ANDERSON, Ind. – The full pads are coming back on Monday afternoon.
It will be the second full-padded practice of Training Camp, but the Colts will be without their starting center.
In today's media scrums, Chuck Pagano talked about the injury to Ryan Kelly, and if the starters will play in Sunday's preseason opener. Tight end Dwayne Allen spoke about his mindset entering a fifth NFL season.
Chuck Pagano on center Ryan Kelly's injured shoulder:
"He strained his shoulder so he won't (practice on Monday)."
Bowen's Analysis:* *Jonotthan Harrison will get the first-team reps at center at Monday's practice. The Colts will list Kelly as "day-to-day." The injury is not considered a serious one.
It will be a full-padded practice that Kelly is going to miss. Asked about the other rookies on Monday, Pagano said young guys are starting to progress into roles. The injury to Kelly should give seventh-round center Austin Blythe some extra chances.
Chuck Pagano on the playing time in Sunday's preseason opener:
"Everybody is going to play."
Bowen's Analysis: Andrew Luck and the starters will be playing on Sunday in the team's preseason opener against Green Bay. In previous Hall of Fame games, many teams have rested their headline guys. The Colts will be playing their regulars though, although fans shouldn't expect them out there for very long.
Getting Luck and those guys some run makes plenty of sense. For Luck, he hasn't been on the field since November. Any game reps would serve him well. Also, the Colts are installing a new offense and a new defense, so game settings provide valuable evaluation for how those systems are coming along.
Dwayne Allen on his mindset after signing a new contract:
"Lots of excitement. I'm excited about the future and the trajectory this team is on."
Bowen's Analysis: Watching the tight end usage at camp and Dwayne Allen is back to his in-line position, making plays in the red zone. This is exactly how the Colts want to script Allen in their lead tight end role.
Without a bunch of proven depth behind Allen, his health is extremely vital to the Colts. Allen might not be in the mold of a tall, lanky tight end, routinely making plays in the air. His skillset though is what the Colts want, giving them a multi-faceted player who can make plenty of impact in the run game and the pass.
