Tom James
Tribune-Star Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS —
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. After not experiencing any lingering problems, he went through a second session Wednesday.
While the Indianapolis coaching and medical staffs haven’t made any promises, his goal is to be in the Colts’ starting lineup for the team’s regular-season opener at Houston on Sept,. 12.
“[His recovery] is progressing. [Wednesday] is the second day I went out. Obviously, [his return] is little by little. It’s been non-contact type stuff. I’m just trying to get a feel back on football stuff and try to get back as soon as I can,” Saturday said after Wednesday’s workout.
“My hope [to be back] in Week One. That’s always been a goal that I’ve had. I just have to keep working and see how [his knee] responds. Each day you re-evaluate it in the morning and go through the entire treatment process. It’s just waiting and seeing.”
His practice work has been relegated to individual positional drills so far.
“Obviously, [his knee] is not perfect. I’ve got to learn. It’s got to get accustomed to getting into a football stance and doing football stuff,” he said. “Somebody pushing you [in practice] is different than just going out and running around. It is good to go against other offensive linemen where it’s not competitive. If it’s not perfect, your knee doesn’t have to be 100 percent to feel like you’re getting some drill work.”
That being said, he wants to be in the starting lineup when the Colts face Houston in 10 days.
“I hope so. That’s always been my goal,” Saturday said. “We’ll just keep progressing. I’ve still got a long time. Next Wednesday is the first practice that I really have to worry about. So I’ve still got another seven days of healing. And that’s really how I’ve look at it. Just take it day-by-day and see how it works out.
“If I can practice through the week and it holds together and there’s not a ton of swelling and all those kind of things that the doctors worry about, then I’ll put myself in. Hopefully I’ll be out there.”
n Manning glad to see Saturday back — Peyton Manning and Saturday have had a unique relationship over the years.
Arguably the NFL’s best quarterback and one of the league’s premier centers, it’s not a surprise that Manning was pleased to have Saturday back on the practice field this week.
“Jeff has really worked to get back to practice this week, that was a major goal,” Manning said Tuesday evening during his annual Peyback Foundation bowling tournament.
“We all know how important he is to the team. Jamey [Richard] has done a heck of a job a couple of times when Jeff’s been out, but I’m sure guys like [offensive tackle] Ryan [Diem] and [offensive guard] Kyle [DeVan] would like to have a familiar voice back in there. It’s always kind of calming, especially in a hostile environment like Houston.”
• Injury list — Cornerback Jerraud Powers (foot), safety Bob Sanders (rest) and offensive tackle Adam Terry (undisclosed) all took part in Wednesday’s practice.
Sitting out were offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (toe), offensive tackle Charlie Johnson (foot), defensive tackle Antonio Johnson (groin), tight end Brody Eldridge (undisclosed) and linebacker Cody Glenn (undisclosed).
With Saturday back on the practice field, Colts coach Jim Caldwell isn’t sure when Charlie Johnson will return.
“He is improving and coming along. His rehab is going well at this stage,” Caldwell said Wednesday.
• Pep talk — With the Bengals in town this evening, Caldwell has talked to his team about taking advantage of the opportunity to play in the final preseason game.
“[Wednesday] morning we went through a couple of scenarios and showed a few film clips of guys that had gotten to the last couple games of the preseason that made everyone stand up and take notice. We worked our way back through the years, through the archives, and just touched on a few guys,” Caldwell said.
“There are a number of different people that we can identify and say ‘Hey, take a look at the film’ and see they went out and certainly did a great job. In the final game of the [pre]season they opened up everyone’s eyes to say this guy has been doing it consistently and he can help us.”
