Colts
Colts’ starters will get snaps against Jets
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts plan to approach Sunday’s home game with the New York Jets in much the same way they went into last week’s game with Jacksonville.
“All the healthy guys [are going to play]. I’m not going to assign any time periods [for how long players will be in the game]. We’re going to go into [playing the Jets] just like we did against Jacksonville. Go and try to win this thing. Play hard. And make adjustments as we go,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said Friday.
The Colts should be able to welcome back rookie running back Donald Brown (chest) and veteran placekicker Adam Vinatieri (right knee). Both have practiced this week and barring any late problems, Brown and Vinatieri will be on the field Sunday.
Defensive end Dwight Freeney (abdomen) has practiced the last two days and is expected to be used the same way as he was against the Jaguars. Freeney played primarily in passing downs in the game, although he saw more work in the fourth quarter during Jacksonville’s last few offensive possessions.
His running mate at defensive end, Robert Mathis (quad), has been sidelined during practice this week and is not expected to see much, if any, playing time in the New York game.
“Donald Brown looks good. He’s been able to make it through all the practices. So we anticipate, obviously, that he’s going to play,” Caldwell said.
“The same with Adam. Both guys have come along and are making good progress. We’ll see [today] after they’ve had a chance to go through and see how they feel. If there’s no setbacks, I think they look pretty good. Freeney has actually practiced the last [three] days, so he feels good. But Robert hasn’t practiced. So it would take quite a bit of a change overnight for him to be full go.”
With the team placing wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez on injured reserve on Thursday, there is an open spot on the Colts active roster. Indianapolis, though, is expected to sign a player off of its practice squad before Sunday’s game.
n Weatherford coming home — Jets punter Steve Weatherford will have a chance to see friends and family this weekend as the former Terre Haute North standout will face Indianapolis on Sunday.
Weatherford signed a free agent contract with New York before the start of the regular season. The Jets had a revolving door with their punters during training camp and the preseason before the ex-University of Illinois kicker was added to the roster.
“Steve’s done a great job for us this year. We went through a few punters before we brought him in this summer,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said earlier this week. “He’s an athletic kicker and he’s been able to do some things for us in terms of special plays.”
New York’s special teams coach, Mike Westhoff, is a former assistant coach at Indiana State. Westhoff served as the Sycamores’ defensive line coach under former head coach Tom Harp during the 1977 season.
“Mike’s one of the best special teams coaches in the league,” Ryan said. “I’ve been around some really good special teams coaches and he is in that group. He’s done a great job with our group this year. We’ve had some miscues on a couple of field goal attempts this year, but Mike has been able to sort things out for us.”
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Colts sign 5 players to practice squad
Five players released by the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday were signed to the team’s practice squad a day later. Agreeing to return to the Colts were quarterback Tom Brandstater and defensive end John Chick along with three rookies — wide receiver/kick returner Brandon James, safety Mike Newton and wide receiver Blair White.
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Colts make trade for DB as roster trimmed to 53
There were some major surprises when the Indianapolis Colts got around to announcing their final roster cuts Saturday evening. Gone were some local favorites, such as former Indiana University cornerback/kick returner Ray Fisher, as well a couple of players who were considered to have pretty good chances of making the team’s 53-man regular-season roster.
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Tough decisions await as Colts trim roster
Now that the preseason is over, the decision making process begins in earnest for the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff and player personnel department. The Colts, much like the other 31 teams in the National Football League, have been in evaluation mode since the start of organized team activity practices last spring. Every play, every drill from those workouts — as well as two-and-a-half weeks of training camp and four preseason games — have been videotaped.
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Colts backups fall to Bengals 30-28
In a game that didn't mean a whole lot, except for those first-year players
and veteran backups trying to win a job, Thursday night's preseason matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals proved to be pretty entertaining. -
Colts' Saturday hopes for Week 1 return
Jeff Saturday figures that time is on his side. The Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl center is expected to be an interested sideline observer — while also doing a little coaching — during tonight’s preseason finale with the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday returned for limited practice work on Tuesday after undergoing knee surgery on Aug. 10.
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Colts starters will not see much action vs. Bengals
A few words of advice for those diehard National Football League fans who plan on attending preseason contests this week: Remember that it’s the final round of exhibition games for NFL teams. Consequently, take a good hard look at the game program.
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Colts saga with NFL umpire change churns on
The National Football League soap opera of “Please Spot the Football Quickly” continues to churn on.
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Colts president Polian comments on new NFL officials policy
Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian wanted to set the record straight Saturday. When it comes to the NFL’s new policy on where game officials are positioned and how those changes relate to what happens on the field — specifically how quickly the ball gets spotted before it is marked ready for play — Polian has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. A long-standing member of the NFL’s competition committee, which unanimously voted for the realignment of game officials during league meetings this past spring, he said that any problems associated with the new policy can be worked out over time.
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Colts focus on positive on the day after
Rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of Thursday night’s 59-24 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers, and there were many, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell preferred to talk about the good things that transpired at Lambeau Field.
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Off to the non-frozen tundra of Lambeau: Colts starters expected to play at least first half tonight
When it comes to preseason games, the Indianapolis Colts have been consistent in recent years.
And we’re not talking about the 9-22 record since 2004, either. Team president Bill Polian, former coach Tony Dungy and current coach Jim Caldwell are all in agreement. They view the preseason as an evaluation period for the team’s first-year players and those veterans who are usually relegated to backup roles once the regular season commences. - More Colts Headlines
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Colts sign 5 players to practice squad
