There was supposed to be an important medical checkpoint for Peyton Manning in December, but we never heard much about it.
That probably doesn’t bode well for Manning, and it helps to inform why the Colts may be ready to release him. As Peter King reported Sunday night, Manning is struggling to get healthy.
The reality is that no one knows when or if Manning will get healthy. Not even those closest to him.
“What I do know is Peyton is going to do every single thing a human being can possibly do to get ready to play again,” Peyton’s brother Cooper told NFL.com’s Albert Breer. “Where, when and how he’ll play, that’s all up in the air. But as far as his body goes, Peyton’s smart, he’ll know what to do.
“Anyone predicting what will happen now going forward is just wasting their breath. But he is working as hard as anyone can work to get out there again.”
Cooper supported his brother and said Peyton is “determined” to return to football. But he also essentially admitted no one knows anything about his rate of recovery.
Nerve regeneration is tricky business. It could happen next month or it could not happen at all. Until Manning’s neck is right, no team is going to sign him.
