Peyton to miss start of season?

There is mounting evidence that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who had neck surgery in the offseason, won't be ready to start the regular season.

Team owner Jim Irsay said Saturday on his Twitter account that the team must be ready to start the season without Manning, who has never missed a game since being the first overall draft pick in 1998. The following shorthand is Irsay in tweet mode:

"We r evaluating the QB sitch, #18 healing but we got 2 beprepared 4 early season possibility without him, defense has to pick it up, bigtime!" Irsay communicated.

Irsay asked fans in a subsequent tweet about their choice for a veteran to replace Manning in the short term, noting the team would not take former Ohio State quarterbackTerrelle Pryor in Sunday's supplemental draft. (The Colts have veteran quarterbacks Dan Orlovsky and Curtis Painter, and rookie Mike Hartline already on the roster.)

Veteran quarterbacks not currently signed by any teams include Jake Delhomme, Patrick Ramsey, Todd Collins, J.P. Losman, J.T. O'Sullivan, and Troy Smith.