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Making the case for Peyton Manning in Seattle

AP file photo
Goodbye Indianapolis, hello Seattle? The Seahawks confirm they're among the teams vying for Peyton Manning.
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Nam Y. Huh
AP file photo

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel likes the idea of Peyton Manning coming to Seattle. He says the team and the city have a lot to offer him. And it goes without saying what he can offer the team - as long as he stays healthy.

Now that Manning has parted ways with the Indianapolis Colts and become a free agent, a lot of teams are vying for his talents. That's despite multiple neck surgeries in the past year-and-a-half. A team source has confirmed to the Seattle Times that the Seahawks are going to go for Manning.

What Manning can offer the Seahawks

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says Manning is the perfect combination of skilled player and born leader.

"He is such a strong, competitive, leading personality that he would galvanize the entire Seahawks' offense - really the whole team - around him. And the Seahawks would be willing to transform their offense for him to whatever he wanted, whatever he needed. Because he is that rare talent that can make them Super Bowl worthy."

Art says if the Hawks landed the star quarterback, it might create a ripple effect.

"It would be a great step forward for the Seahawks from the standpoint of profile, prestige and getting rid of Seattle's image as a backwater. Because very few championships have been won here. It's very hard to attract top-flight players here."

What the Seahawks can offer Manning

  • Money - The Seahawks are more than $20 million under the salary cap. They can afford to make a serious offer to Manning.
  • Generous owner - Paul Allen can make things happen in ways that don't count under the salary cap.
  • Charismatic coach - Pete Carroll has worked with several different kinds of quarterbacks to make them successful.
  • Powerhouse running back - Marshawn Lynch just signed a multiyear contract with the Seahawks and can help take the pressure off Manning so he doesn't have to "carry the whole freight."
  • Up-and-coming defense
  • Great practice facility
  • Reputation of the noisiest fans in the league

If not Manning, then who?

Art says keep an eye on Matt Flynn, the backup quarterback in Green Bay who's now a free agent. He impressed a lot of people in the two games he started last season.

"He would be a healthy, stable quarterback entering the prime of his career (at age 27)."

You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.