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INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 10, 1999) -- Shortly after Peyton Manning signed his lucrative contract with the Indianapolis Colts that included a rookie-record $11.6 million signing bonus in July, someone asked what he planned to do with his newfound riches. "I plan to go out and earn it," he said. Manning did that. And then some. While surpassing every significant league and team rookie passing record and affixing his name to a few single-season team marks as well, Manning managed to trigger a couple of clauses in his six-year contract that nearly maximizes the financial worth of the deal. Early in the year, Manning triggered a provision that voided the final three years of the contract. The Colts can -- and undoubtedly will -- buy back the final three years by giving Manning a second signing bonus, this one worth $8.4 million, following the 2000 season. Manning also finished third in the NFL in passing yards (3,739) and fifth in touchdown passes (26). Either triggered a clause that escalates his base salary in all six seasons. Manning will realize an escalator-enhanced boost of $8.25 million over the life of the contract. Before triggering the escalator, Manning was to make a base pay of $250,000 in 1999. That's been bumped to $1.5 million. As long as the Colts don't cut Manning, he will make $46.4 million by the time his contract expires. He could tack on $1.5 million through team-oriented incentives. "We presumed he would make every incentive that was in there," team president Bill Polian said. "I never worry about paying players who perform. If every player had performed to Peyton's level, we would still be playing." Camp search narrowing Rose-Hulman Institute in Terre Haute remains a front-runner in the Colts' search for a site for training camp in July. "We want them to come here and they want to come here," said Wayne Spary, Rose-Hulman's vice president for facilities operations. "Hopefully, something can be worked out." The Colts have trained at Anderson University since their relocation from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984, but have been exploring other locations. Polian acknowledged there are "two very good out-of-state options, but . . . my marching orders were to stay in-state if at all possible." A relocation out of state could impair the team's outreach marketing efforts in Indiana. A return to Anderson has not been ruled out. The Colts also have had discussions with officials at Earlham College in Richmond, DePauw University in Greencastle and the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne. Rose-Hulman, though, appears to be the favorite. Its Athletics and Recreation Center offers a new pool, state-of-the-art fitness facilities and locker rooms. Rose-Hulman also has upgraded football and track facilities and an indoor track facility that could be used during inclement weather. Spary expects to talk with the Colts within the next few weeks and said a decision needed to be made -- one way or the other -- by February to accommodate the school's scheduling needs. Busy time The "off-season" for Polian will offer little in the way of down time. On his immediate agenda is assessing college talent at Saturday's East-West Shrine Game in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 23. The All-Star games offer NFL personnel an extended opportunity to evaluate prospects at practice, in individual interviews and in the game. Polian also is a member of the NFL's Competition Committee, which is immersed in an exhaustive information-gathering venture. The objective: Formulate a unified proposal on instant replay. The committee will meet in Indianapolis in mid-February, at which time it hopes to settle on a replay system that would be recommended to the league. NFL owners could vote for the return of instant replay at their March 14-18 meetings in Phoenix. "There is overwhelming support to present some type of plan," Polian said. "Am I a proponent of instant replay? Yes, if it's a system that works." Faulk a finalist Running back Marshall Faulk is one of six finalists for the 1998 Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year. Joining Faulk, who led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage and rushed for a career-high 1,319 yards, are Denver running back Terrell Davis and four quarterbacks -- Randall Cunningham of Minnesota, Doug Flutie of Buffalo, Vinny Testaverde of the New York Jets and Steve Young of San Francisco. The award will be presented during the week before Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami.
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