NFL notebook

Associated Press

The NFL notebook...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hundreds of cars lined up all day Tuesday in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot as the Kansas City Chiefs filled two semitrailer trucks with bottled water for tornado victims in Kansas and Missouri.

Chiefs spokesman Brad Gee said the team also collected “a significant amount of financial donations” for the victims in Reading, Kan., and Joplin, Mo.

The Chiefs are donating $35,000 to the relief effort.

While Chiefs cheerleaders danced and went through their routines, the team collected bottled water from both individuals and Kansas City-area businesses in the day-long effort. In total, they estimated people brought about 3,000 cases to the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot in the day-long effort.

“The response was incredible,” Gee said. “One man brought in four pallets of water himself. A lot of people also wanted to make financial donations.”

Told by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency that additional supplies were also needed, the Chiefs on Wednesday also planned to collect work gloves, heavy-duty construction trash bags, flashlights and batteries of all sizes.

Owner Clark Hunt and general manager Scott Pioli planned to be on hand in Lot C for part of Wednesday’s collection, helping loads trucks and accept donations.

The Chiefs are also teaming with the Salvation Army to collect financial donations for Heart-to-Heart International.

More than 100 people were killed in the tornado that hit Joplin on Sunday. Earlier, one man died and dozens of homes were destroyed in the eastern Kansas community of Reading.

MANNING SURGERY

• INDIANAPOLIS — Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning had neck surgery Monday in Chicago to repair a disk problem.

It’s the second neck surgery since February 2010 for Manning. The previous was to repair a pinched nerve, and this operation was less invasive and less complicated, team owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday at the NFL meetings.

“He had a bulging disk,” Irsay said of the NFL’s only four-time league MVP. “The doctors removed a part of it.

“It’s usually a six-to-eight week recovery period. I think this is one you can bounce back from quickly.”

The surgery was performed at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Manning was back at home Tuesday.

Even though the NFL has locked out its players, communication between teams and players in these cases is allowed.

So Manning was able to contact the team and its doctors before heading to Chicago for the operation.

“Now is the time to do it, the end of May,” Irsay reasoned. “He’s had things tougher than this before.”

Irsay, of course, has a special interest in Manning, who has started 227 consecutive games including the playoffs, second only to Brett Favre’s 321. His contract is up, but there is little chance Irsay will allow the 35-year-old Manning to become a free agent once a labor agreement is reached.

“He has a great chance to play five years,” Irsay said. “He’s such a tough guy, takes care of himself and really, really works hard. This won’t affect his long-term career.

“I feel good about it. This doesn’t affect the way I view (a new contract).”

Irsay suggested that Manning’s backup quarterbacks will throw more in training camp and see plenty of action in the preseason — if the lockout ends in time to play those games.

“It’s like a baseball pitcher,” Irsay said. “You want to limit the throws he takes. But I think he will be good to go for the preseason games.”

The Associated Press

05/24/11 19:18