Agreement to Return Training Camp to Terre Haute Near,
Polian Says
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts have trained at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., for the last nine seasons.
Bill Polian said returning for a 10th is becoming a stronger possibility.
"It looks as though it's Terre Haute again," Polian, entering his 11th season as the Colts' President, said Sunday during the NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome in downtown Indianapolis.
"It's not firmed up yet, but it's moving closer."
Polian said while the deal is not done, Rose-Hulman "is right for us."
"I would say we're in the homestretch," he said. "Our time frame (for reaching an agreement) has long since passed, but we're close."
A quick look at several other topics Polian covered Sunday:
• On not having a first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft: "First of all, we have (2007 second-round selection) Tony Ugoh, who stepped in and played left tackle for us - and played well – for a year, so I don't regret that. Secondly, we'll just have to do a better job of picking two, three, four, five, six and seven. That's all." The Colts traded their 2008 first-round selection for the rights to the San Francisco 49ers' 2007 second-round selection, which they used to select Ugoh.
• On the strongest position thus far at the Combine: "It's obviously running back. You could have half a dozen (selected) in the first round. You could probably make an argument for four in the Top 10, depending on what your needs were. That, to me, is clearly the strongest position I've seen thus far."
• On an injury sustained at the combine by Florida State wide receiver De'Cody Fagg on Sunday: "It's a shame. On the other hand, it seems every year we find a player – not the Colts, but the Combine – who has a condition that's life-threatening if he continues to play football. So, that's a good thing that these things are checked out." Fagg was taken from the RCA Dome Field on Sunday on a stretcher. The extent of the injury was not initially known.
• On why teams having a successor in place for the head coaching position – as is the case with Colts Associate Head Coach Jim Caldwell set to succeed Tony Dungy – not likely becoming a league-wide trend: "It's almost a perfect storm. You have to have a guy on your coaching staff who you believe is the right person. He has to be willing to stay for a specified or unspecified period of time at a number less than he would make on the open market as a head coach. And then, before that ever begins, you have to be in a winning organization almost de factor, because why would you want to promote someone in a losing situation? You're probably looking for a clean sweep. You have to have a winning team. You have to have a guy on board. And that guy has to be willing to stay." The Colts announced Caldwell as Dungy's successor in July, shortly before the Seattle Seahawks announced that assistant head coach Jim Mora will succeed head Coach Mike Holmgren after the coming season. There is no timetable on Dungy retiring.
MEASURABLES RELEASED: Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, widely believed likely to be a Top 5 overall selection, did little to hurt his draft status Sunday, turning in the second-best 40-yard dash times among running backs working out at the Combine.
McFadden ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds, second among running backs only to Chris Johnson (4.24) of East Carolina. Anthony Aldridge of Houston ran a 4.36, with Jamaal Charles of Texas-Austin running a 4.38 and Chad Simpson of Morgan State running a 4.42.
Among offensive linemen, tackle Jeremy Zuttah of Rutgers ran a 4.99, followed by guard Donald Thomas (5.0) of Connecticut, center Mike Pollak (5.02) of Arizona State, tackle Duane Brown (5.08) of Virginia Tech and tackle Heath Benedict (5.09) of Newberry.
Among tight ends, Dustin Keller of Purdue ran a 4.55, followed by Jacob Tamme (4.58) of Kentucky, Craig Stevens (4.59) of Cal-Berkeley, Kellen Davis (4.6) of Michigan State and Brad Cotton (4.63) of Tennessee.
Among quarterbacks, Joshua Nson of San Diego ran a 4.55, followed by Kevin O'Connell (4.61) of San Diego State, Bernard Morris (4.68) of Marshall, Adam Tafralis (4.78) of San Jose State and Matthew Flynn (4.79) and Louisiana State.
Among wide receivers, DeSean Jackson of Cal-Berkeley ran a 4.35, followed by Andre Caldwell (4.37) of Florida, William Franklin (4.37) of Missouri, Dexter Jackson (4.37) of Appalachian State and Willie Royal (4.39) of Virginia Tech.
Vernon Gholston, a defensive end from Ohio State, recorded more repetitions at 225 pounds in the bench press than any other defensive linemen with 37. Defensive end Trevor Laws of Notre Dame was next at 35 repetitions, followed by Ahtyba Rubin of Iowa State at 35, Sedrick Ellis of Southern Cal at 34 and Nicholas Hayden of Wisconsin-Madison at 34.
Among wide receivers, William Royal of Virginia Tech recorded 24 repetitions followed by Lorne Sam of UTEP at 23 and Pierre Garcon of Mount Union, Darius Reynaud of West Virginia, Marcus Smith of New Mexico and Joe West of UTEP at 20.
Among running backs, fullback Carl Stewart of Auburn at 30 and fullback Jerome Felton of Furman had 30 repetitions each.
