INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts (6-5) head into the month of December off three straight wins, which were all needed with Houston (6-5) rolling off four consecutive victories.
Monday wasn't a great day on the injury front for the Colts.
Ahmad Bradshaw went on injured reserve and Jerrell Freeman is "week-to-week" with a grade two hamstring injury.
Here is what Chuck Pagano had to say to the media on Monday afternoon:
Injury News
- S-Mike Adams (ankle): Day-to-day after missing the past two weeks. Adams did practice in a limited role last Friday.
- OT-Anthony Castonzo (knee): Still week-to-week with a sprained MCL.
- WR-Phillip Dorsett (fibula): Could get back into some individual/team work this week. Day-to-day. The orginal timetable was four-to-six weeks for an injury that occurred on October 25.
- QB-Andrew Luck (kidney/abdomen): Still week-to-week.
- ILB-Jerrell Freeman (hamstring): Week-to-week. Was a "grade two" hamstring injury. Nate Irving filled in when Freeman left Sunday's game and finished with a sack and pass deflection.
Chuck Pagano on if there's any debate between Matt Hasselbeck staying as starting quarterback once Andrew Luck is fully healthy:
"Andrew is our stating quarterback.
"When he's healthy, and he's 100 percent healthy and our doctors and trainers say he's ready to roll, he's going to be under center."
Bowen's Analysis:* *Chuck Pagano closed out his Monday media session not mincing words when talking about what happens when Andrew Luck is back to full health. If this question needed any clarification, Pagano certainly did it on Monday.
People seem to forget Andrew Luck led the Colts to a victory over the No. 1 ranked defense in his last game action. Matt Hasselbeck has been tremendous in his four starts and continues to carry the torch for backup quarterbacks around the NFL. Teams around the NFL are sitting in jealousy for what the Colts have at the quarterback position. For now, the Colts will continue to ride the exceptional play Hasselbeck has provided in a time of need.
Chuck Pagano on the injury to Ahmad Bradshaw and what that does to the running back group:
"It's devastating. You feel awful for (Ahmad).
"Boom (Herron) will fill in now as the No. 2 guy."
Bowen's Analysis: The Colts will once again lean on Boom Herron in a big, big way down the stretch. Chuck Pagano knows that the run game has to get going with a "beat to crap" Frank Gore battling through injuries.
Any run in January is likely going to take the Colts on the road. That means a run game the Colts had in October would come in quite handy. Bradshaw's main role with the Colts was on third-down, so Herron could be that guy now with the Colts still needing to keep Gore fresh. Despite the run-game struggling on Sunday, the Colts found plenty of success in the play-action game.Chuck Pagano on the play of Denzelle Good on Sunday in his first NFL start:
"For a first timer, he had a few moments that we fully expected. But, then, there were some other moments where he just dominated guys, in pass pro, run blocking.
"He's got a chance to be a really good player."
Bowen's Analysis: Outside of some penalties ("brain farts" as Good called them after the game), things were pretty quiet on the right side of the Colts offensive line on Sunday. The Colts tackles on Sunday had never started in their respective spots, yet the edges allowed for Matt Hasselbeck to hit on several chunk plays, something that had been missing of late.
When Anthony Castonzo returns (still "week-to-week"), Good will obviously go back to being a reserve. The Colts viewed Good as a project when they took him in the seventh-round of May's Draft. Well, that project is pretty far along after his first NFL start. The Colts have been looking for a young offensive tackle for some time now and the 350-pound "dancing bear" has now given them someone who has quality, regular-season, game tape as a rookie.
