It is not a normal week for the Colts.
For one, the team is preparing to move its base of operation from Anderson, Ind., back to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis.
Also, the Colts only have three days to prepare for their next preseason game.
And, it's the team's first road trip, as well.
"It's different," Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said. "What it does is get your team ready to make some adjustments; things they aren't accustomed to doing. You can see what kind of focus they're going to have. We'll use this as an opportunity to prepare for our road trips. We're going to have some that will be at night. We're going to have some that will require a little bit of different travel. This one's out of the country so it will put our guys to the test a little bit."
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning agrees that the game Thursday against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, Canada, will be good practice for the team as the regular season gets closer.
"I think in the preseason it is always said, that you want to experience as many things as possible in the games. A road game, the crowd noise, all of those types of things, especially for those guys that will be playing, the more you can put them through in the preseason and in practice, out here in these scrimmages, the better served they are going to be. I think it will be a good test, and I don't really know what kind of crowd to expect up there in Toronto, but it will be good for those guys."
While Caldwell says the goal in Toronto is to get better prepared for the regular season, he is also happy to help showcase the Colts to new fans.
"I think it's going to be fun, obviously anytime you have the opportunity to go to an area where some guys haven't been before and play a really solid football team. Some enthusiastic fans that will have an opportunity to see us for the first time up close and personal. We're looking forward to it."
"WORK IN PROGRESS"
Colts third-string quarterback Tom Brandstater completed 8-of-12 passes for 34 yards during Sunday's preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. After coming in to relieve Curtis Painter, Brandstater hit tight end Jacob Tamme for a touchdown late in that contest, while also throwing an interception.
Brandstater acknowledged that he is still learning the offensive system and had not played football in while, so it felt good to get back out on the field. Brandstater also stated the Colts offense was the sixth one in six years he has learned.
"The coaches and the other quarterbacks are helping me out a lot," Brandstater said. "It is a lot to digest in a short amount of time, but that is no excuse. I need to get to the point where the other guys are at now. It is a work in progress for me.
"The guys that didn't play in the Super Bowl last year haven't played for a while. We have been off since basically January 1, so it was fun to get out there and play some real football again and get hit again."
Indianapolis claimed Brandstater off of waivers from Denver in early June and Caldwell seemed pleased with the strides the new quarterback has made in such a short time.
"(Tom) is just coming along and we are getting a feel for him," Caldwell said. "Obviously, he came in a little bit late during OTA's, so he is getting a feel for our offense and it was good to see him work (Sunday)."
PLAY OF THE DAY
Towards the end of evening practice Tuesday, QB-Peyton Manning thrilled the fans by unleashing a long pass down the sideline to WR-Anthony Gonzalez, who caught it at the 20-yard line and took it all the way into the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown.
TRANSACTIONS
The Colts have signed free agent defensive back Terrell Skinner and placed defensive backs Jamie Silva and Donye' McCleskey on waived/injured, the club announced Tuesday.
Skinner (6-2, 214), a rookie from Maryland, originally signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in April.
The Colts announced earlier in the week that Silva, a third-year veteran, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last Sunday's game against San Francisco.
NOTE OF THE DAY
Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark have hooked up for 41 touchdowns. They rank as the third-most prolific QB-TE touchdown duo in NFL history. The all-time high is 45 touchdowns by QB-Drew Bledsoe and TE-Ben Coates of the Patriots.
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CALDWELL SAYS
"I think his leadership has been outstanding at this point in time because he does have a lot of younger guys around him, so he's able to give them some instruction and direction. Ryan is a guy that is a true professional. He had a couple things going on in his life early on with the new baby, but nevertheless he's done a good job so far." – Caldwell on OT-Ryan Diem
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It is hard to compare them to other camps. Certainly the injury situation is present every single year, but there have been a number of guys that have missed the majority of this camp, which is tough to get timing with those guys. But it is an opportunity for younger guys to step in and that can play a pivotal role early in the season, potentially, but definitely late in the season. Some of these young guys, young lineman, and young tight ends got some work and you hope that pays off for you. You try to turn it into a positive. The guys have worked hard and that has been important. Hopefully we can keep doing that this week and really once we get back to Indianapolis, because we are not in the regular season yet. I still consider it training camp mode. It is football. It is trying to get the Colts better. I think the more we can keep that mentality the better off we will be." – QB-Peyton Manning on this year's training camp compared to past camps.
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The Colts held two practices on Tuesday. The first started at 8:30 a.m. and ran nearly two hours. The second practice began at 7:30 p.m and went for two hours. The Colts' final practice of training camp in Anderson is Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.
WEATHER REPORT
The weather in Anderson on Tuesday was sunny with a high temperature of 82 degrees according to weather.com. Wednesday's weather calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 81 degrees.
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