This time last week, I was a happy guy. The weather seemed warmer, the air seemed fresher, the clouds seemed fluffier. And why shouldn't I be happy? This time last week, it seemed the planets had aligned and the football gods had finally smiled upon the Kansas City Chiefs. This time last week, I honestly thought Peyton Manning would be a Kansas City Chief.
A lot can change over the course of a week; but when you really think about it, nothing really changed at all. The only thing that really happened is that Chiefs fans were reminded they were Chiefs fans, and that nothing good ever happens to them.
Manning is the most sought-after free agent in NFL history, and for a brief couple of days, Chiefs fans thought they had finally caught their white whale. But then the unthinkable happened: the Broncos became the favorite.
It happened on a Friday night. The Broncos came out of relative obscurity in the Manning-chase to being the first team to get a scheduled visit. It lasted about six hours, and every minute Manning stayed in the Broncos headquarters was its own separate abomination to Chiefs fans everywhere.
Where was the Chiefs visit? The same source that announced Manning's surprise trip to Denver also reported that Manning still had visits left with the Cardinals and Dolphins. No word, however, on the Chiefs.
Chiefs fans were anxious to hear something on Manning, anything about Manning. As the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for. After meeting with the Cardinals on Sunday, the Denver Post reported that the Chiefs and Seahawks were out of the Manning race. The story was quickly picked up by ESPN, and the hope of most Chiefs fans were deflated like a popped balloon.
But the rollercoaster of emotion doesn't stop there. Shortly after that report came out, Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports' Shutdown Corner tweeted: "Just talked to a reliable source in KC -- the Chiefs aren't out of it either. Productive meetings between KC and Peyton's people."
While that news briefly cheered up the Chiefs faithful, it wouldn't last long. The continued no-visit situation the Chiefs were in with Manning continues, all while the Dolphins and Titans had or are expecting visits from the legend. But why? Why are the Chiefs being snubbed by Manning? Why wouldn't Manning come to a situation where quick success would be all but a guarantee?
Nick Wright let us in yesterday on what he was hearing regarding that topic: "The one reason I keep hearing that Peyton won't visit KC is that Pioli has always had beef with Condon and Condon's now sticking it to Pioli." And while some fans might have trouble believing that, ask yourself, what other reason would Manning have of not even wanting to visit Kansas City? It's reasonable to believe there's another reason, but it's also likely that Wright has heard the truth.
To sum up this post, I have no idea what's going on with the Manning situation, and have no idea where Manning will land when he decides on a destination. But unfortunately, it looks less and less likely Manning will have an arrowhead on his helmet next season.
A week can change everything.
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