Second-Year Wide Receiver Returns to Practice
INDIANAPOLIS – Roy Hall would love to play Sunday.
And although Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said Thursday afternoon the second-year veteran wide receiver probably won't play against his hometown team, Hall said whatever happens, it will be better than what he went through the last few months.
Because his long wait and months of work ended Wednesday.
He returned to practice, working on special teams and the scout team, and doing so after missing the first 11 games of the regular season with a knee injury.
"I was giving those guys a good look," Hall said Thursday afternoon as the Colts (7-4) prepared to play the Cleveland Browns (4-7) at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday at 1 p.m.
"They were getting mad at me. I have fresh legs. I got to go out and have some fun."
Hall, a fifth-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, lives in Cleveland, and attended high school in the area.
"It's always a dream to play in that stadium that you grew up watching all the time, but we'll see how it plays out and go from there," Hall said.
Dungy said Thursday he doubts Hall will play Sunday.
"I doubt it," Dungy said. "He actually has done pretty well and moved around well, but we'll probably let him get another week of practice in."
Hall, who missed 13 games last season with a shoulder injury, said the early part of this season was frustrating at times.
"Honestly, I've had extremely high levels of frustration – initially," Hall said. "You come off a shoulder, and you come back and you're doing well, then you have a knee. I was frustrated initially, but I had to calm that down to focus on my rehab and keep my mind into it. If you go in the tank it's hard to get out, so I think I handled it fairly well. . . .
"The fact that they didn't put me on IR (injured reserve), I just feel like they believe in my abilities and what I can do. I'm thankful for that on Thanksgiving, and hopefully, I'll get a chance to go out and try to play this week."
Also on Thursday, the Colts released their second injury reof the week, with safety Antoine Bethea (ankle), middle linebacker Gary Brackett (hamstring), center Jeff Saturday (calf) and safety Bob Sanders (knee) listed as not participating in practice for a second consecutive day.
Safety Melvin Bullitt (rib), linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (knee) and offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (quadriceps) returned to practice after missing Wednesday and wide receiver Reggie Wayne (not injury related-resting) missed practice after working Wednesday.
Although Sanders – a two-time Pro Bowl selection – did not practice, Dungy said he went through the morning walkthrough. And while Dungy said he likely will not practice Friday, he said there is a chance Sanders will play Sunday.
"I said (Wednesday) I doubted that he would play and today I'm saying he has a better chance than I thought," Dungy said.
The Colts practiced from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday before having the afternoon off to observe Thanksgiving.
"We had a good day of work today," Dungy said. "I thought they did a good job for Thanksgiving Day. It was good tempo, crisp, and I think we're in pretty good shape."
