T.Y. Hilton saw Darius Leonard as he walked into the Colts' media room on Thursday.
"You want some Sprite?" Hilton grinned.
Plenty of Colts players caught the premiere of "Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts" on Wednesday night, in which Leonard's daughter, Mia, was one of the stars. The show, for those who haven't watched yet, caught Mia chugging a can of Sprite during the Colts' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I came home and she was just on a thousand," Leonard said.
(Usually Leonard and his wife, Kayla, try to dilute Mia's Sprite with some water.)
In another scene from the episode, general manager Chris Ballard and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery are having a discussion about running back Jonathan Taylor in which Ballard says he sees Taylor as a top-five offensive weapon in the NFL right now. Taylor, who's tied for the league lead in rushing yards with 937, was asked about that clip on Thursday.
"It makes you want to go out there and practice and be able to be sharp this Sunday so you can continue to prove it and back him up," Taylor said.
Cornerback Kenny Moore II hadn't seen the full episode yet as of Thursday, but said there were some behind-the-scenes things in it even he didn't know.
"I didn't know there was a gender reveal (Ryan Kelly and Mark Glowinski had gender reveals at Lucas Oil Stadium), and diving into the lives of my teammates is something that we can't take for granted," Moore said. "We see each other in our element each and every day as far as ball-wise but we don't get to learn the backstory of who Carson Wentz is and who all the guys are on the team. I think that's what I take away, mostly, from the show."
The Colts' baby boom was the focus of the first "Hard Knocks" episode, which Moore was okay with not being a part of on Wednesday.
"As far as myself, uh," he smiled, "we're gonna make the football my baby for right now."
Defense vs. Defense?
The Bills (24) and Colts (21) enter Week 11 No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL in takeaways. The Bills lead the league with 15 interceptions; the Colts lead the league with nine forced fumbles.
And the Bills' defense enters Week 11 leading the NFL in:
- Yards per play (4.6)
- Yards per pass (5.4)
- 3rd down percentage (29.5 percent)
- Points per game (15)
- Explosive passes allowed (35)
Buffalo is top-three in yards per rush (3.8) and red zone touchdown percentage (45.8 percent); they're sixth in pressure rate (37 percent), too.
But while the Bills' defense will certainly be a challenge for the Colts' offense, Moore said the Colts' defense is taking on some of that challenge in trying to match their success – and get noticed for it, too.
"This weekend we're going against a very good defense," Moore said. "I know I play defense but it's like a defense vs. defense mentality, too, because we obviously respect theirs as well but we're trying to overcome and take respect as well."
Thursday's practice report
