QB-PEYTON MANNING (on how important mini-camp is)
"It's extremely important. This is, in the years that I've been here and really since (Head) Coach (Tony) Dungy has been here, when we've kind of formed the core and nucleus of our team. You find out what young players can come in and help you, and it's just another chance to work on your timing and continuity with the veteran players. This is the official minicamp, but really the majority of the team has been here since the last week in March, doing a lot of the same things we're doing now—lifting weights, running, throwing to receivers and watching film. You can't just show up in August in two-a-days and expect to be a good football team. This is when you define your team in my opinion."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on what the team hopes to accomplish this weekend)
"I think we have different goals on different sides of the ball. Offensively, there hasn't been a ton of change in personnel. There's a couple of young players that will be in there helping us out, but just to keep that continuity going and just try to improve on last year. Defensively, there's a lot of healthy competition going on at certain positions. You have a lot of guys diving for balls and battling because there's going to be some starting positions on the line and even some roster spots on the line. That's what this time is for, and that competition is going to make both sides of the ball better."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if the season starts at mini-camp)
"I really think it does. Every year with (Head) Coach (Tony) Dungy, mini-camp is mandatory, but the offseason workouts, the lifting sessions, the summer school sessions, it's voluntary. But we've had outstanding attendance and always have. It makes it very simple: 'I can't make you be here, but if you want to win, you need to be here.' Guys have really responded to that philosophy. We've had great participation, and it's a big reason why we've won the amount of games we've won the past few years."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on what his personal focus is for 2005)
"It's ultimately about turning it into team success. Obviously, we've done some good things. Still, we just want to get over that hump. But right now, this is the time, it's kind of 'get better Indianapolis Colts' time. That's what we talk about. I think we set the bar pretty high last year in the passing game, but there are some things we can work on. We've been down in the red zone more than any team in the league the past couple of years. You still always try to get a few more touchdowns down there. You just try to do whatever you can to try to win all of your games. You really dissect the (past) season right now."
