Report: Peyton Manning cleared to resume career

We have some Peyton Manning news that is actually news.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that Peyton Manning has been cleared to resume his NFL career.

Colts owner Jim Irsay said in December that he expected Manning would be a Colt if healthy. The presumption of late is that Manning would not be healthy by March. Numerous sources doubted Manning's ability to ever play again.

The Colts and NFL teams could believe that “cleared” doesn't mean healthy, but it's obvious that Manning's camp wants the news out there that he's ready to play again. This is the next volley in the back-and-forth between Manning and the Colts.

Mortensen says two doctors cleared Manning to play, including the doctor that performed his surgery.

“If you were my own son, I'd tell [you] to go play,” one doctor told Manning.

That doesn't mean Manning is ready to play just yet. The key line in Mortesen's report is as follows:

“The sources said Watkins examined Manning recently in Los Angeles and concluded the stability in his neck would have allowed the quarterback to play this Sunday if the nerves in his arm had regenerated to a satisfactory performance level,” Mort writes.

So the nerves in Manning's arm likely haven't necessarily regenerated to a satisfactory performance level yet. Essentially, it's sounds like it's safe for Manning to play again, but he's not able to be effective yet.

“It's not a safety issue; it's a performance issue,” one source said.

So Manning is not “back.” This may not even qualify is particularly new information. He doesn't know yet when or if his arm will perform at an acceptable level. One source told Mort it could take until May. Left unsaid is that it might not happen at all.

That doesn't make this news insignificant. It's looking more likely that Manning will wear an NFL uniform again if his health is no longer at risk. Perhaps he'd be willing to play with his arm at 80% of what it used to be.

Life just got harder for the Colts. If they truly want to move on from the Manning era, it will be a tougher sell to their fans to cut Manning now.

The Packers announced Thursday that they are staying in-house to replace outgoing offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements received the promotion.

Packers.com calls it “the least surprising news of the NFL postseason.”

“Tom has been an integral part of our success and our staff, making it an obvious decision to promote him to offensive coordinator,” said head coach Mike McCarthy. “He has earned this opportunity and we look forward to continued offensive success in 2012.”

Philbin became the Dolphins' head coach on January 20.

Clements spent the last six seasons overseeing the development of Aaron Rodgers. The Packers drafted Matt Flynn in 2008, and thanks at least in part to Clements' tutelage, Flynn has played well enough in spot duty to garner a starting job in 2012 free agency.

McCarthy will continue to call the Packers' offensive plays.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul thinks he and the rest of the Giants' pass rush got inside Tom Brady's head when the teams played during the regular season.

In his media availability today, Pierre-Paul said he thinks the Giants' pressure will have a significant impact on Brady, and Pierre-Paul bases that on the fact that during the previous Giants-Patriots meeting, Brady was hurrying his throws because he was worried about the Giants getting to him.

“I think it will have much impact on his performance because if you look at Week 9, when we played them, it's like he felt us,” Pierre-Paul said. “When we looked back on the film, we watched the film, and we didn't really rush like we can rush as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff.”

Pierre-Paul said that when they played before, Brady was reacting to pressure that wasn't really there. So just think, Pierre-Paul said, about how much they can rattle Brady if the pressure really is there.

“He did react to pressure that didn't exist, and he was just throwing the ball places where there wasn't even a receiver there,” Pierre-Paul said. “Imagine us getting there even faster and actually doing our jobs and getting hits on him.”

In the Patriots' 24-20 loss to the Giants in the regular season, Brady threw a season-high 49 passes, completing 28 of them for 342 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Giants sacked him twice and forced him to fumble once. Pierre-Paul sees another game ahead where Brady will be throwing often, and the Giants will have to force him to make mistakes.

“It's going to be a battle,” Pierre-Paul said. “We have to get there. We have to.”

Jaguars owner Shahid Khan had a long conversation with former Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver back in 2010 when Tim Tebow was entering the draft.

Khan's advice at the time? Draft Tim Tebow.

“100 percent I would have,” Khan told WOKV this week. “Absolutely. . . . Obviously the Rams drafted Sam Bradford, and I was talking to Wayne then on what they ought to do.

“I should have an offline conversation with you, OK? I'm going to absolutely talk your ear off,” Khan told WOKV this week. “Some of the stuff might not be politically correct, but I share your sentiment. I think, when is the next time Jacksonville is going to have an athlete like Tim Tebow?”

Somewhere, Blaine Gabbert just cringed.

“I don't want to get into 20/20 hindsight, and God help us, the draft record has not been the best with the Jaguars,” Khan said.

Yikes. This comment got enough quick attention in Jacksonville that Khan felt the need to clarify. He told Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union that he only would have drafted Tebow after trading down in the first round.

(That clarification says Khan probably doesn't understand why the comment got so much attention.)

G.M. Gene Smith is responsible for the last three years of Jaguars drafts. Smith just got a contract extension, and his new boss essentially said Smith made the wrong choice to pick defensive tackle Tyson Alualu in 2010.  Khan also demeans Smith's drafting record. (In addition to Smith's predecessor Shack Harris.)

Khan has brought a lot of energy to Jacksonville, but this comment has to worry Jaguars fans. They want their owner to infuse the organization with money and new ideas.

They don't want their owner picking the players.

In the most tangible sign yet that Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will play on Sunday, the team announced today that he did participate in practice.

On today's injury report, the Patriots listed Gronkowski as a limited participant. Yesterday he was the only player on the team who didn't practice at all.

The status of Gronkowski, who suffered an ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game, has been the subject of a great deal of media scrutiny over the last week and a half. But all indications are that he will be able to play on Sunday. If he's on the field at all today, it's just about impossible to imagine that he wouldn't be on the field for the Super Bowl.

Osi Umenyiora was fined $ 20,000 for skipping a Wednesday morning press event, and he said on Thursday that he has no problem with that.

In fact, Umenyiora said, it makes perfect sense that the fine for skipping media access is substantial, because if it wasn't players wouldn't do it.

“It makes sense because the NFL is a business, you understand,” Umenyiora said. “Players are the product, and the fans are the customers. The only way that we can reach them is through you guys, the media, so we have to be responsible and speak to the people. If it was like a $ 1,000 fine or something like that, most of the people they will laugh at it. They wouldn't even come downstairs and talk, but you make the fine substantial enough it is going to make people want to show up.”

Asked if he was sorry, Umenyiora said he was sorry to lose $ 20,000, but he did find it surprising that he had to go to another media event less than 24 hours after Media Day — when the Giants hadn't even had a practice in the interim.

“It cost me a lot of money, I am sorry about that,” Umenyiora said. “At the end of the day I don't really know what I could have discussed with you guys between Tuesday's media day and Wednesday morning. It is not like we had a practice or anything like that. At the end of the day, I understand why they did it and I am okay with it.”

Umenyiora said he didn't oversleep on Wednesday morning and that he was awake and with family in Indianapolis, thinking he had the morning off and leaving his phone behind. He didn't know what happened until he returned to the team hotel and saw how many messages he had.

Impending free agent running back Matt Forte told ESPN 1000 Chicago Thursday that he is open to receiving the Bears' franchise tag so long as it leads to a long-term contract.

“If they are doing the franchise tag just to get more time in order to negotiate a long term deal,” Forte said, “then I would be OK with it. But if it's just to hold me another year and just, ‘Let's throw some money at him right now to keep him quiet,' that's not going to solve anything.”

Running backs have short shelf lives, and NFL teams aren't obligated to follow up franchise tags with more high-dollar, lengthy investments if they don't want to. Even if they privately say they will.

Forte showed in 2011 that he is willing to play hard without a long-term contract. He had the best season of his career on a per-game and per-play basis. New G.M. Phil Emery has made no commitments about giving Forte what he desires, and the franchise tag could keep him hungry.

“I'm tired of talking about it, and I bet everybody is tired of hearing about it,” Forte conceded. “The production level is there. Everything seems like it's pretty simple to get done, so let's do it.”

Sam Hurd doesn't have a contract for the 2012 season, but his offseason doesn't look like it will be spent meeting with possible employers.

Instead, Hurd figures to spend much of it inside a courtroom in Dallas. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis set a trial date of April 2nd for the former Bears wide receiver on charges that he tried to set up a drug distribution network. Hurd was arrested in Chicago on December 14th and stands accused of trying to buy large quantities of marijuana and cocaine from a supplier in Texas, which is why the case will be held in Dallas. Hurd was formerly a member of the Cowboys and he was cut by the Bears shortly after he was arrested.

When word of the arrest broke, there was discussion of other NFL players being on his client list. Hurd's attorney denied those claims, but it's a good bet that the league will be keeping an eye on the trial in case any damaging information should come to light as one of its former players is tried on charges that make him sound a lot more like Avon Barksdale than the special-teamer that he was throughout his career.

According to the Associated Press, there's a chance that the trial date could be delayed following motions from attorneys on both sides. No matter when the trial starts, it's a good bet we've seen the last of Hurd in an NFL uniform.

The 49ers' quest to build a new stadium in Santa Clara got a big shot in the arm on Thursday.

The NFL allocated $ 200 million in funds from the stadium fund established in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the construction of a new 49ers stadium in the South Bay. The rest of the financing was in place via loans contingent on the NFL kicking in money and money from Santa Clara in the form of a hotel tax and local redevelopment funds.

“With the NFL's muscle now behind the new stadium, we are moving forward,” said 49ers CEO Jed York in a statement. “I expect an official groundbreaking ceremony very soon. Get your hard hats ready; we are embarking on the path to the next generation of 49ers football.”

According to the 49ers, the new stadium will cost $ 1.02 billion. It is expected to be finished by the start of the 2015 season.

Impending free agent Stevie Johnson has the potential to be one of the top-five wide receivers available on the 2012 open market. But he's been a featured player in the Bills' offense, and hopes the team re-signs him.

“Of course I'm hoping Buffalo will step up,” Johnson told the Buffalo News. “If not and I hit the market in free agency, then Buffalo is in the picture no matter what. But to be in free agency to see what other teams are saying, that's also good.”

Johnson is keeping his options open, leaving contract talks and his future up to agent C.J. LaBoy.

“I told my agent that this is the first time I've been in this situation and I hired you and I trust your work,” Johnson explained. “I told him if there's something that needs to be brought to the table, let me know about it and we'll go from there. I'm trying to get better mentally and physically. Whatever stuff [the Bills] say, just bring it to my attention and that's how we'll go about it.”

Johnson, still only 25 years old, has racked up 158 receptions for 2,077 yards and 17 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He was a seventh-round pick out of Kentucky in the 2008 draft.

Hall of Fame defensive lineman Deacon Jones said today that he has a problem with Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh: According to Jones, Suh doesn't know the correct way to play the game.

That's not to say that Jones, who was one of the toughest players in NFL history, has any problem with Suh going near the line of dirty play, or even sometimes crossing the line. No, Jones's problem with Suh is that Suh hasn't learned that if you're going to take a shot at an opponent, you need to do it in a way that won't hurt your team with a penalty or a suspension.

“I don't like the fact that he hasn't learned the right way to step on somebody,” Jones told PFT. “You're damn right there's a right way. . . . The right way is not standing there in front of all the cameras and the referee stomping people. . . . You kick him, you don't stomp him.”

Jones said he thinks Suh needs to be smart enough not to act out of anger and hurt his team.

“I'm angry with him because he didn't learn how to cover it up,” Jones said. “We spent more time practicing things like that. Knew when to do it. I'm not going to hurt my defensive unit, I'm not going to cost us 15 yards, but I am going to kick your ass.”

Jones was a brutal pass rusher in his day, and he shudders at the modern rules that limit defensive players and doesn't think he could survive under today's rules.

“I'd probably be arrested with this bunch of guys, they're soft — give me a break: These guys are soft,” Jones said. “I hit the head. I started there. . . . This game ain't never going to be safe.”

We always thought Eli Manning got a little too much credit for the team's Super Bowl run in 2007, and not enough credit for improving as a player in the years since.

Yes, he took a step back in 2010. But his best two seasons as a pro were in 2008 and 2009. He just had less help around him then.

Manning has taken his development to another level this season. He's always been a streaky player, but he's been on a hot streak all season long. He's survived a weak offensive line and we'd argue he was even playing well when the Giants were losing games.

The difference this year: Manning has made more plays with his legs. Really. For my column Thursday on NBCSports.com, I looked at Manning's newfound ability to extend plays, take a beating, and keep coming back for more.

While I'm pointing towards the fine folks over at NBC, here were my 11 reasons the Giants can win Sunday, and the 11 reasons the Patriots can win.

Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson made some news during his first press conference with the team when he said he hadn't sat down and spoken with Peyton Manning during his first hours officially on the job.

Speaking at the Super Bowl Thursday to a group of reporters, Grigson revealed he has sat down with Manning in the weeks since.

“I met with Peyton,” Grigson said. “He came by my office. . . . We had a nice discussion. We spoke for 20 minutes or so. It's been amicable. It's been a normal thing. We talked like regular guys, I felt.

“It was an open conversation and I told him what I knew. Whatever I knew, I told him. It was a straightforward, man-to-man conversation. It was fine,” Grigson said.

Grigson admitted that the Manning situation is in a “holding pattern.”  He has not watched Manning throw. That figures to change in the coming weeks as Manning's option bonus date gets closer.

Some other highlights from the session:

1. Grigson indicated that he hasn't started contract talks with any Colts free agents.

“After the staff is completed, then we tackle the next order of business. Chuck [Pagano] and I need to get together soon and get together soon about who we have on this team . . . after we evaluate our roster in a fair way, then we can move on.

“[Manning] is obviously going to have a major effect on things on how that all plays out. Until that is resolved, we'll go about business as usual.

2. He doesn't know whether Ryan Diem or Jeff Saturday will retire.

3. Grigson said he would “love” to keep Pierre Garcon, Robert Mathis, and Reggie Wayne. He called them all three great Colts. Grigson was very straightforward, but he was asked a specific question on these three players. There wasn't much else he could say.

4. The Colts will likely run a hybrid 4-3/3-4 defense, at least initially.

5. Grigson said it “depends” when asked about possibly starting a rookie quarterback. He said the environment and the player would have to be just right.

Andrew Luck has officially landed in Indianapolis.

No, he's not a member of the Colts. That will have to wait for April. But Luck is in town doing promotional work and, naturally, that led to questions about the Colts and Peyton Manning. Don Banks of SI.com interviewed the likely top pick in the draft, but he doesn't know anything more than what the rest of us have read and watched about the future of the quarterback spot in Indy.

“I don't live in a cave, so definitely I have [followed it],” Luck said. “I have internet and watch TV, and if I'm walking by, I'll stop and see snippets. But I'm not completely educated on everything, and I don't know any secrets that no one else knows. I just see what's on TV every now and then.”

Luck, who is training for the NFL Scouting Combine, hasn't met Colts owner Jim Irsay or any other officials from the team yet. He claims not to have heard about Irsay saying the team plans to take a quarterback and that he hasn't given much thought to the prospect of being on the same roster with Manning. Perhaps the most interesting question from Banks was about whether or not Luck would try to leverage his position to wind up on a particular team come draft day.

“Never is a strong word. But I haven't thought about that. There's a ways until something like that arose. I guess it would be…. I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought about it.”

We're all familiar with cases like John Elway and Eli Manning when top picks pulled strings to wind up with a team that didn't hold the first overall pick so that's not completely out of the question. With the Colts clearly intending to wind up with a quarterback and Manning's future so unclear right now, it still seems like a pretty safe bet that Luck will be holding their jersey when he meets Roger Goodell in April.

The Raiders lost out on Greg Manusky to the Colts, but they've lined up fallback options to fill their defensive coordinator vacancy.

Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times reports that the Raiders have requested permission to interview Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr.

New Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie knows Whitt from their time together in Green Bay, where the 33-year-old rising position coach has helped develop former undrafted free agent cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields into starters. The Packers, however, can opt to decline Oakland's request to interview Whitt because the promotion offered does not involve a head-coaching job.

Whitt has been on the Packers' staff since 2008. In Oakland, Whitt would answer to defensive-minded new head coach Dennis Allen.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez signed a one-year, $ 7 million extension on January 1, and the new deal spanned only one year for good reason.

Gonzalez plans to call it a career after 2012. Tentatively, at least.

“One year,” Gonzalez replied when asked on a Facebook chat Thursday how many more seasons he'll play. “I said that last year, though, and the year before. But I really do believe this is it.

“First of all, this is the first time my wife has come to me and said, ‘You're only going to play one more year, right?'”

Gonzalez, who turns 36 later this month, caught 80 passes for 875 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011. While Gonzalez still possesses soft hands, he has lost speed in recent seasons.