INDIANAPOLIS – Bye week for the Colts means it's time to hear from the team's assistant coaches.
Here were 6 things learned on Wednesday from listening to quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, wide receivers coach Lee Hull and defensive backs coach Greg Williams.
Quarterbacks Coach Brian Schottenheimer
- Schottenheimer continues to heap the praise of how "coachable" Andrew Luck is: "He's so open to trying different things and that's a breath of fresh air." That side of Luck has allowed the staff to drill the need for footwork improvement out of No. 12, which has led to a career-high in completion percentage so far this season.
- Schottenheimer does want Luck to continue to limit his turnovers, while also making quicker decisions through his progressions post-snap: "Quarterbacks have a time clock. They all do. He tends to push it sometimes, just because he trusts himself. Then of course he's able to improvise when things aren't there."
Offensive Line Coach Joe Philbin
- After six different starting line combinations in nine games this season, Philbin is seeing some progress up front. Phiblin did say on Wednesday that the unit must do a better job at handling twists: "Some of it is our opponents have done a good job scheming against of us, some of it is our communication skills, some of it is the sheer repetition point of seeing it more and that type of speed. All those things contribute to the twists. Certainly we've done some good things against the twist game, but that's an area we've identified in these couple of days, when we've taken a harder look at ourselves. I've certainly studied the hits, the sacks, looked at them all and in that scenario we have to get better."
- As you would expect, Philbin has seen the needed reliability out of rookie center Ryan Kelly: "Ryan has never flinched. I think that's the biggest thing that's been impressive. He takes it all in. He's been an extremely hard worker both in the classroom. It takes extra time when you're a center, especially when you're the first-year type. We've been in some tough atmospheres, Sunday Night Football in Houston and last week and some complex defenses and those types of things and he's really done a nice job with all that. I think he's starting to play better. I think the game is starting to slow down for him a little bit. I think the first couple weeks the game was a little fast."
Wide Receivers Coach Lee Hull
- Hull was asked about the development of second-year receiver Phillip Dorsett. Hull says the Colts are trying to expand the route tree for Dorsett, after injuries limited him to just 11 gams as a rookie: "You see that he has good hands. He has caught some difficult balls. It's not about catching the ball. It's about becoming a complete receiver, as far as route running is concerned and all the little details, getting in and out of your break, not being one dimensional. That's what we don't want. We want him to be a complete receiver."
Defensive Backs Coach Greg Williams
- On Sunday, rookie safety T.J. Green got his second NFL start. Green is still very young in his safety experience, but Williams has liked what the second-round pick has done from a mental standpoint: "He's very committed to putting the work into his craft and being a quality NFL safety. He asks multiple questions. He's always asking. He's always learning. And hopefully we all see progress in him week in and week out."
