Report: Manning may never play again

[FirstTimer]

Four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning has hit a plateau in his rehabilitation from neck surgery, and the slow rate at which the nerves in his arm are healing indicate he will not play again, Yahoo! Sports reported Monday, citing two sources.

Manning's future with the Indianapolis Colts has dominated headlines in recent weeks, with team owner Jim Irsay facing a decision on whether to pay $28 million to retain the star quarterback.

The 35-year-old began throwing in December after the fused vertebrae in his neck healed as expected, but he has not shown any improvement in the velocity of his passes.

The two sources feared Manning would never show improvement again.

Further, two league-affiliated doctors told the website that it could take a year before Manning knows if he will be able to return and said they would recommend Irsay let go of him.



With Manning sidelined for the entire 2011 season, the Colts finished 2-14 and will select first in April's draft. Most expect the team to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with that top pick.

The team will owe Manning a $28 million roster bonus if he is still with the team March 8, leading many league observers to conclude the Colts cannot afford both quarterbacks.

Earlier Monday, Irsay told reporters that he wanted to shift the focus away from Manning this week in the lead up to Super Bowl XLVI between the Giants and Patriots in Indianapolis on Sunday

 

[Tailback U]

Why are you posting this if it hasn't been confirmed??

/bear pand

Really though, sad news if true. I hope he can come back from this but obviously he needs to be 100% healthy. Truly one of the greatest of all times.

 

[Houston]

Why couldn't it be Tom Brady instead?

 

[killgod]

Why couldn't it be Tom Brady instead?

Your butthurt is showing

 

[JBregz]

Just read this before I saw it on here, if it's true that'll be a real shame. One of the greatest QB's of all time.

 

[FirstTimer]

Just read this before I saw it on here, if it's true that'll be a real shame. The greatest QB of all time.

Fixed.

 

[Champ]

The lockout caused this.

 

[Acesuper]

As I sip my morning coffee I feel a slight twinge in my stomach. I've never been a Peyton Manning fan and every time I saw a game with Manning in it I wanted him to get crushed by the opposing team. Because he was that good, obviously.

Sigh. Time sure does fly. Time sure does fly. Give me more sources Yahoo and I'll stop sighing and start taking a walk looking up and the sky knowing life...is changing.

 

[Rblake]

Yahoo! News: more reliable than brain dead laboratory apes.

 

[Bear Pand]

Why are you posting this if it hasn't been confirmed??

/bear pand

Really though, sad news if true. I hope he can come back from this but obviously he needs to be 100% healthy. Truly one of the greatest of all times.

Quit acting like a bitch.

At least this article contains information and isn't just some twitter "juicy gossip" although it's still just rehashing the same things we've heard over and over again. He may retire? Wow.

 

[ram29jackson]

journalism is now purely sensationalist crap from just about all sources.

Until,from his mouth,he says he is done. I dont give a crap what is posted or written as so called journalism on the internet or anywhere.

 

[ram29jackson]

As I sip my morning coffee I feel a slight twinge in my stomach. I've never been a Peyton Manning fan and every time I saw a game with Manning in it I wanted him to get crushed by the opposing team. Because he was that good, obviously.

Sigh. Time sure does fly. Time sure does fly. Give me more sources Yahoo and I'll stop sighing and start taking a walk looking up and the sky knowing life...is changing.

oh shut up.......drama queen

 

[Rblake]

For the first time ever, I agree with R29J (about hearing it from Peyton's mouth).

 

[Archer]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...s-colts-expects-play-again-no-timing-decision

Peyton Manning plans to return to football, but he and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay have not discussed his future, he said in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday.

"I really feel good. I continue to make progress every day," he said. "Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me. I just had a great day today with rehab, just got back from the facility, and that's what we continue to do. Just keep trying to get better. So far I have. That's the plan from here on out."

"I cannot predict that," he said. "I think it's well documented how I feel about this city, the fans, the Colts, Jim Irsay. It's well documented. Tough decisions have to be made. They'll be made at the appropriate time. This is just not the week to do it. It's not the week. I know people can talk about it, that's fair, that's part of the game. It doesn't mean that I have to add to that conversation, and I just don't plan to."

How many more years will he play? Hard to say," Manning said. "Hard to say.

"(There's) no set timetable. I really don't. I've played a long time. I'm grateful for the time that I've played so far, and I have nothing to complain about. How much longer, we'll see."

Manning said he will wait for the Super Bowl to be over before talking to Irsay. He added that he doesn't think the decision on his future with the Colts will come down to the last minute.

"I think the sooner the better, I really do," he said. "Jim and I talk constantly, we really do. We're in constant communication, and after this week is over, we'll do it, and we'll make a good plan from there. Either way, it's going to be good. I'm at peace, and it'll be a positive thing, I can assure you."

Manning termed his relationship with Irsay as "great."

"It's always been great," Manning said. "And it will continue to be great, I assure you of that."

Sounds promising

 

[Diivox]

I've been saying he'll never play again for months now. Not to piss you off again Archer because you got really angry at me last time I said it, but the reality is, we're talking about nerves regenerating in a neck, and by all accounts that hasnt happened yet. it hasnt happened in a year. by all accounts (except for his, and of course, what the hell do you expect him to say? "im hurt, so its ok if the colts dont pay me the 28 million bonus") he has still not recovered and there is no timetable for him doing so. he'll either heal, or he won't, and theres nothing that can be done about it.

Of course Peyton is going to be like "im gonna get better" and "If its at all possible im going to play". and everyone called Irsay crazy in the thread where they talked about getting rid of him. you don't keep 35 year old quarterbacks with neck injuries who have to learn an entirely new offensive system and havent played football in a year who have made it clear that they want no part of the team if Andrew Luck is drafted (yeah, yeah, i know, Archie said that, but this is just like Favre's retire/unretire nonsense - these guys have been around the block enough to know how to manipulate the media and control the message that gets to it).

0 reasons to keep the guy. It's football, you dont pay guys for the past, you pay them for the future. now dont turn into MrBill here Archer, this is a once in a generation opportunity for your team to make a clean break with a guy that was projected 1 overall before the season and did nothing to lose that status during it. Luck may not be Manning, but he's your best shot at being competetive 5 years from now. You know. when they are voting Manning into Canton on the first ballot.

 

[NAHSTE]

I've been saying he'll never play again for months now. Not to piss you off again Archer because you got really angry at me last time I said it, but the reality is, we're talking about nerves regenerating in a neck, and by all accounts that hasnt happened yet. it hasnt happened in a year.

He had his last surgery in September. So if by "year" you mean "not even half of a year" ... then sure.

you don't keep 35 year old quarterbacks with neck injuries who have to learn an entirely new offensive system

:lol:

You're concerned that he won't be able to learn the offense? It's Peyton Manning dude.

Anyway, Barry Petchesky at deadspin had a great take on this, and explains why Irsay has managed to dupe people like diivox into thinking parting with Manning is the only way ...

Peyton Manning isn't throwing at full strength. This is a perfectly valid piece of news on its own, and it was relayed as such by Peter King on Sunday. But because it's news-less Super Bowl week, and the event is in Indianapolis, and the insatiable NFL monster has to be fed, we're bombarded with questionable sources reaching questionable conclusions till an informative little rehab update has turned into OMG Peyton Manning to retire!

Jason Cole at Yahoo took Peter King's nugget and ran with it, speaking to "two sources with knowledge of Manning's rehabilitation" and two doctors "who [have] not seen Manning." Here is the fact: Manning hasn't shown improvement in his arm strength since he began throwing again in December. Here is the speculation: Everything besides that fact.

We're supposed to infer that Manning has hit a plateau. And if he's plateaued, there's a chance he may not improve. And if he doesn't improve, it might be because his nerves aren't healing. And if his nerves haven't healing, there's a chance they may never heal. And if they never heal, there's a chance Manning may never play again.

This is how you get headlines like "Peyton Manning Likely Will Never Play Football Again, Sources Say".

One of the doctors Cole spoke to says "it can take up to a year to find out exactly how much strength you're going to get back," which should probably be a blaring klaxon in the face of speculation. Manning's most recent neck surgery took place in early September, meaning it hasn't quite been five months. Here is an accurate headline for a story that will not be passed around the Web: "Peyton Manning Not Radically Ahead Of Schedule In Rehab Bid."

Is it troubling that Manning can't point to a radar gun as proof he'll be 100 percent for next season? Sure. It's extra troubling for Jim Irsay, who has to decide whether to wager Manning's upcoming scheduled $28 million payout on the unknowable, and has to place that bet within the next month. The expectation is that Irsay won't take the financial risk, although he's hyperaware of the bad PR that accompanies cutting a franchise player and fan favorite. Thus the Colts (sorry, "sources with knowledge of Manning's rehabilitation") are telling any reporter who'll listen how far behind Manning is on a rehab timetable that doesn't exist. Manning, for his part, told ESPN he's "just going to keep trying to get better, and so far I have."

In a sane world, it would be enough to say that you want to cut your soon-to-be 36-year-old injured quarterback because he costs too much money and you're in position to draft a can't-miss replacement. In the world we actually live in, it requires calling up Peter King and telling him Manning's velocity isn't where it ought to be, then standing back and letting the media machine do the dirty work.

 

[Hasselbeck]

The "learning the offense" is pretty funny.. considering Manning IS the offense, and Bruce Arians worked with Peyton during his rookie year and the 2 seasons thereafter.

The chatter from releasing him or retirement is just that.. chatter. Just like Favre watch, we won't know until it actually takes place. You'll hear he's going to retire, be cut, be traded, be a commentator, be a NY Jet, stay in Indy, etc.

 

[NAHSTE]

Report: Manning may never play again
Manning: I will play again

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...s-colts-expects-play-again-no-timing-decision

 

[Archer]

I've been saying he'll never play again for months now. Not to piss you off again Archer because you got really angry at me last time I said it, but the reality is, we're talking about nerves regenerating in a neck, and by all accounts that hasnt happened yet. it hasnt happened in a year. by all accounts (except for his, and of course, what the hell do you expect him to say? "im hurt, so its ok if the colts dont pay me the 28 million bonus") he has still not recovered and there is no timetable for him doing so. he'll either heal, or he won't, and theres nothing that can be done about it.

Of course Peyton is going to be like "im gonna get better" and "If its at all possible im going to play". and everyone called Irsay crazy in the thread where they talked about getting rid of him. you don't keep 35 year old quarterbacks with neck injuries who have to learn an entirely new offensive system and havent played football in a year who have made it clear that they want no part of the team if Andrew Luck is drafted (yeah, yeah, i know, Archie said that, but this is just like Favre's retire/unretire nonsense - these guys have been around the block enough to know how to manipulate the media and control the message that gets to it).

0 reasons to keep the guy. It's football, you dont pay guys for the past, you pay them for the future. now dont turn into MrBill here Archer, this is a once in a generation opportunity for your team to make a clean break with a guy that was projected 1 overall before the season and did nothing to lose that status during it. Luck may not be Manning, but he's your best shot at being competetive 5 years from now. You know. when they are voting Manning into Canton on the first ballot.

I've been saying he'll never play again for months now. Not to piss you off again Archer because you got really angry at me last time I said it

I got angry because you acted like a doctor and wouldn't stop repeating yourself.

he'll either heal, or he won't,

He'll heal according to every doctor who has been asked about the issue. They just don't know when.

0 reasons to keep the guy

Except for the fact that he is a 4 time MVP and future HOF QB. Apart from that though... nothing.

It's football, you dont pay guys for the past, you pay them for the future

Nobody would be doing that. Peyton Manning was pretty damn good in his last healthy season and they'd only be paying him if he is able to repeat a similar performance.

now dont turn into MrBill here Archer, this is a once in a generation opportunity for your team to make a clean break with a guy that was projected 1 overall before the season and did nothing to lose that status during it.

First thing... Go fuck yourself.

I'm actually excited over the possibility of Andrew Luck playing for the Colts.

Luck may not be Manning, but he's your best shot at being competetive 5 years from now. You know. when they are voting Manning into Canton on the first ballot

Do you have any idea when he plans to announce his retirement? Date and time would be nice so I can make sure to be near a tv.

 

[ram29jackson]

Manning and his brother both say he is working on coming back,no matter what,no matter where