"Q. I know from your columns that you and I are contemporaries. I, too, am a long-time Eagles fan who was in attendance at their last NFL championship (1960). In 1958, the Eagles signed a future Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin and the results were fabulous. Is there any chance the Eagles would make an offer to Peyton Manning if he is released by the Colts? It would seem to offer Peyton an excellent opportunity to make it to the post-season and maybe bring that championship to the long-suffering Eagles fans.

A. That is an interesting comparison, Van Brocklin and Manning. The Eagles acquired Van Brocklin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams when the veteran quarterback was feuding with coach Sid Gillman. When Van Brocklin came to the Eagles, they were at rock bottom and in just three years, he led them to an NFL championship and retired as the league MVP."