Reggie Wayne has been in New Orleans with his family since Sunday evening when he learned his brother, Rashad, had been killed in a traffic accident in Kenner, La., but he is expected to return to the Colts' practice facility on Thursday and is likely to play on Sunday.

The brother of Colts receiver Reggie Wayne was killed Sunday when the delivery truck he was driving crashed into a highway guardrail. Rashad Wayne was pronounced dead at the scene, said James Gallagher, a spokesman for the Kenner Police Department.

With kicker Adam Vinatieri nursing a groin injury that kept him out of practice all week, and his availability still uncertain, the Indianapolis Colts on Friday night signed veteran free agent Martin Gramatica, league sources here told ESPN.com.

The Indianapolis Colts likely will sign kicker Martin Gramatica for Sunday's game against Jacksonville as a possible replacement for Adam Vinatieri, who is nursing a groin injury and has not practiced all week. Gramatica tried out with the Colts on Wednesday. Although he was not signed after the workout, coach Tony Dungy said Friday the team was leaning toward signing Gramatica, at least for kickoffs. "He may do everything," Dungy said.

The Colts auditioned several quarterbacks earlier this week, including Drew Henson. Tony Dungy would not identify the other prospects. "We have a lot of guys in during the course (of a season),'' he said. "We build an inventory. That's how you get guys down the road.'' Henson was waived by Dallas in August.

The team might re-sign veteran Martin Gramatica if Adam Vinatieri is unable to kick against Jacksonville, or is limited by the groin injury. Gramatica was in the locker room Wednesday and put through a workout in the afternoon.

Morten Andersen may be 46 years old, but he is still interested in kicking in the NFL. Adam Vinatieri's groin injury led to a call to Colts' head coach Tony Dungy from the ex-NFL kicker.

Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes, broke John Unitas' franchise record for completions and led the Colts to scores on six of their first seven possessions in a 43-24 rout over Houston that wasn't that close. "The main thing our veterans are having to battle is enjoying regular-season victories," he said. "All everybody wants to talk about is what are you going to do when you get to the playoffs? You hang 43 on a team, you ought to be happy about it."

It has been easy for every armchair GM to be laughingly critical about the Texans' selection of Mario Williams, but Tony Dungy disagrees with the sentiment. "I'm a defensive guy and the cornerstone to most championship teams is defense, if it's not a quarterback," he said. "To me it's a good pick if you're not passing on a John Elway or a Dan Marino. Guys like Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, they become the cornerstones of great teams. (The Texans) think this is a cornerstone guy. I can absolutely see why they did it."

The opening weekend of the NFL season will have a brotherly feel. Peyton Manning faces his younger brother Eli for the first time Sunday when the Colts visit the Giants to highlight Week One. While the Manning Bowl will be a prime time affair, there are plenty of other storylines that will be played out as America's No. 1 sport kicks off its 87th season.