Tweet
The Indianapolis Colts said Monday that doctors have told quarterback Peyton Manning not to practice this week in advance of the season opener on Sunday as he continues to recover from offseason neck surgery.
The team said in its statement that Manning's status against the Houston Texans "will likely be doubtful."
Manning's triceps strength has plateaued and he doesn't have the arm strength right now, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. Manning also had some back soreness that worsened during the weekend.
Manning and the team are awaiting further evaluations from doctors and neurosurgeons regarding his condition. They will follow NFL protocol and will update his condition later in the week.
The Colts currently have no plans to attempt another surgery on Manning's neck, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
"As of now Peyton continues to deal with a complicated neurological recovery, the end date of which is unpredictable," the team said in the statement.
"As was stated at the outset, it serves no useful purpose to speculate about hypothetical outcomes. When and if there are concrete medical facts to report we will do so."
The Colts activated Manning from the physically-unable-to-perform list on Aug. 29 and cleared him to practice on a limited basis. However, sources said Sunday that he has not been able to throw anywhere near his pre-surgery capacity. Manning had been on the PUP list since the team's first training camp practice on Aug. 1 following the May procedure to repair a nerve in his neck.
Manning missed the entire preseason for only the second time in his career. He also sat out in 2008 after he needed surgery twice to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee.
He struggled during the first half of that season before leading the Colts to nine consecutive wins, back to the playoffs and picked up his third MVP award.
This time, it could be different.
On Aug. 20, Manning ruled himself out of the final two preseason games and acknowledged he would need "every bit" of the remaining time to get healthy enough to play in the opener.
"I have made progress, but I still have some work to do," he said then. "When I'm healthy enough, I'll be able to play."
After activating Manning last week, coach Jim Caldwell told reporters Manning would be restricted in his workouts.
"Obviously, he's been throwing, but nevertheless it's just going to be in a limited amount," Caldwell said. "I don't think it needs a whole lot of explanation, I don't believe. Scripted means that we kind of know exactly what he's going to do, prescribed by his rehab specialist and our medical team."
Manning had surgery on the neck in May.
Back then, Irsay wrote on Twitter that he expected his No. 1 quarterback to return within six to eight weeks.
But the NFL's 4½-month lockout prevented Manning from working out with team trainers, something Manning said contributed to his slow recovery.
The Colts had enough concerns about Manning's health and apparently the ability of backup Curtis Painter to win games that they brought Kerry Collins out of retirement a little less than two weeks ago.
Painter performed well in Indy's third preseason game, but didn't play in Thursday's victory at Cincinnati.
Instead, Collins played the entire first half, nearly matching Painter's numbers from the previous week.
Manning has never missed a meaningful NFL game. He's made 227 consecutive starts, including playoffs, since Indy selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998. That's the second-longest streak among quarterbacks in league history, behind only Brett Favre.
Source: AP
The team said in its statement that Manning's status against the Houston Texans "will likely be doubtful."
Manning's triceps strength has plateaued and he doesn't have the arm strength right now, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. Manning also had some back soreness that worsened during the weekend.
Manning and the team are awaiting further evaluations from doctors and neurosurgeons regarding his condition. They will follow NFL protocol and will update his condition later in the week.
The Colts currently have no plans to attempt another surgery on Manning's neck, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
"As of now Peyton continues to deal with a complicated neurological recovery, the end date of which is unpredictable," the team said in the statement.
"As was stated at the outset, it serves no useful purpose to speculate about hypothetical outcomes. When and if there are concrete medical facts to report we will do so."
The Colts activated Manning from the physically-unable-to-perform list on Aug. 29 and cleared him to practice on a limited basis. However, sources said Sunday that he has not been able to throw anywhere near his pre-surgery capacity. Manning had been on the PUP list since the team's first training camp practice on Aug. 1 following the May procedure to repair a nerve in his neck.
Manning missed the entire preseason for only the second time in his career. He also sat out in 2008 after he needed surgery twice to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee.
He struggled during the first half of that season before leading the Colts to nine consecutive wins, back to the playoffs and picked up his third MVP award.
This time, it could be different.
On Aug. 20, Manning ruled himself out of the final two preseason games and acknowledged he would need "every bit" of the remaining time to get healthy enough to play in the opener.
"I have made progress, but I still have some work to do," he said then. "When I'm healthy enough, I'll be able to play."
After activating Manning last week, coach Jim Caldwell told reporters Manning would be restricted in his workouts.
"Obviously, he's been throwing, but nevertheless it's just going to be in a limited amount," Caldwell said. "I don't think it needs a whole lot of explanation, I don't believe. Scripted means that we kind of know exactly what he's going to do, prescribed by his rehab specialist and our medical team."
Manning had surgery on the neck in May.
Back then, Irsay wrote on Twitter that he expected his No. 1 quarterback to return within six to eight weeks.
But the NFL's 4½-month lockout prevented Manning from working out with team trainers, something Manning said contributed to his slow recovery.
The Colts had enough concerns about Manning's health and apparently the ability of backup Curtis Painter to win games that they brought Kerry Collins out of retirement a little less than two weeks ago.
Painter performed well in Indy's third preseason game, but didn't play in Thursday's victory at Cincinnati.
Instead, Collins played the entire first half, nearly matching Painter's numbers from the previous week.
Manning has never missed a meaningful NFL game. He's made 227 consecutive starts, including playoffs, since Indy selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998. That's the second-longest streak among quarterbacks in league history, behind only Brett Favre.
Source: AP