INDIANAPOLIS – Playing the Texans in Reliant Stadium on Sunday could mean homecomings in different regards for two Colts offensive stars.
For running back Joseph Addai, it would mean returning to his hometown, where he starred at Sharpstown High School. For wide receiver Austin Collie, it would mean a return to an NFL playing field after a difficult 2010 season.
Both are veterans for Indianapolis, with Addai having twice the experience in entering his sixth year to Collie's third. For Addai, it is a business trip first. Any personal matters come second.
"The funny thing is I just came back from home. We had two days off, so it's like a double vacation for me," said Addai, who visited his hometown after the Colts finished preseason play last week. "It's always good to go home. The first game of my rookie year I didn't look at it like, 'I'm going home.' We were coming back right after the game, so I always treated it like a business trip, because it is a business trip. So I'm going about it like that. We have Cleveland after this game and Pittsburgh after that, and that's how I'm treating it. I'm not treating it like, 'Oh, its Houston and I've got to do a little extra. I've got to do all that.' Tickets might be the biggest thing (problem in going home) in this one. But I'm treating it the same way."
Addai has rushed for 632 yards and six touchdowns on 137 attempts in nine outings against Houston. He still has a number of followers in his hometown who keep up with his efforts, especially against the Texans. They needle him about those games.
"There's always the competition thing, but it's love at the end of the day," said Addai. "They never want to see me hurt, never want to see me do bad, but they've always got to root for the home team first."
Addai was a first-team 5A All-State choice who played quarterback as well. He rushed for almost 1,500 yards and scored 26 rushing touchdowns as a senior before starring at LSU.
Collie hopes to return to the lineup this Sunday after a difficult 2010 season. He knows the approach will be the same for the veteran offense despite the absence of Peyton Manning.
"Just do your job. I think that's kind of the headline this week," said Collie. "We always have that 'Next Man Up' (motto) no matter what position. I think with the new guy in (Collins), we've been in this system for a little bit longer. You have guys like Reggie (Wayne) and Dallas (Clark) and Jeff (Saturday) and (Ryan) Diem who are going to continue to take ownership of the offense, and we're just going to fall in right behind them. (For me it's) mainly just doing my job and making sure when the ball's thrown my way (to) catch it and make a play."
Collie caught 60 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games as a rookie, then hauled in 58 passes for 649 yards and eight scores in starting six of nine games last year.
Collie had 11 receptions for 163 yards and a 73-yard touchdown in the 2010 opener at Houston. He had 12 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns two weeks later at Denver. He had scoring receptions in five of the first six games in 2010 and when he opened the season with TD receptions in four consecutive games, he became only the third Colts player ever to do so. Collie had eight receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns in less than a half in his final game last year against Jacksonville. He hopes to maintain his production and comfort in the offense.
"I was in a groove last year, and I think that was kind of what was so disappointing," said Collie about his injuries. "I was in the zone and I was really feeling it. Everything was kind of slowing down for me, and I hope it continues that way in this first week. I know it's probably going to be a little bit faster, just because I haven't played in such a long time. But hopefully I can get back in a groove and continue playing the way I did."
COLTS FRIDAY NOTEBOOK:
A large media contingent with two national outlets met head coach Jim Caldwell in the media room at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Questions continued about the injury to quarterback Peyton Manning and his loss to the club for an undetermined period.
Caldwell was asked about Manning's absence and if outside observers predicting a tough time for the club would create a rallying cry for his 53-man squad. Caldwell pointed to the players' and organization's past approach to external voices.
"We've never been a team that has had to resort to being motivated by external circumstances and what people say and think," said Caldwell. "Our men show a lot of resolve in a lot of very difficult situations. We try to talk to them in that regard, that's part of my job. I do think that our guys are focused, ready to go and not really concerned about anything other than the fact that our mission is to win. We don't make excuses, and we expect our guys to be able to step up and perform the way we anticipate they are capable of performing."
CALDWELL QUOTE-UNQUOTE: (on uniqueness of Manning) "There's only one Peyton Manning. I've mentioned this and said it several times, we probably won't see another one like him in our lifetime. It's a blow and it's not an easy thing, but that's what this game is all about. You have to find a way to get your team together, work around some difficult situations and move ahead." (on if there is a benefit for players now to know for certain he is out for a period) "There's no benefit not having him, obviously. It's not the kind of news you'd like to have, plain and simple. That's the best way I can explain it to you." (on if this helps the team's focus knowing he will be missed for a while) "That's kind of been our approach all along is that it's something, and kind of our mantra around here, that we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. So we try to get our team focused in on that as soon as we possibly can, and we began that process a little while back. But I think our guys, we have a mature bunch and we're fortunate to have a number of great veterans. We have probably eight or nine guys who have been involved in 100 or more victories. These guys have been around the block a little bit, so there's a lot of experience and knowledge. They've been through a lot, so we are fortunate in that respect. I think our team is focused, and we're getting ready to go."
REGGIE WAYNE QUOTE-UNQUOTE: (on dealing with outsiders' gloom and doom for Colts without Peyton Manning) "What's you going to do about it? (There's) nothing you can do but either let it go on deaf ears or you let it bother you. I think everybody in this locker room has dealt with it the same way and that's not let it bother us at all. We don't feel like we need to prove anything to anybody. We're going to go out there and it's going to be the same mentality. We want to go out there and win. We just want to play football, and that's not going to change whether it's 18 (Manning) playing quarterback, or number 5 (Collins) playing quarterback, or number 7 (Painter) playing quarterback and if they decide to play 87 (Wayne) at quarterback, I'll go out there and I'm sure they're (players) going to rally around me also. Let's go out there and play football. Nothing's changed." (on Collins having talented teammates and not having to do things by himself) "We have plenty of talent around here. We have plenty of Pro Bowlers. We have guys who probably should have been in the Pro Bowl who haven't made it. This is definitely a team sport, no matter how you look at it. It's not golf. It's not tennis. It's not Pop Warner football where one guy can dominate and you have to put the rule in that he can only score four touchdowns at once. It's a team sport. It's something that everybody collectively is going to have to go out there and play. Is Peyton important? Absolutely. It's no different than myself, Jeff Saturday or whoever. Everybody's got something to do when you go out there on that field…We have to 'man up,' just like we have to do every week if we were a 100 percent healthy team. It's going to be fun. Guys have the same M.O., the same motto…Nothing's changed, play football." (on if he is curious or confident with Collins) "I'm confident. He's done a great job. When Sunday gets here, it will give him a whopping 18 days (with the team). I think he's picked up pretty good…(He) picked (it) up faster than I actually thought he would. He's done a great job. He still has a great ball. I haven't seen him throw a 'wobbler' yet. It's a nice spiral. He's still got some zip on it. I'm excited." (on the reason for the patriotic gloves and shoes he plans to wear Sunday) "To just honor that day. To honor everybody who lost loved ones or lost their lives, families and their lost loved ones and friends. It's a sad day for America, but it's also a day we all feel like needs to be recognized."
KERRY COLLINS QUOTE-UNQUOTE: (on if Peyton Manning being out a while changes how he approaches the season) "Not really. I'm so focused on what's going on day-to-day. To look too far ahead in the future is really worthless. We're aware of the situation, and I'm aware of the situation. But I've been so focused on getting ready this week that I haven't really put a while lot of thought into it." (on if he knew when he signed that Manning would be gone a while) "No, I didn't. Obviously, there were a lot of questions still out there when I came here but at the same time, I think no one really saw this coming. Part of the game is having to adapt and to take on new challenges, and that's what this team is faced with right now." (on how different the offense will look with him at QB) "Peyton's so unique in the things he does, and I don't think anybody expects me to go out there and run the offense like Peyton Manning. That's a whole other ballgame that we're talking about. I know I'm very comfortable with what we're doing, and it's going to be a lot of the same things as far as what this offense asks of the quarterback."
WEEKLY PRACTICE/STATUS REPORT
WEDNESDAY PRACTICE REPORT
OUT (Definitely will not play – QB-Peyton Manning (neck)
DID NOT PRACTICE – LB-Gary Brackett (not injury related)
LIMITED PRACTICE – WR-Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring), WR-Blair White (back)
FULL PRACTICE – S-Antoine Bethea (hamstring), WR-Austin Collie (foot)
THURSDAY PRACTICE REPORT
OUT (Definitely will not play – QB-Peyton Manning (neck)
LIMITED PRACTICE – WR-Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring), WR-Blair White (back)
FULL PRACTICE – S-Antoine Bethea (hamstring), WR-Austin Collie (foot)
FRIDAY PRACTICE REPORT
OUT (Definitely will not play – QB-Peyton Manning (neck)
DID NOT PRACTICE – DT-Drake Nevis (foot)
LIMITED PRACTICE – WR-Blair White (back)
FULL PRACTICE – S-Antoine Bethea (hamstring), WR-Austin Collie (foot), WR-Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring)
FRIDAY STATUS REPORT
OUT – QB-Peyton Manning (neck)
QUESTIONABLE – S-Antoine Bethea (hamstring), WR-Austin Collie (foot), WR-Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring), DT-Drake Nevis (foot), WR-Blair White (back)
