That’s all the news for today.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Dan Orlovsky, QB

Averaging just 14.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Orlovsky is not the fantasy quarterback you want on your team leading you in the playoffs. He scored just 8.44 fantasy points last week against the Baltimore Ravens but looks to have a better matchup this week against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is giving up 15.54 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season but even if he were to hit his average, confidence is low during the playoffs when solid games are necessary.

Donald Brown, RB

Averaging 9.80 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Brown has been a surprise performer for owners in deeper leagues. He had a tough game against the Ravens last week scoring only 2.20 fantasy points but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is allowing 18.41 fantasy points per game to running backs this season but much like Orlovsky, my confidence in him during the playoffs is slim. RB Joseph Addai is also back in action but remains unreliable for the rest of the season.

Reggie Wayne, WR

Averaging 9.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Wayne remains one Indianapolis Colts player I am confident in throughout the fantasy playoffs. He scored just 4.10 fantasy points last week against a tough Ravens team but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is giving up 17.61 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, so while he is not expected to have a huge game, he is a reliable No. 3 receiver this week.

Pierre Garcon, WR

Averaging 11.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Garcon is undoubtedly the best fantasy player on the Colts’ team. While he scored only 4.60 fantasy points last week against the Ravens, he has a good matchup against the Titans and remains Orlovsky’s top target. His risk lies only in the fact Orlovsky is under center.

Jacob Tamme, TE

Both Tamme and TE Dallas Clark should not be given any consideration during the fantasy playoffs. While Tamme did score 7.30 fantasy points last week, it was due to a single 13-yard touchdown reception.

Adam Vinatieri, K

Averaging just 5.50 fantasy pointsper game in the last four weeks, Vinatieri is best suited on the waiver wire for the remainder of the season. It is sad for a kicker who has had such a great career, but history does not translate into fantasy points when gunning for a league championship.

Defense

Averaging 4.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, the Colts’ team defense belongs on the waiver wire with Vinatieri for the remainder of the season.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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That’s all for today.

If Peyton Manning was playing football this season, the Baltimore Ravens would be talking about the importance of ending an eight-game losing streak against the Indianapolis Colts and their esteemed quarterback.

The Colts don’t have Manning, or even a single victory. So the Ravens are approaching Sunday’s game with caution, because they know all about the danger of facing a winless team this late in the season.

In 2007, the Miami Dolphins were 0-13 before Cleo Lemon connected with Greg Camarillo on a 64-yard touchdown pass in overtime for a 22-16 victory. It turned out to be Miami’s only win of the season.

This Baltimore team is far superior to that one, but the memory of that embarrassing defeat still lingers among those Ravens who played that day.

Asked if there was concern about playing the winless Colts, linebacker Terrell Suggs replied, “Yeah, because I lost to an O-fer team. A little slant route got us. This is the NFL, and (the Colts) are professionals. We expect them to line up and come up in here and play. They are just as big a threat to us as if we were playing anybody else.”

That loss to Miami was the lowlight of a season during which the Ravens finished 5-11. Head coach Brian Billick was fired soon after the final game, and owner Steve Bisciotti hired John Harbaugh to bring the team back into prominence.

Harbaugh has done exactly that. Baltimore reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, and this year the Ravens (9-3) are poised to capture the AFC North title and perhaps the top seed in the conference.

The absolute last thing the Ravens need is to lose at home against the struggling Colts (0-12).

“We have to win the football game to achieve what we want to do,” Suggs said.

What the Colts want to do is avoid becoming the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16. Playing without Manning, who’s missed the entire season with a neck injury, has been far too big an obstacle to overcome.

“Obviously, you don’t want to ever have a season this,” Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney said. “Us especially, we are not used to this at all. We are used to making the playoffs nine years straight and all that. Winning records, and all of that. This is definitely a different feeling.”

Making up for the loss of Manning was tough enough, but the Colts also have been without linebacker Gary Brackett (shoulder) since the first week of the season, and safety Melvin Bullitt (shoulder) played in only the first two games.

“We’ve lost a lot of key guys at a lot of key positions,” Freeney said.

If the Colts are to pull off a monumental upset, they must duplicate some of their previous performances against the Ravens. Although Manning was certainly a factor in helping Indy go 8-0 against Baltimore since 2001, the defense was most responsible. The Colts haven’t given up a touchdown to the Ravens in three straight games, the last one a 20-3 win in the 2009 playoffs.

With Freeney on one end and Robert Mathis on the other, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco knows he won’t have the luxury of dropping back into the pocket and casually surveying the field.

“They have a lot of pursuit,” Flacco said. “They react to the ball quickly, and they’ve kept us out of the end zone because of that.” The Colts have also been tough against the run. Baltimore running back Ray Rice got 23 yards rushing in 2008, 71 in a regular-season game in 2009 and 67 in that aforementioned postseason defeat.

“That defense is very fast. We have not fared well against them,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve turned the ball over, we didn’t run the ball on them, we’ve gotten sacked, we’ve had plays for negative yards. It’s been a theme against that defense. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. We understand that.”

The biggest thing the Ravens have going for them is playing at home, where they’re 6-0 this season and have won 16 of 17. Baltimore will probably play a fourth straight game without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis (right toe), but the league’s third-ranked defense is still plenty good enough to contain Dan Orlovsky, the Colts’ third different starting quarterback this season.

Most of all, the Ravens know they have to win to stay on course for the postseason.

“We know what we’re playing for. We know what they’re playing for,” Suggs said. “They are trying to get their first win; we are trying to pile these wins up and go on a playoff run. That’s what is most important to us. Here they come. Let’s do it.”

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

I got quite a few e-mails this week from Ravens fans who say they’re worried about Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.

My favorite was from someone we’ll call Rick in Glen Burnie. Rick made the Colts sound like a team that, if not for a few bad breaks, should be playing in the Super Bowl. I could almost hear the poor guy hyperventilating over the keyboard.

Look how well the Colts played against New England last week, he wrote.

Look how they came back from being down 31-3 in the fourth quarter to make a game of it. Look at the game quarterback Dan Orlovsky had (30-for-37 passing for 353 yards and two touchdowns).

By the time Rick was through, I had to look up the NFL standings to make sure the Colts were still 0-12 and the front-runners for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.

“This is a trap game,” Rick concluded. “If the Ravens can lose to Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle, they can lose to the Colts.”

Rick, Rick, Rick — talk about a guy getting worked up for nothing.

Know the old saying about how on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team?

Well, that doesn’t apply to the Colts. At least not this year’s Colts without Peyton Manning.

No, the old saying that applies to them now is: On any given Sunday, the Colts will look awful and you can pencil them in for an “L” right now.

Is that too harsh? Maybe. But unless the Ravens have 45 guys throw out their backs at game time, there’s no way they lose to the Colts.

For one thing, unlike the Patriots, the Ravens have a great defense. They rank third in the league in overall “D.” They rank fourth in points allowed per game (16.0). And they lead the league in sacks (41) and forced fumbles (16).

With or without linebacker Ray Lewis in the lineup — and there’s no way he plays Sunday — the Ravens’ defense still scares other teams.

It still pounds opponents into submission. If the Ravens’ defenders get after Orlovsky the way they got after the Cleveland Browns’ Colt McCoy last week, Orlovsky will have nightmares about this day for years.

Here’s another reason the Ravens won’t lose: They’ve always been tough down the stretch when they can smell the playoffs.

Since John Harbaugh took over as coach in 2008, they’re an NFL-best 24-9 in November, December and January.

Oh, sure, there were days this week when the Ravens seemed bored and the locker room wasn’t exactly crackling with intensity. You knew it wasn’t Steelers week, that’s for sure.

But when they come out of that tunnel Sunday and the crowd roars and the whistle blows, it’ll be all business again for this team — the business of securing home-field advantage for the playoffs.

Which brings us to the third reason they won’t lose: The game is here at the Bank. And the Ravens, to a man, get super jacked up to play in front of the home crowd.

That’s all the news for today.

Just two seasons ago, the Indianapolis Colts made it all the way through Christmas with an unblemished 14-0 regular season record, leading many to believe that the team could make history with a perfect season.

Now the team is attracting attention for just the opposite reason. But just as the 2009 Colts did not win every game (they lost its final two regular season games as well as the Super Bowl to the New Orleans Saints), the probability of the Colts not winning a game this season remains low. According to AccuScore, the Colts have just a 2.2 % chance of going 0-16.

The Indianapolis Colts are in the exact opposite situation of the Packers. The Colts are winless in their first eight games and ranked offensively and defensively in the bottom third of the league. After another big loss Sunday, Indianapolis has a 0-percent chance of winning the division or making the playoffs. They have a better chance of losing every game this season at 2.2 percent. That percentage is low thanks to upcoming games against two of the worst teams in the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers.

Keep the good news coming!

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While the Indianapolis Colts have been one of the most successful franchises recently, they have also had their share of disappointing moments. Many of the worst moments in franchise history came during the playoffs and occurred when fans felt the team could have and should have won in big games.

Losing Super Bowl XLIV

Being in attendance at this game makes the loss even more difficult but this is a game the Colts should have won. In the stadium and with the Colts leading 10-0 I was sure I was about to witness a Super Bowl victory. Having Peyton Manning(notes) throw an interception to Tracy Porter(notes) and have it returned for a touchdown made the game even more difficult for Colts fans.

Loss to Steelers in 2005 Playoffs

This loss hurt because the Colts were clearly the best team in the NFL that year and all signs pointed toward this being the year they would finally win a Super Bowl. This was one of the wildest endings to a game ever as well. As a fan of the Colts, I still wonder how the Colts lost this game. Mike Vanderjagt’s missed field goal makes this one of the worst moments in franchise history.

2004 Playoff Loss to Patriots in the snow

This was another game where the Colts were just not able to get over the hump and defeat their arch rivals. On January 17, 2005 the Colts lost to the Patriots 20-3 and could never get in the game against the Patriots. The Colts were the better team for the entire regular season but could not overcome the Patriots in the playoffs at Foxboro. Another loss to the Patriots was a very difficult moment for Colts fans.

Hail Mary loss in 1995 Playoffs to Pittsburgh

Nobody expected this Colts team to play great and make the Super Bowl but they were incredibly close to doing so. The Colts were good this season for the first time since moving to Indianapolis and came within inches of defeating the Steelers and going to the Super Bowl. Jim Harbaugh’s hail mary attempt was very close but still painful for Colts fans to watch.

Marvin Harrison’s(notes) injury in 2008

Before that injury Marvin Harrison was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and was an unstoppable weapon for Peyton Manning. Harrison’s amazing statistics often get lost amongst other wide receivers but he was great for a long period of time. Harrison showed no signs of slowing before the injury and could have been a major contributor for the team for a long time if not for the knee injury he sustained.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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The unthinkable suddenly seems possible in Indianapolis – opening the season without Peyton Manning.

The four-time league-MVP who has never missed a start in his NFL career is doubtful for Sunday’s game at Houston because of lingering soreness in his back following offseason neck surgery. If Manning sits, it would be the first time the NFL’s active iron man missed a meaningful game after 227 consecutive starts including the playoffs.

“I hate it for Peyton,” said Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, one of Manning’s closest friends. “You want him to be healthy, you want him to be back, but you want him to take care of it, too. It’s sad when players face tough times, but I know he’s strong enough to get through it.”

The question is whether the Colts can survive without their franchise quarterback, whose streak stands second in NFL history to Brett Favre’s among all QBs.

Team officials have not said how much longer it could take Manning to recover, leaving that decision to Manning and his doctors.

Over the years, life without Manning has been pretty dismal.

The only time he missed a regular-season snap because of injury, against Miami in 2001, backup Mark Rypien fumbled. The Dolphins recovered, then drove 59 yards for the winning score. Manning returned on the next series with a bloody mouth. He was later diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his jaw.

On the rare occasions when Manning has played sparingly, in the preseason and meaningless late-season games, the Colts have not fared much better.

The goal now is to change that trend.

“If anything, we want to go out there and step it up,” Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea said. “Of course it will be different (without Manning), but it’s one of those things that if it happens, everybody else has to step up. It’s next man up.”

That’s been true at every position but one over the past 13 years in Indy. And now the Colts’ longtime mantra will be put to its most challenging test.

Manning had surgery to repair a nerve May 23, but the recovery has taken longer than the expected six to eight weeks that would have put back on the field for the start of training camp. Instead, Manning started camp on the physically unable to perform list and wasn’t activated till last Monday.

He did limited work at practice last week, which led to complaints about back pain. The team issued a statement Monday saying that team doctors re-evaluated Manning over the weekend and instructed him to stop practicing while he undergoes more tests.

No additional surgery has been scheduled.

“At the conclusion of the diagnostic process, if there are any new developments in the prognosis which we outlined for Peyton at the start of training camp we will report them,” the statement said. “As of now, Peyton continues to deal with a complicated neurological recovery, the end date of which is unpredictable.”

Losing Manning for any time, even one week, would be a shock to Indy fans. Not only has he never missed a start, he’s rarely missed practice.

Manning sat out one week of training camp in 1998 before signing his rookie contract. It was a decade later when he missed all of training camp in 2008 because he underwent surgery twice to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. The only other time his playing status was in doubt was 2001 after he was injured at Minnesota in a preseason game.

Somehow, he’s always made it back for game day.

“I’m sure it’s killing him,” receiver Anthony Gonzalez said. “I’ve not spoken to him, but knowing him, how hard he’s working, how many hours he’s put into it, I’m sure it’s hurting.”

The last quarterback other than Manning to start for Indy was Jim Harbaugh, now the San Francisco 49ers coach.

Many who know Manning well aren’t counting him out yet.

On Monday, coach Jim Caldwell urged caution to those already writing the end of the streak.

Former Colts coach Tony Dungy, now an NBC analyst, told viewers recently he expected Manning to play unless he was “dead.” Harbaugh had been thinking the same way before the latest twist in this saga.

“Watching Peyton Manning, the pro, the competitor, I’m not going to take your word for it that he’s not going to be in there for the first ballgame,” he told reporters Aug. 25. “So the streak may indeed just rage on.”

Still, the Colts are preparing as if the second-longest starting streak by an NFL quarterback will be history after Sunday.

Sixteen-year veteran Kerry Collins came out of retirement, presumably to back up Manning in case this happened. Collins has spent the last 12 days learning the playbook and splitting work with Curtis Painter at practice.

Collins said that while he’s comfortable running the Colts system and familiar with Houston’s defense from his days in Tennessee, it would be unfair to expect anyone, including a former Super Bowl starter, to deliver a Manningesque performance.

“There’s no way I can replace someone like Peyton and what he means for this team and this franchise,” Collins said. “But I will bust my butt to get ready and I hope the guys see that.”

Team owner Jim Irsay said he anticipated Manning returning for the start of training camp.

But after signing a five-year, $90 million contract in late July, Manning was placed on PUP and didn’t return to practice until last week.

Manning has repeatedly said the 4½-month lockout delayed his rehabilitation because he couldn’t work out with team doctors.

When he returned in 2008 after missing all of camp, Manning struggled during the first half of the season. He eventually led Indy to nine straight wins and back to the playoffs, picking up the third of his record four MVP awards.

Could he take a snap to keep the streak alive? Sure.

But Manning ruled out that possibility last week.

“I have to be able to competitively play,” he said then. “I have too much respect for football. I’ve got to be able to compete and to help my team win, and that’s what’s fair to the team, fair to myself.”

And right now, it appears, that means playing with someone other than Manning behind center for the first time since December 1997.

“He loves to play, loves to compete, loves to practice, and any time he can’t, it’s tough,” Caldwell said. “That’s who he is. He’s always been a hardworking guy. He doesn’t miss days – offseason, in-season, you name it – he’s always there. I think that’s the commitment to the sport he’s made since he was a little guy.”

– AP

What do you guys think about this.

NFL analyst and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy shared his views on the upcoming NFL season Tuesday.  

Dungy joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning’s injury.

When asked if the Colts would make the playoffs, Dungy replied that it would depend on Manning.  The former coach went on to say he believes the Colts would have a difficult time making the playoffs.  

When the show’s host, Dan Patrick, asked Dungy to decide on the spot if the Colts would make it to the playoffs, he replied no, reiterating the concern about Manning.  

Dungy continued to say he believed Manning missing even one game suggested the injury is serious.

However, Dungy stated he believed the Colts could still win the division, despite Manning missing a game or two.

Click here to listen to Dungy’s Super Bowl picks and his thoughts on the decision to hire Jim Tressel.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Getty Images

[Editor's note:  This is a snapshot as to where each team stands entering Week One, not necessarily a prediction of how they'll finish.]

1. Packers:  Sure, they barely made the playoffs.  But they won the games that mattered most.  They’ll stay atop the mountain until someone knocks them off.

2. Saints:  They could be that someone.

3.  Chargers:  If they can get off to a fast start, they could finally have a special finish.

4. Falcons:  Atlanta’s motto for 2011 — “if you can’t beat ‘em, try to outscore ‘em” — could result in an Arena League outcome when the Falcons face the Packers.

5. Steelers:  After three prior Super Bowl trips since 1995, the Steelers have missed the playoffs the next year.  So maybe they should be a lot lower than this.

6.  Jets:  If Mark Sanchez can play in the regular season like he plays in the postseason, the Jets will be No. 1 before too long.

7.  Patriots:  The team that hasn’t won a postseason game since 2007 needs to save a few of those regular-season victories for January.

8.  Ravens:  To get to the Super Bowl, the Ravens could use a home playoff game or two.  To make that happen, they need to knock off the Steelers at home on Sunday.

9.  Eagles:  Questions on the offensive line and at linebacker could keep this team’s dreams from coming true.

10.  Cowboys:  Complacency in 2010 could give way to hunger in 2011.  Which could carry the Cowboys farther than expected.

11.  Bears:  The No. 2 seed in the 2010 NFC playoff field could be heading a lot lower than this.

12. Texans:  Last year, the Texans triumphantly beat the Colts in Week One.  It was the 5-10 record the rest of the way that screwed things up.

13. Buccaneers:  Those 10 wins in 2010 notwithstanding, failing to beat the Lions at home in December raises questions about whether this franchise is ready to succeed.

14. Lions:  No team that has won eight games in three years has ever been so widely assumed to be a playoff contender.

15.  Giants:  With each snapped ACL, the Giants slide farther and farther into oblivion.

16. Chiefs:  The departure of Charlie Weis will hurt this team more than anyone realizes.

17.  Cardinals:  The Kevin Kolb trade already was a success; Larry Fitzgerald has signed an extension.

18.  Colts:  Serious concerns regarding No. 18 justifies putting the Colts at that same position.

19.  Jaguars:  With more than $35 million in cap space and Luke McCown as the starting quarterback, it’s hard not to wonder whether Wayne Weaver simply wants to stuff his mattress with cash this year.

20.  Raiders:  That 6-0 record in the AFC West gets tested immediately on Monday night.

21.  Rams:  A new offense and limited opportunities to teach Sam Bradford to run it could cause the Rams to take a step backward this year.

22.  Vikings:  If the offense clicks quickly, the Vikings could end up much higher than this.

23.  Seahawks:  If/when Charlie Whitehurst becomes the starting quarterback, the Seahawks will climb the ladder.

24.  Bills:  I still think the Bills could swipe a playoff spot this year.  But last year’s finish forces them to start from the back of the pack.

25.  49ers:  With Jim Harbaugh running the show, they likely won’t be in the 20s for long.

26.  Browns:  See the 49ers.

27. Titans:  For a team that had the same head coach for 17 years, too much is changing, too quickly.

28.  Panthers:  Six games against the Falcons, Saints, and Bucs will make it very hard for the Panthers to compete this year.

29. Dolphins:  The owner wanted Jim Harbaugh, but settled for Tony Sparano.  Sparano wanted Kyle Orton, but settled for Chad Henne.  The fans want the Heat, but may have to settle for the Dolphins.

30.  Broncos:  The fumes of Josh McDaniels are hanging in the mile-high air like the remnants of rancid pork burrito night.

31.  Redskins:  Maybe Dan Snyder can get Joe Gibbs to unretire again.

32.  Bengals:  Every Sunday, Cedric Benson will feel like one of his assault victims.

That’s all the news for today.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Peyton Manning.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS — Count Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay among those worried about Peyton Manning’s neck.

On Saturday morning, Irsay used his Twitter account to acknowledge there is a possibility the Colts will start the season without their No. 1 quarterback.

“We r evaluating the QB sitch,(hash)18 healing but we must 2 b prepared 4 early season possibility without him,defence has 2 pick it up,big time!,” Irsay wrote.

It’s a notion that will undoubtedly make Colts fans cringe and, until now, seemed inconceivable.

Manning, who signed a US$90-million, five-year contract last month, is the only four-time MVP in NFL history.

Since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Manning has started all 208 regular-season games and 19 more in the playoffs. His streak of 227 consecutive games is the second-longest for a quarterback in league history behind only Brett Favre.

But the recovery from May surgery, the second operation on his neck in 15 months, has been slow. Manning attributed part of the problem with not being able to work out with team officials during the 4 1/2-month lockout.

The only other time one of his starts appeared to be in jeopardy was in 2008 when Manning needed two operations to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. He missed all of training camp and the entire pre-season, then struggled early in the regular season before winning his third MVP Award.

With Manning, the Colts have been a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Without him, well, the Colts’ hopes of becoming the first team to play the NFL’s title game in their home stadium would certainly take a hit.

Backup Curtis Painter has started both pre-season games and has completed 8-of-16 passes for 95 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. In Friday night’s 16-3 loss to Washington, Painter managed only one first down and couldn’t get the offence past its 29-yard line despite playing the entire first half.

Painter hasn’t played in a regular-season game since relieving Manning in the final two games of the 2009 season — after the Colts had already locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. His career numbers are 8 of 28 for 83 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 9.8.

The only other quarterbacks on the roster are Dan Orlovsky, who has played in 13 games in six NFL seasons — though none with the Colts — and undrafted rookie Mike Hartline.

Irsay quickly dispelled one possible move — taking former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in Monday’s supplemental draft.

“Not taking Pryor…what VET QB would u vote 4 to sign that’s out there? If sum1 has 2 hold the fort early season,who u going with?” Irsay wrote.

But with only three weeks left until the Sept. 11 season opener at Houston, anybody the Colts bring in will have to learn on the fly. The Colts rely on lots of audibles when Manning is behind the centre, and they don’t want to change the whole offence. That’s why they have traditionally relied on their own experienced quarterbacks, such as Painter and former Colts player Jim Sorgi, to fill in when Manning is not on the field.

When could Manning return?

Nobody is saying.

During a conference call with reporters Saturday, coach Jim Caldwell reiterated the same point he’s made since the Colts held their first training camp practice Aug. 1 — it’s up to the doctors.

“He’s still caught in the same rehab mode, working extremely hard, as hard as he possibly can,” Caldwell said. “The doctors, as of today, have not released anything.”

Indianapolis had a practice scheduled for Friday afternoon but it was closed to reporters.

Manning also wasn’t expected to hold his traditional media availability at Saturday’s PeyBack Classic, an annual high school football tripleheader that his charitable foundation hosts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The first game began at 2 p.m.

What are your opinions.

Statement from Colts QB Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning underwent successful, corrective surgery Monday, May 23, 2011. The minimally invasive procedure was recommended to address discomfort and other symptoms related to a disk. Manning has returned to Indianapolis to begin his recovery and rehabilitation, ensuring his readiness with regard to the resumption of any and all activities of the National Football League as scheduled. Manning has the second all-time record of consecutive NFL starts and the longest current streak at 227, including the playoffs.

What are your opinions.

Although this year was the exception, the Indianapolis Colts typically created annual debates when they would rest starters once their playoff spot was confirmed. For many sports writers, there would be a basic reaction if the Colts faltered. They would blame the accumulated rust for the loss rather than the more likely (but less stimulating) explanation that the Colts just lost to a better team.

You would think that an 82-game season would create more instances in which NHL teams give their best players unofficial “bye weeks,” but that isn’t often the case. Of course, the reasoning is usually simple: the gap between playoff teams and playoff hopefuls is often quite small.

Yet after a few years of pushing the pedal to the metal all season long and then possibly being unable to find another gear once the playoffs began, the Washington Capitals have taken an interestingly measured approach this season. While they clearly are facing some growing pains as they transition from a run-and-gun offense to a more balanced approach, there’s also a sense that the team is learning how to save its best for last.

As you may already know, Alex Ovechkin will miss about a week with an undisclosed injury. When asked what exactly is bothering him, Ovechkin had an amusing response: “Guess.” He didn’t provide any more information other than that the mystery ailment has been troubling him for months.

Well, here’s my guess, then: maybe the Capitals are just being smart by allowing their biggest star to get a rare break.

It’s true that Bruce Boudreau allowed certain Washington players to grab a mini-rest last season, but that was just for a game or two at the very end. Getting a more extensive break could be a subtle boost for Ovechkin, a player who tends to go 100 mph in every game. The fact that he could then shake off whatever imaginary rust he builds up by playing a handful of other contests before the playoffs makes the idea seem that much brighter.

It also makes me wonder: why aren’t other contenders following their lead?

The Vancouver Canucks are showing great moxie in beating desperate teams in games they don’t need to win, but with Manny Malhotra gone for the rest of the season and playoffs, shouldn’t they start to rest the Sedins, Ryan Kesler and other players who will deal with greater burdens? The Philadelphia Flyers are already playing without Chris Pronger, but with the Atlantic Division more or less wrapped up, maybe they should give Mike Richards and other forwards a little siesta? A health-oriented approach might be especially wise for the Detroit Red Wings, being that they have an ample Central Division lead and next to no chance of passing the Canucks for the top seed after losing to them in regulation tonight.

Yes, home ice advantage is important, but going into the playoffs as close to full-strength as possible might be just as vital.

This is not to say that every high-end player should receive a 7-10 mini-vacation, but with a lengthy playoff grind ahead, every little bit of rest could be huge – even if the benefits might not be obvious to the naked eye.

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