Within hours of Peyton Manning being cut by the Indianapolis Colts, fakes of the great #18 in different uniforms flooded the internet. Redskins, Jets, Dolphins. Fan bases clamoring for that signature quarterback. The first one I came across was Manning as a Denver Bronco. First off, I love the sound of that. My Bolts owned Peyton throughout his career. Put him with that wretched Denver offense and we’ll be happy to play him twice per season. Second, this image of Peyton as anything but a Colt threw my brain for a loop. It reminded me of similar situations that I have seen in my two-plus decades as an avid sports fan. I know that, like me, no one has much of an attention span, so we’ll do it in list form.
My Most Memorable Wait-That-Guy-Looks-Funny-In-That-Uniform Moments
-Joe Montana: Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers decided to go with the unproven Steve Young rather that see if Montana would fully recover. Montana didn’t do much with Kansas City, but Steve Young sure did with San Fran. The emergence of Young as one of the league's best signal callers sure helped 49ers fans to move on.
-Albert Pujols: Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). This only just happened, but the other day I saw Albert in his new Halos gear and was kinda shocked. I mean it’s the same color scheme as the Cards, but this guy brought St. Louis 2 titles, including the one just a few months ago. But he left for the green. Oops, I meant greener pastures.
-Jerry Rice: Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos (kinda). Luckily Jerry called it quits before ever actually suiting up for the Broncos. It was hard to see him as a Raider, but just plain weird to see him as a Seahawk. It’s simply another example of how pro athletes rarely walk away at the top of their game.
-LaDainian Tomlinson: New York Jets. This one hit me on a personal level. The quiet, reserved LT was suddenly bashing everyone (and being bashed by everyone) in San Diego on the way out the door. He got a Jets logo tattooed on his calf before ever playing a down of football for them. All the circumstances were bizarre. Hopefully, Charger fans forget the Jets years before too long.
-Brett Favre: New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings. Brett forcing his way out of Green Bay and the ensuing madness is probably my least favorite, most publicized event in sports history. Because of constant updates out of Mississippi about how wishy-washy old Favre was feeling, I couldn’t watch SportsCenter all summer for a couple of years. You just had to tune in and keep on the lookout for an Ed Werder update. It was maddening! Just make a f@#$ing choice, Favre! Anyway, seeing him as a Jet and then as a Viking was odd. He was Mr. Green Bay. Then . . . he wasn’t.
-Johnny Unitas: San Diego Chargers. Ok, this happened way before my time, but when I saw this on NFL Films one time I was stunned. Johnny U was a Colt and only a Colt, albeit the Baltimore variety. His time at the end of his career with the Bolts was obviously not real memorable. Kinda like OJ Simpson’s time with the 49ers.
-Emmit Smith: Arizona Cardinals. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher finished up as a Cardinal. This was before the Cards made that Super Bowl Run with Kurt Warner too. This was laughing stock, Detroit Lions-like Arizona. He was a complete non-factor as an older running back. [Additionally, it is interesting to note that Edgerrin James also went to Arizona for a bit. I remember him being shocked at the organizational culture and even commenting about how hopeless it was. Edge had played for the powerhouse Miami Hurricanes in college and then the Indianapolis Colts as a pro. Dude had NEVER lost 5 games in a season, let alone in the first 2 months of the season]
-Michael Jordan: Washington Wizards, Birmingham Barons. Air Jordan’s time with the Barons was just kinda amusing. He looked extremely out of place, but it was minor league baseball so it had a circus feel to it anyway. The real stunner was seeing and OLD Michael play in the . . . um . . . turquoise and blue-ish of the Wiz. The upside is that I don’t think anyone even remembers this. He was a Chicago Bull and probably always will be in everyone’s memory.
Well, that does it. Now all that remains to be seen is what team is able to acquire Peyton Manning, obviously placing him on this list.
My official guess: Peyton can’t ignore Daniel Snyder’s wallet and signs with the bungling Washington Redskins.
If you’ve ever had one of these moments, please post it below. I am sure I have missed some that were just too shocking for me to accept. Until next time . . .
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