Peyton Manning on the road to recovery?

The Future of Peyton Manning saga continues this week.

A Duke University football player tweeted Wednesday that he stretched with Manning at the Durham, N.C. campus. What is the Indianapolis Colt's quarterback doing in North Carolina?

Duke's current head coach, David Cutcliffe, was an assistant coach at Tennessee in the 1990s when Peyton played for the Volunteers. Perhaps, Peyton is getting feedback on rehabbing his throwing arm, following neck surgeries last year that kept the former Super Bowl and NFL MVP off the field in 2011.

Last week, Manning was cleared by his surgeon to return to playing professional football.

But there have been rumors circulating this week that Manning is not throwing well in recent workouts. One observer went so far as to refer to Manning's arm as a piece of pasta.

"I mean, the guy's arm is a noodle, he can't throw like an NFL quarterback, and by March 8, there's no way of knowing whether he's going to be ready or not," Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz told ESPN's Bill Simmons.

 March 8 refers to the date stipulated in Manning's Indianapolis Colts contract when he is scheduled to receive a $28 million roster bonus. Will the Colts drop Manning from the roster (to avoid the bonus) if they don't think he can quarterback the team next season?

Ultimately, Colts owner Jim Irsay will have to make a decision on who will quarterback his NFL franchise, beginning next season - a questionable and expensive Peyton Manning or potential No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback who could become the next Peyton Manning.

Meanwhile, if the Colts decide to move on without Manning, there are several NFL clubs that could be interested in dealing for him, including the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins.