Peyton Manning says he has no plans to retire and that his recovery from neck surgery is on schedule.
Manning told a group of reporters that he threw on Tuesday morning and the session went well.
As for talk about his retirement, Manning says it's premature.
It's been a tumultuous month for the Colts, and Manning continued to cast a shadow over this week's Super Bowl, the first in Indianapolis.
Most of the Patriots and Giants say they're not paying attention to speculation that Manning's career could be over, but it's hard to miss.
After last week's public spat between the Colts quarterback and team owner Jim Irsay, the two issued a joint statement in hopes of tamping down publicity leading up to the Super Bowl. It's not working.
Showing posts with label nfl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nfl. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
NFL roundup: Peyton Manning, not Eli, catches media spotlight
As media day for Super Bowl XLVI ran its unique course Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, the aura of Peyton Manning seemed omnipresent.
Several fans watching from the stands wore No. 18 jerseys. Younger brother Eli, who will lead the New York Giants against the New England Patriots on Sunday, fielded one, two, a zillion questions regarding the Manning not playing in the NFL's grandest game.
A few hours later and several blocks from the stadium, the elephant in the room left footprints at the media center.
First, Manning followed through with a contractual interview with ESPN. Then, in a corridor outside Radio Row, he stopped and chatted with local media.
How's the rehab going? More to the point, is Manning pondering retirement?
"I have no plans on doing that," he said.
Yahoo! Sports, citing two unnamed sources, reported to the contrary this week. The sources said the nerves in Manning's right arm are not healing as quickly as hoped following his Sept. 8 neck surgery.
Manning's reaction?
"It is what it is," he said of the speculation. "I'm working hard. I really had a good rehab session (Tuesday). I continue to work hard (and) make progress."
New England: The boot is off and Rob Gronkowski's ankle is feeling much better. The Patriots' All-Pro tight end shed his walking boot for media day, and sounded optimistic he'd be lining up against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Gronkowski, who suffered a high left ankle sprain in the AFC title game Jan. 22, said he could be anywhere from in perfect health to "2%" for the game. Gronkowski set an NFL record for his position this season with 17 touchdown catches and had 90 receptions overall for 1,327 yards.
Pittsburgh: The Steelers interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley for the team's vacant offensive coordinator position. Haley, fired by the Chiefs in December, met with Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers need to replace Bruce Arians, who was not retained. Arians was hired to the same position by the Colts on Monday.
Several fans watching from the stands wore No. 18 jerseys. Younger brother Eli, who will lead the New York Giants against the New England Patriots on Sunday, fielded one, two, a zillion questions regarding the Manning not playing in the NFL's grandest game.
A few hours later and several blocks from the stadium, the elephant in the room left footprints at the media center.
First, Manning followed through with a contractual interview with ESPN. Then, in a corridor outside Radio Row, he stopped and chatted with local media.
How's the rehab going? More to the point, is Manning pondering retirement?
"I have no plans on doing that," he said.
Yahoo! Sports, citing two unnamed sources, reported to the contrary this week. The sources said the nerves in Manning's right arm are not healing as quickly as hoped following his Sept. 8 neck surgery.
Manning's reaction?
"It is what it is," he said of the speculation. "I'm working hard. I really had a good rehab session (Tuesday). I continue to work hard (and) make progress."
New England: The boot is off and Rob Gronkowski's ankle is feeling much better. The Patriots' All-Pro tight end shed his walking boot for media day, and sounded optimistic he'd be lining up against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Gronkowski, who suffered a high left ankle sprain in the AFC title game Jan. 22, said he could be anywhere from in perfect health to "2%" for the game. Gronkowski set an NFL record for his position this season with 17 touchdown catches and had 90 receptions overall for 1,327 yards.
Pittsburgh: The Steelers interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley for the team's vacant offensive coordinator position. Haley, fired by the Chiefs in December, met with Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers need to replace Bruce Arians, who was not retained. Arians was hired to the same position by the Colts on Monday.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
B's in for tough test against defending champs
While a berth in the postseason is certainly a feather in their cap, the Boston Bruins know there's a long way to go before they reach their goal.
The Black and Gold clinched a spot in the playoffs on Sunday with a win over the Flyers in Philadelphia and will now look to lock up the Northeast Division.
"It's always a good feeling," center Patrice Bergeron said of qualifying for the postseason. "There's seven games left and it's just one step toward our goal. Once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen. We're happy we clinched, but we haven't clinched the division yet. These are games we need to play well going into the playoffs."
The Bruins know how vital it is for them to play well over the next few weeks, as bad habits and half-hearted play could carry on into the playoffs and spell doom.
"We want to make sure that we don't coast into the playoffs," Milan Lucic said. We want to make sure we're still being sharp and playing the way we know we can play."
Boston's matchup on Tuesday night will be just about the furthest thing from an automatic two points. The Chicago Blackhawks will visit TD Garden, as last year's Cup winners are fighting tooth and nail to hang on to the eighth spot in the Western Confernece.
"Obviously they're a great team," said Bergeron. "They're the defending champs. They're battling for a playoff spot, so it's going to be a tough game. We'll make sure we're ready and go from there."
While the 'Hawks boast some of the best offensive talents in the league, featuring Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, the Bruins have a pretty potent trio of their own in Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton.
Krejci has elevated his game tremendously since the All-Star break. The first-line pivot will enter Tuesday's tilt with 21 points in his last 18 games.
"It's been fun to watch," Lucic said of Krejci's second-half surge. "He always seems to find an extra gear. I think he has a lot of fun with this time of year because it's exciting for him. He's definitely a player that we need to step up his game in order for us to have some success and hopefully make a long playoff push here."
One other key element to the Bruins potential playoff success will be continuing their turnaround on the power play. That effort kept rolling on Sunday in Philadelphia, as Boston scored both of their goals that night on the man advantage.
"I think we got the results that we wanted," said Bergeron. "At the same time, I felt that we were moving the puck better in the last eight or nine games or so. Now it finally worked and went in, so it obviously feel good, especially winning a game like that with our power play. It's definitely something we needed going into the playoffs."
Lucic also recognized how critical it will be to have the power play clicking.
"We need it to be something we can count on to get us a big goal in key moments," he said, "and it's been doing that lately."
As a long, arduous season winds down and the playoffs loom, Lucic believes that all the wear and tear one endures during the year is just a small price to pay to have another shot at a long run in the postseason.
"It's what you play for and it's the most exciting time of year," he said. "You almost seem to find that second wind. It is a grind going through an 82-game season, but it's a lot of fun when you put yourself in a position like this."
The Black and Gold clinched a spot in the playoffs on Sunday with a win over the Flyers in Philadelphia and will now look to lock up the Northeast Division.
"It's always a good feeling," center Patrice Bergeron said of qualifying for the postseason. "There's seven games left and it's just one step toward our goal. Once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen. We're happy we clinched, but we haven't clinched the division yet. These are games we need to play well going into the playoffs."
The Bruins know how vital it is for them to play well over the next few weeks, as bad habits and half-hearted play could carry on into the playoffs and spell doom.
"We want to make sure that we don't coast into the playoffs," Milan Lucic said. We want to make sure we're still being sharp and playing the way we know we can play."
Boston's matchup on Tuesday night will be just about the furthest thing from an automatic two points. The Chicago Blackhawks will visit TD Garden, as last year's Cup winners are fighting tooth and nail to hang on to the eighth spot in the Western Confernece.
"Obviously they're a great team," said Bergeron. "They're the defending champs. They're battling for a playoff spot, so it's going to be a tough game. We'll make sure we're ready and go from there."
While the 'Hawks boast some of the best offensive talents in the league, featuring Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, the Bruins have a pretty potent trio of their own in Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton.
Krejci has elevated his game tremendously since the All-Star break. The first-line pivot will enter Tuesday's tilt with 21 points in his last 18 games.
"It's been fun to watch," Lucic said of Krejci's second-half surge. "He always seems to find an extra gear. I think he has a lot of fun with this time of year because it's exciting for him. He's definitely a player that we need to step up his game in order for us to have some success and hopefully make a long playoff push here."
One other key element to the Bruins potential playoff success will be continuing their turnaround on the power play. That effort kept rolling on Sunday in Philadelphia, as Boston scored both of their goals that night on the man advantage.
"I think we got the results that we wanted," said Bergeron. "At the same time, I felt that we were moving the puck better in the last eight or nine games or so. Now it finally worked and went in, so it obviously feel good, especially winning a game like that with our power play. It's definitely something we needed going into the playoffs."
Lucic also recognized how critical it will be to have the power play clicking.
"We need it to be something we can count on to get us a big goal in key moments," he said, "and it's been doing that lately."
As a long, arduous season winds down and the playoffs loom, Lucic believes that all the wear and tear one endures during the year is just a small price to pay to have another shot at a long run in the postseason.
"It's what you play for and it's the most exciting time of year," he said. "You almost seem to find that second wind. It is a grind going through an 82-game season, but it's a lot of fun when you put yourself in a position like this."
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