WATERCOOLER CHAT: MANNING OFFICIALLY BRONCO, SMITH TO STAY IN SF, END OF ERA FOR HINES WARD
With March Madness on hold ’til Thursday, all the news was from the NFL.
FOOTBALL
First up, Tuesday, it was official as the Denver Broncos officially introduced Peyton Manning as a Bronco to the media. He even hoisted up his own “Manning” Orange Crush jersey.  It’s for real. Manning said that his goal in Denver is NOT about building a foundation these first two seasons, and then getting ready to win a Super Bowl in 2 years. No, Peyton is ready to win NOW! From day one, he’s going to be in full swing, aiming at ONLY the Super Bowl. Anything short of that is a failure in his eyes. It’s likely that the Broncos will now try and chase Steelers star receiver Mike Wallace to give Peyton a weapon from the get go. Plus, Peyton should be happy, he signed a 5-year, $96Million deal to take the reigns in Denver. Not a bad last pay check.
Elsewhere, with the Peyton search over and done with, the San Francisco 49ers, a team that actually put their hat in the Peyton hunt, have decided on what they will do at the quarterback position. It looks like Jim Harbaugh will stay with his man: Alex Smith, as the Niners have signed Smith to a three-year deal. There were question marks surrounding Smith’s future in San Francisco, but last year he proved himself to be a capable winner, getting them to just one win of the Super Bowl. They also added Randy Moss, and will likely bolster their receiving corps even more in the draft. This seems to be the right move for San Fran.
Finally, in Pittsburgh, the end of an era. After 14 years in Steeler Black and Gold, Hines Ward is going to officially retire. The Steelers recently cut him, and Ward decided that rather than play for a 15th season as a #4 or #5 receiver somewhere else, he will retire a Steeler for life. And this guy is a Hall of Fame candidate. Every year, he was a fantastic receiver for the Steelers. 1,000 catches, 2 Super Rings, and a Super Bowl MVP.  Unfortunately, at the end of his career, Ward had some trouble breaking away from young cornerbacks. Ward gave a sad, tearful goodbye to the Pittsburgh media, and will likely find himself in the TV booth. Also, to give you an idea of how important draft scouting is, Hines Ward was a 3rd round draft pick. Not many 3rd round wide-receiver draft picks end up in the hall of fame.
