ANDERSON, Ind. – A brief interruption from Mother Nature on Friday afternoon didn't keep the Colts away from their first full-padded practice of 2016.
The Colts wrapped up their first three-day stretch of Training Camp on Friday afternoon and will now take Saturday off, before coming back up to Anderson on Sunday.
What were the takeaways from the Colts' third day on the practice field in Anderson?
PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS
- With the full pads on, the Colts debuted the 'Oklahoma' drill at Friday's practice. Following the end of that drill, lightning was spotted in the distance, sending the Colts indoors for nearly an hour.
Once the lightning cleared the area, the Colts came back outside for the remaining periods of practice. Friday was an important practice for the Colts to get in, given the full pads and the fact that Saturday is an off day.
- The depth at wide receiver has been questioned early on in camp. The Colts know they need some guys to emerge there. Some steps in the right direction occurred on Friday.
A pair of deep passes to undrafted receiver Marcus Leak highlighted things. Fellow undrafted wideout Chester Rogers made a beautiful diving grab, too. Outside of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett, the Colts are truly wide open in looking to round out their receiving group.
- The brief scare on Friday came when big No. 90 stayed down for a little longer than normal. Kendall Langford wouldn't stay on the sidelines for long though. After the athletic trainers examined Langford, the veteran defensive end went back into team drills.
Langford has played in every single NFL game in his eight seasons. That's 128 consecutive games played, the longest active streak for a defensive lineman. It goes without saying the importance of a healthy Langford to the defensive line, especially with the uncertainty around Henry Anderson and Arthur Jones.
OTHER PRACTICE MUSINGS
- Darius Butler continued to take first-team reps at safety on Friday. Special teams ace Winston Guy is currently running with the second unit at safety. The injuries at safety, forcing Butler to move back there, has given D'Joun Smith some first-team reps when the Colts go to their nickel personnel.
- The full pads on Friday brought plenty of one-on-one battles in the trenches. In team settings, we saw both Trevor Bates and Trent Cole record "sacks."
- The right guard competition is between three guys: Hugh Thornton, Denzelle Good and Jonotthan Harrison. This is a battle that is going to carry into the second week of camp, with no real separation so far.
- Both Pat McAfee (illness) and Sio Moore (toe) returned to practice. Moore's return is important, given him competing with Nate Irving for the inside linebacker spot, next to D'Qwell Jackson.
- After a mandatory off day on Saturday, the Colts will return to practice on Sunday. Afternoon practices will take place Sunday and Monday before a night practice on Tuesday.
INJURY REPORT
The following players did not participate in Friday's practice: T.J. Green (calf), Curt Maggitt (ankle) and Earl Okine (undisclosed). The good news on Green is he is out of his boot. The Colts were hoping Green would miss just a couple of days. He's missed the past two days going into Saturday's off day. Maggitt, an undrafted outside linebacker from Tennessee, is considered day-to-day. Wide receiver Brian Tyms left practice on Friday with an undisclosed injury.
ROSTER MOVES
On Friday, the Colts signed free agent tight end Nick Truesdell and waived tight end Mike Miller from the Non-Football Injury List.
PAGANO QUOTEWORTHY
Chuck Pagano on needing Vontae Davis to get back to his 2014 level of play:
"He has to. He knows, in order for us to be the type of defense that we want to be, that he has to. There's no gray area there. He either does it, or we're not going to be the same type of defense."
PLAYER QUOTE OF THE DAY
Andrew Luck on Frank Gore still playing at a high level at the age of 33:
"I think Frank defies all those stereotypes of an aging running back. He must have the fountain of youth down in south Florida when he visits. Incredible. One, he works his butt off. It's not surprising that he's always in shape and ready to go and runs as hard as he does. The thing I admire so much about him is his consistency, knowledge of the game, and his pass protection skills. The young guys learn as much from him as they do from any install or any coach. But he's great, he's an incredible asset to this team. I think he's one of those guys that in 30 or 40 years I'll be able to tell kids and grandkids I got to play with Frank Gore."
TWEET OF THE DAY
YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
Last year the Colts tied a franchise record for defensive touchdowns in a single season. Can you name the five defensive touchdowns the Colts had in 2015?
ANSWER: Week Three (Tennessee): Dwight Lowery's interception return. Week Six (Patriots): Mike Adams' interception return. Week 12 (Atlanta) D'Qwell Jackson's six-yard interception return. Week 14 (Jacksonville) Robert Mathis' fumble recovery. Week 17 (Tennessee) Jerrell Freeman's interception return.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUIZ
In 2015, the Colts set two NFL records via the kicking game. What were the records?
SPOTTED IN CAMP
On Friday, SIRUIS NFL Radio broadcasted from Anderson.
PRACTICE ATTENDANCE: 1,605 TOTAL FOR CAMP: 4,564
WEATHER REPORT
After a brief shower sent the fans home and the Colts indoors, comfortable temperatures graced the final part of practice. Early forecasts for when the Colts return to work Sunday calls for temperatures climbing into the 90s next week.
CAMP SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 30
Players' Day Off
* *
Sunday, July 31 – Kids Day presented by Riley Children's Health
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Monday, August 1 – Community Take Back Day presented by the Attorney General's Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force
* *
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Tuesday, August 2 – BBQ Bash Night Practice
6:25-9:10 p.m. – Practice
5:00 p.m. – Colts City opens
9:30 p.m. – Colts City closes
* *
Wednesday, August 3
Players' Day Off
* *
Thursday, August 4
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Friday, August 5
* *
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
* *
Sunday, August 7
NFL/Hall of Fame Game – Canton, Ohio – Indianapolis vs. Green Bay
Tuesday, August 9
1:55-4:40 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Wednesday, August 10
1:55-4:10 p.m. – Practice
12:30 p.m. – Colts City opens
5:00 p.m. – Colts City closes
Thursday, August 11 – BREAK CAMP
8:05-10:30 a.m. – Practice
Colts City Closed
