Here’s a prediction I’m 99.3 percent certain will come true: This will be the most secretive week yet for the Indianapolis Colts.

Just when we thought the Peyton Manning saga couldn’t get any wilder, reports took off Sunday night that he might need another neck surgery. If true, not only will he miss the season opener at Houston on Sunday, he could be out for weeks.

The rumor broke, as they do these days, on Twitter, via a post from Indy radio talk show host John Michael Vincent of 1070-AM, The Fan. Later, Indianapolis television station WTHR reported that Manning will be reevaluated by several doctors for the slow healing from his May neck surgery and will likely miss the opener.

The Colts responded with silence, other than vice chairman Bill Polian telling Sports Illustrated he knows nothing about Manning needing another surgery.

Whether the Colts will confirm Manning’s status for the Houston game before kickoff remains to be seen. I have my doubts. They have a history of silence on injury issues.

I speculated last week that the absence of Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon and Joseph Addai in replacement quarterback Kerry Collins’ sole preseason appearance was a possible sign that Manning was likely to play at Houston. Otherwise, why wouldn’t those key players take the field to gain game-time experience with Collins?

After the Colts’ roster moves over the weekend, I started to flip-flop on those thoughts. These new rumors only reinforce a feeling that Colts fans’ worst fears may yet come true.

But forget rumors for a moment. If you want to analyze the roster moves for signs that the Colts are planning for a lack of Manning, those signs are there, two of them particularly persuasive:

1. Curtis Painter still has a job. If Painter, presumably replaced as the backup quarterback by Collins, remains on the roster, that means the Colts feel a need for three quarterbacks. They don’t need three if Manning is ready to go. So, now, in this scenario, Painter is the insurance if Collins gets ripped to shreds by Mario Williams. (A 50-50 proposition.)

2. They’re gearing up to run. The Colts stockpiled running backs. Besides returning players Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, the Colts kept rookies Delone Carter, Darren Evans and Chad Spann, and then turned around and acquired a fullback, former Dallas Cowboy Chris Gronkowski. They moved Spann to injured reserve on Sunday with a hamstring issue, but that’s still five backs for a team that, on a good day, usually runs only before every third commercial break.

Painter and the bundle of backs weren’t the only moves that caused some surprise for Colts fans over the weekend.

Despite what seemed like a fairly strong audition, defensive tackle Tommie Harris was cut, as was offensive lineman Kyle DeVan and receiver/kick returner David Gilreath. Taj Smith was also released after an eight-catch, 140-yard performance at Cincinnati. The man who threw Smith his final pass (a game-winning play), Dan Orlovsky, was also cut.

Rumors that Anthony Gonzalez’s days were numbered proved to be premature, as he remains on the roster. He’ll be coming to a game-week injury report near you. In a move out of left field, the Colts added former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel to help with replay decisions, at least until the NFL reviews the hire and rules it out of bounds.

The Manning speculation tops all other Colts stories, of course. Some of Colts owner Jim Irsay’s tweets seem to point toward Manning not starting the season on time. Irsay tweeted late Sunday that there’s nothing to say on Manning’s status except they are moving “cautiously” and “deliberately” on his recovery. He also tweeted he wants fans to “buck up.”

The Colts have reason to worry if Manning can’t play, mainly because they’ll lose games they normally win. But they have no reason to let anyone know in advance about his status unless he’s put on injured reserve. Why would they let the Texans know? It’s better to keep Houston guessing, forcing the Texans to prepare for everything in the Colts’ repertoire.

The Texans shouldn’t worry too much about being in the dark on Manning’s status, however. They have plenty of company.

September 3, 2011

Updated Sep 3, 2011 at 10:33 PM EDT

(Indianapolis)- The Indianapolis Colts today waived 27 players to reach the league-mandated 53-man roster for the start of the regular season. Those waived include: DB-Al Afalava, P-Travis Baltz, WR-Chris Brooks, DE-John Chick, LB-Chris Colasanti, OG-Kyle DeVan, TE-Tyson DeVree, DT-John Gill, WR-David Gilreath, DB-Michael Hamlin, DT-Tommie Harris, RB-Javarris James, DB-Brandon King, OL-Jake Kirkpatrick, DT-Ricardo Mathews, TE-Michael Matthews, OG-Jacques McClendon, WR-Larrone Moore, LB-Kerry Neal, DT-Ollie Ogbu, QB-Dan Orlovsky, WR-Taj Smith (Waived/Injured), OT-Mike Tepper, OT-Michael Toudouze, LB-Nate Triplett, LB-Vuna Tuihalamaka, and WR-Marshall Williams. The Colts also activated wide receiver Blair White from the physically unable to perform list.

“These days always carry mixed emotions and we had a lot of tough decisions to make because of the competition we witnessed during the preseason,” said Head Coach Jim Caldwell. “With the moves we made, I feel this team is in a position to be highly successful and competitive over the course of the regular season.”

“There was a tremendous amount of talent competing for spots on this team and that made our decisions challenging,” said Vice President and General Manager Chris Polian. “We respect and appreciate the effort that these players put forth throughout the course of training camp and the preseason. At the same time, we feel we’ve established a solid group of players who will compete at a high level for the Indianapolis Colts this season.”

Prior to the regular season opener against the Houston Texans (September 11), the Colts have until Monday, September 5 to establish an eight-player practice squad.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts today waived 27 players to reach the league-mandated 53-man roster for the start of the regular season. The Colts also activated wide receiver Blair White from the physically unable to perform list. “These days always carry mixed emotions and we had a lot of tough decisions to make because of the competition we witnessed during the preseason,” said Head Coach Jim Caldwell. “With the moves we made, I feel this team is in a position to be highly successful and competitive over the course of the regular season.” “There was a tremendous amount of talent competing for spots on this team and that made our decisions challenging,” said Vice President and General Manager Chris Polian. “We respect and appreciate the effort that these players put forth throughout the course of training camp and the preseason. At the same time, we feel we’ve established a solid group of players who will compete at a high level for the Indianapolis Colts this season.” Prior to the regular season opener against the Houston Texans (September 11), the Colts have until Monday, September 5 to establish an eight-player practice squad. Below is a preseason breakdown of those players who were released:DB-Al Afalava (5-11, 212 pounds, Oregon State): In two preseason contests, totaled eight tackles (six solo) and one tackle for loss.P-Travis Baltz (6-3, 210 pounds, Maryland): Saw action in all four preseason games and recorded 11 punts for a 46.1 average and a long kick of 57 yards.WR-Chris Brooks (6-2, 210 pounds, Nebraska): Caught four passes for 53 yards (13.3 avg.) and one touchdown this preseason.DE-John Chick (6-4, 250 pounds, Utah State): In four preseason games, registered 10 tackles (five solo), 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry.LB-Chris Colasanti (6-2, 241 pounds, Penn State): Posted 11 tackles (seven solo) in four preseason contests.OG-Kyle DeVan (6-2, 306 pounds, Oregon State): Saw action on the offensive line in all four preseason games.TE-Tyson DeVree (6-6, 245 pounds, Colorado): This preseason, contributed with three receptions for 55 yards (18.3 avg.) and a long catch of 33 yards.DT-John Gill (6-3, 302 pounds, Northwestern): Tallied seven tackles (three solo) and one quarterback hurry over the course of the preseason.WR-David Gilreath (5-11, 169 pounds, Wisconsin): Caught four passes for 33 yards, a long reception of 13 yards and one touchdown this preseason. Also added nine punt returns for 64 yards, which includes a long return of 30 yards and one kickoff return for 20 yards.DB-Michael Hamlin (6-2, 213 pounds, Clemson): Competed in the preseason finale against Cincinnati and notched one tackle.DT-Tommie Harris (6-3, 295 pounds, Oklahoma): In three preseason games, totaled two tackles (one solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hurries and one pass defensed. In his seven-year NFL career, all with the Bears, recorded 286 tackles (155 solo), 28.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and one interception.RB-Javarris James (6-0, 215 pounds, Miami): This preseason, totaled seven carries for 26 yards and added two catches for 26 yards, including a long reception of 20 yards.DB-Brandon King (5-10, 194 pounds, Purdue): In four preseason games, finished with two tackles.OL-Jake Kirkpatrick (6-3, 305 pounds, TCU): Competed in three of four preseason contests on the offensive line.TE-Michael Matthews (6-4, 270 pounds, Georgia Tech): Played in all four preseason contests, but did not record a catch.DT-Ricardo Mathews (6-3, 294 pounds, Cincinnati): Posted five tackles (two solo) this preseason.OG-Jacques McClendon (6-3, 324 pounds, Tennessee): Saw action in all four preseason games on the offensive line.WR-Larrone Moore (6-1, 185 pounds, Delaware State): Competed in three of four preseason games, but did not record a catch.LB-Kerry Neal (6-2, 245 pounds, Notre Dame): Contributed with eight solo tackles over the course of the preseason.DT-Ollie Ogbu (6-1, 283 pounds, Penn State): This preseason, finished with seven tackles (three solo), half of a sack and a forced fumble.QB-Dan Orlovsky (6-5, 230 pounds, Connecticut): In four preseason games under center, completed 25-of-54 passes for 386 yards, a long completion of 54 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for a 65.8 quarterback rating.WR-Taj Smith (6-0, 192 pounds, Syracuse): (Waived/Injured): Led the Colts in receiving this preseason with 12 catches for 210 yards (17.5 avg.), a long catch of 54 yards and two touchdowns.OT-Mike Tepper (6-6, 323 pounds, California): Played in all four preseason contests on the offensive line.OT-Michael Toudouze (6-6, 303 pounds, TCU): Competed on the offensive line in all four preseason games.LB-Nate Triplett (6-3, 247 pounds, Minnesota): This preseason, compiled five tackles (three solo).LB-Vuna Tuihalamaka (6-0, 230 pounds, Arizona): Finished the preseason with seven stops (six solo) and one tackle for loss.WR-Marshall Williams (6-1, 188 pounds, Wake Forest): Totaled two receptions for 14 yards in three preseason games.

For Irsay, the colorful owner of the Indianapolis Colts, there are few simple questions and fewer quick answers. In person, he’s not a 140-character kinda guy.

“I think some of the best stuff comes from a place you don’t know,” says the 51-year-old Irsay. “When you clear away the junk, clear away the fear, and get a direct source feed from a place we don’t know, you get flashes of words from the universe and you don’t know where they came from. But there they are.”

Somehow, that sums up what Irsay is doing on Twitter. His unpredictable feed is unique in the sports world. As his Colts’ team prepares to open the NFL playoffs Saturday against the New York Jets, Irsay has found a direct pipeline to fans, creating an endless conversation that includes lucrative giveaways, philosophical musings and 1970s flashbacks. It’s all there, from the absurd (“I know it’s a sin but I have a crush on Sara Palins feet. . . .”) to the witty (“Never Post . . . when your toast . . .”).

Irsay is a musician known to take his guitar on the road, whose broad and vague strokes surprise few who know him. “He has a poet’s soul,” says Joe Ehrmann, a former Baltimore Colts defensive lineman and close friend of Irsay’s for many years. “He thinks in a poetic way.”

It’s also not surprising that Irsay sought such an outlet – “The 6 billion of us on this planet, whether we like it or not, are extremely connected,” he says – but it is perhaps odd that Twitter is the medium that hooked him.

‘Igniting sandcandles’

Irsay’s office is filled with grown-up toys. A recording studio in one corner. A giant 12-foot case that holds the scroll on which Jack Kerouac wrote “On the Road.” Framed letters written by Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson. Six huge flat-screen TVs. Even Jerry Garcia’s famed “Tiger” guitar. But there is no laptop. He doesn’t have one. Irsay opens his brief case and fishes out an old Sprint phone, slightly smaller than a brick. “Still works,” he says.

So he’s no techno-freak. But others in the organization thought he’d like Twitter and began encouraging him to join. His first tweet came from his Blackberry on Dec. 1 at 9:50 p.m., something about “igniting sandcandles of compassion and forged mettle of understanding.”

“From the jump, I thought it was a fake account,” says Colts wide receiver Taj Smith, an active tweeter himself.

No, it was just the start of a journey. Irsay has averaged nearly 50 tweets a day since then, many of them a mish-mash of quotes, poetry and lyrics, from Dylan Thomas to Bob Dylan. Irsay explains: “It’s simply a conversation in my mind that I share with others. The interpretation is left to the person who reads it.”

Smith, only 27, says he often seeks out an interpreter for Irsay’s thoughts. And the owner himself once tweeted: “I understand my own Tweets 80 per cent of the time . . . the other 30 per cent . . . I’m just as confused as you!!!!

He once tweeted that NFL owners had a holiday gift exchange and he drew Miami owner Steve Ross’s name – “he gave me frozen Black-Eyed Peas/I gave him Timothy Leary’s frozen head,” Irsay tweeted.