Colts DE Dwight Freeney, who spent 10 years as Peyton Manning’s teammate in Indianapolis, told NFL Network the Colts were caught unprepared last season.

Peyton Manning‘s contract talks with the Indianapolis Colts could extend until Friday, according to league sources with knowledge of the quarterback’s deal with the team.

Colts center Jeff Saturday was emphatic Saturday during NFL Network’s combine coverage that if the team really wants Peyton Manning, it should call the quarterback and schedule a throwing session to check his health.

Colts center Jeff Saturday still regularly communicates with Peyton Manning, and that inside access has led him to believe one thing: The QB definitely will play in 2012 after he recovers from his neck surgeries.

NFL Network analyst Heath Evans has advice to offer Peyton Manning on what many believe will be the QB’s path straight out of Indianapolis: Take the high road.

NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi continues to paint a picture of a slow recovery process for Peyton Manning, who still isn’t able to throw effectively.

What would the market look like if, and when, Peyton Manning becomes a free agent?

The bottom line of the Peyton Manning speculation is that until he proves he can throw a football at the level required for an NFL quarterback, all of the talk is simply idle talk.

Colts owner Jim Irsay is facing some harsh realities when it comes to the future of QB Peyton Manning. Those realities, however, are filled with the uncertainty of the quarterback’s recovery, a situation Irsay has spent much of the last several weeks doing his best to explain.

Eli Manning says the impact of his brother, Peyton Manning on the city of Indianapolis — which has spanned 14 years — goes far beyond football.

While it remains to be seen if Peyton Manning will ever play again, any misperceptions that the four-time NFL MVP will do so with the Colts appear to be long gone.

Could the Colts could usher in a new era with a complete overhaul of the roster, including Peyton Manning? Not everyone has punched Manning’s ticket out of Indy.

There has been plenty of momentum behind the idea that Peyton Manning might not be with the Indianapolis Colts next season. And it’s not entirely just media fodder.

While the conversation regarding the Colts’ future at the quarterback position has mostly been an either/or proposition — that is either the Colts stick by a presumably healthy Peyton Manning next season or they find their quarterback of the future in the draft — one voice has insisted that Colts owner Jim Irsay is committed to having the best of both worlds next season.

The Peyton Manning-less Colts’ 0-12 record and their anticipated use of a first-round draft pick on a quarterback has brought us to this: How difficult would it be for the team to trade the four-time NFL MVP?