INDIANAPOLIS – Reggie Wayne has made his stance and has stood by it since his racecar arrival at Training Camp.
Now, he waits for Chuck Pagano to say the magic words.
"Chuck's been ignoring my texts. Maybe I've used up all his anytime minutes," Wayne said with a smile on Thursday.
The "texts" include the message from Wayne, of him wanting to get some game action in before the start of the regular season.
The "ignoring" from Pagano is the head coach clearly erring on the side of caution, knowing how critical Wayne is to the team's regular season success.
"He's arrogant towards caution," Wayne, who put his smile on display anytime he mentioned his head coach on Thursday, said.
"I did hear somewhere he said he might (let me play), so I guess there is hope. But at the same time, if he says no go, then I guess it's a no go. The one thing about it is, I am ready, whenever he gives me the opportunity, to go out there and do whatever I can."
Ever since camp in Anderson, Wayne has mentioned that he doesn't want to see his first "hit" of 2014 come in the regular season.
Experiencing the tempo of an actual game is something Wayne is trying to coax Pagano with, as the head coach listens to his Pro Bowl receiver.
"I couldn't even simulate a practice when it was time for me to do my rehab. You think you've done everything possible, but then all of a sudden in practice for training camp, it's a total different feel. There's no way to simulate any of that stuff. Really the only way to do it is go out there and do it," Wayne says.
"Chuck has told me, you know with 14 years of my NFL career, he told me, 'I'm sure you remember how to get tackled.' He's right, but at the same time it's just the competitive nature in me. I just want to go out there, and just be out there with my teammates. I'm here thinking about helmets collide, and the pads hit each other. Just go out there and get a real live game under my belt."
In his final media session before kickoff on Saturday night, Pagano stuck by his "game-time decision" label for No. 87.
For those inside of Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night, ears will be the only thing necessary to find out if Wayne will make his 2014 debut.
The chants of "Reg-gie, Reg-gie, Reg-gie" will ring again in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Now the question becomes, is that Saturday?
"I want to be out there with T.Y. Hilton and Hakeem Nicks just to kind of give people a glimpse of what they're going to see," the 35-year old Wayne says. "I want to be a part of that. I don't want that to be the first time in Week One, but if that's the case, then that's the case.
"Like I said earlier, I'm just going to serve and do my job. I'm just happy to even be in these talks. I remember there was a time when you guys weren't even around my locker. I'm just happy to be in a situation where that's a possibility, for me to play or not play."
