1. The Manning Bowl is in the books, and it’s Peyton 1, Eli 0, as the Colts edged the Giants. NBC got its money worth out of the Manning vs. Manning matchup, and so did advertisers.

Seemed like they were more Manning-based commercials than touchdowns in the game, though all were well-done and mostly tongue-in-cheek.

No surprise to me that Archie Manning and his wife Olivia showed no visible emotion during the game, although their stomachs were churning inside. Archie learned a long time ago – probably Peyton’s freshman year at Tennessee in ’94 when a TV camera caught hi grimacing after one play – not to show any emotion. When Eli played for Ole Miss, it got to the point where Archie would try and disguise himself in the stands. He usually would try to wear a cap or radio headsets, anything to make him blend in the crowd. But the cameras always found him.

They did again Sunday night, even though it looked like the Mannings were tucked in the back row somewhere in Giants Stadium.

2. Just a week or so ago, I was talking to Tennessee defensive back Inky Johnson, and it was obvious this was a guy who loved to play the game and couldn’t wait to put a lick on a receiver.

On Saturday night against Air Force, Inky put a vicious hit on an Air Force receiver late in the game, went down and was motionless. He got knocked out. He was put on a stretcher and immobilized, not a good sign, but he waved to the crowd as he left the field.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a neck injury, but doctors said on Sunday that Johnson is out for the year because of some nerve damage he suffered delivering the hit. As of Sunday night, he was still in the hospital.

3. Griz center Pau Gasol should check out Campbell Clinic today after surgery on his broken foot that will keep him out for the first four months of the season. He’s heading back to Spain for a couple of weeks before returning to Memphis to begin rehab.

The Grizzlies can either sink or swim without Gasol, and before they swam when he was out for 20 games two seasons ago. Of course, that was when Shane Battier, Brian Cardinal and Lorenzen Wright mostly carried the load. Battier and Wright are no longer with the Griz, and Cardinal is coming off a season in which he struggled all year after off-season knee surgery.

A lot of the young Grizzlies players now have to step up – Hakim Warrick, Dahntay Jones, Lawrence Roberts, Rudy Gay and the rest of the draft choices. The Grizzlies should be able to get to January without Gasol. In the NBA, nobody plays exceedingly hard night in and night out until about mid-January toward the All-Star break. The main thing is not rush Gasol back before he’s well. When he’s well and in shape, the Griz could do great down the stretch of the regular season.