Manning's Return Causes Dilemma in Indianapolis Jeff Saturday is torn. It was here, in Indianapolis, where he got a legitimate chance to make an NFL roster. It was here he earned five Pro Bowl trips, won two AFC titles and a Super Bowl ring, and became one of the city's favorite players. It is here where he still lives and works, returning after one final NFL season in Green Bay, and it is here where he will always be known for snapping the ball to Peyton Manning. Choosing sides for Sunday night's showdown between Manning's Broncos and his former team, the Colts, is a real struggle. "There's a love for your home city because you want them to get the win," Saturday said. But my friendship with Peyton makes it tough. Saturday finds himself in good company this weekend as Indy prepares to welcome back the man who turned a basketball town into a football power. In some ways, it's like Manning never left. The city's northwest side remains the home of Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent. Manning returns each spring to host the hospital's biggest fundraiser. Downtown there is Lucas Oil Stadium, the house built by Manning and a finalist to host its second Super Bowl. Indy's season-ticket waiting list is at about 8,000, a drastic improvement for a team that spent the first third of Manning's career trying to avoid blackouts almost on a weekly basis. And there are still plenty of blue No. 18 jerseys at home games, some trimmed in Colts' white and others in Broncos' orange. Fans here will likely revere Manning forever. He changed the culture of football in Indiana. This was such a basketball state for so many years, and the Colts were kind of an afterthought. Watching him go from a kid to who he is now, I just think it will be really neat (Sunday)," said Dom Battinau, who played college football in Indy and now lives with his family in suburban Greenwood. The fact that we're blessed with Andrew Luck, I think, helps temper that (loss) a little bit. So you want to see him (Manning) throw for 400 yards and seven TDs and see the Colts win because I'm a Colts fan first. It's a common refrain in Indy even though some interpreted this week's comments from team owner Jim Irsay as a "cheap shot." The truth is, Irsay understands exactly what Manning meant to this city and franchise, erasing the image of being a league-wide afterthought by making the Colts a perennial Super Bowl contender. Manning understands, too, which is why he explained during his final news conference in Indy, in March 2012, that the decision to part ways with the Colts wasn't his or Irsay's. It was simply a perfect storm - Manning was due a $28 million bonus after missing the entire 2011 season with an almost unprecedented injury for a quarterback and Indy had the No. 1 pick and a chance to rebuild with the best quarterback prospect since Manning in 1998. Fans who didn't want to see him go are eager to see him return. "A lot of people still root for him, so I think there will be a big pro-Manning presence," said Gary Knight, a 43-year-old season-ticket holder since 1984. But I'd be surprised if there were any boos. Collegial reunions of this sort are a rarity in the NFL. When Brett Favre returned to Green Bay, with the dreaded Minnesota Vikings, Packers fans felt betrayed. Few expect Manning to be treated rudely Sunday night.