Just how ill was Peyton Manning on Sunday in his game against San Diego?
Maybe more so than is generally known, which would make his performance more impressive than the statistics show.
ESPN reported that Manning needed four bags of intravenous fluid. According to Dr. Ben Wedro, a physician who writes extensively at MD Direct on sports injuries, this was because Manning was "really, really sick."This isn't to say Manning was playing with a broken bone or deserves a Purple Heart, but I always believed—despite Manning recovering from a brutal neck surgery—that he was born with a silver football in his mouth. I've never thought of Manning as tough. What he did on Sunday took mental strength.
The dehydration apparently caused Manning's thigh injury. "I'm not a doctor, but I think it's something that probably occurred from dehydration," head coach John Fox told reporters Monday. "You get that stomach flu, and that can happen when you go out there and exert yourself. Most people wouldn't want any part of that. He sucked that up. I think it will be something that we'll know more about as we move forward."Did Fox think Manning was returning to the field in the second half? "I didn't know what to think," Fox said. "I put that in the medical people's hands. When we were doing all the stuff we do at halftime—because we do a lot of things adjustment-wise—he was back in the training room. I passed through there, and they were still working on him, so I wasn't sure until I heard the cheers and kind of knew what was happening. We were prepared to go either way."
It seemed that Manning was actually going to sit in the second half, but there he was.
There are all kinds of speculation and questions around the league about issues with Manning's arm, but after Sunday, there shouldn't be any about his toughness.Some people, it seems, are forgetting the key role of the commissioner: to take arrows for the owners.
Lots of arrows. The owners stay in the background while Roger Goodell, if necessary, gets targeted. This is the way of the commissioner. He is the front man, the symbol of the NFL and, if needed, a human flak jacket for the owners.
Goodell is also the owners' pit bull. I know there are sweetie-pie pit bulls, but there are also just, well, pit bulls. And the mean pit bulls aren't shy. That's what the owners have wanted. They've wanted Goodell to go after bad boy players, and he happily obliged. This has been ongoing since Goodell entered office. One of his first player discipline acts was punishing Ben Roethlisberger without the quarterback even being charged. His beefs with the Pittsburgh Steelers became so remarkably intense due to off- and on-the-field discipline that the Steelers were the only team to vote against the collective bargaining agreement three years ago, doing so because they didn't trust Goodell.
The owners loved this. The site of Goodell's teeth marks on the hide of some players thrilled owners. I know this because they have told me. They believed the previous commissioner was too close to the union, and they wanted separation, not cooperation. This is why, under Goodell, you have seen almost no negotiation between Goodell and the union. This is purposeful by the NFL.
But there are problems with some bad ass dogs. Some of them, when let off the leash, don't care who they attack. This guy, that dude…just as long as someone is bitten. This has been the problem, until now, with what Goodell has done. It's a two-game suspension. No, it's a year. No, it's not. The dogs have been all over the place.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2296638-mike-freemans-10-point-stance-peyton-manning-shows-what-hes-made-of
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