Broncos Coach Upset over Irsay Comments

Published on 16-Oct-2013 by Stacey Mickles

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Update

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Broncos Coach Upset over Irsay Comments

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has found himself in a firestorm today after comments he made about former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Basically, Irsay said he had no regrets cutting Manning because he didn't bring the Colts enough Super Bowl rings.

Those comments did not sit well with Denver Broncos head coach John Fox, who called it what it was: a whiny weasel's rationalization of bailing on his top playmaker a few years too early:

"I saw the comments, and to be honest with you, I thought it was a bit of a cheap shot. To me, in my opinion, they were disappointing and inappropriate. Peyton would never say anything, he's too classy to do that, but they sounded a little ungrateful and unappreciative to me, for a guy that's set a standard, won a Super Bowl, won division titles, won four MVP awards. I'd be thankful of that one Super Bowl ring, because a lot of people don't have one."

Even former Colts head coach Tony Dungy thought Irsay went too far:

"Jim is making this personal. I'm surprised."

Irsay must have forgotten where the Colts were before Manning arrived. They were 3-13 the year before, had never won a Super Bowl, and rarely made the playoffs.

In fact, they were a franchise going nowhere fast -- insert the 'moving the franchise from Baltimore to Indianapolis' punchline here -- and for Irsay to diss Manning, whether he meant to or not, is just plain disrespectful.

And stupid. And for good measure, let's toss in classless.

As if Peyton Manning needed more ammno to fire him up Sunday.

Manning is not going to come out in the media and diss Irsay, because that's not his style. He'll settle for lighting the Colts defense up and making them regret ever cutting him.

And if Manning wins a ring or two in Denver, the management there will consider it icing on the cake of a great career and not the final word on greatness. A quarterback alone doesn't win Super Bowls. Or lose them.

You'd think that even the jerk son who inherited the franchise from an even bigger jerk of a father would understand that.