Irsay: Manning 'out for awhile'

Indianapolis, IN – Peyton Manning may miss more than this opening game at Houston.

Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote in a tweet Thursday morning that the quarterback, who is recovering from neck surgery, is "out for awhile."

Manning's status for the Texans game has been the subject of speculation during the last week, and on Wednesday he confirmed in a statement that, "I simply am not healthy enough to play."

Irsay's tweet sheds some light on Manning's status beyond Week 1.

"NFL Season opens 2nite!We had a good practice yesterday and r guys r fired up 4 the season.#18's out for awhile,but compete,we will/BELIEVE," Irsay wrote.

Manning, who has started every game for the Colts since 1998, underwent a second neck surgery in May. He was activated off the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list on August 29, and his recovery slowed in the last week.