INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts will head to St. Louis on Friday afternoon to prepare for their Saturday night preseason matchup against the Rams.
After three days of prep for St. Louis this week, Chuck Pagano updated the injury status on Thursday with a few starters likely to miss this weekend's third preseason game.
What did Pagano have to say to the media on Thursday?Injury Report
The following players did not appear to be participating in Thursday's practice:
-TE-Coby Fleener (ankle): Day-to-day, should be back early next week.
-OG-Hugh Thornton (knee): Week-to-week.
-CB Deveron Carr (concussion): Under concussion protocol.
-CB-Greg Toler (neck): Week-to-week.
-S-Dewey McDonald (knee): Week-to-week.
-WR-Phillip Dorsett (knee contusion): Day-to-day.Chuck Pagano on pending roster cuts:
"We have some tough decisions to make."
Bowen's Analysis: Pagano isn't going to offer specifics on what he feels are the starting position battles remaining. What is going to occupy a lot of the head coach's time in the next 7-9 days is how the Colts fill out their final roster.
The head coach made it clear on Thursday that being able to contribute on special teams could be a major deciding factor in the final few roster spots. The roster cut from 90-to-75 will come next Tuesday, before the final roster cut a week from Saturday. Colts.com will have a breakdown of the 90-man roster on Friday and how it might look when roster cuts occur next week.
Chuck Pagano on teams going for two-point conversions more in 2015:
"We anticipate teams going for two more."
Bowen's Analysis: While the Colts seem to be a team that will stick with the extra point attempt in 2015 (from 33 yards out), Pagano thinks other teams might not follow suit. The Colts have a Hall of Fame kicker and ideal weather conditions in virtually every game, which factor into Pagano's rationale.
The Colts head coach did make a really good point on Thursday that could impact two-point tries. Let's say a team goes for the 33-yard extra point, has a hard count and draws a team offsides. The half the distance to the goal penalty would then allow a team to go for two points at the one-yard line, obviously enhancing the odds for a successful conversion.Chuck Pagano on Nate Irving:
"He's been getting 15-20 snaps a day now. He's looking good."
Bowen's Analysis: This was some good news to end Pagano's final press conference of the week. Irving, who tore his ACL midway through last season, is working in team drills at practice.
The inside linebacker is beyond eager to return to the playing field and feels like he will be out there Week One in Buffalo. Irving could potentially see some action in next week's preseason finale, if the staff feels good about his progress.
