If, and that is a big if, Manning passes the physical and looks like he can play at 95-100%, you HAVE to try to get him... Can you imagine what he could do with Brandon Marshall and Devon Bess?
However, I think it's foolish to trust anything that comes out in the press. ... The day before Philbin was hired, 90% of this board (including me) was certain that Miami was hiring in McCoy. Mostly due to reports from the prognosticating press and those citing "sources within the organization".
The source(s) in the Manning report(s) could be wrong. Or, this could just be disinformation put out by the organization to obfuscate the team's actual intent. No one actually knows Peyton Manning's true condition other than Peyton himself, nor does anyone know his true intent. It's possible, no matter how unlikely, he is actually in better condition than he is letting on. He may just want out of Indy.