INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Count Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay among those worried about Peyton Manning’s neck.
On Saturday morning, Irsay used his Twitter account to acknowledge there is a possibility the Colts will start the season without their No. 1 quarterback.
“We r evaluating the QB sitch,(hash)18 healing but we must 2 b prepared 4 early season possibility without him,defense has 2 pick it up,big time!,” Irsay wrote.
It’s a notion that will undoubtedly make Colts fans cringe and, until now, seemed inconceivable.
Manning, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract last month, is the only four-time MVP in NFL history.
Since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Manning has started all 208 regular-season games and 19 more in the playoffs. His streak of 227 consecutive games is the second-longest for a quarterback in league history behind only Brett Favre.
But the recovery from May surgery, the second operation on his neck in 15 months, has been slow. Manning attributed part of the problem with not being able to work out with team officials during the 4 1/2-month lockout.
The only other time one of his starts appeared to be in jeopardy was in 2008 when Manning needed two operations to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. He missed all of training camp and the entire preseason, then struggled early in the regular season before winning his third MVP Award.
With Manning, the Colts have been a perennial Super Bowl contender.
Without him, well, the Colts’ hopes of becoming the first team to play the NFL’s title game in their home stadium would certainly take a hit.
Backup Curtis Painter has started both preseason games and has completed 8 of 16 passes for 95 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. In Friday night’s 16-3 loss to Washington, Painter managed only one first down and couldn’t get the offense past its 29-yard line despite playing the entire first half.
Painter hasn’t played in a regular-season game since relieving Manning in the final two games of the 2009 season _ after the Colts had already locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. His career numbers are 8 of 28 for 83 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 9.8.
The only other quarterbacks on the roster are Dan Orlovsky, who has played in 13 games in six NFL seasons _ though none with the Colts _ and undrafted rookie Mike Hartline.
Irsay quickly dispelled one possible move _ taking former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in Monday’s supplemental draft.
“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?” Irsay wrote.
But with only three weeks left until the Sept. 11 season opener at Houston, anybody the Colts bring in will have to learn on the fly. The Colts rely on lots of audibles when Manning is behind the center, and they don’t want to change the whole offense. That’s why they have traditionally relied on their own experienced quarterbacks, such as Painter and former Colts player Jim Sorgi, to fill in when Manning is not on the field.
When could Manning return?
Nobody is saying.
During a conference call with reporters Saturday, coach Jim Caldwell reiterated the same point he’s made since the Colts held their first training camp practice Aug. 1 _ it’s up to the doctors.
“He’s still caught in the same rehab mode, working extremely hard, as hard as he possibly can,” Caldwell said. “The doctors, as of today, have not released anything.”
Indianapolis had a practice scheduled for Friday afternoon but it was closed to reporters.
Manning also wasn’t expected to hold his traditional media availability at Saturday’s PeyBack Classic, an annual high school football tripleheader that his charitable foundation hosts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The first game began at 2 p.m.
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