While much is uncertain about the Peyton Manning situation, there's one thing Tom E. Curran can say for sure.
"I can't imagine Kerry Collins (whom the Colts signed to step in for Manning) . . . keeping a team that's been kept afloat by Peyton Manning, up in that upper echelon of the AFC," said Curran.
And that's bad news for the Colts, since Manning's absence will be long-term. "I've read, and been told, that that two- to three-month timetable is a bit optimistic," said Curran.
In fact, there's a chance it could be permanent.
"Often in the NFL, you'll often see a player basically just disappear," said Curran. "It happened . . . with Sterling Sharpe, neck injury; it happened with Troy Aikman; it happened with Michael Irvin . . .
"When players' necks get screwed up and they are going through procedures that are not rapidly . . . giving them relief . . . it becomes almost a no-brainer that you have to stop playing football."