HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what the team got out of mini-camp)
"I think overall we had three very good practices. I think we saw improvement every day. We saw the older guys executing better and better every day, younger guys certainly catching on to their assignments and improving upon their execution in all phases. We were certainly pleased with the effort, and obviously we're looking forward to the next three days."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if things are slowing down for the rookies)
"I'm not certain as of yet, probably in some respects. They kind of know what to expect now because they've been through the practice routine a few times, but when they see things coming at them at a little bit faster clip than normal, I think they are still kind of feeling their way."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on RB-Mike Hart)
"He is a guy who has a real solid football instinct about him. He listens and catches on quickly. He just has kind of a knack for understanding how the game should be played. He has a great knack in terms of his vision and his ability. He knows himself. Obviously, he is a guy that certainly has a great passion for what he does."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DT-Mitch King)
"Mitch is coming along. Mitch is making good progress. I think he's getting a good feel for how we do things, number one, and he is coming to the point where he has a better understanding of what we do, just in terms of understanding our alignments and why we do certain things. He is coming along well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on TE-Brody Eldridge)
"He is a good athlete, first of all. That is the first thing that jumps out at you. He's got athleticism, balance and he's got good hands. You couple that with the fact that he's a guy that certainly understands his way around the in-line blocking and things of that nature because he is a good solid guy on the line of scrimmage. He blends talent and athleticism, toughness and being able to catch the ball all in one. He's coming along well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he thought TE-Brody Eldridge could be a good receiver from watching his college film)
"You obviously never really know. I think that's what (Colts President) Bill (Polian) and all the guys that go out and actually see the guys play and practice, they get a great feel for what they can do, and you sort of get a more overall, sort of a broader view, of their capabilities. They certainly did indeed stress that early on when we were looking at him."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on why 3rd-and-one situations seem to be so difficult for offenses to convert)
"When I first came into the league, I'd been coaching in college for 20 some-odd years, we were having a discussion about short-yardage and one of the guys said, 'You know it's very tough to get half-a-yard in this league, particularly in those situations.' You don't have a real good sense of that until you are actually involved in it because people are so big and strong on both sides of the ball that oftentimes you end up getting stalemates when you'd certainly like to get some movement. You've got to be able to find a crack. Defensively, we've been a real hard-nosed team when it comes to short-yardage situations, where guys have come up with some big stops, not only third down stops, but fourth down stops. But like anything else, we have to improve in that area on both sides of the ball; offensively, getting that half yard that we need and defensively, making certain that we get them stopped."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DE-Jerry Hughes finding his own way)
"I think what those guys (DE-Dwight Freeney and DE-Robert Mathis) have done through the years is they've been able to use the talent and skills they have. It just so happens that there have been certain things they've been able to prefect. I think every guy is a little bit different. Every guy has his own strengths. Authenticity is the key. I think that's what (Defensive Line Coach) John Teerlinck does a great job with our guys upfront, he finds out what that niche is and then he'll coach them into knowing that is something they can do and do well consistently. But you're always going to have a counter off of it as well that you have to be able to prefect because this league has some pretty good pass protectors. I think Jerry will find his niche, and I think you'll see that as the year goes on."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what a third edge pass rusher means for the team)
"A couple of things. It certainly allows us to maybe use all three of them at one time. It certainly gives us an opportunity that if something happened to either one of them due to injury or whatever it might be, that we have two that can rush the passer and put some pressure on the quarterback. I think it gives you a little bit of a luxury. We've had two great ones, and we've had some guys that have been pretty good. Hopefully, Jerry will give us three fastballs."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if there is an age where a quarterback peaks)
"I don't think it applies to him (QB-Peyton Manning). I just think everybody is different. Bodies are different. You look at (QB-Brett) Favre and obviously he is a guy that has great longevity. There has been a number of guys, QB-Vinny Testaverde, that had longevity, that played well. I just think everybody is a little bit different. I think Peyton is a very unique guy, and he will set his own course in that regard."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he expects QB-Peyton Manning to be better this season)
"There is no question about it. He has been fantastic, but every year he has improved and I don't think this year will be any different."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if at some point QB-Peyton Manning's production has to start to go down)
"We'll wait and see. I don't think so in this particular case. It's going to be awhile."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on OG-Mike Pollak)
"He's done well. He's battled through some adversity. I think he will benefit from that, just in terms of his determination, his dedication. He is a guy that has physical tools. He has strength and size. He's very bright, and I think you'll start to see him really come along. He's been doing great thus far in practice. He's been handling his assignments well. It's not like he hasn't been playing at all for us. He's been around and in the system and we need him to come along. Right now, he is doing very well."
