Jeff Saturday Has a Tough Decision

Peyton Manning's triumphant return to the practice field Tuesday was bittersweet. Center Jeff Saturday, Manning's most trusted protector and friend for 126 games, tweaked the MCL in his right knee Sunday night against the Bills in preseason action. The options aren't enticing for him or the Colts ...

"Jeff is trying to determine the best course of action to take," Ralph Cindrich, Saturday's agent, said Tuesday afternoon. "He could have surgery or he could strap it up and play."

So Saturday's in a bad position ... even worse than being bent over in front of Manning.

The timing couldn't be worse, as the Colts were finally beginning to get healthy, with returns from Marvin Harrison, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, and now Peyton Manning. Losing Saturday at any point would be devastating, though, because of the bond he holds with the two-time MVP Manning.

"Certainly my prayers are with Jeff and you have your fingers crossed," Manning said. "It's pretty well-documented how I feel about him, how the team feels about him and how important he is to this team and this offense."

So the first option is to play through the injury ... a scenario that likely puts him at risk for a worse injury or underperformance, which also could lead to more pressure on Manning and his injured knee.

The other option is surgery, which would leave a gaping hole in the Colts offensive line for a significant amount of time.

I'm guessing as a fan you'd like to be a little selfish -- as we all are -- and say that Saturday can work through the injury. I'm sure that's what he'll do anyway. I'm also guessing you'll be worried all season that he's going to hurt it worse or pull a Billy-Bob ... with Peyton Manning playing the Lance Harbor role.