HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he is seeing what he expected to see in OTAs)
"Yes. We are right in the thick of it right now. Starting today there are eight practices in 11 days, which will give us a real good opportunity to assess everybody. But at this point things have been moving along as planned."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he sees the rookies starting to pick up on things)
"I could see it today. There weren't a whole lot of glaring errors. There were some, in terms of alignments and things of that nature, which are going to pop out at you. But for the most part they have gotten a fairly decent grasp of things. They have a long way to go, but you can see the improvement."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on seeing DE-Jerry Hughes on the field)
"He can do all the things that we anticipated he could do, but obviously that is without pads. You don't get a sense of the full essence of a player until you have an opportunity to see him in pads under game-like conditions. But he does things extremely well. He is smart. We think he is a guy that has a lot of versatility, and we're anxious to see him progress."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on putting DE-Jerry Hughes in packages with DE-Dwight Freeney and DE-Robert Mathis)
"That's a possibility. That's what this process is for. We have an opportunity to assess their individual ability, see where they fit in within our scheme. You certainly make those kind of projections before you draft them, but now you get a chance to put them in practical application and just see what they really can do in our scheme."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if DE-Jerry Hughes has the spin move down)
"I'm not certain anybody has it quite down like the two vets (DE-Dwight Freeney and DE-Robert Mathis) on the outside. Obviously, they have been able to master it, but it has taken time. It's like Malcolm Gladwell says in his book Outliers, 'It takes 10,000 hours of work to master something.' I think he still has a little ways to go, yet."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what he thought was holding back DT-Fili Moala last season)
"The big thing is learning how we do things from a technical standpoint, just in terms of fundamentals and techniques, playing with leverage. He is a tall guy, inherently. We just have to get him down, bend his knees a little bit more and use what God has given him, in terms of his ability. He has strength and explosion. We have to bring those things out, so we can see those snap after snap. Oftentimes, if a guy is thinking about his assignments, focusing in on those things, he gets a little tunnel vision, and more often than not you don't get an opportunity to see his natural ability, and that's where he was last year. He was learning so much that we didn't get an opportunity to see him at his best."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he expects DT-Fili Moala to improve in his second season)
"(We) really anticipate that he is going to be one of those guys that comes forward and is really able to give us some help."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on P-Pat McAfee being a breath of fresh air in the locker room)
"He is extremely entertaining and a lot of fun to be around, but he is also very good at what he does. That's the great part about him. You couple those characteristics and that attitude with a guy that can't do his job, you aren't so pleased. But, nevertheless, he is a lot of fun and certainly is a guy that doesn't lack confidence and does a great job. He is a great team guy."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on P-Pat McAfee having a good year last season)
"There is no question. But one year does not a career make, right? He's got to do it again. He's got to come back and be a little bit better even. I think that's the real key. I think that is one of the hallmarks that we've had around here, that guys have played well, but the true mark is can you play well consistently? I think that is something he has to prove again this year."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he prefers the Super Bowl in warm weather)
"I don't care where it is as long as we're in it. I don't care really. It doesn't make any difference to me. I grew up in Wisconsin and am accustomed to cold weather. I saw a lot of cold weather games throughout and saw a lot of great cold weather games growing up. Obviously, I think there is some mystique about it, having to overcome the elements as well as your opponent, which makes the game interesting. It doesn't matter to me. Wherever the game is played, my hope is, and my goal is, that our team is in position to try to get there."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if the Colts have proven they can play in any kind of weather)
"I don't think it matters. I think if a team is very, very good at what they do, regardless of all the statistics; I know there are a lot of them out there about who wins when the temperature is above 32 degrees and all that kind of stuff. But what it really boils down to is how well do you play on that given day and can you execute? I think that's really the key. The other team has to play in those same conditions, as well. I think given that fact it's fairly equal."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on WR-Austin Collie making a jump in his second season)
"I do see him getting better. He's got the kind of work habits, and he is really diligent about everything that he does that would lead you to believe that you are going to see some improvement. There is no question about it. He is in early. He stays late. He works extremely hard."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how much better can WR-Austin Collie get)
"The sky is the limit. I think he can keep improving. I think there have been a number of guys that have set a standard around here that they tend to get better each and every year. That's certainly his objective this year."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if not having a training camp site announced affects his ability to make a training camp schedule)
"No. Our schedule will be the same, regardless of where it is located."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DE-John Chick)
"We're just kind of getting an opportunity to get a good feel for him. Obviously, he has ability. He is a guy that runs fast. He is a hard-nosed guy that has length and athleticism. We're excited about seeing what he can do. This whole process is a great time to assess. I think we'll get a better feel for him as time goes on, but he looks like he has ability."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DE-John Chick overcoming obstacles to make it to the NFL)
"There is no question about it, he is a guy that is accustomed to overcoming adversity and dealing with some very unusual circumstances and still being able to excel. I think that in itself gives him a little different mindset. He is focused and eager."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on practicing Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium)
"I think it's certainly going to be a great setting to give the fans an opportunity to see the team function in a practice-like setting. Oftentimes, they can't come to training camp that is open (to fans). Obviously, during this time of year, we do not have open practices, so it is unique to have an opportunity to see them. It will give some of our young fans, who have not had an opportunity to make it at other times of the year, make it, or for those that can't travel to where we have training camp, (the practice Saturday) is right here in the city. I think it does create an opportunity where a lot of folks in the community can take part in the activities."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on LB-Tyjuan Hagler possibly being resigned to the team)
"You never say never, but at this point there has not been any conversation that should lead you to believe that."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he has liked what he has seen from DB-Bob Sanders and WR-Anthony Gonzalez as they return from injuries)
"Yes. Bob is excited and he has been progressing nicely. Anthony is doing well, also."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DT-Mitch King)
"He has natural leverage. He's got strength. He's tenacious. We're looking forward to getting him out on the field to see exactly what he can do once we get things really going. But he is learning the system, getting a good sense of things, and we'll see how he progresses. He looks good at this point."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if the coaching staff likes where the team is at right now)
"We do. Things are going as we had planned. It's going to be a fairly grueling 11 days. There is a lot of work being done during that time period. We get a couple of day breaks, but for the most part it's going to be a challenge for them. We certainly like where they are. We had a great start today, and we anticipate that is going to continue."
