If there is one thing I've learned in covering the Colts for five years it is that one should never, EVER trust a team official when it comes to injury-related news.
I learned this lesson best when, in mid-July 2008, just two weeks before training camp, the Colts stupidly put Peyton Manning under the knife to remove the bursa sac in his knee. The surgery itself made sense, but it was a procedure that should have been done in May, not July. As is always the case with any kind of surgery, especially one that involves the franchise's best player, one should pad the recovery time with extra months, not extra weeks or days.
When people asked why this surgery was being done in July and not May, then-Colts president Bill Polian stepped in front of the press and stated, 'The Colts’ medical staff expects a full and complete return to action in four to six weeks.'
Peyton Manning did not make a full and complete return until October 2008.
Peyton was rushed back and was not completely healthy (as was evident in the Week One blowout loss to the Bears), and the Colts and Manning stumbled out of the gate with a 3-4. They lost the division that year, and were booted from the first round of playoffs by an 8-8 Chargers team.
Thus, it should come as no surprise to anyone that, just a couple of weeks after Colts owner Jim Irsay told the media that Manning should make 'a fast recovery' from his second neck surgery in thirteen months, Peyton's father Archie is telling people the recovery isn't so 'fast'.
The patriarch of football’s first family said Monday his son’s recovery from neck surgery isn’t going as quickly as the Colts quarterback had hoped, though he should be ready in time for the start of the season.
"It’s just been 10 days," the father said. "He’s not where he wants to be. It’s just something that came up and had to be done, so hopefully it’ll work out."
Obviously, the surgery was necessary, and it's a good thing this was done in May, not June or July. Clearly, Manning has learned his lesson from the debacle that was his knee surgery in 2008.
However, while we all hope that (should a new CBA be agreed upon soon) Peyton will be ready for training camp, the reality here is that when Colts officials stand up in front of lights and cameras and say that surgeries are 'minor' and that they expect a 'fast' recovery, don't listen to them. They don't have a very good track record, and more often than not they are clueless as to the recovery timeline.
That said, get well soon, Peyton.