• 

  Perfect game: ISU shoots NCAA record 12-for-12 from 3-point range in win over SIU

  Indiana State set an NCAA record for 3-point percentage and consecutive 3-pointers made Saturday afternoon in Hulman Center, connecting on all 12 attempts during a 78-68 win over Southern Illinois.

Colts

Search Results

Close Previous Now showing: of Next

Previous Next Close

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.

comments powered by Disqus

August 12, 2008

Colts' young linebacker is taking his shot

Thanks to injuries, Kyle Shotwell getting plenty of reps

By Todd Golden The Tribune Star Tue Aug 12, 2008, 11:29 PM EDT

TERRE HAUTE — Have you ever had nightmares where you spaced out and forgot to do something important at work?

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Kyle Shotwell has them too. The difference is that conquering the stuff of his nightmares might culminate in his dream come true.

“Training camp is way more mentally demanding than physically demanding. You have sleepless nights where you wake up and go, ‘Oh man, what do I do in this coverage?’” Shotwell said. “There’s been a lot of moments like that, especially for someone like me, who is new to the system and is seeing things for the first time.”

Shotwell is seeing things for the first time because of injuries in the Colts’ linebacking corps. Tyjuan Hagler, Clint Session, Philip Wheeler and Gary Brackett have all been sidelined by injuries of varying severity during training camp. As a result, the first-year player from Cal Poly is getting plenty of repetitions — and plenty of chances to not only limit his mistakes, but take advantage of a golden opportunity.

“I’ve definitely had opportunities with all of the injuries we’ve had. I’m taking advantage of the situation. Luckily for me, I’m getting a lot of reps, so I can learn by my mistakes in practice, rather than make them in the game. It’s been carrying over from practice to the games for me,” Shotwell said.

Shotwell has evolved from a semi-obscure free-agent acquisition to one of the Colts’ steadiest defensive performers in the preseason.

The 6-foot, 235-pound Shotwell started in the Colts’ 30-16 preseason opening loss to Washington, registering six tackles. He didn’t start in Saturday’s 23-20 overtime loss to Carolina, but repeated his six-tackle performance, a tally that was second only to Brannon Condren’s nine tackles.

Shotwell has managed to be productive despite tours of duty at each of the Colts’ linebacker spots in the 4-3. Shotwell is currently listed on the Colts’ depth chart as the backup to Freddy Keiaho on the weak side, but he has seen extended duty in the middle with Brackett having been hurt. Shotwell’s quickness makes him a natural for passing situations.

“He’s really shown his versatility. He started out as a weak-side linebacker, then kind of learned the strong side. Now he’s in the middle,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “He played the full game in the nickel package, which is his forte anyway, to move him into coverage.”

Playing the middle means Shotwell has the extra responsibility of making the defensive calls, but Shotwell has been a quick study.

“He’s smart, he doesn’t make a lot of mental errors and he’s got to be smart enough to get them lined up … he has to make all the calls,” Colts linebackers coach Mike Murphy said.

Anyone who saw Shotwell enjoy a standout four-year career at Cal Poly wouldn’t be surprised by his Colts progress.

Shotwell was the best defensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then Division I-AA) during his senior season at Cal Poly in 2006. He averaged 11.1 tackles per game for the Mustangs, was eighth in the nation in total tackles (122) and won the Buck Buchanan Award, awarded to the best defensive player in the FCS.

However, Shotwell’s NFL road has been bumpy. He was one of the last players waived by the Oakland Raiders after the 2007 preseason. He was promptly signed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, where he spent the entire 2007 season. He was waived Jan. 1 and signed by the Colts on Jan. 14.

Though he’s performed well thus far in the preseason, once the regular season begins, Shotwell is still a long shot to play many snaps on defense. Shotwell knows it, and like any other player in his situation, he’s trying to make himself as versatile as he can to make the opening-day roster.

“I think I can be a real steady special-teams performer. I’ve taken my special-teams practices as seriously as I have my defensive practices,” said Shotwell, who had two special-teams tackles against the Redskins on Aug. 3.

“I feel like I can be a special-teams star for this team, this season. I need to work my butt off to know my playbook and have my stuff together so if, God forbid, something were to happen to one of the starters, the coaches would feel comfortable throwing me into the fire.”

All Shotwell has to do is look at the man in front of him on the middle linebacker depth chart (Brackett) to understand how valuable the opportunity he’s being given can be.

“The nature of this business is to take advantage of the opportunities. The present leading tackler in this organization did that … nothing more need be said,” Murphy said.

Brackett made the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and hasn’t looked back, leading the Colts with 149 tackles in 2007. Shotwell hopes he can be a similar good fit on the Colts’ defense.

“The Colts pride themselves on bringing in hard-working character guys. That’s what I’ve been my whole life. I want to be a consistent player, a good teammate, a good person on and off the field. I feel like my personality is in line with how the Colts feel about these things,” Shotwell said.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Colts

• Colts welcome Manusky aboard as defensive coordinator

  On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, coach Chuck Pagano and potential No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck led the parade.
  Grigson and Pagano confirmed the hiring of several assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, Marwan Maalouf (special teams), Roy Anderson (safeties), Alfredo Roberts (tight ends) and Brandt Boyer (assistant special teams).

  February 3, 2012  

• Mathis, Garcon at top of Colts’ wish list; Wayne isn’t

  Expect defensive end Robert Mathis and wide receiver Pierre Garcon to be priorities for the Indianapolis Colts during free agency.

  February 2, 2012  

• Manning tiptoes around health questions

  Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay came to an agreement last week to keep any lingering issues about Manning's future with the team on the backburner during Super Bowl week.

  February 1, 2012  

• Back home again in Indiana

  Former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell has landed a job as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens announced Caldwell’s hiring Monday.
   

  January 31, 2012 1 Photo  

• Patriots first to arrive in Indy

  Welcome to Super Bowl Week.

  January 30, 2012  

• Pagano wants aggressive defense with Colts

  When the Colts went looking for a new head coach, a good portion of the team’s fans made it clear that they wanted a departure from the laid-back style of former coaches Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell.

  January 27, 2012  

• Irsay: Manning comments should have stayed in-house

  Not only did the Colts introduce new head coach Chuck Pagano during an afternoon press conference, team owner Jim Irsay also made his feelings known about recent comments that quarterback Peyton Manning made.

  January 27, 2012  

• Colts go with defensive specialist

  The Indianapolis Colts, after a weeklong search process, finally landed themselves a head coach Wednesday.

  January 26, 2012 1 Photo  

• Caldwell can’t survive 2-14 season in Indy

  The offseason moves just keep on coming for the Indianapolis Colts.

  January 18, 2012 2 Photos  

• Colts fire head coach Caldwell

  Tribune-Star correspondent Tom James reports that Colts head coach Jim Caldwell has been fired. No other details are known at this time.

  January 17, 2012  

• Colts hire Eagles exec Grigson as GM

  The Indianapolis Colts formally announced former Philadelphia director of player personnel Ryan Grigson as the team’s new general manager Wednesday.

  January 12, 2012  

• Colts hire Eagles executive Grigson as GM

  The Indianapolis Colts have hired Eagles executive Ryan Grigson as their new general manager.

  January 11, 2012  

• Irsay: Colts are in 'rebuilding stage'

  So are the Indianapolis Colts in a retooling or a rebuilding mode heading into the offseason?
  If you ask the players, they would prefer to use the retooling philosophy. In their minds, get some injured players back and the Colts can be right back in the thick of the AFC South title race and once again be a contender for the AFC championship.
  Team owner Jim Irsay, though, sees a tougher road ahead.

  January 6, 2012  

• Colts give the boot to Polian duo

  It didn’t take long for Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay to start making moves with his team.
  One day after Irsay’s Colts dropped a 19-13 road decision to Jacksonville, giving Indianapolis a 2-14 record and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft, longtime Colts executive Bill Polian and his son, vice-president/general manager Chris Polian, were both fired.
   

  January 2, 2012  

• Interesting subplots abound in Colts-Jags game

  This afternoon’s AFC South matchup between the Indianapolis Colts (2-13) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) is the regular-season finale for both teams.

  January 1, 2012  

• Colts players a fan of Murphy's promotion to defensive coordinator

  Cohesion. That’s the word the keeps coming up when coach Jim Caldwell and many of the team’s players are asked about the turnaround of the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive unit.

  December 30, 2011  

• To win or to lose? For Colts fans, it's not an easy question

  With the No. 1 draft pick on the line if the Indianapolis Colts were to lose Sunday at Jacksonville, it’s easy to see why a lot of the team’s fans wouldn’t mind seeing the team fall to the Jaguars.

  December 29, 2011  

• Colts’ Freeney to play in seventh Pro Bowl

  Despite a team record of 2-13 heading into the final week of the National Football League regular season, there was some good news coming out of the Indianapolis Colts’ West 56th Street facility Tuesday night.

  December 28, 2011  

• Colts’ last game not without questions

  Are the Indianapolis Colts treating Sunday’s game at Jacksonville as the final game of the season or just the next game on the schedule? 
   

  December 27, 2011  

• Colts celebrate second straight division victory

  Indianapolis Colts fans finally got a little luck on their side Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
  It may not have been Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who is expected to the top pick in next spring’s National Football League draft.

  December 23, 2011 1 Photo  

• With latest win, Colts provide suspense for 2012 draft position

  Now that the Indianapolis Colts have posted two straight wins in their last two games, including Thursday night’s 19-16 victory over AFC South champion Houston, many of the team’s fans find themselves in quite a quandary.
  The Colts will take a 2-13 record into next week’s New Year’s Day regular-season finale at Jacksonville.

  December 23, 2011  

• Colts face another tough running test

  The credit for the Indianapolis Colts’ win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday can go in a couple different directions.

  December 22, 2011  

• Colts taking no risks with injured Manning

  Both Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell are looking to the future when it comes to injured quarterback Peyton Manning.

  December 21, 2011  

• More wins to come?

  With a win finally under their belts, the Indianapolis Colts (1-13) now look forward to two days of intensive work beginning today.
   

  December 20, 2011  

• FINALLY! THEY WON

  It was a day of firsts for the Indianapolis Colts.

  December 19, 2011  

• Polian hopes to set ‘record straight’

  Indianapolis Colts vice chairman Bill Polian didn’t like what he was hearing prior to and during Sunday’s National Football League home game with the Tennessee Titans.

  December 19, 2011  

• Polian shares thoughts on QB situation

  With the Indianapolis Colts’ chances of clinching the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft getting closer with each succeeding loss, talk among fans and team observers invariably goes to the possibility of the team selecting Stanford junior quarterback Andrew Luck.

  December 18, 2011  

• Colts prepared for Hasselbeck or Locker

  The Indianapolis Colts defense is preparing to face a two-pronged offensive attack when the Tennessee Titans visit Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.

  December 16, 2011  

• Colts could still become spoiler

  Time is running short for the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

  December 15, 2011  

• Colts have three more chances to win

  The Indianapolis Colts may be 0-13 for the season, but the team keeps battling.
   

  December 13, 2011  

• More Colts Headlines

© 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. · CNHI Classified Advertising Network · CNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2012. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope. Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
Privacy Policy | AP News Registry privacy policy
Terms and Conditions
Advertiser Index

Events by eviesays.com

News From Terre Haute, Indiana 222 S 7th St Terre Haute, IN 47807