Full disclosure: I love Grantland.

I loved it when Bill Simmons built and staffed it; I still love it to this day. It’s some of the smartest, most insightful writing on the Internet.

That’s what makes today’s column by Charles P. Pierce that much more baffling. His argument is brutal.

Pierce pens thousands of words about why Broncos QB Peyton Manning needs to retire. He cites Peyton’s brother Cooper walking away from the game, CTE studies and (gasp) early season injuries as reasons why. It’s like no one’s has ever gotten hurt before in the first two weeks of the season.

Pierce’s analysis is lazy. It doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know when it comes to how brutal of a game football is. All it basically says is Manning is old. Newsflash, man, we all knew that.

The absolute worst part of Pierce’s column, though, is it should have been published a week ago. All it really talks about is the Baltimore game with barely a mention of the thrilling comeback win orchestrated by the Sheriff in Kansas City.

Here’s Pierce’s sole note on the miracle in Arrowhead after rambling more about the Ravens game, directly from the column:

What I hate is the fact that, on the last Denver drive, which began on its own 4-yard line, Manning managed to drive the Broncos down to the Baltimore 15 so Brandon McManus could kick the field goal that stretched Denver’s lead to 19-13 (on Baltimore). Up until that drive, Manning looked dangerously out of place on the field. He threw too quickly. He threw too softly. He could barely roll out past his offensive tackles, and he looked like a man in cement shoes. He could barely get out of his own way, let alone anyone else’s. It’s not unlike how he looked for the majority of the game against the Chiefs on Thursday. OK. They won again, on a fumble return late in the game. So there will be more praise for Manning’s leadership. And the clock will keep ticking, and I’ll think I’m the only one who hears it.

This maybe, maybe would have been a fine column to publish on September 16. But today? Really?

Did you completely miss Manning’s “eff-you” game to the entire NFL world last Thursday night? How’s 256 yards and three touchdowns work, including the game tying one with under a minute left? How’s a 10 play, 80-yard drive in the NFL’s loudest stadium in a mere 1:51 to knot the score at 24 work? How’s three third down conversions on that very same drive when the distance was more than eight yards each time work?

It’s like someone at Grantland scheduled the column to hit the web a week too late.

The clock is ticking, and we all hear it, but if Pierce really thinks a QB on a 2-0 team should retire right now he’s nuts.

Or maybe, he just didn’t feel like re-writing all those words he clearly penned last week.