ANDERSON – The conclusion of three consecutive two-a-days came to a close on Tuesday afternoon but not before the Colts strapped on the pads for the first time in the 2012 training camp.
After a morning walk-through was forced inside due to possible inclement weather, the afternoon practice saw a lot of red zone work in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
"Obviously we spent a great deal of today on situational stuff. A lot of red zone work," Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano said. "There were great things by both sides of the football, good execution at times on offense and defensively some guys made some big plays down there."
Quarterback Andrew Luck had another successful day including a beautiful fade pattern for a touchdown to which wide receiver Reggie Wayne adjusted nicely while the ball was in the air.
The situational drills ending practice included a pair of field goals by kicker Adam Vinatieri.
"Our whole mindset down there (red zone), working the red area is offensively we got three points, let's keep the three points," Pagano said. "If we can score a touchdown, that's our mindset, that's our goal is to score and score a touchdown, but an incomplete pass is okay. Don't try and force things."
The highlight defensively came off a tipped pass that outside linebacker Jerry Hughes picked off for the lone turnover on the afternoon.
"Defensively, when you're down there (the mindset) is they're not scoring," Pagano said. "We're going to force a field goal or force a turnover. That's the mindset we have for the red area."
The afternoon saw hitting all around the practice field but the defense knows when to hold up its teammates.
"It's a marathon not a sprint," safety Antoine Bethea said. "Like we said, no cheap shots, mano-a-mano, thud up and here to see another day."
Following practice on Tuesday, Pagano did address some unfortunate injury news regarding offensive lineman Ben Ijalana and linebacker A.J. Edds.
"We talked last night in the team meeting once we got the results back, both have significant knee injuries, both are ACLs. Obviously, they're done for the year which is really, really sad," Pagano said.
Pagano said he expects to make a roster move in the next few days but for now the Colts will enjoy their first day off of training camp before returning to practice on Thursday.
"It will be great. Well-deserved time for coaches and players," Pagano said.
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PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
Tuesday's practice highlight came from quarterback Chandler Harnish finding wide receiver Kris Adams who made a nice sideline catch. Wide receivers Donnie Avery and Reggie Wayne both made impressive touchdown catches while getting both feet down near the sideline.
PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
Safety Antoine Bethea on what pads can determine about teammates:
"Aggression, see who is physical, just see what type of guys that you really have. See what type of guys you will be out there on Sunday with. We really don't want a guy out there turning down hits and stuff like that. So today we'll see what kind of heart some guys have. We can just build on from there."
PAGANO SAYS
Coach Chuck Pagano on what he is looking for when the pads go on:
"See who will put their hat on people, strap the 'Riddell' on and see who's going to put the screws of that 'Riddell' on people and take people on. Guys that will come off and fire off the offensive line, and we talked about we've got to be able to run the football and stop the run period. That's our mindset and that's the mindset we are trying to develop."
TRIVIA QUIZ
In the last three seasons, three current Colts players have been named to multiple all-rookie teams. Two were named in 2009 and one was named in 2010. Who were the three players?
CAMP SCHEDULE
After concluding their third set of two-a-days to begin training camp, the Colts players will have an off day from the practice field on Wednesday. Players will be back at it on Thursday with an open practice to the public scheduled from 1:50-4:30 p.m.
WHO'S COVERING THE COLTS
Tuesday's practice was filled with national media as NFL Films, NFL Network and Sirius NFL Radio all made their way to Anderson. NFL Network was live in Anderson during the afternoon practice with Albert Breer in attendance.
WEATHER REPORT
The weather in Anderson on Monday was a high of 88 degrees as some cloud cover and slight breeze greeted the fans during most of the afternoon practice. The Colts have an off day on Wednesday and the weather forecast for Thursday calls for 92 degrees with partly sunny skies and a 10 percent chance of rain.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Tuesday's Trivia Question: In the last three seasons, three Colts players have been named to multiple all-rookie teams. Two were named in 2009 and one was named in 2010. Who were the three players?
Answer: Wide receiver Austin Collie and punter Pat McAfee in 2009. Collie caught 60 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in 2009. McAfee averaged 44.3 yards a punt in 2009 including 21 of his 64 punts being downed inside the 20-yard line. Linebacker Pat Angerer in 2010. Angerer played every game in his rookie season, including starting 11 games in 2010, registering 75 tackles.
