Peyton Manning, His "Noodle Arm," and What This All Means

Peyton Manning's throwing arm a "noodle?" Well, for lack of a better term, duh.  The guy has been experiencing nerve damage since before his May operation to remove part of a damaged disc.  What's not known is whether or not Peyton's nerve damage was something that just occurred prior to his May surgery, or whether or not the neurosurgeons failed to fully correct the issue in May and that nerve was being constantly traumatized by further disc degeneration until the cervical fusion in September.

Peyton's recovery depends on this difference.  If it was damage that occurred prior to the May surgery and the nerve injury stopped them, then we are three months ahead in his nerve regeneration.  That could make a difference in whether or not Peyton plays in the 2012 NFL season.

However, and this is what I fear most, if the nerve root that comes out of his spinal cord at that same cervical spot was continually impinged by damaged disc material from before the May operation all the way until the September operation, his prognosis could be much worse.  As the nerve was damaged at its root, the entire nerve needs to regenerate all the way to the triceps muscle before Manning will start to feel normal.

Unfortunately it's something that the fans will never know, as Manning is usually very secretive about his health.  The fact that he still has a "noodle" arm indicates that he has a long way to go still.  It doesn't mean that he will never be an NFL quarterback again; it juts means he has more recovery to go through.