Jetsfan80 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/sports/football/peyton-mannings-availability-in-doubt.html Peyton Manning’s Availability in Doubt By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: August 20, 2011 The Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay says his team must be prepared to start the season without the injured quarterback Peyton Manning, and the club might need to find a veteran backup. Irsay posted his comments Saturday morning on his Twitter account, less than 12 hours after the Colts lost their eighth straight preseason game. During a conference call with reporters, Coach Jim Caldwell was asked again when he expected Manning to be back. Caldwell still has not provided a timeline for Manning’s return and says Manning still has not been cleared to practice. Curtis Painter, Manning’s backup, has started both preseason games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I won't believe it until there's somebody else standing under center for the Colts on September 11. In a 13 year NFL career, the guy has never missed a game, and I seriously doubt an offseason surgery, no matter how serious, is going to change that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 I won't believe it until there's somebody else standing under center for the Colts on September 11. In a 13 year NFL career, the guy has never missed a game, and I seriously doubt an offseason surgery, no matter how serious, is going to change that. First time for everything. He's getting old, and this is neck surgery we're talking about. I am willing to concede this might just all be smoke and mirrors, but its not like any of their opponents are going to seriously gameplan around Curtis Painter being under center. The Colts have nothing to gain by being concerned over Manning's availability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoping4ASuperBowl Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I hope they let Painter start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 First time for everything. He's getting old, and this is neck surgery we're talking about. I am willing to concede this might just all be smoke and mirrors, but its not like any of their opponents are going to seriously gameplan around Curtis Painter being under center. The Colts have nothing to gain by being concerned over Manning's availability. While you never know, I just can't imagine Peyton allowing it to happen unless there's literally 0% chance of him being able to play. Even if you look at what's being said, nobody is anywhere close to particularly declaring him out for any real games, but comments are themed in regards to "we need to prepared to start without him", which isn't exactly saying a whole lot, considering that's what you'd expect any team to say about a guy that is on the PUP list. If he can get himself cleared for just one day of practice before the 11th, he'll be out there on that field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 Looks like BG might be right on this one. http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/view/20110821dont_read_too_much_into_colts_owners_tweets_about_peyton_manning/srvc=sports&position=recent_bullet Don’t read too much into Colts owner’s tweets about Peyton Manning By Reggie Hayes / The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Sunday, August 21, 2011 Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s tweets about the quarterback situation are making fans a little nervous. Is he really suggesting Peyton Manning could miss the opener? Here’s something for Colts fans to keep in mind: Most of the time, Irsay uses Twitter as his stream-of-consciousness remarks about anything and everything. He tweets rock lyrics. He gives away prizes for trivia answers. He generally comes off as a friendly if eccentric guy who just tweets whatever pops in his head. Yes, he’s the Colts owner. No, you cannot take his tweets as the carefully considered ruminations on the short-term prognosis for Manning. Irsay caused a stir Saturday with this tweet: "We r evaluating the QB sitch, 18 healing but we got 2 b prepared 4 early season possibility without him, defense has 2 pick it up, big time!" He followed that tweet with this one: "Not taking Pryor...what VET QB would u vote 4 to sign that’s out there? If sum1 has 2 hold the fort early season, who u going with?" Now, if you’re not into Twitter, all the weird spellings are due to the 140-character limitation of the form. Here’s the most important factor: You have to read between the abbreviations. Irsay watched backup quarterbacks Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky in Friday’s loss to the Redskins. They looked like they have bright futures in the insurance or pharmaceutical sales industries. Neither one is going to lead the Colts to the Super Bowl. In fact, I think they’d be better off using Joseph Addai in the "wildcat" formation. After all, Addai played quarterback when he was younger. So you have to assume Irsay is just as lacking in confidence in the possibility of Painter or Orlovsky running his offense as anyone else watching the game. So he thinks out loud about the idea that maybe the Colts ought to perhaps consider someone else onto the roster who looks more experienced. Saying the Colts need to be prepared if Manning can’t play is not the same thing as saying Manning can’t play, and that’s where the reaction to Irsay’s tweet veers into baseless speculation. He could have tweeted that first comment with his emphasis intended to be on how the defense which had its own problems Friday have to "pick it up, big time!" Then he talked about not taking former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft, which makes sense. Pryor is slated to be suspended for the first five games, so how could he help any scenario where Manning isn’t ready for the opener? On top of that, does anyone really think that Irsay is going to take the suggestions of his Twitter followers on who the Colts should pursue, if they pursue another quarterback? I’m guessing Bill and Chris Polian would be highly surprised to be told they’re going after, say, Kerry Collins, on the recommendation of Irsay’s Twitter followers. Manning was at the game Friday night in a Colts polo shirt and jeans. His progress, at least in terms of the barely revealing words of Colts coach Jim Caldwell, remains the same. "He’s still caught in the same rehab mode, working extremely hard, as hard as he possibly can," Caldwell said today. "The doctors, as of today, have not released anything." Caldwell did say after the game on Friday night that Manning’s health situation recovering from neck surgery is much different from the knee surgery that kept him from any preseason work in 2008. The Colts and Manning got off to a slow 3-4 start that season before winning their final nine games. "(Manning) is not standing still right now," Caldwell said. "He is not idle." Irsay is not idle, either. He’s tweeting. And he’s causing much more of an uproar than a couple quick tweets deserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vudu Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Who cares... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNJet Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Who cares... +1... I actually hopes he rushes it and re-injures it lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Irsay tweeted today that he was in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanFromQueens Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 This would become excellent news for the Jets. The goal is to no longer "just" make the playoffs, it's to finish with one of the top two seeds out of the AFC. Anything other than a #1 or 2 seed would have to be considered a REGULAR SEASON failure. If Manning is forced to miss some games, that's great, but even if he's ready come week one... Regardless, I'll take this as a good sign that he's currently missing important practice time and preseason games. The Colts are honestly nothing without Peyton Manning under center. Steelers Patriots Colts Ravens Chargers I'll be pulling against these teams like never before this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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