The Colts' joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday was a mixed bag of just about everything you can get in a two-hour long football practice under the blazing sun. Fans at Grand Park saw touchdowns, spectacular catches, interceptions and everything in between (from both teams) in the Colts' final training camp practice.
"Got some really good work in today with those guys," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Obviously, definitely some things to clean up. I'll go back and watch the defense, since I was on the offensive field. But overall thought it was some really good work today."
The Colts' offense started out strong in one-on-one drills in the beginning of practice; wide receiver Adonai Mitchell picked up where he left off in Baltimore in showing his dominance in beating out defenders and tight end Will Mallory continued to build on a strong camp performance.
But as the two teams shifted into 11-on-11 drills, that was when the Colts began to struggle.
"I think more than anything it was the penalties," Steichen said. "Every time I looked up it felt like we were in the backfield or (an) illegal formation, so we got to get that cleaned up. Obviously penalties are a big part of those things that's hitting yardage. You don't want to have that happen in the game. That just comes down to focus and so we've got to get that cleaned up moving forward."
Both Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones completed a handful of passes during the team periods, but were also each picked off.
"I felt like overall, we probably weren't as sharp as we've been in a lot of our work leading up to this," Jones said. "I think, you know, a lot of things we can clean up offensively. I think that's gonna happen in a joint practice — the speed and intensity is ramped up a little bit, you're going against different looks that you haven't seen before. So I think probably wasn't as sharp as we're used to being at this point of camp. We'll obviously look to clean it up."
The best the Colts' offense looked in the two-hour practice came at the very end, when Richardson led the team quickly and efficiently down the field for a touchdown during a two-minute drill period. . Highlighted by sharp, accurate throws to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and wide receiver Tyler Warren – both layered in heavy coverage – and a rushing touchdown by running back Jonathan Taylor, those few minutes were the most encouraging ones from an offensive standpoint.
But it's all about perspective, and the Colts know those few minutes won't be enough to propel them to success.
"Decent day," Richardson said. "Got a couple touchdowns in, a couple first downs, but turned the ball over, a few false starts, penalties that we can knock out. Then snap stuff, gotta get the snaps. So decent day from the good things we did, but nowhere near where we want to be."
The Colts' defense had a relatively similar day, but a few more flashes and big plays; safety Hunter Wohler nearly intercepted a pass in the end zone and safety Ladarius Tennison nearly had a pick along the sidelines, both in 11-on-11 periods. But it was cornerback Samuel Womack III who stood out the most, flying around the field to record multiple pass breakups and apply heavy pressure on the man he was tasked with covering.
Cornerbacks JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones still don't have a timeline for their returns, per Steichen, and with Kenny Moore II currently sidelined with a knee injury Womack has been one of the guys in the room that's stepped up and shown what he can do.
But as the Colts prepare for their second preseason game against the Packers this Saturday, they all know what happened on Thursday – good or bad – won't impact the game. What will impact the game is how they use what happened Thursday to get better.
"I'm confident," Jones said. "We've put in a lot of work, we're a sharp group."
News and Notes from Thursday's practice:
- Wide receiver Josh Downs exited Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury and defensive end Samson Ebukam left with a back injury, per Steichen.
- Wide receiver Anthony Gould had two receptions during one-on-one drills, including a deep touchdown.
- The defensive line stood strong at the line of scrimmage in the first 11-on-11 period of the day stopping multiple runs and creating pressure on quarterback Malik Willis.
- Safety Cam Bynum broke up a pass from Willis intended for Packers tight end Tucker Kraft in 11-on-11s.
- Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell beat Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine on two separate one-on-one reps, one on a comeback and the other when Mitchell navigated around a jersey pull to high point the contested ball, coming down along the sidelines for a toe-tap catch.
- In a red zone period, quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. stepped up to avoid pressure and found Michael Pittman Jr. for a touchdown. That would be the only passing touchdown of the period.
- In that same red zone period, quarterback Daniel Jones completed passes to tight end Will Mallory and wide receiver Ashton Dulin.
- Safeties Trey Washington and Ladarius Tennison each recorded forced fumbles in an 11-on-11 period.
- Defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore recorded a would-be sack on Willis in a two-minute drill to close out practice.
