Packers LB Terrell Manning Battled Health Issues Throughout Camp

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Packers LB Terrell Manning
Packers LB Terrell Manning

Packers rookie linebacker Terrell Manning had a mysteriously quiet training camp.

Although Manning was just a fifth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, many draft experts had drafted rated much higher than where he ultimately came off the board–ESPN tabbed Manning the tenth-best outside linebacker of the 2012 draft class.

Fast forward to the summer, Manning was buried behind D.J. Smith and Robert Francois on the depth chart and starving for an opportunity to showcase his abilities. When starting linebacker Desmond Bishop suffered a season-ending injury in the team’s first preseason game in San Diego, the door opened for Manning to step into the spotlight.

But the former North Carolina State standout continued to hide in the shadows.

And as Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay-Press Gazette points out–Manning was battling more than just his fellow linebackers this summer:

His problems began the first week of training camp, and the Packers’ medical staff quickly realized this was no ordinary stomach flu or food poisoning. The 6-foot-2, 237-pound Manning was tested for everything from Crohn’s disease to cancer before he was diagnosed with a parasite that caused colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine.

Manning says at one point during training camp, he weight as little as 220 pounds–which is less than the average weight of the Packers’ top four running backs. However, the rookie linebacker refused to use his health as an excuse to sit out of practice, as he was on the field for all 21 training camp practices and all four preseason games.

Now that Bishop is out of the picture for 2012, the Packers will lean on Smith and A.J. Hawk as their starting inside linebackers. But behind them, Manning is competing with Francois and Jamari Lattimore as the Packers’ top reserves in the middle of their 3-4 scheme.

It remains to be seen what a healthy Manning is capable of accomplishing in a Packers uniform, but after what he endured throughout his first training camp, his competitiveness cannot be called into question.

If you haven’t yet read Demovsky’s article about Manning and his mysterious health condition, you really should. If you’re a fan of the Packers, it’s definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

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Marques is a Journalism student, serving as the Sports Editor of UW-Green Bay\'s campus newspaper The Fourth Estate and a Packers writer at Jersey Al\'s AllGBP.com. Follow Marques on Twitter @MJEversoll.

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12 thoughts on “Packers LB Terrell Manning Battled Health Issues Throughout Camp

  1. When I was still traveling for business I picked up a parasite in Indonesia. I brought the flithy little bastard back with me and they stuck around for almost a year. Finally, it went away on its’ own. No matter the docs did nothing cured it. I sure hope this is a less persistent bug than that. Unfortunately the little devils live on a cycle so there will be times when it feels like they’ve gone on, but roughly a month later they are back stronger than ever.

    I sure hope his are treatable.

  2. I have a current H. Pylori infection in the stomach that is REALLY HARD to kill with Antibiotics (50-75% Success rate they said). Currently I am simply using Mastic Gum and Manuka Honey and it’s slowly dying down but I have had this condition for 4-5 months now.

    Some days I get a bad inflammation of the stomach and some others I don’t. I can still do all stuff without worry but one of the symptoms is Muscle Fatigue, especially in the Shoulder area.

    He made the roster though, so congrats to Manning!

  3. And this would explain why Manning made the 53-man despite showing little in training camp. I’m looking for big things from him in a very crowded Packer LB corps. If TT is forced to waive someone (i.e. someone doesn’t go on IR) when Walden returns, I’ll bet it’s not Manning.

    1. Very well could be. It will be interesting to see how he performs as the season goes along.

  4. I hope this is a different bug then what Ron had, dealing with something like that for a year would diminish his energy, strength, stamina and slow his development. I have high hopes for Manning and wish him well.

  5. I picked up this same bug in ElSalvador and it is nasty as they come… Crown Royal cured me of this bug…

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