Indianapolis Colts Football

CHUCK PAGANO AND COLTS PLAYERS TALK LUCAS OIL PRACTICE.

The last time the Colts were in Lucas Oil Stadium it was an afternoon that will not soon be forgotten in team history.

Chuck Pagano returned to the sideline and led a Colts team that, despite having their playoff seeding locked up, won one for their head coach back doing what he loves.

Today, Pagano will once again lead the Colts out onto the Lucas Oil turf as the team holds and open practice for fans from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Below are a few comments from Pagano and players on practicing this evening in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Coach Chuck Pagano

“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be awesome. It’s great for our fans. It’s great for guys and another opportunity to give back, showcase our guys out there, let them have some fun, let the fans have some fun, go sign some autographs and hopefully have a productive day and get back home.”

TE-Dwayne Allen

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to interact with the fans. A little fan appreciation, that’s what Coach Pagano and from top to bottom this organization loves giving back to the fans. They’re the ones who give to us during the season with support and being at every game. Every opportunity we get we love to give back to them.”

“I remember last year I caught a wheel route and scored a touchdown so I jumped up on one of the tables and started high-fiving with the fans. Hopefully I score again so I can have that.”

WR-Darrius Heyward-Bey

“It’ll be fun to practice in front of the fans and everything like that. At the end of the day, that’s who we do it for so it’ll be fun.”

OLB-Bjoern Werner

“I really am excited. It’s the first time I’m going to be in the stadium, practice with the team. I can’t wait. It’s going to be awesome.”

Here is a run down of today’s activities at Lucas Oil Stadium with the doors opening at 2:00 p.m.

• Admission and parking is free (South Lot). Half-price concessions.

• Limited edition Mini Camp poster to the first 5,000 fans.

• Colts Rummage Sale, which benefits the Colts Foundation.

• Colts Cheerleader Autographs: 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• On-field activities: Play60 Zone, Colts Inflatables, Photo Opportunities and more, 2:00 p.m.-4:00p.m.

• Team Autographs: 5:00-5:20 p.m.

• Full team practice: 5:30 p.m.

YOUNG COLTS TIGHT END GROUP FLOURISHING IN PEP HAMILTON’S OFFENSE

When taking a glance at the Colts new offensive scheme during OTAs a number of things stand out.

One of the more intriguing observations over the past month has been the role of the tight end in Pep Hamilton’s new offense.

As the practice days go by, numbers 80, 83, 85 continue to find themselves stretching the field, hauling in receptions for large chunks of yardage.

“It’s definitely more of a focal point this year,” tight end Weslye Saunders said of the role of the tight end in the Colts new offense.

“They are definitely expecting more things out of us in the passing game and in the running game as well. It’s definitely exciting to have more of a vital role in this offense.”

Saunders joined the Colts early last season and has been a frequent target with OTAs coming to a close on Thursday afternoon.

The Colts tight end group does not bring much to the table in experience but makes up for that in versatility.

There’s the 23-year olds in Dwayne Allen and rookie Justice Cunningham.

One year older comes Saunders and Coby Fleener.

Dominique Jones is the eldest statesman at the age of 25.

“We are probably by far the youngest tight end group in the league,” Saunders said. “But it’s pretty excited especially with the amount of strides those guys are making and we haven’t even made it to training camp yet.”

Late in OTAs, Fleener is one name that has begun to garner attention with some impressive catches in traffic and his ability to utilize a 6’6” frame.

Fleener was a terror scoring touchdowns during his one season with Hamilton as his offensive coordinator at Stanford.

The progress of Fleener is being observed around the Colts locker room, including by a certain Pro Bowler receiver.

“I see (Fleneer) growing every day,” Reggie Wayne said. “I think this offense is something that he’s more familiar with and may help him out even more. He’s already a big kid, so hopefully he can just grasp everything, as he’s been doing.

“I really believe the sky is the limit for him.”

VICK BALLARD NAMED ONE OF NFL’S BEST PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 23

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports compiled an interesting list earlier this week when he ranked the top 10 players in the NFL under the age of 23.

Last year’s top two picks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III missed the cut off at the age of 23 but the Colts did find themselves represented on the list.

Check out Prisco’s top-10 list here and his analysis on the Colts representative.

10. Vick Ballard, RB, Indianapolis Colts – As a rookie fifth-round pick in 2012, he ran for 814 yards and showed a powerful running style. He will get even more carries in 2013 as he takes over as the starter (Prisco).

Bowen’s Take: To many Colts fans it might come as a surprise that Ballard’s name finds this list. Sure, Ballard had a tremendous rookie campaign but consider that he’s the lone player on Prisco’s list that wasn’t a first or second round selection out of college. (Josh Gordon was a supplemental selection of the Browns and Cleveland eventually forfeited a second round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft).

The list includes just three skill position players and they all come from the AFC in Trent Richardson, Gordon and Ballard. Along with Luck, both Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton fall in the 23-year old age group. It’s nice to see a player like Ballard gain some national recognition after a season in which he (understandably) flew under the radar thanks to his fellow rookie teammates.

For those curious, Ballard will turn 23 years old on July 16th.

DAILY CLIPS: APRIL 25TH

COLTS NEWS (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)
2013 NFL Draft: What are the Colts looking for? Anything but a quarterback
Indianapolis Colts’ best/worst picks review: what might have been
Pro Football Writers take a stab at aligning NFL Draft’s 1st round
Andrew Luck, Colts share NFL draft experiences from a year ago
Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
Colts Notebook: Hilton has come a long way in one year
Colts could land Pro Bowl player at No. 24
Manti Te’o could find perfect home with Colts
Colts Dwayne Allen ‘can’t stand the draft,’ after it cost him millions

COLTS.COM
2013 NFL Draft: Kickers
McDonald follows steps
Colts Mailbag
Colts top draft pick: Safety
Two weeks in

AFC SOUTH BLOG
Who’s most likely to trade back?
One more run-through with Mel, McShay
Why Titans need pass-rush help

NFL NEWS
Texans anything but handcuffed with No. 27 pick
This NFL Draft stumps Tennessee Titans, experts
Jaguars seek cornerstone with No. 2 pick in NFL Draft
ESPN, NFL Network agree to not tip off picks on Twitter during 2013 draft
Chiefs could make rare choice of OT at No. 1
Roger Goodell says Jimmy Haslam ‘is doing everything he’s asked’

AFC TEAM NEWS
Can’t get read on Pats
To stay, Rex Ryan may need NY Jets to pick quarterback in first round of draft

NFC TEAM NEWS
NY Giants could snag a linebacker in first round of NFL draft for first time since 1984
How low can Bears go?

DAILY CLIPS: APRIL 24TH

COLTS NEWS (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)
2013 NFL Draft: Colts TE Dwayne Allen remembers the 2012 draft costing him $1 million
Indianapolis Colts’ best draft picks: No. 1, QB Peyton Manning
ESPN analyst believes Colts Andrew Luck might wind up being one of best QBs in NFL history
Colts Top 7 ‘front seven’ draft prospects
Colts’ Top 5 possible offensive linemen picks
Blogger mock: Xavier Rhodes to Colts

COLTS.COM
2013 NFL Draft Preview: Safeties
Colts top draft pick: Cornerback
Same-page value

AFC SOUTH BLOG
After more time with Jaguars’ new duds
Thoughts on Jaguars’ new uniforms
Blogger mock: Keenan Allen to Texans
Numbers show Jags’ need at DE, CB
Blogger mock: Dion Jordan to Jaguars

NFL NEWS
Big decisions loom for Texans as NFL draft approaches
NFL draft goes local
Owner Shad Khan OK with Jaguars’ first pick in draft
A round of hugs for Goodell and Draftees
NFL beefs up draft security
Chiefs hold NO. 1 pick in draft for first time
NFLPA signs deal with electronic-signature company
GM: Worst NFL Draft in past 10-12 years

AFC TEAM NEWS
No rust to get DE help
Patience on QB will pay off if Idzik can resist ‘reach’ tomorrow
Oceanside draws line to NFL

NFC TEAM NEWS
NY Giants may draft Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o
So many needs, so few picks for Bears

TIME AWAY FROM THE COMPLEX OFFERS A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES FOR COLTS

Nearly all of the Colts players have returned to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center and while the conditioning and learning of new faces/schemes dominated the news on Wednesday afternoon, a few players offered what they did during their time away.

Center Samson Satele

Satele went back to his home state of Hawaii and took a trip to the wilderness to do some hiking with his wife.

“We did three hikes in Hawaii. It’s fun. As soon as you get to the top, it all pays off because then you get the view. I’ve lived there my entire life but this was my first time I ever went hiking.”

Safety Joe Lefeged

Growing up in colder climates his entire life, Lefeged got away from an unfriendly winter and ventured down to the Bahamas.

“It was my first time out of the states and the weather was beautiful. Coming from the Indiana weather and then back to the Maryland weather, the winters are pretty rough so getting away a bit felt good.”

Inside Linebacker Pat Angerer

A foot injury kept Angerer in Indianapolis for the offseason but the fourth-year linebacker made the most of his time at home with his one-and-a-half-year-old son, Cael.

“I was here all offseason just hanging with my boy. I think that’s the best part about this sport. You have three months off just to spend time off with your son, your wife and your family. I’m very lucky and fortunate to have that.”

Tight End Dwayne Allen

Allen had little time to rest after a record-setting rookie campaign. The former Clemson tight end has been bouncing around between Indiana and South Carolina trying to finish up his final 13 credits.

“I’m actually going back this weekend so I’m going to miss a couple days next week, but it’s one of my priorities this offseason to get that degree. It is tough because you try your hardest to stay up on your academics and also on your training so you don’t lose your job. But I set my graduating as a priority this offseason so it was important to me.”

INSTANT REACTION: DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY SIGNED BY COLTS

The anticipation of who would be joining the Colts wide receiver corps came to a close late Monday evening.

After tweets and names were thrown around for the last couple of weeks, the mystery has been solved on the new addition to an already dynamic group of wideouts.

Former first-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey is the newest Colt and continues an offseason of additions for a Colts team coming off an 11-5 regular season.

How does this acquisition impact the Colts?

During the 2012 training camp, wide receiver Reggie Wayne called his fellow receiving corps the fastest that he has ever seen during his then 12 seasons in a Colts uniform.

That notion won’t be changing any time soon with the signing of Heyward-Bey.

With Heyward-Bey in the fold, his sub 4.3 40-yard dash speed should fill the role of departing receiver Donnie Avery.

Heyward-Bey provides Colts quarterback Andrew Luck another electric target that simply needs the ball in his hands to showcase the speed that earned him the No. 7 selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Besides Avery, the Colts return every other offensive contributor that gained at least 100 yards of offense last season.

At the receiver position, Wayne will once again lead the group. The Pro Bowl receiver is coming off an 106-catch, 1,355-yard season.

T.Y. Hilton finished second among all rookie receivers with 861 receiving yards despite not being selected until the 92^nd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Fellow rookie LaVon Brazill, who Wayne called perhaps the fastest of the bunch in 2012, showed flashes of big play potential in his first season.

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has also mentioned 2012 undrafted free agent Griff Whalen as a player who could see his chances grow in 2013. Whalen spent his rookie season on injured reserve but the Stanford product is now reunited with college offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

All these weapons will be at Luck’s disposal in 2013, along with top two rookie tight ends in the NFL (Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener), giving the Colts one of the more versatile air attacks in the league.

HEY, JOE

Among all the awards that are presented after an NFL season, there is one that deserves some notice, the “All-Joe Team,” named annually by the USA Today.

The award started in 1992 by USA Today NFL writer Larry Weisman, one of the very good guys who covered the league.  Weisman truly cared about players who contributed to teams’ success but who likely gained very little notice for their efforts.

Weisman named the award after Joe Phillips, a defensive lineman who played that year for Kansas City.  Phillips labored in a spotlight that shined brightly on two others – Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas.

The paper has had the award annually since Weisman started it, and the team has a 53-man roster.

Each NFL team has a representative and only players who never have made a Pro Bowl are eligible.  Once a “Joe” visits Honolulu, he is booted off this award’s island.

On the surface, the “All-Joe Team” may not appeal tremendously to fans.  Believe me, NFL PR Departments take the award seriously.

Publicists throughout the league put elbow grease in nominating players for the “All-Joe Team.”  Other awards can be popularity contests on many fronts, but publicists in the league know their locker rooms very well.  They know players who truly are contributing away from acclaim.

Many times, PR types get counsel from the coaches, too.  Coaches get great peeks at deserving players in meeting rooms, weight rooms and practices.  Those venues factor tremendously into the success of every winning team.

This year’s Colts recipient is tight end Dwayne Allen.  Allen joined the club as the 64^th pick in the 2012 draft, and he set the club seasonal record for tight ends with 45 receptions.

Allen started 17 games (counting the playoffs), gaining praise by club officials for his maturity, professional nature and talents.  On more than one occasion, Allen was described as having a very “veteran” manner.

Chuck Pagano sees a future so bright for Allen that he says the Clemson product soon could be among the league’s top tight ends, if not the best of the entire bunch.  Allen was part of a two-TE “Joe” set that included Carolina’s Greg Olsen.

The announcement of the “All-Joe Team” came this week.  I like that it was done separately from all the other awards.  It does have its place in a league that employs 1,696 players on active rosters.

Dwayne is one of many bright spots on the team.  He also is a trusted voice at his locker, a stand-up guy who is comfortable with the media and who puts effort and wits into his responses.

Congratulations, Dwayne – well deserved, young man.  You may want to enjoy this one while it lasts.  You may be booted off this island soon if you keep playing like you did last year.

PAST COLTS “ALL-JOES” FROM 2003-present (*eventually made Pro Bowl)

2003 – Rick DeMulling, Hunter Smith

2004 – Brandon Stokley, Jeff Saturday*, Montae Reagor, Hunter Smith

2005 – Montae Reagor

2006 – Ryan Diem, Nick Harper

2007 – Gary Brackett Antoine Bethea*

2008 – Dallas Clark*, Kelvin Hayden, Melvin Bullitt

2009 – Melvin Bullitt

2010 – Jacob Tamme

2011 – Pat Angerer

NOT ALL ABOUT NUMBERS AT NFL COMBINE

A little less than a year ago, Dwayne Allen made a visit to Indianapolis and the trip didn’t go according to plan.

Allen was looking to supplant himself into a potential first round draft pick and improve his chances of being invited to the 2012 NFL Draft.

Those hopes were dashed when Allen took the blocks for the 40-yard dash.

Every move of combine participants is critiqued from every angle and a stressful week for Allen began when he crossed the finish line in a time of 4.89.

When that time flashed across the screen, Allen knew that any chance of being invited to the draft were gone.

In looking back on that moment, he is thankful his next few visits to Indianapolis would go down the right path.

“It was a blessing in disguise. I thank God every day for running that 4.9 because had I run faster, I could have been in a different place, under different circumstances,” Allen said.

“I’m just blessed to be here.”

In proving that combine numbers are not the final say in producing at the NFL level, Allen’s 40-time ranked seventh among the nine tight ends that ran at the 2012 Combine.

Of the six tight ends that ran faster 40-yard dashes than Allen, they combined for 12 catches and 142 yards in their rookie campaigns.

Allen’s stat line read as—45 catches for 521 yards.

While his speed numbers did not fall among the top of those at the tight end position, Allen did lead the group with 27 reps on the bench press.

The combine is next up on the NFL offseason schedule with a week of testing and interviews in Indianapolis beginning on Feb. 20.

Potential prospects will be dissected just like Allen was a year ago and if the Colts tight end had it his way the process would be pretty simple.

“Turn on the tape. Let me see the guy play,” Allen said.

“How fast is he on the field? Because I guarantee you I play a lot faster than a 4.9”

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY MEMORIES STILL LINGER FOR ALLEN

Here is the third of a six-part series profiling tight end Dwayne Allen. Last Monday, Allen was in studio on “The Ride with JMV” and covered a variety of topics. Below is the third piece with Allen talking about his experience on National Signing Day:

The constant calls and text messages will cease on Wednesday afternoon for hundreds of high school football players across the nation.

After months of being hounded by college coaches, wined and dined on various campuses, ink will be put to paper on where the next step of their football careers will take place.

For the Colts Dwayne Allen, the memories of his own National Signing Day are vivid.

As a promising prospect out of North Carolina, Allen was on the forefront of nearly every coach in the ACC and SEC when the 2008 signing period came to a close.

Georgia seemed to be the favorite for Allen’s services and how could one blame him for choosing a school with a dozen conference titles and a pair of national titles to their name.

But that glitz begun to wear off late in the process after a final visit to Clemson in late January, the chance to create history for another program was the ultimate selling point.

“That was the vision that I had whenever I chose Clemson over Georgia out of high school,” Allen, who was ranked with the ‘best hands’ in the 2008 tight end class according to Rivals.com, said.

“I wanted to be apart of something and I wanted to help bring the team back in the limelight, instead of just stepping in the limelight.”

Behind a Mackey Award (the nation’s top tight end) senior season, Allen helped deliver Clemson its first conference championship in 20 years.

He had etched his name in the Tigers’ record books but Allen, always the team player, entered the NFL still wanting more.

“I would trade all the accolades, the All-American, the John Mackey, all of it, to win a National Championship at Clemson,” Allen said.

While that goal has come and gone, the next in line remains returning the Lombardi Trophy to the city of Indianapolis.

Allen looked at his rookie season similar to what he experienced during his early years in Columbia, S.C., with the standard of success being the common denominator moving forward.

“To come into this organization after the team went 2-14 last year and to turn it around like we did was unbelievable,” Allen said.

“I’m just so glad to be apart of it.”