

50)  CHI- Stephen Hill WR Georgia Tech The Bears need to add more offensive weapons for Jay Cutler, and Hill will provide a tall target for him that he lost when Greg Olsen was traded to Carolina.

51)  PHI (ARZ)- Markelle Martin S Oklahoma State Martin along with Brown in the 1^st round are great young additions to a defense with good pieces already.

52)  TEN- Juron Criner WR Arizona Criner had impressive numbers last season at Arizona despite being injured and being on a losing team. Criner could very well be a better professional player than he was in college.

53)  CIN- Ronnell Lewis OLB Oklahoma The Bengals have the ability to take the best player available here, and Lewis is a tremendous talent. He will help the defense immensely by being a capable coverage man yet also has a knack for getting to the passer.

54)  DET- Coryell Judie CB Texas A&M Cornerback may be the Lions’ weakest position, so adding new blood at that position is a must.

55)  ATL- Ben Jones C Georgia Current Falcons Center Todd McClure is 35 and due to become a free agent, Atlanta could stay in state and pick up his successor.

56)  PIT- Alameda Ta’amu NT Washington Casey Hampton is nearing the end of the line, Pittsburgh needs to infuse more youth into their D-Line in this draft.

57)  DEN- Coby Fleener TE Stanford A new RB would be a good fit here as well, but a big, pass catching tight end would be a great tool to give to Tim Tebow as he looks to improve at QB.

58)  HOU- Antonio Allen S South Carolina Allen is a great value at the end of Round 2 and his playmaking skills will be welcomed to the turnstile safety spot in Houston.

59)  NO- Lavonte David OLB Nebraska Upgrade over Jo-Lonn Dunbar for the Saints, they’ll need to bring in as much talent as possible to avoid feeling the loss of Gregg Williams.

60)  GB- Billy Winn DE Boise State The Packers DE’s definitely felt the loss of Cullen Jenkins and struggled in 2011. Jarius Wynn was a nice surprise, but more was expected of C.J. Wilson and Mike Neal.

61)  NYG- Brandon Boykin CB Georgia Boykin will provide great return game skills and secondary depth.

62)  NE- Doug Martin RB Boise State There is no standout running back in New England right now between Green-Ellis, Woodhead, Faulk, and Ridley. Doug Martin could step into Kevin Faulk’s role immediately and by the end of his rookie season could be the full time starter.

63)  SF- Jeff Fuller WR Texas A&M The 49ers could use another quality WR on the team. Adding Fuller to a healthy Josh Morgan, Michael Crabtree, and Kyle Williams (not to mention Vernon Davis) would give Alex Smith a solid group of pass catchers.

64)  BAL- Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State No threat to the starters job held by Joe Flacco, Weeden would be brought in to give the Ravens a solid backup in case anything should happen to Flacco down the road.

 

Round 3

 

65)  IND- Tank Carder OLB Texas Christian

66)  STL- Dwight Jones WR North Carolina

67)  MIN- Brandon Washington OG Miami (FL)

68)  CLE- Bobby Wagner ILB Utah State

69)  TB- LaMichael James RB Oregon

70)  WSH- Tommy Streeter WR Miami (FL)

71)  JAX- Jake Bequette DE Arkansas

72)  BUF- Michael Egnew TE Missouri

73)  MIA- Nate Potter OG/OT Boise State

74)  CHI (CAR)- Andrew Datko OT Florida State

75)  KC- Kevin Zeitler OG Wisconsin

76)  SEA- Nick Foles QB Arizona

77)  PHI- Cam Johnson DE Virginia

78)  NYJ- Kendall Reyes DE Connecticut

79)  OAK- GAVE UP PICK FOR TERRELLE PRYOR

80)  SD- Casey Hayward CB Vanderbilt

81)  CHI- Kirk Cousins QB Michigan State

82)  ARZ- Brandon Lindsey OLB Pittsburgh

83)  DAL- Lucas Nix OG Pittsburgh

84)  TEN- Audie Cole LB North Carolina State

85)  CIN- Greg Childs WR Arkansas

86)  ATL- Josh Robinson CB Central Florida

87)  DET- David Wilson RB Virginia Tech

88)  PIT- Bernard Pierce RB Temple

89)  DEN- Chandler Jones DE Syracuse

90)  HOU- Kellen Moore QB Boise State

91)  NO- Michael Brewster C Ohio State

92)  GB- Harrison Smith S Notre Dame

93)  NYG- Cyrus Gray RB Texas A&M

94)  NE- Kwame Geathers NT Georgia

95)  SF- Joseph Fauria TE California- Los Angeles

96)  BAL- Trumaine Johnson CB Montana

 

Round 4

 

97) STL- Marcus Fortson DT Miami (FL)

98)  IND- Mohamad Sanu WR Rutgers

99)  MIN- Sean Spence OLB Miami (FL)

1. PHI (TB)- LaDarius Green TE Louisiana-Lafayette
2. CLE- Kenjon Barner RB Oregon
3. JAX- Ryan Broyles WR Oklahoma
4. STL (WSH)- T.Y. Hilton WR Florida International
5. MIA- Josh Chapman NT Alabama
6. CAR- A.J. Jenkins WR Illinois
7. BUF- Ryan Lindley QB San Diego State
8. SEA- Kheeston Randall DT Texas
9. KC- Brandon Mosley OT Auburn
10. NYJ- Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin
11. WSH (OAK)- Marvin McNutt WR Iowa
12. SD- Senio Kelemete OG Washington
13. CHI- Terrell Manning OLB North Carolina State
14. ARZ- Shaun Prater CB Iowa
15. DAL- George Iloka S Boise State
16. PHI- Devier Posey WR Ohio State
17. TEN- Jaye Howard DT Florida
18. CIN- Orson Charles TE Georgia
19. DET- Jack Crawford DE Penn State
20. CLE (ATL)- Justin Pugh OT Syracuse
21. PIT- Brock Osweiler QB Arizona State
22. DEN- Robert Turbin RB Utah State
23. HOU- Nigel Bradham ILB Florida State
24. NO- Leonard Johnson CB Iowa State
25. GB- Jacquies Smith OLB Missouri
26. NYG- Brian Quick WR Appalachian State
27. NE- Shea McClellin OLB Boise State
28. SF- Donte Paige-Moss OLB North Carolina
29. BUF (BAL)- Tavarres King WR Georgia