Peyton Manning has made his decision, and the recently-released former quarterback of #ColtsNation is now a Denver Bronco. After 12 teams put in waivers for No. 18, Peyton ultimately whittled his choices down to Denver, San Francisco, and Tennessee, and it was the Mile High State that emerged victorious in the race for his services. While it will be hard to see Manning in any colors other than blue and white, at least the waiting, wondering, and questioning are over. Twitter went wild over the decision, and this week #HorseBytes will share with you what other deals took place in the wake of Peyton’s Denver signing.

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It’s hard to top the amount of excitement in Indianapolis last week for Super Bowl XLVI. After the big game ended, the parties died down, the zip line unzipped, and Super Bowl Village vanished, there was nothing left for #ColtsNation to do…except get back to work. Here’s what our Colts faithful were up to this week, as shared on Twitter.

Football may be over for the viewers, but for the players, the offseason is simply a time to train on their own for the following season. As early as the day after the Super Bowl, Robert Mathis was back in the workout room, readying to up his game (Is this possible?) for the 2012 season.

For Colts fans, this is great news. For other teams and fans, not so much. Jacob Tamme understood.

OT Anthony Castonzo was also back in the workout room early in the week, hoping to build upon a promising rookie season marred by injuries. He also got a chance to meet Chuck Pagano for the first time.

And just to clarify, Castonzo did have a positive first meeting with his new HC.

Good to hear.

Gary Brackett also hit the gym. After spending most of the 2011 season on the injured reserve list, the defensive captain of the Colts is yet again setting a good example.

I can’t wait to have this guy back next year.

Jim Irsay also seemed to take a refreshing change of pace this week. Instead of firing and replacing, this week he signed some free agents and even promoted someone.


Mike Newton is a safety who was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent last year. However, he spent most of the season on the waived/injured list. Looks like he’ll be staying around for 2012. Justin Hickman, on the other hand, will be coming to the Colts from the CFL. A defensive end, he has spent the last three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Tom Telesco has been the Director of Player Personnel for the past six years. In total, he has spent 14 seasons with the Horseshoe. Now that’s dedication. A big Congrats to him; it’s obviously well deserved.

Could there also be some positive Peyton Manning news in the future? My guess is as good as anyone’s, but Jim Irsay could be cryptically hinting at something here (At least, I hope):

Passion rules the arrow that flies? Loyalty? Care? Relationships? Peyton Manning? You never know what Irsay is getting at.

Irsay and Manning should be meeting any day to discuss the future of our beloved No.18. When the news breaks, you can bet it’ll be here on #HorseBytes. Stay tuned, #ColtsNation!

Don’t forget, for more #Colts tweets and Naptown’s Finest postings, you can follow me @catierae08. It is #FF after all!

As if there weren’t enough skepticism surrounding Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning, actor Rob Lowe tweeted late Wednesday evening that the great No. 18 had decided to hang up his jersey for good after missing all of the 2011 season with a neck injury. Of course, this sent Twitter and #ColtsNation into a frenzy that left millions of twits looking for answers. In this special edition of #HorseBytes, I’ll take you through the madness that was the “tweet heard `round the Horseshoe.”

So here’s the infamous tweet: straight to the point and straight through Colts’ fans hearts. Needless to say, chaos ensued. Apparently unaware of the mass feedback he would receive, Lowe sent out a second tweet meant to calm the concerned.

So, Lowe traced back a couple steps, putting a twist on his initial “report” and labeling it instead as a rumor. But Twitterverse still wanted answers, and ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen was the first to cite evidence that Lowe was reporting false information. His source? Archie Manning, Peyton’s dad.


Jason La Canfora, another NFL reporter, also spoke to a credible Manning source who refuted the report: Peyton’s agent, Tom Condon.

Lastly, Colts owner Jim Irsay set the record straight.

Hallelujah! The day is saved. But why would Lowe tweet something that wasn’t true? Jacob Tamme had an idea.

Rob Lowe is part of the main cast of the NBC television show, “Parks and Recreation.” The show is rumored not to be doing well. Was Lowe’s tweet really just an underhanded way to draw attention to himself and his show?

Maybe. Lowe also could have tweeted to draw attention to his newly released book. Just a day after his Manning tweet, Lowe had this great news to share:

Oh, and did I happen to mention that Lowe had a scheduled appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show the very morning after his Manning tweet?!

As you can see, the odds definitely aren’t stacked in Lowe’s favor on this one. For now, Peyton Manning is safe and sound in Colts uniform. Looks like this report is a phony. Case closed.

Thanks, Mr. Irsay.

Until next week, #ColtsNation! Don’t forget, for more Colts commentary, retweets, and Naptown’s Finest postings, you can follow me on Twitter @catierae08.