TORONTO – The sight of Peyton Manning inside the Indianapolis Colts locker room does nothing to raise the bar, lift the spirits.

Rather, it highlights the existing misery.

The Colts have the look of a team in absolute free fall as after they gave up in their 62-7 shellacking at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, they simply went through the motions last Sunday in a 27-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, a team that has its own collection of warts.

At 0-8 and having a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the gloom is thick at Lucas Oil Stadium, site of this year’s Super Bowl which will be played Feb. 5.

On Thursday, Manning made a rare appearance and the news he delivered was inconsequential to the embarrassment of their season.

“We’re still waiting for the fusion to take place, it’s still going slow and we still have some issues with the regeneration of the nerve,” Manning said. “I still have some restrictions.”

Manning has undergone three neck surgeries in the past 19 months, the latest one occurring Sept. 8 when he had a spinal fusion to repair a damaged nerve.

Nobody knows when he’ll be back, not this year and perhaps never.

His status and the total collapse caused by his absence has rocked what was once a proud franchise to its core. Just what to do and where do you go to turn things around?

Do you hope that Manning will be able to come back at some point in December, to play a few games and show that he still has it, that he remains an elite-level quarterback that can refloat the franchise? Will he retire? Do you trade him or cut him adrift.

Nobody seems to know.

Without Manning at the helm, the future of head coach Jim Caldwell is in question and then there is all that ‘Suck For Luck’ crap that stalks the Colts as well as the winless Miami Dolphins.

Andrew Luck is currently starring for Stanford University and is considered a can’t-miss prospect, a star in the making who will turn whatever franchise he plays for around.

One thing for certain — he would be an upgrade over Curtis Painter, the current Colts No. 1 who with each game looks to be more overmatched than the one before.

All those questions and no answers — just a Hall of Fame to be quarterback that doesn’t know if he has played his last game or if he will play for another team.

“Those are all fair questions, but that’s not what I’m going to talk about right now,” Manning told reporters. “I’m thinking about how can I get a little better? (The contract) is really a one-year deal with a four-year extension and that was my recommendation because I wasn’t healthy when I signed the contract. Part of the reason to practise is so the Colts have a fair chance to evaluate where I am. The team has a right to know where you are physically and where your health is.”

Bill Polian, the Colts vice chairman, said earlier this week that he wanted to keep Manning on the active roster so he could practise during the final month of the season, and perhaps make it back into a game.

“I think it’s important for (Manning) to feel like, ‘Hey, I’m back, I can do the things that are necessary to say I can play like I want to,’” Polian said. “The bottom line is he needs to feel good about being back and doing the things he wants to do.”

Manning said he is thinking along the same lines.

“I like to play, I miss being out there in the huddle,” he said. “So if I have a chance to be back out there, I’d love to do it.”

As far as his contract extension goes, but the Colts need to decide by early March whether to kick in the four-year extension by picking up a $28 million option bonus. But on what basis will they make that decision if Manning can’t return this season? Do they go on faith and pray that he will fully recover?

“What you want to see is for him to keep making progress, to get back to the point where you can say he’s making all the throws and doing the things he needs to do,” owner Jim Irsay said Thursday. “The truth is it’s a slow progression and to say that he would hit a ceiling on Dec. 15 or Jan. 1 and he’s not going to get any better, that’s really uncertain. You just don’t know.”

For the most part through this process Irsay has been tweeting away like Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned.

On Tuesday Irsay tweeted: “8 weeks til xmas, less than 100 days til Super Bowl Peyton’s healing well, maybe he’ll take a snap b4 the ball falls in NYC, New Year’s Eve!”

Perhaps Irsay delights in being a tease. He also offered this one.

“Halfway point of r season, back home Falcons, Jags b4 ByeWeek/The best scenario is #18 comes back BIG TIME 4 big year n’12, we get some wins NOW.”

That’s what it’s down to these days in Indianapolis, a quarterback with no answers, a team in disarray and an owner who tweets nonsense.

Who would have guessed this?

After starting the season 0-8, the Indianapolis Colts are in an unusual position. The following five players are the most important players for the team for the remainder of 2011.

Curtis Painter(notes)

Curtis Painter will never be a full-time starter in the NFL. Painter likely has the Colts quarterback job for the final eight games of the season. Painter will need to show that he can lead a team and make better throws. The next eight games very well could determine Painter’s future not only with the Colts but in the NFL.

Delone Carter(notes)

Delone Carter has an opportunity to take over the running back job in Indianapolis. Joseph Addai has been banged up and injured and this has presented an opportunity for Carter to step in and show that he deserves the job. If he can continue to impress for the remainder of the season, Carter could turn out to be the longterm solution at running back for the Colts.

Reggie Wayne(notes)

Reggie Wayne may be playing some of the most important games of his career for the rest of the season. Wayne is looking to get paid in the offseason when his contract expires. He has been one of the best wide receivers in football for the last decade and has not had a great season in 2011. Wayne has just 35 catches for 487 yards and one touchdown on the season. He is on pace to have his first season with less than 1,000 yards receiving since 2003. Wayne will need a strong finish to the season if he hopes to receive another big contract.

Jerraud Powers(notes)

Powers is thought to the the Colts best cornerback on the roster but has had a difficult season in 2011. The Colts have been repeatedly beaten in the passing game in 2011 and Powers has not looked very good. He has no interceptions on the season and will need a strong finish to the season to ensure his job for future in the Colts secondary.

Ryan Diem(notes)

Ryan Diem made a big move in changing positions from right tackle to right guard to start the 2011 season. The move ensured his position in the starting lineup. The Colts need Diem back in the lineup to help a struggling offensive line. Diem is playing for another contract for the remainder of 2011. If he can’t get back healthy and have a strong finish to the season, Diem may be playing one of the final seasons of his career.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WISH) – According to ESPN.com on Sunday, team and league sources have confirmed that the Colts have presented a proposal to quarterback Peyton Manning during contract negotiations when Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, met with the Colts in Indianapolis on Thursday.

The offer is more lucrative than the contract Patriots QB Tom Brady signed last September for $72 million with $48.5 million in guarnteed money, according to sources.

If the two sides can not reach a deal before the league year ends at 11:59 PM on March 3, no player will be able to sign a new contract until there is a new collective bargaining agreement.  It is expected that if a contract can not be reached before that deadline, the Colts will use the franchise tag on Manning, giving him roughly $23 million for the 2011 season.