What If The Indianapolis Colts Pick RG3

The NFL offseason can play tricks with your mind. For instance, today, in one of those obscure offseason moments, the scariest thought just popped up from nowhere: What if the Indianapolis Colts choose Robert Griffin III instead of Andrew Luck. YiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiAyyyyyyyyNooooooooooo-oooooooo.

Okay, Redskins fans, are you back yet?  But really, it could happen. No, yeah, really it could. Five reasons the Colts may select RG3

1. Jim Irsay is not a man of great stability – or vision.
Two days after cutting ties with QB Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts jettisoned about 80% of their 2011 offensive production with the release of RB Joseph Addai, TE Dallas Clark, QB Curtis Painter, LB Gary Brackett, DE Melvin Bullitt and the loss of WR Pierre Garcon to free agency. Add to that the unexpected firing of the Vice Chairman for 14 years Bill Polian and Head Coach Jim Caldwell (though not unexpected), you are left with a team in a very fragile state. So with this severe gutting of the team, what difference will it make to Irsay whether he starts over with RG3 or Luck? Either way, they are a few years away from real contention.

2. The Irsays are synonymous with bold moves
At any gathering of two or more Baltimore area football fans, it is very likely that the events of March 29, 1984 will come up and spur heated discussion. That was the day that Jim Irsay’s father, Robert, carried out his plan to sneak his Baltimore Colts out of town to Indianapolis. With 15 Mayflower moving trucks they scurried off in the dead of night to ‘escape’ the wrath of fans and city officials. Once they got to the Indiana border, they even had a State Police escort to ensure they met with no trouble. It was a move that left a heartbroken city (my dad included) and now, even years later, many are still bitter. Jim Irsay was a young executive for the Colts at that time and though his father was the owner and probably called the shots, the name Irsay is not beloved in the Baltimore area. Unpredictability and bold moves may be in the blood and the selection of RG3 would just be a byproduct of Irsay DNA.

3. Jim Irsay revels in attention-seeking behavior.
During the whole Peyton Manning affair, it seemed that Irsay was loving ever bit of the media attention he was getting, or some might say, causing.  What better way to have every sports TV, radio and newspaper media outlet focused on you than if you pick RG3 over Luck? Especially when every mock draft, every NFL analyst, every pundit, every fan, even every schoolkid is saying that Andrew Luck will be the Colts #1 draft pick.

4. Jim Irsay has a mean streak (okay, maybe this is a stretch, but….)
But what if he does. Picking RG3 is a way to thumb his nose once again at the fans in this area. After all, the insults that were hurled at the team for moving were so intense and so venomous, they may have been the sole cause of the weakening ozone. And though D.C. is not Baltimore, the area is closely connected and many Redskins fans do live in Maryland. Besides,his handling of Peyton took an ugly turn at times, even if it was ‘just business.

5. Because he can.
The simplest reason of them all. Alpha males (or alpha males wannabees) often behave dangerously and don’t care what others think of them. (And yes, I have designated Irsay some type of alpha male.) Having the number one draft pick carries with it a certain amount of power and even though Spiderman knows that with great power comes great responsibility, I somehow think that concept will be lost on Irsay. He has that power and he will do what he wants with it, not what everyone thinks he will do. Heck, he might not even pick a quarterback at all!

Okay, so forget everything I just said. Seriously, I do think the Colts will go with Luck. But somewhere in the back of my mind and maybe yours too Redskins Nation, you’re wondering what if. At any rate, we will all be sitting on pins and needles on April 26th, a little after 8 pm when Roger Goodell says, “The Indianapolis Colts are on the clock…..”