The Washington Redskins are in that conversation and I'm pretty sure the idea of having Manning in a Redskins uniform excites the fan base. Count ex-Redskin quarterback as the one who's not excited. Theismann thinks it would be a "horrific idea" to sign Manning.
“It’s not a good idea, it’s not a bad idea — It’s a horrific idea,” he told 106.7 last week via DC SportsBog. ”It would be one of the poorest things that we could do as a franchise. Are we gonna go find another guy for just a couple of years again? Haven’t we done this before? Haven’t we seen this act before? And by the way, if you get Peyton Manning, don’t you have a concern about protecting him? Don’t you have a concern about who he throws the football to?”
“We’re tired of looking for stop gaps,” Theismann said. “It’s time to draft one of your own, or make a deal for a young one of your own, and nurture him, and then put the players around him. If we’re gonna be 5-11, if we’re gonna be 6-10, let’s do it with somebody who’s [learning as he goes], instead of guys that have been here, making mistakes.”
I understand where Theismann is coming from. Since Dan Snyder has taken over the Redskins, he's acted as if he's playing strat-o-matic baseball rather than amking smart decisions to improve his football team. So that's where Theismann's frustration kicks in. He actually makes sense instead of being the normal blowhard that he is.
On the other hand, it's Peyton Manning. And anyone who can make Blair White and Pierre Garcon a threat might be able to work wonders with Santana Moss. While Manning might only be around for a few years, you take your quarterback of the future and let him sit behind Manning and learn the game. That way you don't have a young "savior" setting the franchise back another five years if he screws it up. Also, Mike Shanahan might feel compelled to hand the offense to Manning.
If the Redskins sign Manning, it might be the smartest signing Snyder has ever made.
