http://twitter.com/#!/JimIrsay/status/118330873228697600

According to the Indianapolis Star, Colts owner Jim Irsay told spectators at a Super Bowl XLVI donor event on Monday morning that quarterback Peyton Manning might practice in December but ultimately, he may not return on-field until 2012.

Hours after Indy’s 23-20 loss to the Steelers, Irsay explained comments earlier this morning by tweeting that Manning’s status should be considered “month by month.”

As Indy stands at 0-3 after last night’s loss, Manning should not be rushed back to play just to make fans or executives happy.

One interesting note from last night’s game arrived while Cris Collinsworth discussed Manning’s injury during NBC’s game telecast. He said there was some thought within the Colts organization to have Manning only play in the red zone since his arm strength wasn’t up to snuff at other parts of the field.

That development would harken the league back to the days of the mid-80s when the Eagles had Randall Cunningham serve as the third and long specialist whenever starter Ron Jaworski got into a hole.

While it sounds neat, conceptually that doesn’t make much sense and luckily for Manning’s sake, that idea was nixed.

The Colts are trying to save a season that can’t be saved if Manning is brought back.