March 19, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of a billboard welcoming potential new Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (not pictured) as seen in North Denver Adams county Colorado. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

I really thought that Peyton Manning might decide to join the San Francisco 49ers, and it really made me nervous. So much for that. Manning made his decision on Monday, and he chose to head to the Mile High city to play with the Broncos. I’m sure Broncos fans are jumping for joy right now, but Rams fans should be almost as happy with this news.

With Manning off the table, the Niners aren’t likely to improve their quarterback situation any time soon. Alex Smith will probably be back, and while he had a very nice season in 2011, he still doesn’t scare me. San Fran is very good, but they aren’t unstoppable with Smith under center.

Manning in Denver also means that Tim Tebow could be finding a new home in the near future. I’m not a big Tebow fan, and I honestly don’t understand why any team would trade for him. The only teams that kind of make sense are Jacksonville and Miami since Tebow is still worshipped heavily in Florida, but why would you give something up to get him? It might help out the awful attendance for the Jags, and Miami is still looking for a quarterback, so I guess they could be possibilities. Good luck to whoever makes that decision.

Jan 1, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn (10) warms up prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

I don’t know if everyone is getting as tired of the Peyton Manning saga as I am, but it looks like he will have his decision made in the coming days. One of the finalists on his list is the San Francisco 49ers, who pretty much appeared out of nowhere in the last few days to get in the running. And while the Niners were sneaking their way onto the Manning list, another NFC West team struck on the quarterback front as well. The Seattle Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a three-year deal that’s worth up to $26 million. And, after missing out on Flynn and Manning, the Miami Dolphins apparently are in talks with Alex Smith, who could need a team if Manning signs in San Fran. Confused yet? This version of “quarterback musical chairs” could just be getting started.

I’m not sure where I stand on the Flynn signing in Seattle just yet. As with most free agent signings that carry risk, if Flynn signed somewhere in the AFC I would say that he’s probably not going to be very good and the team made a mistake. However, I tend to get a little more nervous when a guy like this signs in our division. Is there a chance he could be a very good starter and be their QB for the next 8-10 years? I guess so. I don’t think anyone outside of Green Bay knows that much about him. Do I think it’s more likely that he’s the next Kevin Kolb? Absolutely. Still, the Seahawks having anyone under center other than Tarvaris Jackson is bad news for the Rams, but I guess we will just have to see.

As far as Manning and the Niners goes, I’m really sweating this one out bad. San Fran was one play away from going to the Super Bowl last season, and that was with Smith as their QB. Imagine if they added Manning. Manning at like 70% is light-years better than Smith, and his knowledge and leadership alone would probably be enough to get them a few more Super Bowl trophies. I think what Rams fans need to hope for is that Manning picks somewhere else like Denver, Smith goes to Miami and the Niners end up with Colin Kaepernick as their starter. I know that’s probably a long-shot, but until Manning is out of our division for certain it might just get me through the day.

Mar 7, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (left) speaks during a press conference as owner Jim Irsay looks on during a press conference to announce Manning

It’s nice to be writing about something other than Gregg Williams and bounties, and although I wanted to get back to the Combine Reports tonight, I decided against it. I will be out of town over the weekend covering the Illinois High School Class 1A and 2A state boys basketball tournaments, so instead of posting one tonight and taking a break, I thought it better to wait until next week to get back to it. Lucky for me, something pretty significant happened in the NFL world on Wednesday, so let’s talk about that. Although we have known officially for days and unofficially for months, the Indianapolis Colts released QB Peyton Manning. I thought having a press conference with both sides speaking about it was a little weird, but I guess they all handled it pretty well.

The Rams won’t be in the Manning sweepstakes, but this move still greatly affects the upcoming season for St. Louis. Bernie Miklasz talked about this over at STLtoday.com, which kind of sucks for me because I had already started writing this before I saw it, but I’m going to continue anyway because it’s a pretty big deal. Bernie talks a lot about how it will affect the draft, which is a very valid point. Washington and Miami are both major players for Manning, and they are both trade targets for the Rams as well. However, I’m still holding out hope that the Rams deal with Cleveland and their two first-round picks, so I’m not going to discuss that aspect right now.

What really has me concerned is that Manning could end up in the NFC West next season. The Seahawks and Cardinals have both contacted Manning’s reps already according to sources, so they will both be in on him when the bidding starts. For as much as I question how good Manning will be when he comes back to the field, it scares the heck out of me that he could face the Rams twice a season. He’s never going to be what he once was, but would he be an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson or Kevin Kolb? I’m not even going to type the answer, because it’s a no-brainer. The one thing that makes our division so winnable is because there isn’t a franchise quarterback on any of the teams we compete with. Before anyone brings up Alex Smith, one good season does not a franchise QB make. I still think Sam Bradford can be a franchise guy, so that could be our edge going forward. But adding Manning to any other team completely changes the dynamic of the West.

I don’t know if the Rams have a chance to win the division this season, and I know the 49ers are very good, but I would think that if anyone gets Manning and he’s even close to healthy, that team instantly becomes the favorite. We have an uphill battle to fight anyway, so let’s hope Manning stays east so the climb is just difficult and not impossible.