At 0-3, what are the Indianapolis Colts to do at quarterback?

For years the Indianapolis Colts have never had any question at the quarterback position. Peyton Manning has been a mainstay at the position and has been Mr. Reliable for so many years, every Sunday you knew that #18 would be on the field for the Colts. The fact is Peyton Manning is a first ballot hall of famer and now in the 2011 season Indianapolis is truly missing their leader. If you look at the first few games for the Colts, the offense has to say the least struggled. With Kerry Collins leading them they have had many missed opportunities in the red zone and have really fallen on hard times in the passing game. If there is a bright spot, the running game has found new life, which was seen on Sunday night against the Steelers tough defense. In order for the Colts to return to prominence the passing game must be above average, right now it is really below average and not even at the league average. The Colts are not in a good position right now, the only saving grace is that the AFC South is not a dominated division by one team (formerly the Colts) the door is open but it looks as though the Texans are willing to walk right through. As for Indianapolis this is unfamiliar territory for this team, the front office and the fans. People in Indianapolis are used to winning and they are used to the Colts making a playoff run every year it seems that this could be the year that doesn’t happen. With a struggling team the Colts are looking to stop the bleeding and get back to what they know….winning.

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As for the quarterback position, Jim Irsay made a statement that it’s possible that Manning will not play at all this season (which right now wouldn’t be a bad idea with a 0-3 start). If the Colts continue to lose there will be no reason for Manning to even step foot on the field in 2011, with a possibility of aggravating the injury again. For the Colts now, they need a hero but the fact is Manning will not be coming in riding a white horse to save the day, they need a solid starter at quarterback, NOW. With the possibility of Kerry Collins having a concussion, the next step will be to see if Curtis Painter is ready to take the step and become the newly crowned starter. Fact is Painter knows the offense better than Collins but can he execute on what he knows? On Sunday he missed a sure fire touchdown to Pierre Garcon with an over thrown ball and later on he throws an absolute dime to Garcon on an out route, but that is what you get with him inconsistency. Being inconsistent could be remedied by more playing time, so we will see if he gets the nod and if he will get any better. Right now the panic meter is at a full 10 in Indianapolis and the only thing that will change it is….winning.

By Sam Adams
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer