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ANDERSON, Ind. (July 27, 1998) -- Peyton Manning hopes the resumption of talks Tuesday between his agent and the Indianapolis Colts will allow him to follow through on travel plans that have been on hold since last Wednesday. Manning, the top pick in the draft, is the Colts' lone unsigned draft pick. After a quiet weekend, negotiations between Tom Condon, Manning's agent, and Bill Polian, the Colts' president, will resume Tuesday in Indianapolis. Manning is already five days late for training camp. "I'm hopeful ... I'm always hopeful," Manning said. "But I'll have a lot better idea of what's going on after Tom and Bill meet. Right now, it's really out of my hands." San Diego signed quarterback Ryan Leaf, the second overall pick, to a five-year contract that included a $11.25 million signing bonus and could be worth as much as $31.25 million. "Maybe that will jump-start things a little," said Manning. Although his contract is destined to eclipse Leaf's as the richest rookie deal in league history, Manning insisted, "That's not what we're after. This is something that's got to be done the right way. "When I end up signing for whatever I sign for, it won't mean anything if I'm not a productive player. Somebody asked me the other day what I was going to do once I signed my contract and I told them, 'Start earning it.'." |