Eli Manning won the Super Bowl. This means he's now making the rounds on the talk show circuit before he makes the predictable jaunt to Disney World. While a guest of Late Show with David Letterman last night, Eli answered some questions about the health of his brother, Peyton Manning (recap via Peter Botte of the NY Daily News):
Letterman concluded by asking Manning if he believes Peyton will return to the Colts next season after missing all of this one with a neck injury. The host playfully wouldn’t let him off the hook when Eli first replied that he’s unsure of his older brother’s plans.
"Everything’s good to go," Eli said when Letterman pressed him.
"He got a good report from his doctor, said, ‘Hey, you know, if you were my own son, I’d give you the okay to play,’ and so he’ll be ready," Eli said. "He’s healthy, now it’s just about getting to 100% where he can physically make all the throws.
"He’s doing well. He’s rehabbing. He was in good spirits all weekend, got to be with him a little bit, and, you know, he’s just trying to get 100%. He wants to play football – and I think he will."
Basically, this tells us what we already know:
- Peyton's neck is now fine, and he can play football again
- His arm strength is questionable, and he's still not 100%
For those of you out there still upset at the prospect of the Colts cutting Peyton Manning (which they will do), the arm strength issue coupled with his bloated contract are the reasons Colts ownership has to part ways with Manning. Right now, Peyton's arm is probably on par with Chad Pennington's, and you wouldn't pay Pennington $28 million dollars to play for your team next year, would you?
That said, I really, really, REALLY hope he gets his arm strength back. Peyton Manning must play next year, and he must play well. It's good for the league if he does, and I, for one, would cheer him on wearing another uniform (unless he were playing against the Colts, of course).