Vick welcomes Browns rookie

Phil Taylor got the offical NFL veterans' stamp of approval on Thursday night when the Cleveland rookie spent the first half chasing after Michael Vick.

After the last play of the second quarter, Vick gave the big defensive tackle a fist bump.

"He said, 'Good play, keep playing hard,' " Taylor told reporters on Saturday.

Taylor, the Browns' top pick, made a big push toward establishing himself on Cleveland's line on Thursday night.

"There were flashes of what you want from a defensive tackle in this league," coach Pat Shurmur said after Taylor spent a good part of the first half causing havoc.

Taylor forced Vick to fumble on a sack and pressured an Eagles lineman into committing a holding penalty. He also drew a double team that enabled linebacker Scott Fujita to pressure Vick into an overthrow, and applied pressure in the backfield at least four other times.

And Vick took notice.

Our old friend Kevin Kolb is running into things in Arizona that he probably never encountered in the NovaCare Complex.

On Wednesday in Flagstaff, while riding back from practice on his Segway, he nearly ran over a skunk.

Here's an easy prediction - Peyton Manning will be back on Indianapolis' active roster by Sept. 3.

Because if he isn't, the Colts will have to play without him for six weeks of the regular season.

Manning, a starter in every game since he was drafted, was placed on the physically unable to perform list when camps belatedly began. League rules require players on the PUP list to be activated by the final cutdown, Sept. 3, or to sit out an additional six weeks.

On Friday night coach Jim Caldwell said it was a "realistic possibility," and "could happen shortly."

Even if Manning isn't ready to go for another three weeks, the Colts would still have him back three weeks earlier than if he remained on the PUP.

In the meantime Kerry Collins, the second most famous graybeard quarterback after the guy who just retired, can hold the fort.

The New York Times points out that Manning and Collins have combined for 95,269 passing yards, which is a little more than 54 miles.

The Cincinnati Bengals have waived quarterback Jordan Palmer, who came to training camp hoping to compete for a job but didn't get much of a chance.

Palmer was the backup quarterback last season to brother Carson Palmer, who retired rather than play another season for the Bengals.

The Bengals made rookie Andy Dalton the starter and signed veteran Bruce Gradkowski, and that pair ran most of the plays during training camp practices and preseason games.

Jacksonville signed long-snapper Jake Ingram. . . . Washington coach Mike Shanahan said that he wasn't ready to announce Tim Hightower as the opening day running back, but that "if you were betting in Vegas, you'd probably bet in that direction."