Peyton Manning has had a bunch of neck surgeries. That is common knowledge. The question is does it matter how many he has had, or is everyone of the mindset that a bunch is a bunch? Sometime between May and September, Manning had what was believed to be a third procedure on his neck. On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks revealed that it was actually Manning’s fourth procedure. Even worse, it may not be his last.

While it cannot be determined exactly when the unreported procedure on Manning’s neck took place, it was at some point after his May 23 surgery in Chicago to correct a bulging disk, and before his Sept. 9 one-level cervical neck fusion surgery in Marina Del Rey, Calif. The same doctor who operated on Manning’s bulging disk in May did a follow-up procedure last summer in Chicago, as a result of the original surgery. … At the time of Manning’s September neck operation, that surgery was reported to be his third neck procedure in 19 months. In reality, it was his fourth.

In addition, league sources say Manning’s neck has potentially developed bone spurs just above the point where his latest fusion surgery took place in early September, and the Colts organization is under the belief that it is nearly inevitable Manning will at some point require further surgery, and possibly another fusion procedure, even if he does successfully return to the field in 2012. It’s unclear how any potential long-term neck issues will impact Manning’s decision to attempt a resumption of his NFL playing career later this year.

By now we can see how this story is going to go throughout the entire offseason. One minute Manning may never play again and the next he has reportedly been cleared medically. More recently, we heard that Peyton has a noodle arm and is not throwing like an NFL quarterback. Between talk of needing further surgery and the Colts willing to let him come back at a reduced price, nobody seems to have any idea what the future holds for the Hall of Famer. Wednesday’s report is just a reminder that Manning is not as healthy as he wants people to believe.

One of the teams that seems to keep coming up in the Peyton Manning discussion is the Washington Redskins. Like many other teams across the NFL, they desperately need consistency at quarterback. Naturally, Redskins fans would welcome the addition. Manning with a noodle arm is probably still better than Rex Grossman. The mayor of Washington D.C. is not so sure, however. When asked about it on Tuesday, Vincent Gray did not seem overly excited about the potential of Manning in a ‘Skins uniform.

“You know, I think it depends on what role he would play, Bruce,” Gray told NewsChannel 8′s Bruce DuPuyt. “But I really think the Redskins need a quarterback that they can build with for the future. You know, Andrew Luck is probably going to go to the Colts, but there’s Robert Griffin III, and there’s a couple other promising quarterbacks that are out there. We’ve kind of been down this pathway with quarterbacks who’ve been great but maybe are in the back end of their career, and even if he comes in and plays a year or two, where do we go from there?

“If going young meant another year of 5-11 but it meant potentially a brighter future…is that a (satisfactory) tradeoff, if you will?”

Gray has a point. If Manning’s rehab has been going as poorly as some are reporting, bringing him on board would be a huge risk. At this point in his career, Peyton doesn’t really have time to adapt to a new system and rebuild his arm strength. By the time he conquers both of those things he’d be in his late-30s. If Manning is not going to come in and turn the Redskins into an immediate playoff contender, is he even worth the risk?

Chest bump to D.C. Sports Bog and Shutdown Corner

David Rappoccio of Dave’s Art Locker has done the lord’s work. Dave took the infamous “Manning Face” that everyone loves to mock, and he turned Peyton Manning’s face into every NFL logo. All 32 of em. We’ll show a few here and then encourage you to head over to Dave’s to see the rest.

As stated in the headline, this may be the internet’s finest work yet. Take a bow Dave, take a bow.

Helmet knock to Shutdown Corner for sharing the awesome pics

Peyton Manning’s neck may be healed and his body may be ready to take a hit, but his arm reportedly is far from where it needs to be.

Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz joined The Tony Kornheiser Show Tuesday to talk about Peyton’s status. He said Manning’s arm strength is greatly lacking.

“The guy’s arm is a noodle, he can’t throw like an NFL quarterback,” Kravitz said, “and by March 8th there’s no way of knowing if he’s going to be ready or not.

“I know some of the people that have seen him throw. They say he’s not throwing like an NFL quarterback yet, but that doesn’t mean he never will,” Kravitz said. “This thing is going to take time. Structurally, he’s sound. Structurally, he can take a hit.

“He’s not an NFL quarterback right now, that doesn’t say that he won’t be in a couple of months.”

Kravitz says he and many other media members felt like Peyton hijacked the Super Bowl by leaking a report about his health. Kravitz also believes Peyton would love to play on the Redskins and face his brother twice a year, and that he would also love playing in a big market like New York with the Jets. I agree on all three accounts, though I blame Jim Irsay equally as much for “hijacking” the Super Bowl.

Also see: Odds on where Peyton Manning will be next season

Helmet knock to Pro Football Talk

Peyton Manning is recovering from neck surgery and says he’ll be medically cleared and ready to play next season. Other reports say Manning is struggling to get healthy and that he is likely to retire. Given all the uncertainty about his status, sports books have shied from setting odds on his future. Until now.

Cal-Neva sportsbook was brave enough to set odds on where Peyton Manning will be next season (his living room couch is a favorite). Here are the odds (and percent chance), as shared by RJ Bell of Pregame.com:

Retire – 5:2 (20%, +250)
Dolphins – 5:2 (20%, +250)
Redskins – 3:1 (17%, +300)
Colts – 4:1 (14%, +400)
Jets – 5:1 (11%, +500)
Cardinals – 25:1 (3%, +2500)
Broncos – 25:1 (3%, +2500)
49ers – 40:1 (2%, +4000)
Titans – 50:1 (1.5% +5000)
Chiefs – 50:1 (1.5% +5000)
Texans – 75:1 (1%, +7500)
Field – 10:1 (6%, +1000)

I think Peyton tries to play next season, and I’m not sure why the Dolphins would go after him. If they’re wise, they’ll sign Matt Flynn who played in new head coach Joe Philbin’s system. The Redskins and Jets seem like good spots if he wants to win — they both have good defenses and just need a quarterback.