Colts Training Camp kicked off this Sunday at Anderson University drawing hundreds of fans eager to view the first practice of the season. One player in particular stole the spotlight by arriving in a helicopter. No, this wasn’t diva behavior – it was veteran Wide Receiver Reggie Wayne alongside the staff of IU Health Life Line and a guest of Riley’s Children’s Hospital. Let’s just say, in the history of Colts camp, no one has seen such a grandiose entrance. This one will indeed be tough to beat.
All in all, training camp is a time for players to build camaraderie, fine-tune offensive and defensive strategies and last but not least, determine which 53 players will make the cut this year. Colts coaching staff will evaluate players over the three week training camp period and with 35 fresh new faces on the roster, the competition this year is stiff.
When asked if the new players on the roster fit the “Colts Culture,” Coach Chuck Pagano responded “We went out and brought in a lot of new faces. Ryan (Grigson) and our scouting staff went out and found guys that have Horse Shoe qualities and fit that culture. Coming in and being able to fit into the culture, fit into the locker room, develop relationships with the rest of your teammates, that’s how you win.”
One topic that has been in the spotlight since the departure of Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians, is the inevitable change in strategy for the Colts offense. Quarterback Andrew Luck referred to the offensive strategy this year as being a “precise, exact offense.” When asked the meaning of a “precise, exact offense” Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton replied, “I think our system is predicated on being detailed and exact. We’re going to pride ourselves on not wasting plays and capitalizing on all opportunities, not just big-play opportunities. We feel like a big-play opportunity for us is a third-and-goal. It’s going to be fun to really get back in the grass and really zero in on the things that we need to do to be good, to be efficient and to be successful as an offensive unit.”
And by the looks of it, good and efficient may be an understatement. Quarterback Andrew Luck definitely has a lot riding on his shoulders but it doesn’t seem to faze him, as he seems as poised as ever.
“We’re really going to focus on making sure that he’s able to manage bad plays,” said Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton. “We want him to be able to maintain balance in the pocket and stay loaded, stay in the throwing position and go through his progressions and find his check down. Get the ball to the guys that are paid to run with the football and not take all the big hits that he took last year. We’re really going to focus on his footwork but at the same time, we’ve got to re-acclimate Andrew to a progression-style offense and so a big part of that is fundamentals.”
When asked what the biggest challenge is for the offense this year, Luck replied “continuing to learn the offense where we don’t even have to think about it, we just go out there and play. I think that’s a challenge with every switch in a team. That’s what training camp is for, to hone those skills down.”
Even though it is still early in Colts camp, the performance of the defense has come as quite a shock to most. The reloaded defensive skill level, I venture to say, has already begun to surpass that of last year’s. The Colts defense is littered with an abundance of veteran players like Robert Mathis, Cory Redding, and Vontae Davis. With the addition of first-round NFL draft pick Bjoern Werner, this defense may possess the experience, depth and quality the Colts have been waiting for.
“When you have the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4, you’re trying to plug in the pieces and figure out what they’re trying to do,” said Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky. “With last year coming into the season we were trying to figure out what were the players actually, what can they do and what can’t they do. Then all of a sudden this year, those pieces are a little bit more in place.”
Training camp continues on through August 16th, with the Colts first pre-season games against the Buffalo Bills scheduled for Sunday August 11th.
