INDIANAPOLIS -- All Peyton Manning wants from the Indianapolis Colts is a game plan. It might take the team a little longer to satisfy the three-time NFL MVP.
Peyton Manning, QB Indianapolis Colts
2008 Statistics
Passer Rating: 95.0
Passing Yards: 4,002
TD/INT: 27/12
The Colts' front office is trying determine how retired assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd will fit into next season's coaching plans. Manning, who usually toes the company line, would like a better understanding of what to expect.
"Somebody says one thing, then somebody else says another thing," Manning said Tuesday after a minicamp workout. "I'm not sure everybody's on the same page in this building. I'm just trying to focus on playing quarterback well."
The truth is, the Colts don't know a whole lot, either.
Moore and Mudd retired two weeks ago to avoid losing money under the NFL's revised pension plan. Last week, team owner Jim Irsay told The Indianapolis Star both coaches would return to the Colts as consultants.
Apparently, those details are still being worked out.
NFL Coaches Association executive director Larry Kennan said last week that the two assistants would have to wait six months before returning to the Colts. Moore is the only coordinator Manning has played for in 11 seasons; Mudd is the Colts' longtime offensive line coach.
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| Michael Conroy / Associated Press |
| Tom Moore is the only offensive coordinator Peyton Manning has ever worked with in 11 seasons. |
But the Colts don't know if they really must wait that long for Moore and Mudd to return or what responsibilities they might have.
"It's still in negotiations, and it's a situation beyond our control," new Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "At the same time, it will filter itself out at some point. I think what we have to do is focus in on what we can get done now."
Manning is working on his job, but he also would like some answers.
"I can't tell you what's going on," he said. "I will say I don't think it's been the most properly communicated scenario around here. But we have learned to deal with change and have to be prepared to adjust."
The Colts already have announced that assistant head coach Clyde Christensen will assume play-calling duties and assistant offensive line coach Pete Metzelaars will have the word "assistant" dropped from his title.
Indianapolis' veteran players are content with those choices. Manning said Christensen helped call plays in third-down and red-zone situations last season, two categories in which the Colts had the league's No. 1 conversion rate in 2008. Three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday also said his teammates along the line spoke with both Metzelaars and Mudd during games and practices last season, and because the focus this week is on strengthening and conditioning, Saturday hasn't seen much change yet.
"We've not really done anything anyway," he said. "We'd normally be meeting with Pete now, so it's not really affected us. What will happen, or what it (the coaching staff) will look like, I don't know. But I'm sure Jim will make it very clear at some point."
The Colts are in the midst of perhaps their biggest transition since taking Manning with the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1998.
Besides losing Moore and Mudd, Caldwell replaced retired Tony Dungy as coach and hired new defensive and special teams coordinators. It's the first time since Manning's rookie season that the Colts have switched head coaches and both coordinators in the same season.
Manning also lost Marvin Harrison, the franchise's career receiving leader. Harrison was released in a February salary-cap move.
But the most recent moves, losing Moore and Mudd, and the uncertainty of what will happen next have the organization looking for solutions.
Polian didn't respond to an interview request from The Associated Press, but he did speak later on a local radio show.
"I understand he's somewhat confused because so are we," Polian said of Manning. "It's an extremely complex issue that is very hard to understand. It's frustrating. I'm sure he's frustrated. I'm frustrated."
What Manning really wants, though, are answers. And that's something the Colts just don't have yet.
"I wouldn't say I totally like the way it is right now," Manning said. "It's not normal not having a full coaching staff. I know we hired a couple of guys to come in, but these guys are learning.
"I think the communication has been pretty poor, in my opinion. But that's what we're dealing with. The hard work is what's going on right now. That's what will carry us through."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
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