By Tom James
INDIANAPOLIS — The injury bug continues to haunt the Indianapolis Colts. Team officials confirmed Friday that both cornerback Marlin Jackson and safety Bob Sanders have been placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Jackson, who missed the second half of the 2008 season after injuring his right knee during practice, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee during a non-contact drill on Wednesday. He had been rehabbing his left knee after he was hurt against Seattle on Oct. 4.
Sanders, meanwhile, tore his left bicep against the 49ers last week. He is slated to undergo surgery, although a date for the medical procedure as yet to be announced.
Sanders had just returned to the Colts’ lineup two weeks ago against St. Louis after missing all of training camp and the first five games of the year after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
Sanders visited with nationally recognized sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday in order to gather additional information on the injury. He has missed 40 out of a possible 87 games during his injury-plagued six-year NFL career.
Indianapolis’ other veteran cornerback, Kelvin Hayden, is also expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks after he incurred a sprained knee during last week’s 18-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Hayden is not expected to undergo surgery.
“Not real sure [how long Hayden will be out]. We’re kind of looking at probably a three to four week window. Somewhere in there. But that depends,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said Friday.
Indianapolis is expected to start rookies Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey at cornerback along with third-year veteran Melvin Bullitt at strong safety. Bullitt has started 14 of 22 games over the past two seasons.
Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, meanwhile, underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to clean out loose particles in his right knee. Gonzalez suffered a sprained ligament in the knee during the Colts’ season-opening win over Jacksonville. He had hoped to be back in time for next week’s home game with New England.
The Colts’ 2007 first-round draft pick had begun light positional work last week when he suffered a setback in his recovery. A date for his return to practice has yet to be determined.
“We haven’t quite gotten [a date for his return] yet, but I’m assuming that probably within the next couple of days we will have it. But I haven’t got the prognosis yet,” the Colts coach said.
Rookie running back Donald Brown’s availability for the Houston game has yet to be decided. Brown incurred a left shoulder contusion in the Rams game on Oct. 25. He did not play against the 49ers.
Brown did not practice Friday, although he was able to take part in the team’s workouts earlier in the week. He is listed as questionable and is expected to be a game-time decision.
“There’s still some question. We’ll see what happens. But there’s still some question there,” Caldwell said.
• Friday practice report — In other injury news, wide receiver Pierre Garcon (ankle), defensive tackle Fili Moala (concussion), offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (rest) and placekicker Adam Vinatieri (knee) did not practice Friday.
Garcon and Moala are both listed as questionable for the Houston game. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne (rest), safety Jamie Silva (hip) and defensive end Robert Mathis (rest) all missed Thursday’s workout but were able to practice Friday. All three will be able to play against the Texans.
• Roster moves — Defensive end Josh Thomas has returned to the team for the second time this season. Thomas originally played with the Colts from 2004-08, starting 12 of the 68 games in which he participated. He was brought back briefly during training camp in August.
The Colts also signed tight end Tom Santi off the team’s practice squad. Santi, a sixth-round draft pick last season, appeared in six games with Indianapolis as a rookie. He has 10 career receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown reception against Houston last year.
• Tickets available — The Texans have returned over 300 tickets for Sunday’s game.
Tickets are available at the Lucas Oil Stadium ticket office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.
• Flyover Sunday — Team officials announced Friday that four UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters will be flying over Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday prior to the Colts-Texans game.
The flyover will go north to south at approximately 1 p.m. over the stadium.
n Roof may be open for Texans game -- Due to a favorable weekend weather forecast, the roof at Lucas Oil Stadium may be open for Sunday’s game with Houston.
A final decision will be made Sunday morning. Fans are urged to dress appropriately for the possibility of outdoor weather.
