Bill Polian

Bill Polian appears to be setting the stage for a Peyton Manning-Andrew Luck tandem in Indianapolis. While the Colts vice chairman again declined to speak specifically about Luck on Monday night, citing NFL rules on underclassmen, he told radio listeners that the team would struggle with a rookie quarterback next season. The comments come less than a week after Manning's father, Archie, caused a commotion by originally saying he didn't think it was a great idea for the two to be teammates.

For more than a year, it has seemed almost a given that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. As the Colts struggled through their first Peyton Manning-less season in more than a decade last fall, it became clear that they once again would get the top pick, as they had in 1998, and they once again would get the chance to select a special quarterback for their team, someone who had been prepared for...

Archie Manning says Peyton Manning was disappointed that Bill Polian was let go during the Indianapolis Colts' leadership shake-up but remains committed to coming back next season. The elder Manning spoke after presenting the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year awards at a hotel in the French Quarter ahead of Monday night's BCS title game between LSU and Alabama. Archie Manning says Peyton Manning's priority is his health, and the quarterback hasn't given much thought to how the upheaval in Indianapolis will affect him. Manning missed the entire season after a third operation on...

The secret is out. Andrew Luck will be the Indianapolis Colts' new quarterback. A person with direct knowledge of the situation said Thursday that the Colts have notified Luck that they plan to take the Stanford quarterback with the No. 1 pick in next week's NFL draft barring some unforeseen event between now and then. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not publicly disclosed its plan. It's hardly a surprise that the Colts are turning to Luck as the cornerstone of their massive rebuilding project.

INDIANAPOLIS - Cleaning out the Colts front office may be only the start of the changes in Indianapolis. Team owner Jim Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts' general manager, yesterday. He said there was a good chance coach Jim Caldwell will be back next season, but his evaluation was not over. Irsay also still must decide whether a healthy Peyton Manning and a new quarterback can coexist in the same locker room, and which veteran free agents come back next year, if any. "I don't think there's ever been a year in the NFL where a team went 2-14...

Cleaning out the Colts front office may be only the start of the changes in Indianapolis. Team owner Jim Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts' general manager on Monday. He said there was a good chance coach Jim Caldwell will be back next season, but his evaluation was not over. He also must still decide whether a healthy Peyton Manning and a new quarterback can co-exist in the same locker room, and which veteran free agents come back next year, if any. "I don't think there's ever been a year in the NFL where a team went 2-14 and...

PHILADELPHIA - Indianapolis Colts star receiver Marvin Harrison was interviewed by police about a shooting near his North Philadelphia car wash this week. Lieutenant Frank Vanore said the investigation of Tuesday's shooting was continuing. Harrison has not been arrested or charged. "He was interviewed," Vanore said yesterday. "Why he was interviewed, that is all part of the investigation. No one is a suspect. " Vanore told WCAU-TV the shooting occurred near 25th and Thompson streets, near a car wash owned by Harrison and about a half-mile from a bar also owned by...

The Colts won't use former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as a replay consultant until the seventh game of the season. Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said Monday that Tressel won't join the team until late October. The team recently announced it would employ Tressel as a game-day consultant to help determine when the team should challenge plays with a video review. In a statement, Polian said that "questions were raised with respect to the equity of his appointment as opposed to suspensions being serves this season by present and former Ohio State players.

For more than a year, it has seemed almost a given that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. As the Colts struggled through their first Peyton Manning-less season in more than a decade last fall, it became clear that they once again would get the top pick, as they had in 1998, and they once again would get the chance to select a special quarterback for their team, someone who had been prepared for...

The Colts needed a quarterback with knowledge of their offense. Dan Orlovsky needed a job. On Tuesday, Orlovsky rejoined Indianapolis — the team he spent training camp with this summer. A person familiar with the deal confirmed the signing Tuesday night, but requested anonymity because the Colts had not yet announced the move. Injuries forced the Colts (0-3) to add depth at quarterback before Monday night's game at Tampa Bay. Four-time league MVP Peyton Manning has missed the first three games after having neck surgery Sept.

Race car driver Ed Carpenter watched in amazement as Peyton Manning transformed his hometown. The longtime Colts fan remembers when the NBA's Indiana Pacers ruled the basketball-crazed city, and saw how that shifted within a few years of the Colts drafting Manning in 1998. Carpenter reflected on it after the Colts released the four-time MVP on Wednesday. "I remember going into (Colts) games at the RCA Dome and at packed (Pacers) games at Market Square Arena, and even now you go to half-full Pacers games and packed crowds at Lucas Oil Stadium," the 31-year-old Carpenter said.

Even the Indianapolis Colts don't have all the answers on Peyton Manning. Or Andrew Luck, for that matter. New general manager Ryan Grigson said the Colts have not decided whether to release the four-time league MVP, whether to renegotiate with him or whether to take Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft. Instead, things in Indianapolis are about as uncertain as the status of Manning's right arm. "Peyton has to be healthy, it has to be something that's spoken on, investigated and talked about," Grigson said Thursday at the scouting...

The Indianapolis Colts just can't escape the Peyton Manning questions. Even on a day the team hired four new assistant coaches for Chuck Pagano's staff, the Manning saga was still causing a stir. With a $28 million decision looming next month, new general manager Ryan Grigson acknowledged that the Colts couldn't afford to make a mistake based solely on sentimental reasons. "You can't do things to where you are going to hurt the whole franchise with other decisions that you know might hurt at the moment, but in the end they help the sum of the...

INDIANAPOLIS - In a city that bleeds Colts blue, it's hard to avoid the sight of Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning's jersey during the festivities surrounding Super Bowl XLVI. Manning's younger brother, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, has fielded numerous questions this week about their relationship and their legacies. And despite vowing not to discuss his franchise's quarterback until after the Super Bowl, Colts owner Jim Irsay couldn't escape the relentless stream of inquiries about No. 18, either.

For a Manning who isn't in the Super Bowl, this one sure is making headlines. It happened again Tuesday, when Colts quarterback Peyton Manning denied whispers that he was pondering retirement. "I have no plans on doing that," he said. It's the strongest indication that, despite having his third neck operation in September, he hopes to play in the NFL when the new season kicks off later this year — something the league is happy about. "My plan hasn't changed," he said.

Jim Irsay did his own politicking Monday. Instead of talking about Peyton Manning and the franchise quarterback's future in Indianapolis, the Colts owner quickly tossed the football to a real politician. "When I was asked about Peyton, I was going to say why don't you ask Mitch (Daniels) about his presidential run? Any comments Mitch?" Irsay said drawing laughter as he turned to the Indiana governor. Irsay's diversionary tactic didn't work. With the Manning-Irsay spat still dominating talk around town, Irsay tried to deflect attention...

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy is sticking with the Colts. The team said yesterday Dungy will remain with Indianapolis through at least the 2008 season before turning over the coaching to hand-picked successor Jim Caldwell. Dungy, the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, spent a week meeting with his family, close friends, and trusted colleagues while deciding whether to return for a seventh season with the Colts. "It was a family decision," Dungy said. "We're on board, and we look forward to '08, look forward to putting together a winner.

Quarterback Josh McCown will start an NFL game for the first time in four years when he lines up behind center for the Bears at Lambeau Field against the Packers Sunday night. The Bears said yesterday McCown will replace the struggling Caleb Hanie. McCown hasn't started a game since Dec. 23, 2007, for Oakland against Jacksonville. He was completely out of the NFL last season. "Other than just the excitement and the joy of being between the stripes with the lights on again, I think that first snap obviously will be exciting," McCown said.