Indianapolis, IN – Peyton Manning has been cleared to leave the booth and stand on the sidelines and is still holding out hope that he will play this season.
"I think you have to have hope until the doctors rule you out," the injured Colts quarterback said Thursday while giving an update on his condition.
After starting every game for the Colts since 1998, Manning has missed the first four games this season with a lingering neck injury. The team has kept him on its active roster, hoping that he can at least practice.
But Manning said if the Colts have to make a move, he won't fight them.
"They have to do what's best for the team. Until the doctors say differently then that's all I know to do, believe in what they say," said Manning.
"I am not a doctor. I hear a lot of medical jargon every day, and I try to digest it, but I can't understand it all. I would like to get back out on the practice field first, and then get back out there and play. Until the doctors say that it's not possible, then you absolutely have to have hope."
Without its franchise cornerstone, Indianapolis has opened the season 0-4 with uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Veteran Kerry Collins started three games, but is out with a concussion, while third-year quarterback Curtis Painter started Monday's loss against Tampa Bay and is scheduled to start Sunday against Kansas City, according to head coach Jim Caldwell.
Manning has had three surgeries on his neck, including two in the past five months. He had a single level anterior fusion surgery on September 8.
He said Thursday that moving from the booth, where he was watching games with coordinators, down to the sideline marks the next step in his recovery.
"They do an X-ray every four weeks on the fusion to see how things are going. I had a good check-up on that," Manning said. "I've always kind of wanted to get back down there, and I'm still pretty limited in how much I can help.
"My philosophy with Kerry or Curtis, whoever's playing, is that they kind of have to come to me or call me. They've got a lot of people in their ears ... I don't want to interfere with that, so I try to be down there just as a resource and encourage guys to somehow find a way to get a win on Sunday."
