(The Spread) – Suddenly, that cloud of doubt surrounding the Indianapolis Colts just got a whole lot bigger.
That’s because apparently the Colts “braintrust” doesn’t believe that quarterback Peyton Manning will be ready for Week 1 according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Manning had neck surgery this offseason and hasn’t played a down in preseason. In fact, he hasn’t taken a snap in practice either.
On Wednesday, the Colts agreed to terms with former Titans’ QB Kerry Collins, which signaled that the team was concerned about Manning’s injury status. Then again, Curtis Painter has been so bad this preseason that the Colts had to do something. Maybe signing Collins was just a precautionary measure and Manning is still hoping to play in Week 1.
Then again, why would Collins come out of retirement if he didn’t think he would play? He announced his retirement in early July after completing 56.6 percent of his passes over the last two seasons and there’s no sense coming back if he wasn’t going to play. Maybe the Colts told him that Manning is doubtful for Week 1 and with no better options behind him, Collins will have the opportunity to step right into a starting job.
Oddsmakers currently list the Colts’ odds to win the 2012 Super Bowl at 18/1 and their odds to win the AFC at 17/2. Bettors can expect those odds to drop if Manning isn’t in the starting lineup for Week 1. Granted, if he only misses a couple of games then the Colts should still be in good shape. But Mortensen’s report and the signing of Collins definitely doesn’t quell the concerns going on in Indy right now.
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