Green Bay Packers @ Indianapolis Colts Fri. Aug. 26, 2011 8 p.m. EST

Usually the NFL preseason is pretty pointless for most of the Super Bowl title contenders around the NFL as they already have their rosters intact and starters decided upon, but this time around is could be crucial for the perennial title contending Indianapolis Colts.

During the NFL offseason, four-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning had surgery on his neck and was thought to be ready for training camp. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case as the superstar gunslinger’s rehab has taken much longer than anticipated.

Despite the rehab taking much longer that it should have, the Indianapolis Colts have already made arrangements to get through the preseason and quite possibly the beginning of the regular season. As a bit of an insurance policy, the Colts were able to convince veteran quarterback Kerry Collins to come out of retirement and sign with the team.

With backup quarterback Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky not exactly living up to expectations, the Indianapolis Colts needed to make a move in order to bring in a veteran that could immediately take over under center. As long as Collins is in shape and ready to go, the Colts have found their man and he will get his first snaps under center against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers this Friday night in Indianapolis.

It will be interesting to see over the next couple of weeks whether or not Peyton Manning can get back to form and ready for the upcoming NFL regular season, but if not they have a pretty viable backup in Kerry Collins.

The Green Bay Packers on the other hand will look to keep their starters healthy by playing only a few series in this potential Super Bowl preview on Friday night.

Related News

• Kerry Collins comes out of retirement to sign with Indianapolis Colts
• Peyton Manning will sit Week 1 against the Houston Texans
• Peyton Manning will return to practice on limited basis
• Will the Indianapolis Colts pay Peyton Manning his upcoming $28 Million payday or is he heading for the trading block?
• Latest rumors are that the Indianapolis Colts could use Brett Favre short term