Indianapolis Colts News and Notes for 2004/2005

[TheGeneral+]

Colts Remain Quiet as June 1 Comes and Goes
INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Dungy said he won’t be surprised if the Colts’ roster is basically the same in training camp as it is now.

The Colts’ head coach said he won’t be disappointed, either.

With several NFL teams adding and releasing players in the days surrounding June 1, Dungy said this week he doubts the Colts will add any players. Teams often release well-known players after June 1 for salary-cap purposes.

Dungy said last week there was a possibility the Colts could add a veteran quarterback, or a veteran at another position, but he said this week that won’t likely happen.

“I think we’re probably going to stand pat,” Dungy said Thursday as the Colts continued their summer school sessions at the Union Federal Football Center.

The Colts, who early this off-season re-signed quarterback Peyton Manning and defensive tackle Josh Williams, have not signed any big-name free agents from other teams this off-season.

Since Dungy’s arrival in 2002, the Colts have made few moves after June 1. Dungy has said on several occasions in the past he believes in developing and playing young players – even rookies – as opposed to bringing veterans in so close to the regular season.

Several prominent players have been released in recent days, including former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner who signed with the New York Giants.

Veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde was released by the New York Jets. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Defensive tackle Daryl Gardner, a former first-round draft selection, was released by the Denver Broncos, with whom he spent one season.

“I think every year it varies,” Dungy said. “This year, there are a few guys who are salary-cap casualties. Next year, there may be a lot. You never know. For the most part, people are managing their cap better than when it first came out.

“The tendency has been to have less and less guys out there, but who knows?”

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=2051

 

[TheGeneral+]

Summer School Ends; Training Camp to Open August 1

INDIANAPOLIS – The official, on-field work is done for now.

No more on-field, full-team practices.

No more meetings.

A big part of the off-season is over, and that means the next major step is training camp, which will begin at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., on Sunday, August 1.

The Colts finished summer school on Wednesday.

Soon, it will be time to focus on next season.

“Every off-season, you get better – regardless,” said defensive end Dwight Freeney during the Colts’ summer school sessions, which concluded at the Union Federal Football Center Wednesday afternoon. “Even if everybody’s not here, you’re still getting better.

“We want to continue getting better.”

The Colts’ summer school sessions were 14 days of on-field work over the past four weeks with an hour and a half of meeting time allowed each day. Colts veterans and coaches said throughout the past month that the sessions are important, not only to get rookies acclimated, but for veterans to refresh and learn new facets of the offense and defense.

The Colts’ offense, which has ranked in the Top 10 in the NFL each of the last five seasons, ranked third last season, and quarterback Peyton Manning said during the summer school session that the unit is deeper than in any of his previous six NFL seasons.

“It’s exciting to me because it’s closer to training camp,” Manning said of the end of summer school. “That means it’s closer to the regular season and the September opener. Each phase means you’re getting closer. At the same time, you don’t want to just use it as a stepping stone. You want to use it to get better.

“I feel we have gotten better in the four weeks we’ve been at summer school.”

Offensively, the Colts lost no starters from last season. Adam Meadows, a starting tackle from 1997-2002 who played extensively as a backup guard/tackle last season, signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent.

On defense, the Colts lost several key players, with linebacker Marcus Washington and cornerback Walt Harris – each of whom started 16 games last season – signing with the Washington Redskins as free agents. Cornerback David Macklin, who started the last month of the regular season and the playoffs, signed as a free agent with Arizona.

Veteran defensive end Chad Bratzke, the team’s sacks leader from 1999-2001 and a reserve tackle/end last season, did not re-sign with the Colts and has yet to sign with another NFL team.

Freeney said summer school was crucial for the Colts’ defense because it was a time for young players to become more comfortable with the roles they will fill next season.

“It’s going to influence it a lot, because right now, you’re learning a lot of things you wouldn’t have time to go over in the season – some of the little things, some of the intangibles,” Freeney said.

While most of the Colts’ coaches will be off for most of the next seven weeks, players will continue in the off-season conditioning program throughout most of June.

“For the coaches, it really is a time to rest and regroup,” Colts Head Coach Dungy said. “For our players, it’s a very important time of conditioning. Even though we’re not doing anything on the field, what they do conditioning-wise in the next six weeks is critical.

“We’ll come back August 1 and have a good baseline. We’ll put the pads on then and learn how to do things correctly. I think we’ll have a real good team.


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[TheGeneral+]

Colts’ High-Powered Offense Looks to Improve in 2004

INDIANAPOLIS – The talk began in training camp last season – talk from the Colts’ main offensive players. The unit had a chance to be special. Very special.

The same sort of talk already has begun this season.

And training camp is six weeks away.

It was there from quarterback Peyton Manning during summer school. From center Jeff Saturday, too. And from running back Edgerrin James.

They weren’t promising anything, and there were no guarantees, but when several of the Colts’ primary offensive players – not to mention the team’s head coach – were asked their impressions, the talk was of a unit that could be even better than last season.

“We have another year in the system, and we’re always adding some wrinkles,” Manning said shortly before the team’s summer school sessions ended last week at the Union Federal Football Center.

“I’m certainly excited about where we are right now.”

Said Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, “We think it can be better. We set some goals last year for things we wanted to do. We’ve set some goals this year – to be a little more consistent, to cut our turnovers down, but to be as explosive.

“I think we can get better.”

The Colts, last season’s AFC South champions and the AFC runners-up, finished third in the NFL offensively last season, first in passing. Manning was named the NFL’s co-Most Valuable Player, and passed for more than 4,000 yards for a fifth consecutive season.

Running back Edgerrin James rushed for more than 1,200 yards, wide receiver Marvin Harrison made a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl, catching 94 passes for 1,272 yards and 10 touchdowns, and the Colts scored at least 20 points in 13 of 16 games, finishing with a franchise-record 447 points for the season.

So, how can the offense possibly be better than that?

Several ways, players said during summer school:

--- Added weapons. The Colts were quiet in free agency, and aside from tight end Ben Hartsock, they focused primarily on defense in the draft. Still, Manning said during summer school he believes the Colts’ talent will be improved this season.

Primarily, he said, that’s because of the development of second-year tight end Dallas Clark and veteran wide receiver Brandon Stokley.

Both players contributed at times last season, with Clark making an impact before a season-ending injury in late November and Stokley recovering from a foot injury to emerge as a key contributor during December and the playoffs.

“It’s another year of addition,” Colts center Jeff Saturday said. “You can open the playbook up even more. A lot of receivers stepped up last year and made players for us – Reggie (Wayne),Troy (Walters), Marv and Stokley. You had so many guys who feel comfortable in the system that that just opens us up even more.

“You just keep getting more and more weapons and there’s more you can do.”

Clark, the Colts’ first-round draft choice last off-season, finished with 29 receptions for 340 yards and a touchdown. Stokley, who signed as a free agent from Baltimore, caught 22 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season, then caught 11 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns in three playoff games.

Clark participated in the off-season program last season, but Manning said the tight end will benefit from a second off-season and should therefore be more familiar with the offense. Stokley missed the entire off-season last season with his foot injury, but has participated from the beginning of this year’s off-season program.

“A couple of players will be even more comfortable – Stokley’s healthy, and you saw what he did the last six games,” Manning said. “If we had some of that all season, that would be nice. Dallas Clark’s healthy, and he’s one of the guys who has really jumped out to me, the things we can do with he and (tight end) Marcus (Pollard.”

Said Saturday, “You see so many guys who are picking things up – it becomes second nature to them. They get more comfortable in the offense. When everybody feels comfortable, they rely on what they see instead of going through a mental process.

“They’re just reacting and making big plays. We look forward to that.”

--- Increased red-zone efficiency. The Colts last season scored 48 touchdowns, which tied for fourth in the NFL in the category, but kicker Mike Vanderjagt attempted 37 field goals. Vanderjagt converted all 37 attempts, but Manning said more close-range touchdowns – and fewer Vanderjagt appearances – are a goal this season.

The Colts last season scored 32 touchdowns on 62 trips inside the red zone, a conversion rate of just over 50 percent.

“We’d like to improve in the red zone, and I think that’s one thing we can do,” Manning said. “Dallas and Stokley, in particular – those are two of our best runners with the football after the catch. Down in the red zone, when the field gets smaller and it’s harder to throw it into the end zone, it’d be nice if we could throw a five-yard pass and have those guys maybe break a tackle and get in the end zone. We expect to score more touchdowns in the red zone and take the pressure off Mike.

“That’s one of the main things that would jump out to me as an improvement.”

--- An improved offensive line. The unit lost reserve tackle/guard Adam Meadows, who was released then signed with the Carolina Panthers, but all five starters from late last season – tackle Tarik Glenn, guard Tupe Peko, Saturday, guard Rick DeMulling and tackle Ryan Diem return, along with second-year veterans Steve Sciullo and Makoa Freitas, who started 19 combined games last season.

The offensive line tied for second in the NFL last season by allowing 19 sacks, and the Colts finished with more than 100 yards a game rushing.

“You’re just getting stronger there,” Saturday said. “We were no. 1 or 2 in sacks last year, and we did well rushing the ball. All you’ve got to do is keep adding. We can’t rest on what we did last year. We’ve got to accentuate those things and get better at the things we didn’t do well.

“I’m excited to see how it’s going to turn out.”

Manning, a four-time Pro Bowl player who will enter his seventh NFL season next season, said during summer school he considered this the deepest, most talented offense in which he has played in the NFL. There are more options are receiver, he said, and the running back talent – with fullback Tom Lopienski potentially figuring in the game plan – is as potent as it has been since 1998.

“It’s another year in the system,” Manning said. “We’re adding some wrinkles. And (offensive coordinator) Tom (Moore)’s using the personnel we have to do some different things. We’ve got a fullback we can use. That’s a good wrinkle for us.

“Tom’s always been about the weapons we have, but I really feel like this year – top to bottom, at the major skill positions – we’re as deep as we ever have been.”

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=2060

 

[TheGeneral+]

Indianapolis

Manning brought the Colts to the AFC Championship Game last season and was rewarded with a $100 million contract. He deserves the deal, but the trick will be to keep enough talent around him so they can win the Super Bowl. His two main forces on offense are headed into contract years and the popular opinion in the league is the Colts can't afford to keep both Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison.

Just as important is the ability to get some more defensive talent. There's no doubt the defense has taken a step back with the loss of linebacker Marcus Washington and cornerback David Macklin, along with a few other starters. Great teams need superstars, but they also need depth and quality starters across the board. That is the challenge for Indianapolis.

The Colts offense averaged 28 points a game last year and that may not be enough every week in 2004. The other issue they face is what the Patriots did to them in the playoffs. When New England beat the Rams in the Super Bowl a few years ago, they created the "blueprint" to stop Kurt Warner and the Rams offense. It took a while for the Rams to adjust as many teams copied the Patriots' plan. They may have done it again to the Colts. They were very physical with Harrison and faked blitzes more than they used them. Manning found himself throwing four interceptions and having the Colts' point total shrink to 14 after putting up 38 and 41 in the previous playoff games.

James rushed for 1,200 yards and missed three games. This year, if he stays healthy, he could finish up with 1,500 yards and 12 to 13 touchdowns. That will ensure that Colts would not be able to afford him and Harrison, who will as always catch close to 100 passes.

Can kicker Mike Vanderjagt match last year's field-goal performance of 37 for 37? He may have to when you consider the Colts won five games by a field goal or less. Another serious question is the backup quarterback. Manning is like Dan Marino -- he makes fast decisions and the ball is away before he gets tagged, but if he ever did get hurt, Cory Sauter is the backup and the Colts would struggle.

The defense is undersized up front and stopping the run is an issue. They were ranked 24th in yards per rush given up and teams want to run the ball against them to eat up the clock and keep Manning off the field. Defensive end Dwight Freeney is an elite pass rusher, but teams will use more two-tight-end sets to get the undersized pass rusher tied up with big people. Linebacker Rob Morris isn't exactly the kind of mobile linebacker Dungy likes to have in his Cover Two scheme so the Colts will continue to struggle.

Finally, Indianapolis is an elite AFC team and should win the division again with an underrated offensive line and some excellent skill players. As I stood on the sidelines of the AFC Championship Game last January, I couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different in the RCA Dome rather than snowy Foxboro, Mass. For the Colts to get to the Super Bowl this year, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, 30 or more points in the championship game and a perfect day from Vanderjagt are probably needed. It's a lot to ask, but it is possible.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7450559

 

[TheGeneral+]

The news surprised him, and David Thornton says it took several days to grasp the idea.

After just one year as a starter, Colts coaches wanted him to move positions.

No more weak-side linebacker.

Thornton, a third-year linebacker from the University of North Carolina, would be moving to the strong side, a subtle difference in name, but a relatively major adjustment in roles. This was in late April, just after the NFL Draft.

Now, two months later, Thornton has spent a mini-camp and summer school at his new position. His assessment?

So far, so good.

“As long as I can continue to keep working and stay confident I can do well, I think I’ll be fine in the regular season,” Thornton said as the defending AFC South champion Colts prepared for training camp, which will begin August 1 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

Thornton, a 2002 fourth-round draft choice, emerged as a defensive leader last season while playing weak-side linebacker. He took over as the starter at the position following the departure of free agent linebacker Mike Peterson, and finished the season as the Colts’ leading tackler.

Then, this off-season, Colts coaches faced a dilemma.

For the second time in as many seasons, a starting linebacker signed elsewhere as a free agent. This time, it was strong-side linebacker Marcus Washington, a starter since 2001 who signed with the Washington Redskins.

Team officials opted not to sign a veteran free agent to replace Washington, and when they didn’t draft a strong-side backer, the decision was made to move Thornton and let Thornton’s old spot be a competition.

Entering training camp, Thornton will start on the strong side, a move Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said during summer school will benefit not only Thornton, but the entire Colts defense. Rob Morris will start at middle linebacker, and second-year veteran Cato June will start on the weak wide.

Rookie Gilbert Gardner, a third-round draft choice from Purdue University, also will compete at weak side, Dungy said.

“All those guys, I’m able to help some, I hope,” Thornton said. “I’ve been at the position, so the mental part of the game . . . I think I can help them with some things.”

Thornton said he’s just as concerned these days about the mental – and physical – part of his own position. Although he will still play linebacker, the version he will play next season is different in some important ways than the one at which he had 158 tackles last season, 104 solos.

In the Colts’ one-gap style of defense, the weak-side linebacker’s job is primarily pursuit, a position where speed and instincts are crucial. The strong-side linebacker plays the point of attack more, and lines up across from the tight end, requiring him to take on blocks more and freelance less than the weak-side backer.

“The mental part of the job is pretty simple,” Thornton said. “A lot of times you’re just in man coverage on the tight end or you’re reading a ‘U’ block, which is the tackle pulling around. It’s the physical part that’s challenging. The tight end could be blocking. He could be releasing for a pass route. It’s different keys and reads. You have to be very confident you can do it.

“You’re right up on the ball, on the line of scrimmage. You’re facing 300-pound tackles pulling around, so hopefully, I’ll be able to do the job in the regular season.”

How well he will adjust, Thornton said, likely won’t be known until August.

“It’s hard for me to say,” he said. “We haven’t played any games yet. I’m facing two of the league’s best tight ends every day in summer school and camps – Dallas Clark and Marcus Pollard. I’m getting some great competition and seeing some great looks.”

But Thornton said there’s a major difference between now and late April – and it’s more than just two months working against two tight ends. Now, he’s used to the idea, and now, he can accept that he’ll be playing a new position.

Now, he’s ready and to him, that means a lot.

“Initially, I was coming into my third year and I wanted to continue the way things were going, but we have to do what’s best for the team,” he said. “My moving to the strong-side is one of the things they wanted me to do and I’m glad to do it.

“I welcome the challenge.”

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=2065

 

[TheGeneral+]

Veteran Defensive Tackle Williams Ready for 2004

INDIANAPOLIS – Josh Williams is ready. He is focused. The coming season, he says, is the most important of his career.

Just not for the reasons many might think.

Williams, a veteran defensive tackle, re-signed with the Colts this off-season. Aside from re-signing quarterback Peyton Manning to one of the richest contracts in league history, re-signing Williams was the franchise’s only major free-agent move since last season.

But Williams said being a major off-season priority for the Colts isn’t what makes this season important.

The thing to Williams is that it’s a season. And to him, they’re all important.

“Every year, I have that attitude – that this is my year and I need to do it,” Williams said as the Colts prepared for training camp, which will begin August 1 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

Williams, a 2000 fourth-round draft choice for the Colts, again will be a key figure in the Colts’ eight-deep, heavily-rotating defensive line rotation, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said recently.

“We’ve just always believed Josh is a real good fit for what we do,” Dungy said.

That has been Dungy’s belief since he took over as coach in the 2002 off-season – that Williams, with his quick feet and above-average athletic ability, is a perfect fit for the one-gap defense.

The one-gap is an attacking defensive scheme that emphasizes penetration and quickness to the ball over speed. Dungy said Williams excels in all those areas.

Williams said he believed in 2002 – when he first began learning the intricacies of the defense – that the scheme fits his skills perfectly, and said after two seasons he still believes.

“I really do,” Williams said. “It lets you play to your strengths. Every guy has different strengths. It really allows you to use those in a way to help the team.

“That’s one of the great things about this defense.”

But through two seasons, Williams said he has yet to reach his potential in the scheme. In 2002, his first season under Dungy, he spent the first two months rehabilitating a preseason foot injury. He spent the final two months of the season playing in pain. He played just seven games that season, starting three, and after starting all 16 games the previous season, he finished 2002 with 23 tackles, a sack and one pass defensed.

This past season, Williams played in every game, starting four. He finished with one sack and 33 tackles, again emerging as an integral part of the rotation.

“It’s your responsibility to be there, and to be ready when you’re called upon,” Williams said. “We’re paid to produce and that’s what we need to do.

“The more you learn, the more you know, the better you’re going to play.”

Now, he said, he enters the coming season with a feeling of being in the right place in the right system at the right time of his career.

“I feel great,” he said. “My body feels wonderful. I just have more experience. As you get older, it’s amazing each year how much you learn. You just apply it. It’s really a year-round deal and you’re as good as you want to be.”

Williams said this year that could mean being very, very good – not just as an individual, but as a team. He said it began in mini-camps and summer school, with nearly 100 percent participation. That was a key to the Colts’ success last season, and Williams said he saw the same approach this year.

“It’s like Coach Dungy says, ‘It’s a championship year for us,’’’ Williams said. “We’ve got to approach it with that attitude, not just in camp, but right now – through our minicamps, through our summer school, through our off-season programs. That’s the key to having a championship year – the work you put in before the season.

“We have the type of team that’s going to make sacrifices during this time to be successful later on.”

Which means Williams is focusing now to be good later. Just like always.

“Every year I have the attitude that it’s an important year,” Williams said. “Next year, I’ll be the same way. Every year is a big year. I focus on this year right now. I focus on the Thursday night game against New England. This is right now. The future is going to be the future. I’ve got to focus on the present, and that’s what I’m doing.”

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=2068

 

[RPM]

the first post in this thread should have been along the lines of....


"THE COLTS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS AND BLOW IT...AGAIN!~"

 

[TheGeneral+]

Hello RPM. Go Horse!

 

[TheGeneral+]

Colts Trade for Former First-Rounder Reynolds

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts moved Thursday to bolster their defensive front, acquiring a defensive end in a pre-training camp trade.

Jamal Reynolds, a former first-round draft selection from Florida State University, was obtained Thursday by the Colts from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a future undisclosed draft choice, the Colts announced late Thursday morning.

Reynolds, the 10th overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft, played in 18 games for the Packers during his first three seasons.

He was hampered by injuries throughout his time in Green Bay.

Reynolds (6-foot-3, 255 pounds), considered one of the top defensive ends available out of college in 2001, has 17 career NFL tackles and three sacks, two of which came during his rookie season.

Reynolds sustained a knee injury during training camp as a rookie. He played in the final six games, recording two sacks during that span and forcing two fumbles.

The following season, he again sustained a training-camp knee injury, playing in seven games and being inactive in seven others. He finished that season with nine tackles, including one sack.

Reynolds, 25, played in five games last season, and made four tackles.

Reynolds played four seasons at Florida State, starting his final two years and winning the Lombardi Award – given annually to college football’s best lineman – as a senior. He was an All-America selection as a senior, and played on the Seminoles’ national championship team during his junior season.

He had 169 tackles, 93 solos, and 23½ sacks at Florida State, finishing his career fourth on the school’s all-time sacks list.

Since the end of the team’s summer school session in early June, the club has signed free agent quarterback Joe Hamilton and offensive lineman Patrick Venzke. The team also waived four rookie free agents – defensive tackle Jeremy Caudill, defensive back Daryl Dixon, defensive tackle Derek Kennard and defensive tackle Bryan Save.

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=2070

 

[TheGeneral+]

What Nick Harper went through last season was difficult. He earned a starting job, then was injured before he could finish the season.

This off-season, at times, has been even harder.

Harper, who started at cornerback last season for the Colts before a late-November back injury, has spent the off-season rehabilitating and said he feels fully healthy entering next season. But he has also spent the off-season doing something else:

Hearing and reading how someone will play in his place next season.

“A lot of people have written me off, but that’s part of the business,” Harper said recently as the Colts prepared for training camp, which will begin August 1 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

The Colts haven’t written Harper off. Far from it.

During the Colts’ recent summer-school sessions, Head Coach Tony Dungy said the cornerback positions are very much open, with Harper, Donald Strickland and Joseph Jefferson the veterans most likely to compete early in camp.

Harper said the media has been a far different story.

Locally and nationally, when the Colts’ cornerback position has been discussed, Strickland and Jefferson typically have been mentioned as the starters, and Harper?

Hardly a word.

“Not even mentioned,” Harper said. “Sometimes, it gets to you, but that’s fine. I have to go out and prove myself again, which I don’t mind doing.”

Harper, who originally signed with the Colts as a free agent in 2001, has proven himself often in three seasons with the franchise. He spent two seasons as a reserve, starting three games in 2001 and 2002, before earning the starting job last preseason.

Last season, he started the first 12 games, finishing the season as the Colts’ interceptions leader with four. His two interceptions helped Indianapolis to a season-opening victory over the Cleveland Browns, and his 75-yard fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown clinched a 33-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

In the Colts’ 38-34 loss to New England in November, his interception helped the Colts rally from a three-touchdown deficit.

In that New England game, however, Harper sustained a back injury.

He played in the next three games, but did not start again until the regular-season finale. He played as nickel back in the Colts’ three playoff games.

“It was very difficult,” Harper said. “As a player, it’s something you’ve been doing all your life. You start strong, then people look at it like you’re not a finisher. You can’t take into consideration how people look at you, but you do. You try to go out and do your best week in and week out, but when you play with an injury, it’s hard to go out and perform at the top of your game.

“The guy across from you is a professional, too. He’s getting paid and you’re getting paid. If he’s not hurt and you are, you still have to compete against him. Normally, you run a 4.4, and if you’re hurt that drops you down.

“The back controls everything for a defensive back. You’ve got to backpedal, stop and plant. You have to drive, change direction, and it all depends on your back. It was hard for me to make the breaks, the cuts and turns like I used to.

“I could react, but it was hard. As far as making the plays, it was hard.”

Harper said he played through pain, but that the back got progressively worse each week.

“Everything after that was hard on me,” Harper said. “It got worse as the season went on. Not only do you have to go out and play, you still have to practice. Our practices can be rigorous. We don’t just go through the motions. You have to go full speed in practice so you can go full speed in the game.”

Harper said entering the season not assured of a starting role was difficult, but said although Strickland and Jefferson are his rivals for the job, it’s a friendly competition. And as a veteran, he said, he has to be a leader in the group.

“That just goes back to when you were younger,” he said. “You play with your brothers, and by you being better than them, you want to help them. I look at them like my brothers, so I’m not going to let them do the same thing wrong over and over again. At the same time, you want to beat them. You still want to make them better so they can compete. I want to make them better so they can push me.

“The better they are, the better that makes me.”

And Harper said that’s his approach entering camp, that competition is what he wants — and that even with stiff competition, he is confident of the outcome.

“I look at it like it’s my job to lose,” Harper said. “I don’t care who they bring in. If I don’t start, it will be because I did something wrong, not because they’re better than me. I’ll look at it like I let myself down.

“It’s a big camp for me. It’s making me work harder. When I leave here, I go home, take a nap, then head to the track to do more running. I want to head into training camp in the best shape possible, and as strong as possible.

“If they want to write me off, we’ll see who’s there when the season starts. I’ll compete no matter who’s out there.”

http://www.colts.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Colts Approach to 2004 Same as Previous Seasons

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — They came within a late drive of the Super Bowl last year, and as a new year opens, they have a single goal:

Go one step further. At least.

But for many Colts players, winning a Super Bowl is the goal every year. Which was why on Sunday, as they reported for 2004 training camp, the idea that the approaching season is somehow more important than any other was foreign.

Every year’s big. There’s always a “sense of urgency.”

And this year isn’t any different.

“You want to step up and do more than you did last year,” fourth-year veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne said as the Colts — last year’s AFC South champions and the AFC runners-up — reported for training camp at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

“That’s my goal, to do better each year. That goes for everybody. Everybody wants to up their ante a bit this year. We saw where it got us last year. We were right in front of the door, but we had the wrong key, I guess.”

The Colts, who finished 12-4 last season and won their first division title in four seasons, arrived at camp Sunday as a preseason favorite according to many preseason publications. Another constant off-season topic for media discussing the Colts in the off-season was the team’s “Window of Opportunity.”

With veteran running back Edgerrin James and five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison among the several high-profile players scheduled to become free agents after this season, many media outlets have speculated the Colts must win this season.

Colts President Bill Polian and Head Coach Tony Dungy each said recently while they want to win this season, it’s not necessarily a now-or-never situation.

“I hope we had a sense of urgency last year, too,” Dungy said. “I think every year is the same. You come in with high expectations. You come in thinking you’re going to get the job done. You work toward that goal. Hopefully, it’s the same.”

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said he approaches every season in similar fashion.

“I’ve really felt there’s been a sense of urgency the past couple of years,” Manning said. “Ever since Edgerrin’s (season-ending knee) injury (in 2001) — that proved we’re all human. Certainly, this a year we want to try to capitalize on, but I’ve felt that about every single year.

“You want to try to take advantage of the team you have this year, because you don’t always know who’s going to be here the following year. We have a core group of guys coming back we’ve got some good young players.

“We’d like to take advantage with this team.”

Wide receiver Brandon Stokley, entering his second season with the Colts after four with Baltimore Ravens, played on Baltimore’s Super Bowl-winning team following the 2000 season. Stokley said in the modern NFL, teams such approach every season as critical.

“You never know what you’re going to have next year,” Stokley said. “It changes from year to year, so when you have a nucleus like we have, you need to take advantage of it.”

Most players said Sunday that while the end of last season — a 24-14 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game — served as motivation, they also said this season is about this season and not about last season.

“You put it behind you,” guard Steve Sciullo said. “You have to. We were right there. We just came up a little short.”

Last season, the Colts used a 41-0 playoff loss to the New York Jets the year before as off-season motivation. For some Colts players this off-season, the narrow loss to the Patriots served a similar purpose.

“Our offense is still intact — we’re a lot more experienced and improved,” said veteran tight end Marcus Pollard, the team’s most tenured player. “We’ve got a lot to build on from last year.”

Pollard said he doesn’t entirely disagree that this season is particularly important for the Colts.

“That’s how I’m going to approach it,” Pollard said. “That’s something (then-defensive end) Chad Bratzke said last year, ‘Stop counting the days and make the days count.’ That’s something we’ve got to strive toward this year. I know I’m going to look to do that myself.”

Which was the talk from most players Sunday — that every season is something to be savored, something of which to take advantage. And this season, they believe, significant goals can be accomplished. Is the coming season any more important than recent ones? Not necessarily. But can it be a special season?

Nearly to a man, Colts players believe it can.

“I think we’ve got the right key,” Wayne said. “We just have to get everybody at the front door and walk on in.”

colts.com

 

[jaypaw]

same approach same result

just a little short...

 

[TheGeneral+]

James Feels Even Better as Preseason Approaches.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — His teammates who were there the first two years see the moves, they see the acceleration, and they smile.

Because they remember, and now, they see it again.

If it’s not exactly the same, then it’s something very, very good.

Edgerrin James, the Colts’ sixth-year running back who led the NFL in rushing in 1999 and 2000, sustained a season-ending knee injury in October 2001. He returned in 2002, struggling at times, then rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season, nearly returning to his pre-injury form.

“It was there in flashes, a lot more toward the end of the season,” Colts veteran tight end Marcus Pollard said recently during 2004 training camp, which continued Monday with a pair of practices at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

And now?

“Now,” Pollard said, smiling, “it’s just there.”

Pollard, who has played with James since James’ rookie season, said the runner he saw in mini-camp and summer school this past off-season is the same as the one he has seen during training camp. And said it’s remarkably similar to the pre-injury James.

He is accelerating quickly, and cutting confidently.

James did those things last season. Many times. But during this year’s training camp, it has been consistent.

“He’s primed,” Pollard said. “He’s just so ready. There are times he’ll tell me, ‘Watch me in this practice, or check this out.’ It’s impressive to watch. Very impressive.”

James, who missed the final 10 games of 2001, returned in 2002 to rush for 989 yards and two touchdowns on 277 carries. Last season, he grew stronger later in the season, rushing for 996 yards and 10 touchdowns in the final 10 games of the regular season.

He finished with 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns, rushing for more than 100 yards in five of the final 10 regular-season games.

James said this week he feels better now than last year during training camp, and credited the Colts’ practice of allowing him to rest at times during games. He said the somewhat lighter load allowed him to finish the season fresh, which in turn allowed him to improve physically in the off-season.

“In the past I would have said, ‘It doesn’t matter,’ but after how much it helped me last season, I’m happy to have Dom,” James said when asked if the return to health of reserve running back Dominic Rhodes would help him this season. “Hopefully, everyone can stay injury free and I can go out and have a great year where I can come in and out. Last year, I felt great doing it like that, being able to choose when I wanted to come in and when I wanted to come out. I didn’t have to worry about whether I had to get back in, I felt fresh.”

That, and the continued progress of the knee, has him optimistic as the Colts begin preparing for their preseason opener at San Diego Saturday.

“I’ve been continuing to work and doing what I’ve got to do to get better,” James said Monday. “There are a couple of things I’ve worked on and I looked at a lot of things I wasn’t able to do. It was like a progression, you know. I was coming from not being able to do things. I just keep building it up, and now I’m taking it up another notch.”

Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said Monday he see has seen changes in James this season, particularly in James’ ability to practice consistently.

“I don’t think his mental approach is any different, but I think he’s fresher and I think he’s a little bit healthier,” Dungy said. “He’s been able to really run like he wants to and get out in the secondary and make some things happen. We haven’t really worried about spelling him and giving him days off.”

James said Monday he hasn’t wanted days off, and that so far this season, he feels the same thing players such as Pollard say they see in camp — more of a burst, quicker steps and greater acceleration.

And after two and a half years, he said that’s a good feeling to have.

“I feel it,” James said. “I knew it was going to come and I knew I couldn’t rush it. It’s just been a matter of taking things day by day and making strides.”

In other Colts news, defensive tackle Josh Williams missed Monday’s practice because his wife, Marcella, was giving birth to the couple’s first child.

Also, safety Bob Sanders — the team’s second-round draft selection this past off-season — is still unsigned, and cornerback Donald Strickland left practice with a shoulder injury. The extent of Strickland’s injury is not yet known.

Running back Dominic Rhodes sustained a groin injury in the morning and did not participate in the afternoon special teams practice.

 

[TheGeneral+]

NOT AS SHARP AS NEEDED’

The Colts won the preseason opener, and there were more than a few good things about it.

But two days later, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy had a few areas of concern:

The first-team offense struggled at times.

The first-team defense could have made more plays.

And the special teams generally were outplayed.

Which meant while Dungy wasn’t discouraged by a 21-17 victory in San Diego Saturday, he had more than enough areas on which to focus as the Colts entered their final week of training-camp practices in Terre Haute.

“We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be,” Dungy said as the Colts continued training camp 2004 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “We had about four errors with our first offense on our first stint that stopped us from making first downs. We had some plays defensively that kept drives alive.

“I thought they outplayed us on special teams for the most part, particularly in the punting game. We have some things to work on, but our young guys got in the flow of things and played hard.

“They generally got better as they went on, so we got to see some things that you like to see.”

The Colts, who play host to the New York Jets in the preseason home opener Saturday, rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit against the Chargers when backup quarterback Joe Hamilton threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Fletcher with 11 seconds remaining.

Hamilton, a four-year veteran and a free-agent signee this past off-season, completed 13 of 22 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Cory Sauter – the top backup behind starter Peyton Manning entering the preseason – completed 13 of 16 asses for 196 yards and a touchdown.

Jim Sorgi, a sixth-round draft choice from Wisconsin, did not play Saturday, but Dungy said Saturday Sorgi could play against the Jets.

“I thought they did a very good job,” Dungy said of the backup quarterbacks. “I thought Cory Sauter ran the team well and was very accurate throwing the ball. He got it to the right people and did a good job.

“Joe was a little bit more up and down, but he hasn’t had as much time with us.”

On Monday, speaking to the media for the first time since the preseason opener, Dungy focused on several areas:

--- The kickoffs, an area of focus in the off-season, were not at the level expected, Dungy said. The Colts drafted David Kimball in the seventh round, and he consistently kicked the ball into the end zone during the first two weeks of practices.

On Saturday, Kimball’s first two kicks were well short of the end zone and his final kick was an intentional squib kick.

Mike Vanderjagt, the Colts’ field-goal specialist who kicked off all of last season, kicked off once against San Diego. Kicking from the 35-yard line, his kickoff went to about the Chargers 10.

“Not very good – not what we wanted, obviously,” Dungy said. “We were kicking the ball to the 10- or 11-yard line, kicking to about the 18. Our guys covered those kicks about as well as you can, but we have to kick better. We chose to go that way. Maybe the wind changed on us during warmups, but it looked like we were kicking into the wind,”

“One of the problems is you never know is what condition that brand new ball is going to be. I heard we had some problems with it. It was just one of those deals, but whatever ball they send out there we’ve got to kick it better than we did the other night.”

--- The Colts rushed for 64 yards on 21 carries, with starting running back Edgerrin James rushing twice for four yards. Backup quarterback Cory Sauter led the team with 34 yards rushing on two carries.

“We’ve got to run the ball better,” Dungy said. “We didn’t give ourselves many opportunities to run it, especially in the first half. They were putting a lot of people in the box (near the line of scrimmage) and making us throw. That was why you saw the high completion percentage, because they had a lot of people playing run defense.

“We don’t really care how we move the ball. We’re going to go based on what the defense shows us. We’ve got a lot of receivers who can catch the ball if people want to play up in the box and stop us from running.

“I think we’ll run it better as these weeks go on.”

--- Second-year linebacker Cato June and rookie Gilbert Gardner rotated at weakside linebacker Saturday, with Gardner making four tackles and June making three. June entered training camp as the starter after David Thornton – last year’s starting weak-side backer – moved to the strong side.

Marcus Washington, last year’s starting strong-side backer, signed as a free agent in the off-season with the Washington Redskins.

“Both Cato and Gilbert played well,” Dungy said. “They played a little too fast. They got ahead of themselves on things, but all in all, they made tackles they should make and played pretty good pass defense.

“They’re going to continue to grow at the position and we’re going to be OK.”

--- The secondary, where Nick Harper is the only cornerback with NFL starting experience, played adequately, Dungy said. Harper and second-year veteran Donald Strickland started, and third-year veteran Joseph Jefferson had an interceptions.

“We had a few situations where we were little anxious, jumping on shallow routes, not doing some things and not being patient,” Dungy said. “I think that will come with more playing time and not trying to go out and make a ton of plays in the first game.

“All in all, it was pretty encouraging.”

--- The first-team defense missed several tackles early, leading to an early touchdown. Dungy said such mistakes are expected in the first real action of the season.

“It will come like that,” Dungy said. “Fortunately, we don’t have to win the first preseason game. We have to win the first regular game. We’ll have some times to tackle live. We’ll get enough shots and get acclimated to the speed of the game.

“You always cringe when you see ball-carriers break tackles, but it happens sometimes.”

Also, second-year wide receiver Aaron Moorehead – who led the Colts with five receptions for 121 yards – sustained a shoulder injury against the Chargers and could be doubtful Saturday against the Jets, Dungy said.

“We didn’t really get any other major injuries in the game,” Dungy said. “For the most part, we’ve made it through these first two weeks in really good shape.”

Also, defensive tackle Tank Reese – who missed the last several days of practice last week with a knee injury – could return early this week, Dungy said.

 

[TheGeneral+]

Indianapolis Colts 2004 Season Preview

Peyton Manning continues to set the bar high.

As an oft-dazzling rookie in 1998, the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback was expected to lead his team to the playoffs. He delivered on that promise in 1999. Following his Pro Bowl seasons of 1999, 2000, and 2002, pundits wondered when the prolific signal-caller would win a playoff game. Manning checked that item off the list last season, in fact winning a pair of postseason contests and earning his club a berth in the AFC Championship game.

An appearance on Super Bowl Sunday is the next logical bullet point for the sensational Manning, not that it will be easy on a team that lost a number of key defensive players and last earned a spot in the ultimate game following the 1970 season, when the franchise was located in Baltimore.

Will Manning seize the opportunity to place his team on the highest of NFL stages? Even if it doesn't come this year, history tells us he will.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2004 edition of the Indianapolis Colts, with a personnel evaluation as well as a schedule analysis and prognosis included therein:

2003 RECORD: 12-4 (t1st, AFC South)

COACH (RECORD): Tony Dungy (22-10 in two seasons with Indianapolis, 76-52 overall)

OFFENSIVE STAR: Peyton Manning, QB (4267 passing yards, 29 TD, 10 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Dwight Freeney, DE (31 tackles, 11 sacks)

QB: Manning hasn't missed a start during his six seasons in the league, and his quick decision-making and release mean that trend is unlikely to change. If the unthinkable were to happen, the Colts would turn to Cory Sauter, who has nine career pass attempts, or Joe Hamilton, an Arena League veteran who was on the Tampa Bay roster when Dungy coached the Buccaneers. The team drafted Jim Sorgi (Wisconsin) in the sixth round of this past year's draft, and he seems destined for the practice squad.

RB: Edgerrin James (1259 rushing yards, 11 TD, 51 receptions) wasn't quite as effective as during his first two Pro Bowl seasons (1999, 2000), but he did bounce back from two injury-plagued years with a nice season in 2003. Dominic Rhodes (157 rushing yards) and James Mungro (60 yards, 2 TD) will continue to vie for carries behind James. The team's multi-receiver and double-tight sets spell less action for fullback Tom Lopienski, but he and third-round draft choice Ben Hartsock (Ohio State) will line up in front of James when the situation requires.

WR/TE: There are few wideout combinations in the NFL more lethal than Marvin Harrison (94 receptions, 10 TD) and Reggie Wayne (68 receptions, 7 TD), and teams that concentrate on that duo will unwisely leave tight end Marcus Pollard (40 receptions, 3 TD) unattended. The Colts' backup receivers are also capable, with Brandon Stokley (22 receptions, 3 TD) and Troy Walters (36 receptions, 3 TD) both making significant contributions a year ago. No. 2 tight end Dallas Clark (29 receptions, 1 TD) comes off a broken leg but should again be a regular target for Manning.

OL: The line returns largely intact, with only tackle Adam Meadows (released) gone from last year's unit. Center Jeff Saturday, left tackle Tarik Glenn, and left guard Rick DeMulling are all fixtures in the trenches, and Ryan Diem, a 13-game starter last season, will move from guard to tackle in Meadows' absence. Steve Sciullo started 13 games last season, but could have trouble holding off Tupe Peko at the primary right guard slot.

DL: Freeney, one of the team's lone defensive playmakers in 2003, will have to be the anchor for a club that ranked just 23rd in the league in sacks last season. Chad Bratzke, who notched 37 sacks in five seasons with the Colts, was released, so left end candidates Raheem Brock (37 tackles, 2 sacks) and Brad Scioli (12 tackles) will attempt to pick up some of the slack. Larry Tripplett (46 tackles, 1 sack) looks to be safe on the interior, and Montae Reagor (25 tackles) and Josh Williams (17 tackles, 1 sack) will compete for time alongside him.

LB: The linebacking corps took a big hit when it lost Marcus Washington, who signed as a free agent with the Redskins. Moving into Washington's former strong side position will be David Thornton (145 tackles, 2 INT), who had a breakthrough year on the weak side a year ago. Filling Thornton's former hole will either be rookie Gilbert Gardner (Purdue) or second-year man Cato June, both of whom will have to play beyond their years. Rob Morris (83 tackles) looks set in the middle, and Jim Nelson (17 tackles) will be among those adding depth.

DB:The Colts released Walt Harris, a 15-game starter at cornerback, meaning Nick Harper (98 tackles, 4 INT) is the most experienced player there. Donald Strickland (47 tackles, 2 INT) should get the call at the other corner after making eight starts in 2003. Joseph Jefferson and fourth-round pick Jason David (Washington State) figure to contribute. The rest of the secondary looks set, with free safety Idrees Bashir (42 tackles, 2 INT) and strong safety Mike Doss (102 tackles, 1 INT) each proving capable last season. Second-round pick Bob Sanders (Iowa) was expected to play right away, but began training camp with a long holdout.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Mike Vanderjagt (37-37 FG) was perfect last season, and will concentrate only on placements if kickoff specialist and seventh-round pick Dave Kimball (Penn State) makes the team. Hunter Smith (42.2 avg.) will begin his sixth year as the Indianapolis punter. Return specialist Brad Pyatt (9.2 punt return avg., 28.6 kickoff return avg.), who had a strong 2003, should once again fill his special teams role.

SCHEDULE: The initial schedule will be tough, as road games with New England (9/9) and Tennessee (9/19) precede the home opener with Green Bay (9/26). Before the season turns the corner, the Colts will have to travel to Kansas City (10/31) in a rematch of a memorable 2003 playoff game. The second half looks a bit simpler, with most of the team's top challenges - Minnesota (11/8), Tennessee (12/5), and Baltimore (10/6) - all coming at the RCA Dome. The regular season finale at Denver (1/2) should get Dungy's team in a playoff frame of mind.

PROGNOSIS: On offense, Indianapolis should be scary good. On defense, they might just be scary. It was no secret that the Colts had glaring defensive weaknesses in 2003, and none of those were suitably addressed in the offseason. In fact, that side of the ball should be worse off in the absence of Washington, Bratzke, and both starting corners (Harris and David Macklin) from last year's AFC title game. Not that the defense was awful in 2003, but it wasn't good enough to lift the team to the Super Bowl. There is only so much Manning and his cronies can do on the offensive side of the ball (and they'll do a lot, once again) to compensate for the defensive holes. The Colts should win the AFC South, barring an uprising by Tennessee, but there's nothing to suggest that the defense has what it takes to be a part of any other type of championship.


Story

 

[TheGeneral+]

Colts 21, Chargers 17

SAN DIEGO - Joe Hamilton has bounced around football's fringes since he was the 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up, playing in Europe, playing indoors and - for one snap - in the NFL.

Hamilton looked like a seasoned NFL veteran Saturday night, coolly taking Indianapolis on a 71-yard drive to the winning touchdown in the Colts' 21-17 preseason victory over San Diego.

"The whole thing was to stay positive. We didn't want go into overtime," said Hamilton, who capped the Colts' come-from-behind win with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Fletcher with 11 seconds remaining.

Hamilton was the fifth quarterback to come into the game, the preseason opener for both teams.

Peyton Manning, who played just six downs for the Colts, was impressed by Hamilton.

"Joe did a great job on the last series," Manning said. "The two-minute drill is something we work on a lot.

"Good poise by him and some great catches by the young receivers."

Manning completed three of his four passes, but did not produce a first down in his brief appearance at the start of the game.

"I didn't expect to play very much," he said. "It kind of felt good."

The Chargers' Drew Brees was sharp while playing the first half, going 11-of-14 for 156 yards, including a wobbly 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates in the first quarter.

Brees guided the Chargers on another long march late in the half, but rookie Nate Kaeding's 25-yard field goal try sailed wide left.

San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer liked Brees' performance, saying, "I thought he played terrific."

The Chargers were without their top offensive threat, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, who earlier in the day became the NFL's highest-paid running back, was held out of the game. He signed an eight-year contract worth nearly $60 million, including $21 million in guarantees.

His deal tops that given Washington's Clinton Portis, who signed an eight-year agreement for $50.5 million.

"Somewhere along the line, L.T. will get a couple of snaps (in the preseason)," Schottenheimer said. "We did that last year. He doesn't need a whole lot of reps. He's proven that."

Tomlinson wasn't concerned that he didn't play.

"Sometime during the preseason, I'll get my snaps," he said. "It really didn't matter to me at all."

Hamilton threw for the winning touchdown after Kaeding put the Chargers ahead with a 27-yard field goal with 3:18 left.

A free agent who played for Orlando in Arena Football this past season after earlier playing for Frankfurt in NFL Europe, Hamilton was signed by the Colts on June 9.

Hamilton, who finished second to Ron Dayne in the Heisman voting, completed 13-of-22 for 132 yards in his debut for the Colts. Considered undersized and taken by Tampa Bay as the 234th player in the 2000 draft, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Hamilton got in just one play for the Buccaneers - and was sacked.

Manning was booed loudly as he trotted onto the field during pregame introductions in San Diego. His younger brother Eli, taken by the Chargers as the first pick in the draft, did not want to play for San Diego.

He immediately was traded to the Giants for Philip Rivers in the deal that also gave San Diego a pick in the third round.

Rivers, a quarterback who was the fourth pick in the draft, also has been a no-show in San Diego, with no contract agreement.

After Indianapolis' David Kimball missed a 52-yard field goal try late in the third quarter, the Chargers tied it 14-14 on Doug Chapman's 6-yard TD early in the fourth quarter. scoring burst up the middle 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Cory Sauter hooked up with Aaron Moorehead for an 80-yard touchdown on Indianapolis' first play of the second half as the Colts took a 14-7 lead.

Notes: The most popular jersey number at the stadium was Tomlinson's No. 21, although his fans didn't get to see their hero play. The second favorite jersey, it seemed as the fans filtered in, was the 55 of Junior Seau, who left for Miami last summer. ... The game was blacked out in San Diego, the first blackout since 1997. The city had guaranteed sellouts by purchasing unused tickets under the Chargers' old lease, but that provision was dropped from the new lease signed in the offseason.


!

 

[TheGeneral+]

Colts provide tough test for revamped defense

While the team across town is trying to figure out whether to start a No. 1 overall pick named Manning or a two-time league MVP named Warner, the Jets bring you the decidedly less fascinating story line of the week: Is Ricky Ray backup material?

Though this is the story of the moment, don't worry. It will fade into the ether with many of the other mundane football topics of August.

Let's face it: If the Jets need their backup quarterback in 2004, as they did last season, it will be time to start looking toward 2005. That goes for whoever the backup quarterback might be - Ray, Brooks Bollinger or a player with the initials TBA.

The more immediate and paramount issue will be an effective defense. The ever-evolving state of that unit will be on display again Saturday night against the Colts' fast-break offense.

"We'll have our hands full," coach Herman Edwards said Friday. "But I think for our young guys, it will be good, because they are playing against a high-powered offense."

Two starters who have missed much of camp with injuries, linebacker Eric Barton (hamstring) and strong safety Reggie Tongue (calf), will be back in some capacity. If they play together, it will be the first glimpse of the Jets' defense as Edwards and Donnie Henderson envisioned it.

They also will get a look at third-round pick Derrick Strait, who has a chance to rebound from a slow start in camp and establish himself as a viable option in personnel groups designed to counter the passing game. With Ray Mickens (knee) out, Strait will be the first nickel back off the sideline.

Though Tongue figures to be in on 15 to 20 plays, fifth-round pick Erik Coleman still could start. Both situations only highlight the Jets' vulnerability in the secondary.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. When the Jets entered the offseason, landing a shutdown cornerback was priority No. 1. The tale of how free agent Antoine Winfield got away is still a sore subject for the Jets.

After Winfield spurned the Jets for Minnesota, the Jets signed free agent David Barrett. There's a reason Barrett got $6 million less in signing bonus than Winfield. Barrett is by all indications a solid, disciplined player, but not the elite coverage cornerback the Jets craved.

"Antoine can play man-to- man. That is one of his traits," Edwards said. "This kid [Barrett] can play man-to-man, too. He is probably not as polished as Antoine Winfield at this point in his career. That is kind of a fair assessment, I think."

The Jets, in turn, have flip- flopped more often than a presidential candidate when it comes to their style of defense. When they hired Henderson in January, they started sending out signals about being more of a man coverage team. Then, after they failed to land Winfield, they drafted Strait out of Oklahoma. Strait proceeded to bewilder reporters on draft day when he announced that he was essentially a zone cornerback for four years in college.

Ditto for Barrett and for the other starting cornerback, Donnie Abraham, whom Edwards groomed in Tampa Bay's cover-2 system.

"The cards you have are the ones you have to play," Edwards said.

It turns out the Jets will mix coverages based on the matchups each week, but when it comes to man coverage, the matchups rarely will be in their favor. The Jets' brass internally acknowledges this.

"We started off slow," Henderson said. "It's a concern, let's be honest. But I'll tell you what, with our camp structure and with what we're dealing with, guys are coming along pretty quickly."

Notes & quotes: Chad Pennington and the other members of the starting offense are expected to play into the second quarter. Ray, trying to gain the coaches' confidence, will play into the fourth ... P Toby Gowin (groin) will hold for field goals, but Brian Simjanovski will handle the punting.

Tonight

Jets at

Indianapolis

7 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Radio: ESPN (1050), WADO (1280)

Strory

 

[TheGeneral+]

Jets 31, Colts 7

Chad Pennington was nearly perfect and the New York Jets' defense was good enough to make a difference.

That combination was more than enough to fluster the Indianapolis Colts.

Pennington outplayed NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning for the second straight time, and the opportunistic Jets defense led New York Jets to a 31-7 victory in the first preseason meeting between the longtime ex-AFC East rivals.

"It's preseason football and each team is working on different things," Pennington said. "My guys did a good job of just making plays. That's what it boils down to in the NFL."

For the Colts (1-1), it was a forgettable night.

The problems began with a potentially season-ending injury to wide receiver Troy Walters and ended with an abysmal 52-yard performance in the second half.

New York's ability to seemingly do everything right only compounded the problems.

Pennington completed his first 10 passes and finished 10 of 11 for 169 yards with one touchdown. Defensively, Donnie Abraham picked off Manning in the end zone to kill one drive, and John Abraham recovered two fumbles -- one stopping a Colts drive, the other setting up Doug Brien's field goal.

"There's not really a whole lot good to say about that one, other than, maybe, the Jets' performance," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "It's very disappointing to play like that in your home opener."

Still, it wasn't as if the Jets (1-1) were flawless.

Both teams expected to see improved defenses. Instead, they witnessed a first half that looked like a carbon copy of last year's regular-season meeting.

In November, the teams combined for 862 yards in the Colts' 38-31 victory. On Saturday, they combined for 535 yards, 390 coming in the first half when the regulars played.

Pennington's 149.1 rating Saturday was slightly lower than his perfect rating of 158.3 in November.

Manning completed 6 of 12 passes for 85 yards with one touchdown and one interception before leaving in the second quarter.

The Jets' biggest problem was stopping the run after finishing 28th in the NFL last season. Edgerrin James played just four series, and still carried 12 times for 62 yards -- about half of his 127-yard effort last year.

The difference Saturday was a turnaround in turnovers. The Jets were last in the league in 2003 with just 20. But the three they forced Saturday changed the game.

"The thing that bailed us out was that we got some turnovers," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "That was good to see."

The Colts' problems started early.

Six plays in, Walters, who replaced injured tight end Dallas Clark in the starting lineup, took a hard, high shot from Jets safety Jon McGraw. Walters broke his right arm, an injury Dungy said would keep him out at least a couple of months and possibly the rest of the year.

Then things got worse.

New York quashed the Colts' first drive with Donnie Abraham's interception in the end zone. After John Abraham's first fumble recovery, late in the first quarter, Pennington hooked up with Jonathan Carter, who beat Colts cornerback Nick Harper and made a juggling catch for a 65-yard gain to the Colts' 7. Three plays later, Pennington connected with Chris Baker for a 1-yard touchdown pass. He then hooked up with Justin McCareins on the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 13:17 left in the half.

"We gave up a deep ball with a guy we know is going to go deep," Dungy said of Carter. "Last year, we didn't know who No. 84 was. This year, we did."

Manning countered with a 3-yard TD to Bryan Fletcher, the starters' first scoring drive of the preseason. John Abraham's second fumble recovery set up the first of three field goals by Brien, a 27-yarder.

Ian Smart closed it out with a 1-yard TD run and 59-yard punt return for a touchdown.

"We made some plays, and some of the guys played well, but we've still got a lot of work to do," Edwards said. "There's still a long ways to get where we want to go."

Notes:

Longtime NFL announcer Pat Summerall broadcast the game for ESPN. Summerall pinch-hit for Mike Patrick, who recently underwent triple-bypass heart surgery. ... Indiana's homegrown rocker, John Cougar Mellencamp, performed at halftime. ... Colts Pro Bowl kicker Mike Vanderjagt was presented with The Sporting News' 2003 Golden Toe Award at halftime. Vanderjagt punted in place of Hunter Smith, who sat out with a tender groin. ... New York offensive lineman Pete Kendall replaced Brent Smith in the starting lineup at right guard.

http://sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Troy Walters broke his right arm on the first series of the Colts' preseason game against the New York Jets and may miss the rest of the season.

Walters was injured when Peyton Manning tried to throw a deep pass over the middle. As Walters looked up and reached for the ball, New York Jets safety Jon McGraw closed fast and hit him hard around the shoulders. Walters crashed to the ground and lay on the field for several minutes, surrounded by four doctors and Colts coach Tony Dungy.

When Walters finally got up, he walked from the field straight to the locker room, aided by doctors.

After the Colts' 31-7 loss, Dungy said that Walters would miss at least a couple of months and may not play again this year. It's the first major injury the Colts have had since players reported to training camp Aug. 1.

"There's a good chance he could be out for the year," Dungy said. "It doesn't look like it will be short term for sure."

Last season, Walters set career-highs with 36 receptions, 456 yards and three touchdowns. He started as the Colts' third receiver Saturday night when tight end Dallas Clark could not play because of an injured right ankle. Clark was hurt in practice Thursday, Aug. 18, and missed the Colts' final two training camp practices.


http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/IND/7601535

 

[TheGeneral+]

Sanders now NFL's last man sitting

Andre Sommersell was Mr. Irrelevant of the 2004 NFL draft. The Oakland Raiders made the Colorado State linebacker the final pick of the seven-round process, No. 255 overall.

Sommersell was the last player drafted, but not the last signed.

Bob Sanders
That distinction belongs to Iowa safety Bob Sanders.

With the San Diego Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers coming to terms Monday, Sanders, selected 44th overall by the Indianapolis Colts, is the only player from the Class of '04 without a contract.

The stalemate between the team and Neil Cornrich, Sanders' agent, reached 24 days Tuesday. It has cost Sanders rookie training camp, two preseason games and any realistic hope of contributing when the Colts open the regular season Sept. 9 at New England.

Team president Bill Polian refused an interview request Tuesday to discuss Sanders' situation. Cornrich did not return a telephone call Tuesday.

Polian last discussed Sanders' negotiations with The Star on Aug. 5. He said the team offered two proposals in line with those received by players selected "within five picks of (Sanders) on either side." That would be in keeping with the draft's so-called "slotting" system.

Polian added one proposal was a straight four-year contract, and the other was a five-year offer with a provision that voids the fifth year.

Cornrich has declined on several occasions to discuss specifics.

It isn't known whether the Colts have reduced their offer considering the time Sanders has missed. What is clear is neither side is budging.

The Colts signed their other eight picks, and all were at training camp when it opened Aug. 1.

Sanders' absence, though, is taking on historic proportions. His holdout is the Colts' second-longest by a rookie since 1987, when they were unable to sign linebacker Cornelius Bennett, eventually trading the second overall pick to Buffalo. Offensive tackle Tarik Glenn missed 25 days in 1997.

It's difficult to determine how Sanders' holdout ranks across the league. Lengthy holdouts are common for first-round picks but rare when they involve players selected after the first round.

In 2001, Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, the first pick of the second round by San Diego, signed Aug. 7. In 2000, cornerback Mark Roman, drafted 34th by Cincinnati, signed Aug. 9.

One of the longest holdouts by a non-first-round pick occurred in 1993 when cornerback Ryan McNeil, a second-round pick, missed all of Detroit's training camp and signed Aug. 26, the day before the Lions' final preseason game.

McNeil's situation was similar to Sanders. He was the Lions' first pick, the 33rd overall. In April, the Colts traded out of the first round and chose Sanders with their initial selection.

There are no guidelines to determine how Sanders' absence will affect his rookie year. In April, the Colts envisioned him competing for a starting spot. But in early August, Polian said Sanders had not recovered from a stress fracture to his right foot that forced him to miss the team's minicamp and summer school.

Coach Tony Dungy is taking a wait-and-see approach and hasn't written off Sanders for '04.

"I wouldn't say there is a point of no return," he said. "It's one of those things you aren't going to know until he gets here. You won't know until you see what kind of condition he's in physically and how much he's retained and how quickly he comes on.

"Everybody's different. We've had some guys (hold out), then come in and play well. Other guys haven't."

Sanders will play catch-up once he signs, but his learning curve won't be compounded by ill feelings from the team.

"We won't punish him when he gets back and say you can't start if you're good enough or you can't play because you held out," Dungy said.

"If he's good enough and he can help us, he'll play. If he's missed too much time and he can't help us, he'll wait 'til next year."


http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/173029-8170-036.html