Peyton Manning is obviously a great quarterback, but should the Indianapolis Colts just fall apart now that he’s out for potentially the entire season?

I have no sympathy for the Colts, as they’ve avoided developing a real backup for Peyton Manning for years. We all watched several years ago when they rested Manning and played Jim Sorgi. Contrast that to New England and the emphasis they place on backup quarterbacks. When Tom Brady got hurt, they had Matt Cassel ready to go. Now they’re at it again with Ryan Mallett on the bench. Wouldn’t the Colts love to have Mallett now?

I don’t blame Kerry Collins. He had a tough time today in Indy’s loss at home against the Browns, but he came out of retirement to take on this complicated offense. I blame the Colts brain trust, and they’re paying the price now for their lack of preparation.

Here are some interesting NFL reports via Rotoworld:

GM calls Ryan Mallett the “Charlie Sheen of the NFL draft
According to FOX Sports.com, at least one NFL GM doesn’t buy into how Mallett is being billed as Tom Brady’s eventual successor in New England. “Just knowing Bill, I can’t see him truly believing Mallett is their future,” the annaoymous GM said. “I can see them getting him right off the field, showcasing him in the preseason for a couple of years and then getting some trade value for him and stock-pile more picks.” Because of Mallett’s alleged drug and alcohol issues, another GM went as far as to say: “We thought he was the Charlie Sheen of this draft.” Ouch.

Reid denies that there’s an offer for Kolb
Andy Reid is denying reports that the Eagles have an offer on the table for quarterback Kevin Kolb. This comes a day after SI.com’s Peter King said the exact opposite and wrote that an “unnamed team” has offered a first round pick in exchange for the QB. The Cardinals, Dolphins and Seahawks still remain possibilities for Kolb once the lock ends (and assuming the Eagles and Reid are willing to part with Kolb).

Vikings want to bring in veteran to compete with Ponder
Even though head coach Leslie Frazier told the media following the draft that Christian Ponder will have the opportunity to start as a rookie, he also confirmed on Tuesday that he’s looking to add a veteran to come in and compete with the first round pick. “If we went that route, we’d probably want a guy that could compete to start,” Frazier said. “I don’t know if I’d want a ‘coach-type’ guy.” There’s still a possibility that Donovan McNabb could wind up in Minnesota for a year or two while Ponder learns Bill Musgrave’s offense.

L.T. concedes starting RB job to Shonn Greene
LaDainian Tomlinson conceded that Shonn Greene is ready to take over as the Jets’ feature back. L.T. noted that he’s been the best running back in the league and now wants to be the best third-down back in the NFL. He still figures to have a predominant role in the Jets’ offense.

After New England selected him in the third round of last weekend’s NFL draft, former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett said that the Patriots are a “perfect fit,” and then made reference to how he and Tom Brady “are kind of the same.”

“I think it’s a perfect fit after watching film with the coaches when I was there,” Mallett told the Providence Journal. “And me and Tom are kind of the same. We’re not fleet of foot, obviously. We don’t run fast. We pick defenses apart and we know what’s going to happen before the snap or we react post snap and that’s why I think I’m like him a lot.”

There will be some who think Mallett is being arrogant with his comments. I get that, although I think he’s being genuine more than he’s actually (even literally) comparing himself to Brady. In other words, I don’t think he’s saying: I’m a multiple Super Bowl winner and a bona fide Hall of Famer. I think he’s just finding a way to relate to the person who will have a hand molding his future. And who better to model your pro career after than Tom Brady? If there’s ever a time to put the mistakes you’ve made in the past behind you and look towards the future, it’s after you’ve been drafted by the New England freaking Patriots and are about to be Tom Brady’s backup.

Mallett couldn’t have wound up in a better situation. Let’s not discount the fact that he’s only 22-years-old and by the time the Patriots ask him to take over the keys of their offense (if that day ever comes), he’ll be more mature than he is now. Plus, he won’t make anywhere close to the money he would have made had he been taken in the first round, and there’s zero pressure on him to succeed right away.

He will be coached up by one of the best staffs in the NFL and Brady won’t tolerate Mallett coming in acting like it’s his show. In 8-10 years, we could be looking back at this year’s quarterback class and saying how Mallett flourished more than those signal callers taken before him.

Here are 15 observations, thoughts and projections (sure to be wrong knowing my luck with predictions on prospects) from the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

1. Hey kids, if you want to be a NFL quarterback…don’t…do…drugs. I’ve never seen so many quarterback-needy teams stay away from a prototypical pocket passer like they’re doing with Ryan Mallett this year. I may be in the minority here, but I think he’s going to be a steal no matter where he winds up. (Side Note: Before this article went live, I saw that Mallett got taken by the Patriots in the third round. Bill Belichick is going to make this kid a winner someday.)

2. Andy Dalton may not have the strongest arm but he’s a solid fit for Jay Gruden’s offense in Cincinnati. I’m thinking the dream scenario for the Bengals would be for Carson Palmer to suck it up for one more season and then they can turn the keys over to Dalton in 2012. But if Palmer is done, the Bengals can sign a veteran and bring Dalton along slowly.

3. It may take a couple of years but give Jim Harbaugh some time and he could turn Colin Kaepernick into a good pro quarterback. Kaepernick is a bit of a project but the kid has good size, a great arm and is one hell of an athlete. He has all the tools to succeed and if fans are patient, this could wind up being a beautiful marriage.

4. The Browns did well in the first two rounds. Not only did they acquire 62 picks from the Falcons in exchange for the No. 6 overall selection, but Mike Holmgren addressed needs along the D-line with Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard, and at receiver with Greg Little (who isn’t Julio Jones but he’s a solid prospect nonetheless). All three players should see action as rookies.

5. So what does it say about Beanie Wells if the Cardinals are taking Ryan Williams in the second round? If Williams stays healthy, he’s an explosive runner with good vision but he’s going to have to fight for carries next year in the desert. Given how many needs Arizona has, this is a strange fit.

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Here are Jon Gruden’s QB Camp videos with Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett and Andy Dalton.

Cam Newton

Blaine Gabbert

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