Colts' leader and perennial all-star Peyton Manning had to have a second surgery on his knee this month--a fact that Colts are trying to keep under wraps.

According to bloggist and long-time NFL insider Mike Lombardi:

I talked to several people in the NFL yesterday who know things and they assure me that Peyton Manning’s knee is a huge concern for the Colts. Apparently Manning had to go through another procedure on his knee to clean things out after having his bursa sac removed last month. What is the most concerning is not the second operation (which the Colts are denying), but that they cannot control the swelling in Manning’s knee and any physical movement causes MORE swelling. Once he returns to the game, gets hit, has to place a load on the knee, and drive the ball, there can be swelling. All I know is that there is MUCH more here than meets the eye. Manning has the trainer come over to HIS home for rehab and is rarely seen. Now, I have been with some big-time quarterbacks in my career like Joe Montana and Rich Gannon and never have they rehabbed from home. I thought this was not an issue and that Manning would be back. However, after talking to my friends in the league, it’s clear that this is a HUGE concern short- and long-term for the Colts.

Now, we all know how unreliable the pajamas media are. Here we sit, huddled in our mom's basement, drinking like Amy Winehouse, furiously masturbating to pictures of the US Women's Beach Volleyball team, playing World of Warcraft, and (worst of all) Making Stuff Up about Important People.

And making the Traditional Media look old, slow and out of touch. All yur newz R teh suk!

(Ok, that's a little harsh. I don't do an ounce of my own reporting. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I'm not allowed to, as the NFL and local franchises are in loose but definite collusion against the on-line media.)

Anyhoo, Lombardi's an insider but an outsider if you get my meaning. And since he's the only one with the story and he hasn't publicly sourced it, you've got to take it with a grain of salt.

That hasn't stopped our friends at Stampede Blue from basically crapping their pants. Not to say I wouldn't be doing the same if the Big Blue Shoe was on the Pats' foot.

I'm all in favor of a little schadenfreude, though. It's nice to know we aren't the only elite team in the league scared to death by the prospect of quarterback #2 (whomever that may be) trotting out in place of our beloved superstar.

By the way, if you haven't checked out The National Football Post yet, give a look. Nice.