ANDERSON – The Colts donned full pads on Thursday for one final time in Anderson.
Friday will be the Colts last practice in Anderson following Thursday's session, which saw added running back depth hit the field.
What were the takeaways from the Colts tenth day on the practice field in Anderson?
PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS
- The running back group added depth on Thursday in the form of rookie Josh Robinson practicing for a third straight day and Vick Ballard taking part in individual drills and some of the team portion.
The depth after Frank Gore and Boom Herron (who both have had nice camps) seems to be up for grabs. Robinson, Ballard and current third-stringer Zurlon Tipton will definitely get their chance in the preseason to prove themselves. That "bowling ball" element of Robinson's running style was seen in a couple of goal line carries during Thursday's practice, including one where he met rookie linebacker Amarlo Herrera in a hole.
- Chuck Pagano continues to change the script in how the Colts are ending their practices. After some one-on-one drills between receivers and cornerbacks on Wednesday, the guys in the trenches had the spotlight on them to close out Thursday.
With seven-on-seven drills occurring on one field, Pagano brought that group over to the smaller practice field to observe what was going on in the trenches. Practice ended with a trio of two-on-two pass rushing reps, with the defense "beating" the offense 2-1.
- Without jinxing things, it should be noted how healthy of a Training Camp the Colts have had this year. Chuck Pagano has still not ruled any player out for Sunday's preseason opener.
For comparisons sake, at this point last year, Vick Ballard and Donald Thomas were already lost for the season. The major injury questions exiting Anderson (pending Friday's practice) will surround Thomas, Robert Mathis and Nate Irving.
OTHER PRACTICE MUSINGS
- The first two passes of Thursday's 11-on-11 session went to the hands of Andre Johnson. Creating a huge chunk of separation isn't needed for Johnson. His wingspan and hands do plenty to make him appear open, when most onlookers would consider him covered.
- A very happy T.Y. Hilton (fresh off signing his new contract) had his Boom Herron socks on for Thursday's practice. Hilton had the big play of the day with a corner route touchdown from Andrew Luck (play looked to go for about 70 yards).
- We saw the same starting offensive line for a tenth straight day: LT-Anthony Castonzo, LG-Lance Louis, C-Khaled Holmes, RG-Todd Herremans and RT-Jack Mewhort. The fact this sentence has hardly changed throughout camp is remarkable. It's been an extremely healthy camp for the offensive line.
- Colts defensive tackle Zach Kerr has been noticeable, which can be difficult for a defensive lineman in Training Camp. Kerr was productive in his limited playing time last season. He appears to be one of the first defensive line subs in 2015 (that means plenty of playing time could be on the horizon).
- With Vontae Davis and Darius Butler out again on Thursday, Jalil Brown and D'Joun Smith continue to run with the first-team nickel defense.
INJURY REPORT/ROSTER MOVES
The following players did not participate in Thursday's practice: Robert Mathis (Achilles) and Donald Thomas (quad). Both players are on the PUP list (can be removed from that list at anytime). Inside linebacker Nate Irving (knee) continues to sit out as he recovers from a 2014 ACL surgery.
The following players either missed Thursday's practice or left early: cornerback Darius Butler (groin), cornerback Vontae Davis (groin), inside linebacker Junior Sylvestre (hamstring), wide receiver Donte Moncrief (groin), tight end Dwayne Allen (sick), wide receiver Griff Whalen (groin) cornerback Donald Celiscar (undisclosed) and defensive tackle Montori Hughes (cramps).
PAGANO QUOTEWORTHY
Chuck Pagano on the play of starting safety Dwight Lowery in Anderson:
"He's come in here, learned what to do, learned the playbook, learned the terminology, built chemistry with the backend and the rest of the guys in the front-seven. He's a good football player. He's got a lot of snaps under his belt. He's a vet. He knows how to handle himself. Is he going to make all the flash plays that, we're talking about T.Y. all the time, is he going to stick out like T.Y., not necessarily. He doesn't have the same opportunities playing on that side of the ball. He's going to play really good football for us."
PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
T.Y. Hilton on his new contract:
"They showed interest that they wanted me and I also wanted to be here and there is no place that I would rather be is here. This organization is great and I love being here."
TWEET OF THE DAY
YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
The Colts have had at least one undrafted free agent on their Week One 53-man roster in how many consecutive years (it's the longest current such streak in the NFL)?ANSWER: The Colts have had at least one undrafted free agent on their Week One roster for an NFL-record 16 straight seasons. The next longest streak is 12 years.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
After three seasons, T.Y. Hilton holds a Colts record for 100-yard receiving games. How many 100-yard receiving games does Hilton have entering his fourth NFL season?
SPOTTED IN CAMP
NFL Insider Jay Glazer (and his bus) was in Anderson on Thursday. Former Colts great Tarik Glenn was also present at practice.
PRACTICE ATTENDANCE: 2,167 TOTAL FOR CAMP: 36,269
WEATHER REPORT
It deserves constant mention, but the weather during the Colts Training Camp has been virtually perfect. Thursday followed suit with sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s. Friday looks to be the same for the Colts final day on the practice field.
CAMP SCHEDULE
Friday, August 14
1:55-4:10 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
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