Peyton Manning Injury: Why Indianapolis Colts Should Just Send QB to IR Now

The sooner the Indianapolis Colts send Peyton Manning to the IR the better.

He underwent his third neck surgery last week, and is still on the active roster.

In an article by Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star, Manning's return is on hiatus:

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Peyton Manning's streak of 227 consecutive starts ended Sunday at Reliant Stadium, and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was guarded when asked if he was optimistic his veteran quarterback might return this season.

"With these things, you never know the time frame," Irsay said. "There's a broad range of two to six months."

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There is however, one thing for certain in the opinion of Colts' vice chairman Bill Polian:

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In an interview with CBS, vice chairman Bill Polian said if Manning returns to the playing field, it will be with the Colts.

"In terms of Peyton Manning playing football," he said, "he's going to play for the Colts, that's for sure."

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So with all that said can Indy fans breathe a sigh of relief?

Well not entirely, because Manning is still out and when he returns, he's not going to be even close to being his old self.

In order to save themselves some time, Manning should be put on the IR right now. Then they need to look for another free agent QB because Kerry Collins isn't the answer, unless they want to give Curtis Painter the keys, which is the better than having Collins under center.

Painter has been under Manning for two seasons now, and he's never been given a real opportunity.

He's young, and has a lot more to give to Indy than Collins, who's signing appeared to come out of desperation in the first place.

If Collins remains the man at the helm however, head coach Jim Caldwell is not only saying that he doesn't trust Painter, but also that he doesn't believe in the future of the franchise, because let's face it, Kerry Collins is not going to be there in 2012 even if Manning doesn't return.

The Colts' best bet is to go with two-year Peyton Manning backup Curtis Painter.

He knows the offense better than Collins, has more chemistry with the team and is hungry for an opportunity to showcase his skills.

But if coach Caldwell and his staff want to leave themselves and Colts' fans everywhere with the "what if?", then Kerry Collins will remain at QB.

Put Manning on the IR, give Curtis Painter the green light, keep Collins for emergency situations only, and window shop for another QB in the market for future references.

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report.

And, you can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.