Chris Weinke had similar surgery as Manning; Healed in 7 months & was Stronger

I want to see him readjust his game to play with a dead arm, which is what he has right now.

 

A.) We'll get more answers in the next week once the Colts decide to keep or cut him. If he can't play all this talk is moot because he is done. I dont think thats the case and he is going to be an elite QB real soon. Even if not 100%, still Peyton at 80% > all NFL QBs but a handful. Peytons game is his brain and even average arm strength and he can be elite. He never damaged his brain.

B.) See point A

C.) See point A


Peyton is on those guys level and its not debatable. Peyton doesnt take a backseat to anyone when it comes to football intelligence. the guy is that great. I can't believe after all these years of seeing him dominate with his brain people still have doubts on this topic.

 

According to Marino's team mates he was at almost 100% when he tried to come back from his pinched nerve. What killed him was that his arm strength was inconsistent. Some games he was as good as the old Marino and other games he wasn't even an NFL level QB. He finished that year at a 67 rating despite allegedly being 100%. IMO the claim that Manning at 80% or 90% is better than most irrelevant and frankly ignorant of the issues with this type of injury.

 

Are you really comparing Marino his final year when he was at the end and not the same guy to Peyton who is still in his prime?

People conveniently forget that Peyton has had this nerve issue for years and was still elite. The injury did not happen last offseason. He played through the nerve issue for years and was a beast. If he returns to playing at a level 2 years ago he is still elite so there is no issue.

 

A 36 year old is still in his prime?

Not hardly. The prime years for any athlete are in the 27-31 age range. After 31, it is typically down hill. The only question is how quickly. Looking at Peyton's numbers, his passer rating during the seasons where he was 32-34 years of age is 10 points lower than his passer rating when he was 27-31 years in age. So whether it is age related or injury related, Peyton has shown a decline over the past three years that he has played. He's no longer the 110+ passer rating quarterback he was when he was at his best and most healthy. His yards per pass attempt average has also dropped almost a full yard per pass attempt as he has aged/gotten injured.

Let's look at some other quarterbacks and their production after they turned 36:

1. Steve Young - started 33 games after he turned 36, posted a 98.9 passer rating, and a 6.96 adjusted net yards per pass attempt.
2. Kurt Warner - 42 starts, 93.6 passer rating, 6.68 ANY/A
3. Jeff Garcia - 30 starts, 93.0 passer rating, 6.79 ANY/A
4. Rich Gannon - 42 starts, 92.5 passer rating, 6.44 ANY/A
5. John Elway - 43 starts, 89.6 passer rating, 6.53 ANY/A
6. Phil Sims - 38 starts, 88.8 passer rating, 6.28 ANY/A
7. Roger Staubach - 31 starts, 88.8 passer rating, 6.52 ANY/A
8. Sonny Jurgensen - 27 starts, 87.1 passer rating, 5.68 ANY/A
9. Joe Montana - 25 starts, 85.9 passer rating, 6.22 ANY/A
10. Brett Favre - 80 starts, 84.8 passer rating, 5.82 ANY/A


So, essentially, of the top 10 quarterbacks of all time relative to passer rating, you are essentially getting on average 35 starts, or two seasons worth of starts out of them after their age 26 season.

So, not only are you looking at a short term option relative to his age, you are looking at an older quarterback who is coming off a significant nerve injury that will likely sap any endurance his arm has out of it.

 

First 36 years old is hardly any QB's prime. Second, if you think that the level of damage his nerve is at right now bears any resemblance to what he had before then you have no understanding of the injury. At the moment even the most optimistic reports admit that he is currently not an NFL level passer.