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ANDERSON – The grind of two-a-days practice in Anderson University has come to an
end for the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts held their final two-a-day practice on Wednesday and have a scheduled night practice open to fans starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening.
Head Coach Chuck Pagano said he was proud of how his team practiced following the Rams game with a day in pads on Tuesday and back in shells Wednesday afternoon.
"I told them in the locker room after Sunday's game with Monday off their biggest challenge would be complacency, read the papers a little bit, start patting yourself on the back," Pagano said.
"They pushed through it pretty good and they pushed through today. It was a long practice, got a lot accomplished so I feel good heading into the rest of this week and then heading to Pittsburgh."
Most of the attention on Wednesday afternoon was on the middle linebacker position and the play of Jerrell Freeman.
With the loss of linebacker Pat Angerer, it was Freeman who got the first crack at filling the void.
"(Freeman) knows the system. He understands the call," Pagano said. "It's a great opportunity for him to go out there and play with the first unit and show what he can do."
Freeman has been with the Colts since January 19, and after three years in the Canadian Football League he is finally where he has wanted to be his entire life.
"It's the NFL, right? I'm from Texas. All we know is football, so, of course, you want to play in the NFL," said Freeman. "It definitely it's a dream to play here."
On the positive injury news front, defensive end Cory Redding will see his first game action with the Colts on Sunday.
Redding sat out the preseason opener with the Rams due to an elbow injury, but he is glad to be back on the field this week playing against some familiar foes.
During Redding's last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, he faced the Pittsburgh Steelers five times.
Even though it is still the preseason, Redding knows this game will have a little extra meaning in front of a nationally-televised audience.
"I've already said my piece to the guys on what this game is going to be about. We don't take this game lightly because it is preseason," Redding said.
"These boys are going to put those pads on and are going to be ready to play. They took a loss against the Eagles but are now back at home, going against their old offensive coordinator (Bruce Arians), so it's a lot of things built up on this game. Even though it's a preseason game it's going to be pretty big."
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
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The secondary had another nice afternoon in Anderson on Wednesday. Cornerbacks Justin King, Cameron Chism and D.J. Johnson all had interceptions. The big plays from the offense were scarce, but wide receiver LaVon Brazill did make a leaping catch over the middle of the field early in practice. Quarterback Drew Stanton finished off a two-minute drill, with a threaded touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Ross.
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PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
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Defensive end Cory Redding on losing linebacker Pat Angerer and the need for someone to step up:
"That's one of the things about this league that makes it so great, is it's a brotherhood. When one guy goes down, the next man steps up, snd that next man has to treat his job like he's a starter. When he comes in we shouldn't miss a beat. He comes in there, he gets all the calls, knows the signals as well. It's just having that mentality of when one man goes down the next man steps up. Regardless of what happens, he gets the job done."
COACH PAGANO SAYS
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Head Coach Chuck Pagano on if the starters will play the same amount they played last week:
"I think we'll try to extend them a little bit. You always try to extend them in the second preseason (game) and try and get a quarter and a half, two quarters for most of the guys. We'll look for a little bit of extended playing time in this second ballgame."
NOTE OF THE DAY
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The Colts are scheduled to have many former players at Thursday evening's practice. The list includes: Bill Brooks, Rick DeMulling, Ray Donaldson, Stan Eisenhooth, Tarik Glenn, Mark Herrmann, Darvell Huffman, Danny Kight, Chuckie Nwokorie, Mike Prior, Gary Padien, Tony Walker, Devon McDonald, Roosevelt Potts, Damon Watts, Reggie Thornton and Hunter Smith.
TRIVIA QUIZ
Wednesday's Trivia Question: The Colts drafted four offensive players to start the 2012 NFL Draft and chose a total of eight offensive players. When was the last time the Colts started off a draft selecting that many offensive players? Also, when was the last time the Colts took that many offensive players in a draft?
WHO'S COVERING THE COLTS
NBC Sports was in Anderson on Wednesday as the Colts prepare for a nationally-televised contest with the Steelers this Sunday. Analyst Cris Collinsworth and producer Fred Gaudelli, two of the finest in the business, were on hand. Sky Sports from the United Kingdom was also in Anderson on Wednesday.
CAMP SCHEDULE
Wednesday marked the final two-a-day of the 2012 training camp for the Colts. A final night practice is open to fans beginning Thursday evening at 6:30-9:00 p.m. before the Colts break camp on Friday.
WEATHER REPORT
Warmer temperatures and sunny skies greeted the Colts all day Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s for Thursday's night practice with a chance for isolated showers.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Wednesday's Trivia Question: The Colts drafted four offensive players to start the 2012 NFL Draft and chose a total of eight offensive players. When was the last time the Colts started off a draft selecting that many offensive players? Also, when was the last time the Colts took that many offensive players in a draft?
Answer: In 1998, the Colts chose quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Jerome Pathon, wide receiver E.G. Green and offensive guard Steve McKinney with their first four picks in that draft. Since the draft moved from 12 rounds in 1992, the 2012 draft is the most offensive players selected. In 1991, the Colts drafted nine offensive players over the course of 12 rounds.
