INDIANAPOLIS – While Thursday's injury report continued to cloud the health of the cornerback group this week, we did get an idea of how that unit will play come Sunday.
Thursday we heard from offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and defensive coordinator Ted Monachino after the Colts' second practice of the week.
Here is the Thursday notebook with some injury report thoughts below:**
INJURY NOTES**
- CB-Darius Butler (hand): Butler had an "uneventful" surgery on Tuesday for his fractured finger. Since surgery, Butler has missed the past two days of practice.
- C/G-Jonotthan Harrison (appendectomy): Harrison remains out.
- DT-Zach Kerr (ankle): Kerr was in a walking boot on Wednesday after the injury appeared to be more serious than the team previously thought. Kerr will be week-to-week.
- ILB-Josh McNary (shoulder): The "stinger" that forced McNary out of Sunday's win had him limited at Wednesday's practice. McNary was a full participant at Thursday's practice.
- WR-Donte Moncrief (shoulder): Moncrief is still not practicing. He's now four weeks into a recovery that was expected to keep him out four-to-six weeks.
- CB-Patrick Robinson (knee, groin): Robinson did not practice for a second straight day. He's listed at day-to-day.
- RB-Robert Turbin (shoulder & wrist): After missing Sunday's game, Turbin has practiced both days this week, a very good sign for his availably for Houston.
Ted Monachino on not having Vontae Davis exclusively shadow DeAndre Hopkins come Sunday night:
"That will be a great matchup. Those two guys will fight; they will fight for 60 minutes. The more often we can get those two guys matched the better just simply because we're going to have to do that.
"But I will tell you that it's not going to be the type of thing where Vontae trots out there and he's following number 10 (Hopkins) around all day."
Bowen's Analysis: Along with stating that Davis won't be shadowing Hopkins for every snap on Sunday, Monachino did want to point out that the Colts would like Davis and Hopkins across from each other a lot in Week Six. Basically, the Colts want to use different coverages, so if the Colts are in a zone look, that doesn't mean Davis will be lined up opposite Hopkins.
Monachino added on Thursday that he's really pleased with how Davis has played the past two weeks. The issue now for the Colts is finding a guy on the other side of the secondary. Patrick Robinson has battled injuries and inconsistent play. And the injury bug has hit Daruis Butler all over his body. If those two can't go on Sunday, look for Rashaan Melvin (the defensive hero from last week's win) to be a definite option outside. With the injuries to Butler and Robinson, the Colts bumped Purdue rookie Frankie Williams up from the practice squad.Rob Chudzinski on the no-huddle usage from last week:
"It was effective in the first half, it was good for us in the first half. We'll look at it again every game. There's times we'll get into it. Times we'll get out or not be in it.
"A lot of that is just game planning it. I felt like last week that really presented some good opportunities for us."
Bowen's Analysis: Chud pointed out on Thursday that the offense kept on using the no-huddle in the second half against Chicago, but the lack of execution was the reason the tempo never really got going (the Colts had three three-and-outs on the first four drives of the second half).
On Thursday, Chud was asked about the play of Andrew Luck this season. Chud wanted to mention that he thinks people are forgetting that Luck is having this solid start to the year while playing in a new offense. The 1.5 percent interception rate for Luck has to be his most impressive stat in 2016. Luck has the third most passing attempts (205) of any quarterback this season, but 16 QBs have thrown more interceptions than Luck's 3 picks.
Ted Monachino on ramping up the workload for defensive end Henry Anderson:
"Henry is a very cerebral young man as we all would expect so he overthinks some things sometimes and we just have to shove him out there and say, 'Just go out there and play.' He's at that point now where we've crossed that barrier – we've made it past that.
"I would think that he would start to ramp up as we go. He's healthy. He's good to go. He's excited about ball and he can't wait to get out there Sunday and see if he can start making some plays to help our defense and help our team win."
Bowen's Analysis: We should see a rise in the snap counts for Anderson this weekend. Since returning from last year's ACL injury, Anderson has played three games, with reps at 18 plays followed by 29 and 21 the last two weeks.
With Zach Kerr "week-to-week" due to an ankle injury, the Colts will have the man Kerr was starting for (Anderson) back in the lineup. Along with Anderson playing more, there's a good chance Sunday is the 2016 debut for Arthur Jones. Kerr is the first injury for the defensive group during the 2016 regular season, so that opens the door for Anderson and Jones to absorb that playing time lost.
Thursday's Roster Moves
On Thursday, the Colts signed free agent outside linebacker Chris Carter and elevated cornerback Frankie Williams to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. The team also waived outside linebacker Trevor Bates and tackle Jeremy Vujnovich.INJURY REPORT
Here is Thursday's injury report:
-DNP: WR-Quan Bray (shin), CB-Darius Butler (hand), C/G-Jonotthan Harrison (illness), DT-Zach Kerr (ankle), WR-Donte Moncrief (shoulder), CB-Patrick Robinson (knee & hip).
-LIMITED: WR-T.Y. Hilton (hip)
-FULL: S-Mike Adams (rest), CB-Vontae Davis (rest), RB-Frank Gore (rest), DE-Kendall Langford (rest), OLB-Robert Mathis (rest), ILB-Josh McNary (shoulder), RB-Robert Turbin (shoulder & wrist).
