INDIANAPOLIS – It was another outdoor practice for the Colts on Thursday with a two-hour session in preparation for Jacksonville.
Thursday also saw a very candid media session from Trent Richardson looking back on being traded to the Colts on September 18, 2013.
Here are a few headlines from the Colts coordinators and Richardson chatting with the media on Thursday:
Pep Hamilton on the mindset to really establish the run on Monday night against the Eagles up-tempo attack:
"It was well-documented how fast the tempo was that they used offensively.
"So from a big picture standpoint it was important for us to score every time we touched the football and try and run the football successfully, keep the ball in our hands on offense."
Bowen's Analysis:* *One of the bigger questions from fans this week is how game specific was the plan we saw the Colts implement on Monday night. The 38 carries for 169 rushing yards is exactly what the Colts wanted in trying to sustain drives against the Eagles.
Listening to Hamilton it's clear that week-to-week the Colts offensive plan will differ on what coaches believe is the ideal way to attack. In each of the first two weeks, the Colts have moved the ball through the air (Denver) and on the ground (Philadelphia). That's the blueprint Hamilton wants. Now, the offense is looking to finish off those performances into consistent scoring drives.
Greg Manusky on Bjoern Werner and the Colts pass rush:
"I think his progression is good. He knows he's going to be there for the whole season.
"Like I said about last week, it's kind of hard with that read-option team because you are trying to take away the run first because they are so dynamic in the run game. Then the second thing is you're trying to take away the pass and then you're trying to tell those guys to revert instead of pinning their ears back and going after those guys."
Bowen's Analysis: Manusky isn't trying to make excuses for the Colts pass rush but rather wants to hold off on making concrete statements with the sample size still a bit small. Against an offense like Philadelphia, gap responsibility is so vital in the front seven, knowing that the damage of missing a lane can lead to a game-changing play.
The Colts will now play more conventional offenses going forward and the ability to stay ahead of schedule would allow for guys like Werner and Erik Walden to pin their ears back on third-down. The Jaguars have allowed 13 sacks in the first two games of the season and are dealing with some injuries across their starting offensive line. Manusky said it best—the Colts have to start generating pressure up front someway, somehow.
Trent Richardson on being traded to Indianapolis one year ago today:
"It was just a whole new aspect of life for me.
"How did I get traded? I can't believe I'm a Colt."
Bowen's Analysis: It was late Wednesday afternoon last September 18th when the "tradewinds" began to blow. Trent Richardson was being traded to Indianapolis and four days later he was scoring against the San Francisco 49ers.
It's been an up-and-down, whirlwind of 365 days for Richardson. He was candid again with the media on Thursday. Richardson is now coming off arguably his best game as a Colt (he was quick to point out again on Thursday that the fumbles cannot happen) and building off that type of performance would do wonders for a Colts offense striving to produce through the air and on the ground.
INJURY NOTES
Here's the injury report from Thursday's practice:
-DNP: Vontae Davis (rest), Jerrell Freeman (hamstring) Arthur Jones (ankle) and Hakeem Nicks (illness)
-A much smaller group of DNP's on Thursday. We will see tomorrow if Nicks can return to practice.
-LIMITED: Ricky Jean Francois (ankle), Joe Reitz (ankle) and Greg Toler (ribs).
-After missing yesterday, seeing Ricky Jean Francois practice to some extent is a nice sign. Joe Reitz was out there today just three weeks after he suffered a high ankle sprain in the team's preseason finale.
-FULL: Ahmad Bradshaw (rest), Darius Butler (neck), T.Y. Hilton (groin), Khaled Holmes (ankle), D'Qwell Jackson (rest), LaRon Landry (rest) and Reggie Wayne (rest)
-A very promising list of full participants from Thursday with Holmes going full again for a second straight day.
