"There's no question where quarterback Peyton Manning's mind is these days. The driving force of the Indianapolis Colts is determined to play in 2012, and he has gained medical clearance to do so.

"Peyton wants to play and he's safe to play," Tom Condon, Manning's agent, said Friday at the JW Marriott.

The bigger question: What's the status of Manning's once- prolific right arm?

Therein lies the rub.

"It's a matter of him getting all of his strength back and back to being Peyton," Condon said.

The biggest question: When?

"I don't know," Condon admitted.

Hurdles have been cleared since Manning underwent a single-level, anterior fusion procedure Sept. 8 at Marina del Rey (Calif.) Spine Center. The latest was Wednesday when Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed the operation, cleared Manning "to play professional football."

The neck, Watkins determined, is stable and no longer an issue.

A source with knowledge of Manning's rehabilitation said the quarterback had progressed in December to the point he could withstand a hit from Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney.

But while Watkins has green-flagged Manning, the Colts have not.

"Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for the Indianapolis Colts," owner Jim Irsay wrote on his Twitter account early Friday. Later in the day, the team issued a statement saying all parties "remain close and unified as we continue to work through all the options that relate to his future with the Colts.""