Indianapolis Colts Football

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: JUNE 12TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Wednesday, June 12^th.

Landry believes he’ll acclimate to Colts system; RB Ahmad Bradshaw signed

By: Tom James, Terre Haute Tribune

Landry was the main attraction in Tuesday’s open locker room and James took a look at The Red Hulk action figure that sits in No. 30’s locker.

One of the hot topics was around why Landry missed the Colts 10 OTA practices.

“My trainer and my whole medical staff [are located in Scottsdale],” he explained, adding that he and veteran Indianapolis free safety Antoine Bethea shouldn’t have any issues forming a strong bond.

“I worked out with him in Arizona anyway. We have a familiar background with each other. I’ve been knowing him for awhile. So it’s like a brotherhood back there, I reckon. The chemistry is going to go well.”

James’ notebook also takes a look at the signing of Ahmad Bradshaw and head coach Chuck Pagano joked a bit with the media after the team’s first minicamp practice about the newest Colt.

“[Just] heard. It is true? We signed a running back today? What’s his name?,” Pagano joked after Tuesday’s practice. “We did sign Ahmad. Obviously, every decision that we make and talk about from day one is what’s best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win.

Bradshaw ready to run with Colts

By: George Bremer, The Herald Bulletin

Bremer focuses on Bradshaw and a specific play that new coach Chuck Pagano remembers during his tenure in Baltimore.

“Any time you can add a guy that’s got Super Bowl rings and understands what it takes, has that mindset, put another pro in that locker room, another mentor,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said. “I mean, the guy’s a beast. He’s a warrior. I was at Baltimore and we played him, I don’t know how many years ago, and I just saw him gut through our defense for a 77-yard run. And that doesn’t happen very often to a Ravens front seven and that defense.”

Ironically enough, one of Bradshaw’s finest memories came at Lucas Oil Stadium when he scored the game winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI.

Now, he will call Lucas Oil Stadium home.

“It’s a great place,” Bradshaw said during a conference call at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. “It’s a great atmosphere. Being inside and out of that facility should be fun.”

Colts finally get to see S LaRon Landry ‘bring ugly’

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

Chappell also follows along with the angle that James took and looks at Landry’s “alter ego.”

The Pro Bowl safety brings a strong resume to Indianapolis but individual accolades will be put to the side in his new home.

“I have high expectations,” Landry said. “I’m just looking to win. I’m not really a ‘self’ type of guy. It’s a team effort.”

Chappell also spoke with Landry’s safety mate Antoine Bethea who will undoubtedly line up next to each other come Week One.

“He’s going to come downhill and he’s going to hit you,” Bethea said. “He’s very intense, gets to the ball.

Colts’ Luck on what to improve: ‘Everything, especially accuracy’

By: Clark Judge, CBS Sports

Judge had a question-and-answer session with the Colts signal caller on Tuesday afternoon.

Before going in-depth into Luck’s Q-and-A, Judge sat down with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to get his thoughts on the starter.

“Andrew Luck,” (Hasselbeck) says, “is hitting it out of the park. He’s talented, but I’ve seen talented guys before. What is really special about him is his focus, his ability to process quickly, what he does at the line of scrimmage and his ability to get the respect of the locker room. He doesn’t blink. He’s always trying to be better and smarter.”

LARON LANDRY READY TO PAIR WITH ANTOINE BETHEA IN COLTS SECONDARY

LaRon Landry did not want to take things slow when he hit the practice field Tuesday morning.

With the Colts opening up with a walk-through Tuesday morning, Landry was ready to ramp it up even though the official practice would not begin until the afternoon.

“I can’t wait,” Landry said as he waited for the Colts first afternoon minicamp practice.

“I couldn’t even hold back going through a walk-through, so I’m ready to get out to practice.”

Upon arriving in Indianapolis, Landry feels right at home on the playing field and in a system that he is comfortable with, outside of some different terminology.

Rex Ryan was Landry’s coach last year with the Jets. Chuck Pagano and Ryan were on the same staff in Baltimore during the 2008 campaign.

Landry’s comfort level doesn’t stop there, as he will be lining up with another veteran, Pro Bowl, safety in Antoine Bethea.

“I worked out with (Bethea) in Arizona. We have a familiar background with each other,” Landry said. “I’ve been knowing him for a while so it’s like a brotherhood back there already. The chemistry is going to be well.”

Pagano, a former defensive backs coach, has already made an impression on Landry.

“First off he’s a fighter. Anybody that can fight for themselves, sustain what he sustained and went through, and bounce back, speaks a lot about him,” Landry said of Pagano.

“I’d do anything for him.”

Landry has spent the offseason working out in Arizona, trying to remain healthy after a Pro Bowl season with the Jets.

The 2012 campaign followed two seasons in Washington where an Achilles injury forced him to miss 15 games.

“Coming off that injury, I just wanted to make sure everything was fine,” Landry said of the reason for training in Arizona.

“This year I wanted to make sure everything was fine so when I come in right now, I can sustain a full season and everything can be perfect.”

Much has been made about the physical prowess that Landry brings to the backend of the secondary, but when asked what Colts fans will see in No. 30, the Pro Bowler took a different route.

“I’m going to bring 100 percent all the time,” Landry said.

“I’m going to do anything to help my team win. Anything.”

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: JUNE 7TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Friday, June 7^th.

Colts welcome arrival of Wayne for offseason work

By: Mike Marot Associated Press

Marot takes a look at the 34-year old Wayne and how the six-time Pro Bowler is adjusting to another offseason with new faces and a new scheme.

With faces continuing to change around Wayne, he remains one of the most experienced Colts on the entire roster.

“The last few years my main focus on Day 1 has been just getting to know my teammates, getting to know their names, getting to figure out where everybody comes from and then going into the playbook because at the end of the day, you are out there with them and they are out there with you and you are doing whatever you got to do for each other. So I think it would be bad to go out there and not know the guy next to you, his first and last name,” Wayne said. “It has been a challenge, but I’m getting it done. It’s a little new to me still, but it’s cool.”

Finding the Fits: John Boyett could be solution to Colts’ secondary

By: Rob Rang, CBS Sports

CBS Sports is taking a look at some of the more intriguing draft picks from this April’s draft and Boyett fits the mold for Indianapolis.

Rang analyzes Boyett’s knee injuries that are currently holding him out of OTAs and how that will impact his future at the safety position.

As a sixth-round pick, Boyett isn’t likely to overtake Antoine Bethea or Landry as a starting safety for the Colts this season. His reliable open-field tackling and passion, however, could make him a special teams demon and valuable backup as a rookie. Considering that Landry hasn’t started all 16 games since 2008, Boyett’s readiness could be tested earlier than anyone expects.

The article also takes a look at first round pick Bjoern Werner and fifth round selection Montori Hughes.

Indianapolis Colts must run the ball better in 2013

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

On a day when the Colts news centered around Ahmad Bradshaw visiting the team’s complex, Chappell took a look at the running back position in Indianapolis.

For more than a decade, the Colts have been more prone to go through the air than carving up yardage on the ground.

While the attempts are one thing, Colts coaches look at another stat when evaluating the running game.

“It’s not necessarily how many yards we rush for, it’s … how efficient we are when we’re doing certain things,” said running backs coach David Walker. “If we run it 30 times but only gain 30 yards, we really didn’t do much.

“If we run it 30 times with 120, 130 (yards), then we’ve probably won the game and allowed other parts of our offense to open up.”

Ahmad Bradshaw, if healthy, would boost Colts’ running game

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

In Chappell’s blog, he takes a closer look at Bradshaw and how his potential addition may impact the Colts backfield.

Chappell believes that Bradshaw would “bolster” the position and says the following about the former Giants running back.

Bradshaw, 27, is a proven commodity. He rushed for 4,232 yards and 32 touchdowns in six seasons with the Giants, and topped the 1,000-yard mark in two of his last three seasons (1,015 yards in 2012, a career-high 1,235 in ’10).

Breakout Player to Watch: Vick Ballard

By: Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated

Burke is running a series on players he expects to breakout in 2013 and Ballard was one of his selections.

The article takes a look at a number of reasons on why Burke believes Ballard’s numbers will rise in 2013, including being involved in Pep Hamilton’s scheme.

Simply entering the season as the No. 1 back puts Ballard in position for a statistical boost. Ballard averaged just 5.8 carries per game and a measly 13.4 yards from Weeks 1 through 5; over the Colts’ final 11 contests, those numbers bumped to 16.5 and 67.9, respectively. Those averages, extrapolated out over a full season, put Ballard at nearly 1,100 yards.

How underrated? Well, just for discussion’s sake, Ballard was the 31st running back taken in Sports Illustrated‘s offseason fantasy mock draft (on shelves in our annual Fantasy Football magazine soon), behind such players as Baltimore backup Bernard Pierce, oft-injured Chargers starter Ryan Mathews, rookies Le’Veon Bell and Eddie Lacy, and unproven Jets back Chris Ivory.

Ballard has a very realistic shot to soar past the production of any player listed there — his 67.9 yards-per-game average in his final 11 outings would have been a top-20 mark were it not for his lack of carries in games 1 through 5.

The Colts have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Joseph Addai ran for 1,072 yards back in 2007. If he stays healthy and the Colts do not freeze him out of the offense, Ballard should break that drought.

BETHEA’S 107 GAMES PLAYED DWARFS YOUTHFUL SECONDARY IN INDIANAPOLIS

The Colts secondary currently has 17 members.

Of those 17, just one was with the team prior to the 2012 season.

Antoine Bethea is the mainstay and his 107 games of experience in a Colts uniform is almost half of the total number the rest of the secondary carries with them into 2013.

This is season No. 8 for Bethea and while OTAs for some veterans might not seem like a drag, the Pro Bowl safety remembers his days as a youthful defensive back trying to make the roster.

“At one point, you were that young guy and you never really want to be that guy walking around the locker room, never really saying anything to you, feeling like a loner,” Bethea said. “So most definitely you’ve got to pull those guys closer and show them the ropes.”

Bethea was one of the loudest voices on the practice field on Wednesday as the unit attempts to gel in year two of a new defensive system.

The secondary was very active on Wednesday afternoon with numerous pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.

To many Colts fans the names in the secondary are still a bit foreign but ask Bethea, and the system is beginning to sound familiar with a year of experience.

“This time last year my head was spinning in circles but this year right now, I feel a lot more comfortable to really just go out there, make plays and use my athletic ability,” Bethea said.

“We are talking a lot more, very vocal and that’s a good thing.”

Back in 2006, there was Bethea as a rookie starting safety helping the Colts capture Super Bowl XLI.

Now he stands in the secondary as the elder statesmen, by a wide margin, and it’s the hunger he sees in the guys around him that has the No. 41 striving to get back to the game’s pinnacle.

“We’ve got some young guys that are ready to step in and help this team, so I’m excited,” Bethea said. “I’m pretty sure they’re excited. I’m sure it’s overwhelming right now with everything that the coaches are throwing at them but they are doing a good job.”

ANDREW LUCK JOINS NFL NETWORK CREW FOR INTERVIEW ON OTA’s

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was a guest on NFL Network’s Total Access on Wednesday evening for an interview with Scott Hanson.

This time last season Luck was balancing finishing up courses at Stanford while trying to find time for his first round of OTAs at the NFL level.

In 2013, it’s all football this time of year for Luck and Hanson covered that topic and a few others with the Colts signal caller.

Below is the full Luck interview and some of his quotes are under the video link.

Andrew Luck’s NFL Total Access Interview

On the Colts’ improvement last season and what that means for this season:

“Great for last year, glad we did some positive things. What we did last year doesn’t have any bearing – the good things, the bad things – on what is going on this year. It is nice, personally, to have a year under the belt and a little experience, but we know the road gets that much harder and we are trying to improve.”

On feeling more comfortable being in the NFL heading into his second season compared to last year:

“I am 100% more comfortable. On this day last year, I was probably sitting in class ready to get out of there and go to a rookie minicamp.  It is nice to be able to have the full offseason with the team. We have changed [offensive] coordinators, but I have had a great relationship with Pep Hamilton from before. To be around him and talk his style of offense has been great. It is just nice to be around the guys.”

On the hiring of new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton:

“I do remember someone asking my opinion of Coach Hamilton way early on, right after Coach Bruce Arians left.  I gave him 100% endorsement. I am really glad he is here and really happy for Coach Arians down in Arizona as well.  What a wonderful opportunity for him. I don’t think anybody else deserves to be a head coach in this league more than he does.  But I am glad Pep is coming in, I’m glad I don’t have to learn a completely new playbook. I think he is going to do great with us here.”

On if the Colts offense will be different under Hamilton:

“His offense is different; like B.A.’s, every coordinators offense has its own intricacies. It is too early to say [the biggest difference.] I think we will start to have a feel for that during OTAs when we can go against a defense. There will be different plays, but in the end, it is still football. You still have to go out there and make the plays.”

On the improvement of the Colts this season due to himself, T.Y Hilton, Vick Ballard, among others, gaining more experience and building off last season’s success:

“Hopefully we can build off the experience us young guys and the old guys – and continue to get better. I think we are very fortunate to have to great veteran leadership – Robert Mathis, Reggie Wayne, Cory Redding, Antoine Bethea – that really have set the standard here and know how to win. We just try to follow their lead but hopefully us second and third year guys improve and help the team out.”

QBS LEAD WAY

The draft is on April 25-27, starting nine days from now.

PHOTO GALLERY: BEST DRAFT PICKS

To help get fans fired up as the 2013 team takes further shape, we have posted pictures of 60 draft picks during the Indianapolis era and have asked fans to vote for the best all-time choice during our local era.

This is a contest where you can vote, and vote.

In a week’s worth of tabulation, the top 10 reads like this:

1268, Peyton Manning (D1-98)

814, Andrew Luck (D1-12)

757, Reggie Wayne (D1-01)

660, Marvin Harrison (D1-96)

497, Dwight Freeney (D1-02)

497, Edgerrin James (D1-99)

439, Robert Mathis (D5-03)

398, Dallas Clark (D1-03)

389, Marshall Faulk (D1-94)

280, Antoine Bethea (D6-06)

Six days ago, we posted the early leaders, and there has been no change in the order.  Edgerrin James has caught Dwight Freeney, and Marshall Faulk has sneaked up on Dallas Clark.

Faulk (1994) and Marvin Harrison (1996) are the two draft-oldest players in the voting.

Peyton Manning (1998) is the third-oldest in draft chronology, and he leads runner-up Andrew Luck, the youngest player in the top 10, by a wide margin.

The Manning-Luck 1-2 punch could underscore the value of their position while highlighting the talent each brings to it.  It is a quarterback-driven league.

Numbers three (Reggie Wayne) and four (Marvin Harrison) are and were (respectively) frequent targets in the club’s potent passing offense.

Both Harrison (12,766) and Wayne (10,602) went past 10,000 yards in completions from Manning, while Wayne snared 106 passes for 1,355 yards from Luck in 2013.

The bulk of the players in the top 10 were a part of the 2000-09 decade when the Colts won 115 regular-season games, six division titles, two AFC crowns and Super Bowl XLI.  Manning (141), Wayne (127), Harrison (118), Freeney (112) and Mathis (105) are five of the 14 Colts players who participated in more than 100 regular-season wins.

Faulk’s 1999 departure opened the door for James and from 1994-2005, the Colts had some of the most productive rushing offenses in the NFL.

As the voting continues, feel free to vote your convictions, but there are a number of players on the list who had very noteworthy careers beyond the opening rounds.

Mathis (fifth-round) and Antoine Bethea (sixth-round) are the two lowest round players in the top 10.  There are some on the list of 60 who had great careers, too.

Thank you again for voting.  We love the support you have for the Colts.

We know you are looking forward to next week’s draft.

NOT FAR AWAY

Monday is the first day of club’s voluntary nine-week off-season program that is conducted in three phases.

The first phase runs two weeks and includes strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only.

Players are starting to filter into the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center a bit more these days, and one of the most seasoned veterans has a feeling of excitement and expectation.

Only once has Antoine Bethea had a non-winning season.  Last year had a better feel for him as the club jumped back to 11-5.

“It most definitely was a stepping stone, heading back in the right direction,” said Bethea.  “The year before we had a down year, but the new pieces that came into the building last year did a great job of coming together.

“We were just trying to reach that common goal (of the Super Bowl), but we fell short.  This year we have a lot to look forward to.”

Last season brought a number of new faces to Indianapolis with the additions of Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano.

Year Two of their regime has seen the club shop heavily in unrestricted free agency, and the club landed safety LaRon Landry and cornerback Greg Toler to bolster the secondary.

Landry, 6-0, 220, is a physical presence described by Grigson as an “absolute game changer and a true impact player.”  Landry has started 79 career games with Washington and the New York Jets, making the Pro Bowl last season.

Toler, 6-0, 192, is a snap-to-whistle player, too, and he will try to help the club solidify a corner position opposite of Vontae Davis.

“They’re two good football players.  I’m very excited to go out on the field and play with those guys,” said Bethea.  “LaRon is a specimen out there, a big, physical guy.  To line up alongside him and make plays (is exciting).  Toler is a good corner.  I’m ready to go out there, get together and do some good things.”

Spring work is not on the level of training camp, but it is vitally important to the gelling of a team.  Almost no unit needs it more than the secondary, and Bethea seeks comfort with all members of the secondary during the spring.

“The plan is to build the camaraderie and feel comfortable with one another out there on the playing field.  That’s the main thing,” said Bethea.  “Once you go out there, you can play well with one another, know what each other’s going to do without really even thinking about it.  That’s what builds a great team.

“We want to be a great team, be close on and off the field.  The off-season training, you go out and have some fun and get ready for the season.”

Phase Two goes for three weeks.  On-field workouts can include individual player instruction and drills.  Team practice is fine as long as it is done on a separate basis, and no contact or team offense-versus-defense work is permitted.

Phase Three is the final four weeks.  Teams may have a total of 10 days of organized team practice (called OTAs).  No contact is allowed again, but seven-on-seven, nine-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills are part of the process.

The Colts will hold a rookie mini-camp from May 10-12, and the mandatory veteran mini-camp is June 11-13, including a practice at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday, June 12 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. that is open to the public.

VOTE, AND VOTE AGAIN FOR YOUR INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The draft is on April 25-27, starting 15 days from now.

To help get fans fired up as the 2013 team takes further shape, we have posted pictures of 60 draft picks during the Indianapolis era and have asked fans to vote for the best all-time choice during our local era.

This is a contest where you can vote, and vote.

In early tabulation, the top 10 reads like this:

PHOTO GALLERY: BEST DRAFT PICKS

908, Peyton Manning (D1-98)

599, Andrew Luck (D1-12)

547, Reggie Wayne (D1-01)

489, Marvin Harrison (D1-96)

361, Dwight Freeney (D1-02)

358, Edgerrin James (D1-99)

322, Robert Mathis (D5-03)

295, Dallas Clark (D1-03)

272, Marshall Faulk (D1-94)

205, Antoine Bethea (D6-06)

How this shapes up at the moment is no real surprise, but take a look sometimes at a player in later rounds who had a truly noteworthy career.  There are some.  Many great teams are built through successes beyond the first day of the process.

In the next few days, I will feature who I think is the best player taken during our local era at 10 different positions.  The stories already are written.  If they reflect the vote, that’s great, but you never know.

Thanks for checking the site and voting.  We love it.

DAILY CLIPS: APRIL 8TH

COLTS NEWS (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)
Indianapolis Colts’ best draft picks: No. 9, safety Antoine Bethea

NFL NEWS
Monday Morning QB
McClain’s Mock Draft 2.0
Unitas grandson: Flacco is ‘embarrassing choice’ to play NFL great in movie
Surgery likely for Rob Gronkowski
NFP Sunday Blitz: Best remaining NFL free agents
NFL winners, losers: GMs Schneider, Newsome, Dimitroff get it

AFC TEAM NEWS
Rob Gronkowski arm issue brings many concerns
NY Jets and Derrelle Revis at odds over $3 million bonus tied to offseason programs
NFL draft watch: Lane Johnson

NFC TEAM NEWS
NY Giants drew inspiration from ‘Running for Jim’ movie to be shown at SoHo

TUESDAY’S TOP 10 PHOTOS

Hey Colts fans, it’s Matt Bowen  your Colts Team Photographer.
I will be posting my “Tuesday’s Top 10″ photo gallery to colts.com!  The photos galleries will always have a theme, ranging from game action to creative images around the Colts Complex!

Today’s photo gallery is all about GAME FACES!  Being on the sideline close to the players in the heat of battle allows me the opportunity to capture the true emotion of the game!  The majority of the time they have no idea that I’m even around, let alone taking their picture.  This affords me the ability to photograph them in true candid moments.  Most of the images in this gallery lasted for a split second and I just happened to be focused on them hoping for a reaction.  When the emotion of the game spills out in a reaction, I have to be there to capture it.  As a sports photographer I strive to capture the peak moments of a game.  These moments range from finger tip catches and amazing sacks to high fives and screams of jubilation! Whatever the moment, my only job is to be there to capture that moment and not get run over in the process!

If you have a great theme idea for a “Tuesday’s Top 10″ photo gallery, please let me know!

TUESDAY’S TOP 10 PHOTOS – GAME FACES