There were no dramatic entrances from Edgerrin James and no controversial quotes from Mike Vanderjagt.
Those trademarks of past Indianapolis Colts training camps were missing when the National Football League team arrived Sunday at Rose-Hulman amidst hot, muggy weather conditions to prepare for another season.
James, a running back, and Vanderjagt, a placekicker, left the Colts as free agents in the offseason and took their talents to the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys respectively.
Without them around, Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning were the players who livened up the media coverage of the Colts’ annual check-in day.
Wayne, a starting wide receiver, showed up wearing a red and white Cardinals No. 32 Edgerrin James jersey. In their college days, Wayne and James were teammates at Miami.
“I usually come in here with my man [James],” Wayne explained. “Can’t come in here with him this time, so this is my way of paying him back.”
Wayne said he still talks with James, the Colts’ all-time leading rusher with 9,226 yards, on the phone regularly.
“This is no protest [wearing the James jersey], just supporting my homeboy,” Wayne mentioned. “I wish he was here, but it’s not my decision… It was a business move and he’s not here.”
Manning, the starting quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, has pulled up to past camps driving a Chevy Tahoe. In a joking mood Sunday, he surprised the media by walking up to the throng from around a building.
Most likely, he decided to toy with reporters by parking his vehicle in a different lot than usual.
“I just got here, so I’m a little out of breath,” Manning said, pretending that he had walked all the way to camp. “I’m trying to do something exciting to make your life a little more enjoyable today.”
Then Manning turned serious when he discussed the presence of first-round draft pick Joseph Addai, a running back from Louisiana State. Addai, who signed a five-year contract over the weekend, will join the rest of the team for their first practices at 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. today.
“I don’t think you want too many different kinds of headlines coming into training camp,” Manning said. “Probably one of the best ones I’ve read in a while was Joseph Addai signing this morning in the paper. I called him on the way up here and he’s excited. And I know the team is excited to have him.”
Beginning his ninth NFL season, Manning has become quite familiar with the essentials of surviving a training camp conducted on a college campus. His roommate, as usual, is wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
“Stokley and I talked on Wednesday and mapped our plan for the room. He brings the chips and the salsa and I bring the cookies and the Gatorade. Other than that, there’s not much more that you need. I take care of the TVs and comp that for him. He’ll find a way to pay me back somehow. But we’re good to go. We’re all set. I’m probably one of the few guys, though, who can pack like we’re here for 20 days or so. I pack 20 T-shirts and 20 different pairs of boxers.”
One of the highest-profile players in the NFL, Manning said camp is still fun for him after all these years.
“I look forward to it,” he insisted. “I sent a mass text message out last night to a bunch of guys whose cell phone numbers I had in my phone. Just said, ‘Hey, ready for some football? Let’s go make it our year!’ and everybody responds, ‘Absolutely. Let’s go. Let’s go do it.’ And so it is exciting — to get everybody here and go to work and make this a special season.”
Stokley sounded happy to begin another camp with Manning.
“He has an intern get the Gatorade and bring it to our room,” Stokley said, razzing his longtime friend. “He’s got a little pull. He can get that done. I don’t have that kind of pull around here, so it’s kinda nice to be rooming with him.”
Manning evidently found time to sign at least one autograph Sunday. Brothers Bryan Thacker of Bedford and Christopher Brister of Louisville, Ky., drove up in the morning with two footballs and said they persuaded the Colts’ All-Pro quarterback to put his name on Thacker’s.
“He was cool,” Thacker said. “I had run up to him and asked if he’d sign an autograph and he said ‘sure.’ ”
New players also were part of the camp scene Sunday.
One of them lugging personal belongings to the Rose-Hulman check-in area was kicker Adam Vinatieri, the former New England Patriot who signed with the Colts as a free agent during the off-season. He’ll take the place of Vanderjagt.
“I’m excited about this,” Vinatieri said. “It’s going to be awesome. I really look forward to being a part of this team. I’ve been that guy that’s always watched the Colts, especially their high-powered offense and just been in awe in seeing how many points they score. Now it’s going to be fun to be a part of that and to jump on this winning team and hopefully make some history.”
Some of the younger Colts veterans, such as linebacker Cato June and safety Bob Sanders, also spoke positively about the start of another training camp.
“It’s a great feeling to start the season off, get back around the fellas and around the team,” June said, adding that he brought his i-Pod and computer to help pass time between practices and team meetings.
“You try to bring as little as possible,” Sanders noted. “You make sure you bring the important things, like your pillow, your bed, your covers that go over your bed … and bring enough clothes to be able to make it through.”
On the field, the Colts made it through the 2005 regular season with a 14-2 record, earning the No. 1 seed in the American Football Conference playoffs. After getting a first-round bye, they lost at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 in the second round.
But that setback won’t dominate their thoughts during camp this month, said starting tight end Dallas Clark.
“It’s forgotten about,” Clark emphasized. “A lot of things have happened since then. It’s a whole new year with a whole new set of challenges ahead of us.”
“It’s over,” Wayne said. “It’s a new season. Pittsburgh, they already got fitted for their [Super Bowl] rings. It’s a new year. Hopefully, we can get fitted for ours.”
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy repeated his compliments from past years about Rose-Hulman being a high-quality camp site.
“I love it,” he said. “I wish it were about 30 miles closer to Indianapolis. But other than that, it’s been fantastic. The people are great. Tremendous facilities. They have everything that we need and now they know the routine that we’re in.
“It’s just an ideal place for us to come and train. We’re looking forward to spending these next three weeks here.”
Tribune-Star correspondent Tom James contributed to this report.
Local & Bistate
Colts report to camp amid onlooking throng of media, fans
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Rockville correctional facility program teaches life skills
It’s hard to know who benefits the most: the inmates or the dogs.
-
AAA mag recognizes city for arts works
The nonprofit organization that uses outdoor sculpture to draw attention to Terre Haute is getting some notice of its own.
-
State pushing for convenience stores to make safety a higher priority
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent. Assaults, murders and other crimes at convenience stores also dropped dramatically.
Now Indiana officials are hoping voluntary compliance with similar safety standards will bring about similar results.
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
MIKE LUNSFORD: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Los Angeles Bar Bans Bachelorettes
Hamster Plays Dead
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
Justin Bieber Wanted for Questioning for L.A. Scuffle
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Jet makes emergency landing after debris falls off
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
