INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 25, 2007) -- Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne doesn't see any problem with Peyton Manning's bruised right thumb.
Wayne, a Pro Bowl receiver, said that he noticed nothing wrong with Manning's throws in practice aside from a few errant passes that are typical.
"He threw the ball fine," Wayne said. "He threw a couple of wobblers, but that's normal. He looked OK to me. I'm sure if he had to cut the thumb off to play, he'd do it."
Manning was injured late in the AFC Championship Game against New England, which included Manning's 80-yard game-winning drive to beat New England 38-34 -- after he hit the thumb on the helmet of left tackle Tarik Glenn.
Team doctors checked it out on the sideline, and on Jan. 22, coach Tony Dungy said the thumb was discolored and sore. X-rays were negative, team owner Jim Irsay said.
Manning was still expected to make his first Super Bowl start Feb. 4 against Chicago.
On Jan. 24, in Manning's first comments since the game, he wouldn't discuss the severity of the injury and was cautious to keep his right hand shielded from view.
Dungy said Manning took every snap in practice Jan. 24 and was expected to again Jan. 25. The Colts have only kept the stretching portion of practice open to reporters throughout the playoffs, which Manning was part of.
"He did fine, he didn't have any problems and he threw the ball well," Dungy said of practice on Jan. 24.
Manning has never missed a start in his nine-year career, a span of 156 games including playoffs. The streak is the second-longest in NFL history among quarterbacks, trailing only Green Bay's Brett Favre.
