"The checklist is as thorough as time has allowed.

"I've been grinding at it since I've been here," said veteran quarterback Kerry Collins, signed last week to run the Indianapolis Colts' offense in the Sept. 11 regular-season opener at Houston if Peyton Manning remains in rehabilitation mode.

Classroom? Check.

Late nights with the playbook? Check.

On-field work with center Jeff Saturday and the rest of the No. 1 offense? Check.

Tonight, it's time for Collins to discover whether his cramming has produced the desired results. There's every chance he'll start in the preseason wrap-up against the Bengals in Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. He'll definitely see extensive playing time.

Although Manning has returned to practice, he is on a regimented schedule and won't play tonight. Experience running a new and complicated offense is the only way for Collins to be prepared, just in case Manning is still out next week.

"I'm looking (at) giving him the experience of operating the offense in a game-type situation," coach Jim Caldwell said. "There are so many things you can simulate in practice, but it's a little bit different in a ballgame."