Will he or won't he? Not Favre but Peyton!

So I am eating with two close friends who are big Peyton Manning fans. As the conversation turns to Tennessee Vols football, I make a statement that I have been sure about for a few years. This statement was a no brainer for me. Well, these friends that are big fans informed me that I was wrong.

The statement I made was that Peyton Manning will coach at the high school, college, or pro level when he retires as a player. I believe Peyton will coach at the college level because he has stated how he loves college football and college campus life. It was very clear how much he loved college football when he announced that he would be returning for his senior season rather than enter the NFL.

The two gentlemen I was eating with are both big Vols and Peyton fans. They feel that Peyton will not coach because he doesn't need it. He has made his money. He will go into business. They continued that there really aren't any great players who have been coaches. Peyton has so many opportunities including acting according to these fans. Bottom line they said he will not coach because he doesn't have to or need to.

I was blown away. I have expected for years now that Peyton will coach. He is a coach on the field now. He is different from other players because although he has great physical ability he also has extraordinary mental ability. A huge portion of Manning's game is the mental facet and study. Hello, this what coaches do. In addition, Manning runs a QB school with his Dad and brother, Eli. He walks like a coach, talks like a coach, acts like a coach, studies like a coach, leads like a coach! How could he not be a coach in the future?

I strongly disagree that Manning doesn't need to coach. No, he doesn't need the money but he will need the football. Football is his life, literally. He will need the competition at a high level. His lifestyle of competition and study is like a drug and you can't just cut it off without withdrawal.

I believe when Peyton Manning retires he will either be a NFL Head Coach, a NFL QB coach, a NFL Offensive Coordinator, or a front office man for the Colts until his dream job comes open. Peyton Manning will eventually fill the role as Head Coach for the University of Tennessee Vols.

He loves college life, he loves college football, he would be in full control at the college level, and he loves the University of Tennessee. Who he is would make his recruiting easy. No doubt he would always be able to land a top quarterback prospect. The job would be his as long as he wanted it. His teams would have to be bad, very bad for a long time for the Vol Nation to fire him. Can't you see it? Peyton walking the sidelines in the Tennessee hat with the head set on. Instructing players, doing interviews, and of course, leading the band.

I am absolutely stunned. For two high school coaches who are big Peyton fans to tell me that Peyton WILL NOT coach was completely mind blowing. I have thought for years that it is a for gone conclusion. Of course, I can be wrong. I always thought Peyton would have won more than 1 Super Bowl in 11 NFL seasons!