Brett Banter

We've always heard (and sort of believed) that football is the ultimate team sport. That is until this year's Indianapolis Colts. This team has been an annual NFL contender since 1999, which for those of you who remember was right around the last time the American economy was booming. This year ,they are looking like one of the worst team's in NFL history.

What happened? Peyton Manning, their star quarterback, went down for the season with an injury. We don't think there has been one team in NFL history who has fallen so far so fast just by losing one player. When Manning's nemesis and arch rival Tom Brady went down a few years ago, the the Patriots still won 11 games. The 1998 49ers suffered through a brutal year when quarterback Steve Young got injured early in the season, but that team also suffered in other areas. Heck, even when the great Johnny Unitas was out for the 1968 season, his Colts still steamrolled to the Super Bowl.

So how valuable is/was Manning? Enough that we are asking who does his replacement, Curtis Painter, look like to you?

Tom Petty? Duane Allman? A roadie for a Nashville band? Let us know!