There was the hunting gear in 2007. There was the dump truck in 2009. There was the army fatigues with military members in 2011. And then there was the helicopter in 2013. Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne has a history of showing up in a fun and unique fashion for training camp, and it has become one of the most looked-forward to moments of the reporting day of camp for many fans.
This year, Reggie again made a dramatic appearance: he showed up in an IndyCar, getting a ride from IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter.
WR Reggie Wayne shows up to camp in Indy car pic.twitter.com/wJZwcrXpn2
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) July 23, 2014
Wayne and Carpenter fresh out of the car pic.twitter.com/FLj0EjjJC7
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowenColts) July 23, 2014
Ed Carpenter was Reggie's driver. They came in legit race car and not a street version. @Colts pic.twitter.com/lmc6yn2sKR
— Craig Kelley (@CraigKColts) July 23, 2014
Look at @edcarpenter20 who piloted Reggie to Camp. #Colts pic.twitter.com/Eol73AVgjj
— Chris Hagan (@chrishaganfox59) July 23, 2014
Ed Carpenter said he wasted no time agreeing to bring Wayne to #ColtsCamp. "I'm a Colts fan."
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) July 23, 2014
Wayne says this is the best of his training camp entrances. A pretty impressive helmet too for 87 pic.twitter.com/aPLcLCVIhl
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowenColts) July 23, 2014
It's another fun entrance for Reggie, and he keeps thinking up creative ways to show up. He's one of the most popular Colts and a team leader, and he always gets training camp started on a right note. While all eyes are always on Reggie, especially on reporting day, there will be added attention on him as we get into actual practices because of the fact that he's returning from a torn ACL suffered last season. He will to go from the start of camp, which is great news for Colts fans, but plenty of eyes will still be on the 35-year old receiver to see how he does recover from the torn ACL. In his prolific 13 year career, all with the Colts, Wayne has topped 1,000 yards receiving in eight different seasons, 100+ catches in four different seasons, and 10+ touchdowns in three different seasons. He was on pace for another 1,000 yard year last year before he tore his ACL in week seven, ending his season.
Since then, he has been working furiously to rehab and come back, and he's been doing very well in the offseason. He was seen running along the sidelines at OTAs and stuff like that, and will be ready for camp. He has been cleared to practice, but like with Vick Ballard, the Colts will probably be cautious and take it slow early on. It'll be great for the Colts to get Reggie Wayne on the field, and if his speed at 35-years old and coming off of a torn ACL can be even a fraction of the car that brought him to camp, it'll be even better.