Peyton Manning Rumors: The Latest Buzz on Star Quarterback's Injury

It might be time to buckle your safety belts, because we're about to embark on an interesting and media-crazed journey regarding the future of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

While it might not reach Favre-ian levels of back-and-forth waffling, there's certainly the chance of Manning's will he or won't he play drama to dominate the sporting world during the NFL's offseason.

And that's not even counting what could happen if Manning does play and the Colts release him to the open world of NFL free agency. We're opening another can of worms if Manning is released and wants to continue playing in 2012.

To get a better grasp of where we currently sit with Manning, let's take a look at some of the latest buzz regarding the Colts' quarterback.

First, let's start with what Sports Illustrated's Peter King said earlier this week.

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What this column won't be about: where Peyton Manning will play in 2012. There's a simple reason. No one knows yet if he'll play at all. In the last few days, as I said on NBC last night, I've heard mixed reports about his physical condition. There is no guarantee he'll be healthy enough for any team to build its offense around.

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King went on later in the article to say this: 

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My gut is Manning's probably done here. And only time will tell if he'll play anywhere. It's just not anything we can know now.

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King is obviously one of the few nationals reporters who historically has had a finger on issues like this. King's reach in the NFL world is wide and deep. And while his opinion is obviously just speculation at this point, it rang out loud in the national sporting world.

However, ESPN today came out with comments from Manning that make it sound like he'll be playing in 2012 if he can:

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I really feel good. I continue to make progress every day. Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me. I just had a great day today with rehab, just got back from the facility, and that's what we continue to do. Just keep trying to get better. So far I have. That's the plan from here on out.

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Manning also said he has no timetable for his return but would rather his future with the Colts be decided "sooner rather than later." 

At the very least, ESPN's review of the situation painted a brighter picture than King's just a few days earlier.

Manning's neck injury is obviously the central issue both in the present and future, but it's been a bit of a guessing game in figuring out when he'll be back to 100 percent. 

ABC News interviewed several doctors about the injury Manning is recovering from, and those doctors said that's it is difficult to determine how long the recovery process will be. 

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It’s impossible to know going into it how long it will take. The reality is some people don’t recover it all. People may want to hear some definitive decision about whether or not he’ll be able to play, but it may just be too early to tell.

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For now, everything around Manning is mostly speculation. We'll have to wait until after the Super Bowl for Manning's meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay, who ultimately will decide what his immediate future in the league will be. 

But the kickoff to this media storm around Manning is already starting to heat things up. Get ready for a wild ride. Let the spring and summer of Peyton Manning begin.