ANDERSON, Ind. – The Indianapolis Colts returned to the Anderson University practice fields on Thursday after a day off from training camp action.
For a third straight practice, the Colts were wearing full pads, and with the team's first preseason game just three days away, the occasional sounds of cracks and pops certainly were heard reverberating around the practice fields and the surrounding neighborhood.
What were the takeaways from the Colts' seventh day on the practice field in Anderson?PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS
- Ryan Kelly sat out practice on Thursday for a third straight day after straining his shoulder earlier in the week.
Head coach Chuck Pagano will update Kelly's status for Sunday's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Friday, but one would imagine that sitting Kelly for the game — even though it's not considered a major injury by any means — might be the route the team takes. The Colts have five preseason games this season, anyway, so it wouldn't put Kelly or the team at much of a disadvantage if he sits out a week.
- The team definitely is ramping up its game situations.
The Colts' practice on Thursday featured many 11-on-11 sessions that displayed a variety of situations — offense backed up against its own end zone, offense in the red zone, one-minute drills to get into field goal range, etc. While the first preseason game — especially the annual Hall of Fame Game — won't feature much opponent gameplanning, the Indianapolis coaches want to see how their players respond to various situations throughout the contest, and are trying to prepare them for just about anything.
- Fans on Thursday got a great opportunity to see Andrew Luck work through an issue.
During 7-on-7 drills, the Colts' No. 1 offense had the ball around the opposing 10-yard line. Prior to the snap, Luck called out a read to tight end Dwayne Allen, who ran up the seam and, with a perfectly-placed pass, could've had a touchdown catch. But Luck's throw was low, and was batted to the ground by inside linebacker Sio Moore. Later, during a special teams drill, Luck, on his own, brought Allen, a couple receivers and inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson to that exact same spot, and instructed Jackson to stand right about where Moore was when the throw was batted down. After a couple tries, Luck found the release point he wanted, and fired a perfectly-placed ball over Jackson and right into Allen's numbers.OTHER PRACTICE MUSINGS
- Early in 11-on-11s, the Colts' offense was intentionally backed up against its own end zone. Luck dropped back, was flushed out to his right — about eight yards deep in the end zone — and fired a strike to T.Y. Hilton across the middle for a sizeable gain of about 25 yards. It was a high-risk, high-reward type play for Luck, but it paid off in this instance.
- In that same drill, only with the No. 2 offense and defense, cornerback Jalil Brown made a terrific play in coverage on the speedy Quan Bray. Quarterback Scott Tolzien chucked a deep ball down the right side of the field, but Brown stayed with Bray step-for-step to knock the ball down.
- Denzelle Good continued to work with the No. 1 offense at right guard on Thursday. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said earlier in the day that the position by no means has been decided, but for continuity's sake, one would imagine Good will be at right guard to start Sunday's game against the Packers.
- Luck got the fans cheering by making a play with his feet on Thursday. During 11-on-11, from about his own 40, he dropped back, pump faked and saw a huge hole to his left and took off. After earning a big gain — and getting out of bounds — the crowd showed their appreciation.
- The No. 1 offense and defense each shined in separate one-minute drills on Thursday. The first one began with 1:04 left on the clock, and the offense around its own 20. Josh Ferguson, 3-yard run; Luck to Doyle, 15 yards and a timeout; Luck over the top to Hilton, about 25 yards and out of bounds; Luck to Dorsett on a crossing pattern, 3 yards; incomplete pass; and with 11.1 seconds left on 3rd-and-7 from the defense's 15, Luck's pass to Dorsett was off the mark. Adam Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal was good.
- Speaking of Vinatieri, the veteran kicker was on the mark on Thursday, hitting all his field-goal attempts midway through practice (attempts of about 21, 26, 31, 31, 36, 41, 45 and 55 yards).
- Cornerback Darius Butler made perhaps the play of the day during a red zone drill later in practice. With the rain just starting to pick up, the Colts' offense faced a 3rd down. Luck tried to find T.Y. Hilton on a pattern along the right sideline, but Butler had a perfect break on the ball and was able to get his hand in the way and knock it to the ground, getting the defense off the field.
INJURY REPORT
The following players did not participate in Thursday's practice: WR-Marcus Leak, WR-Josh Stangby, CB-Tevin Mitchel and C-Ryan Kelly. The next update for the injured guys will be on Friday morning, when head coach Chuck Pagano speaks to the media for the final time before Sunday's game.QUOTEWORTHY
Ted Monachino on his first game as the Colts' defensive coordinator on Sunday:
"I know what a blessing it is to be here. I know what a blessing it is to be in this league period. To have a leadership role in this league is something that's rare. There aren't many of them. Of course I'm excited. I can't wait to get to Canton on Sunday and see how our guys perform. It's going to be a big day for me, and it's going to be a big day for a lot of our players too."
PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
Cornerback Patrick Robinson on what he's learned about the team since he arrived this offseason:
"This is a group with great character. We don't have any egos. We really want to win. The team is pretty close, in my opinion. I think that's definitely going to help us with staying together, making plays together and giving us a chance to win."
TWEET OF THE DAY
TUESDAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
Since 2011, Frank Gore has done something only one other running back in the NFL has accomplished. What is that feat?ANSWER: Gore has played in 80 consecutive regular season games, beginning with Week 1 of the 2011 season. Only Anthony Dixon — who has just two starts over that span — can match that feat. Gore, meanwhile, has started in 79 of those contests.TODAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
From 1999 to 2008, Tony Dungy's Colts teams made an NFL record 10 straight playoff appearances, besting a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach's streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances. Which coach did Dungy surpass, and what team and in what years was this record initially held?SPOTTED IN CAMP
CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora was among the media covering Thursday's action at Anderson University
PRACTICE ATTENDANCE: 1,592 TOTAL FOR CAMP: 17,024WEATHER REPORT
The team and the fans were treated to just about everything a July in East Central Indiana can provide. At first, skies were partly cloudy and temperatures were in the mid-80s. Then came a little breeze and overcast skies. Then the rain began, lasting for about 10 minutes. Then it was right back to overcast, and finally back to partly cloudy for the end of practice.CAMP SCHEDULE **
Friday, August 5**
* *
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
* *
Sunday, August 7
NFL/Hall of Fame Game – Canton, Ohio – Indianapolis vs. Green Bay
Tuesday, August 9
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Wednesday, August 10
1:55-4:10 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Thursday, August 11 – BREAK CAMP
8:05-10:30 a.m. – Practice
Colts City Closed
