Enough Peyton Manning Headlines, Let's Focus on These 5 Other NFL Stories

According to Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, Peyton Manning had a fourth neck surgery:

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SI.com has learned from NFL sources that Manning actually underwent a fourth, unreported, medical procedure in the past two years, not three as has been widely known.

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Okay there it is, more Peyton Manning news for everyone to discuss. Well, there's also other news going on in pro football, so let's see what else is brewing throughout the NFL.

And at the very least, take a breather from all this Manning talk.

Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez

Throughout this offseason, and since the last few weeks of the 2011 regular season, it seems that New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan has been one of the few, if the only one, to stand by his quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Then again, although it has felt like ages ago, it was only during the 2010 NFL season where Sanchez led Ryan and the Jets to a second straight AFC Championship game as the No. 6 seed. Thus far in 2012, there hasn't been any major discussions other than Sanchez's poor play toward the end of last year.

And, according to Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News, Ryan appears to still be sticking with his quarterback:

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The coach eschewed questions related to his starting quarterback. He referred to Mark Sanchez as an “ascending” talent with a “bright future,” but he punted when questioned whether the Jets would pursue Peyton Manning if the quarterback is cut by Indianapolis.

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Lest we forget, despite Sanchez's shortcomings of marginal improvement during the regular season, he has taken his game to another level in the postseason.

There, Sanchez has a record of 4-2, a rating of 94.1, completion percentage of 60.5 and nine touchdowns to just three picks. If anything, the Jets need to simply add personnel that will ensure increased odds at a playoff spot.

Doing so will then bring out the best in Sanchez, as it did in 2009 and 2010, while silencing skeptics of both he and Ryan. However, the ice is thinning quickly for Gang Green.

Future Health of the Game

In an article by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, pro football saw a decline in concussions on kickoffs last season:

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The NFL succeeded in its goal of reducing head injuries by moving kickoffs up to the 35-yard line last season as there were 50 percent fewer concussions on those plays.

The great increase in touchbacks last season contributed to reduced concussions, and that was the plan.

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Now, this is a good sign as obviously healthier players means better football. From a game perspective though, it drastically changes a special teams game plan.

If anything, determining the statistical advantages/disadvantages depending on the game's situation becomes more crucial. With so many more kickoffs being touchbacks, knowing when a return man should actually take a chance is vital.

Getting back to a health viewpoint now, this is still a tricky part of the game because we have to expect that teams will practice kickoffs and kick returning much less. Now on the contrary to the safety issue, players may not be as prepared to prevent injuries on kickoff for when it is actually returned.

So from a less return standpoint, yes, the NFL succeeded in becoming safer. However, preventing concussions on a real kickoff return will likely never improve as football still remains a violent sport.

Then again, taking away the violence only makes the game less appealing, right?

Tim Tebow

As if we didn't know this already, but Tim Tebow needs to improve his throwing mechanics. Well, the man is getting to work as expected, so we have to anticipate an even better Tebow in 2012.

According to Peter Yoon of ESPN Los Angeles, Tebow began working recently:

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Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has been in Los Angeles working on his throwing mechanics with new UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. 

Mazzone and his son, Taylor, have been working out with Tebow twice a day for a couple of hours at a time since last weekend, Noel Mazzone said Wednesday, hoping to improve upon Tebow's heavily-scrutinized passing ability.

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With all the Peyton Manning talk, Tebow has actually gone under the radar a bit. That being said, getting an early jump start on the 2012 season is what you want in a quarterback, or any player for that matter.

Last season, Tebow's completion percentage was a dismal 46.5 percent, and he fumbled 13 times (both rushing and passing). Considering that the Broncos have developing talent around him, they still need to get him another threat.

So, continue to keep an eye on Tebow's improvement, while Denver must look at some mid-round receivers in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Mikel Leshoure

It's the one area that the Detroit Lions really need to improve, running the rock.

In 2011, the Lions averaged just 95.2 rushing yards per game and ranked No. 29. Not surprising, Detroit also ranked No. 31 in attempts (356), but did manage to average 4.3 yards per carry (ranked No. 13).

Well, as of right now we can expect more attempts, and for the Lions' sake, roughly the same average yards per carry in 2012. In an article by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, running back Mikel Leshoure is only getting healthier:

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“It’s actually good that he tore it in training camp, quite honestly,” said SiriusXM NFL radio host and former Michigan State quarterback Jim Miller, who tore both of his Achilles tendons during his playing career.

“The ability to cut, explode and accelerate, those type of things, that’s normally the last thing that’s going to come. But because it happened to him so early in training camp, realistically, you would think that he’d be ready. He’ll still get stronger as the season goes along, but he should be ready to go by training camp.

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That being said, if Leshoure does in fact get back to 100 percent by Week 1 of the 2012 season and remains healthy throughout, the Lions will contend for the NFC North title.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards, and receiver Calvin Johnson still remains the best receiver in the game. And they performed extremely well with no ground game backing them up, or a defense for that matter.

Include a reliable rushing attack next fall, and Detroit's offense is going to reach another level of efficiency.

Rashard Mendenhall

When the 2012 NFL season begins, it may have to do so without Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall.

According to Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is quite concerned with the injury Mendenhall suffered in 2011:

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General manager Kevin Colbert said Monday that Mendenhall is likely to open next season on the physically unable to perform list, as he works his way back from an injury that can be devastating for running backs.

"I never feel good about an ACL until (after) a year," Colbert said. "I'm not a doctor, but that's just my mindset. If he gets back before that, it's a bonus."

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Certainly not good news for a team that's already considered to be only getting older. The Steelers have undoubtedly been one of the most consistently dominant franchises since the turn of the century (other than New England), but the immediate future looks bleak.

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger under pressure quite often (even during the more dominant seasons), Pittsburgh has a lot of ground to make up on offense before 2012 begins. The rushing attack last season wasn't explosive, but it was reliable enough to get the Steelers in the postseason.

Now include Mendenhall's injury, and it seems more likely for Pittsburgh to take a running back early in the draft.

John Rozum on Twitter.