It's a bit sad that Michael Coe's season is over. Last year he battled with a shoulder injury, spent all off-season rehabbing it, and came into camp ready to go. Then, on one of the camp days MasterRWayne and I attended camp, he slipped on a kickoff return and injured his knee. Prognosis is 2 months, which means that Michael Coe would be back and ready to play by November, latest. But to hold only 52 active players between Kickoff Weekend and November is not realistic. Thus, Coe was IRed.

This is a big positive for players like Keiwan Ratliff, Brandon Foster, and maybe even Kenton Keith. The Colts are 5 deep at corner, not including Ratliff and Foster. They might consider carrying 4 RBs. It's doubtful, but possible. I think Ratliff keeps the spot. He's had a solid camp and pre-season thus far. With Coe getting IRed, the Colts picked up a rookie LB waived from Houston: Marcus Richardson out of Troy.

At 6'0, 250 pounds, Richardson seems ideal for SAM backer in the Cover 2. Curiously, this move was made and not a move to sign veteran LBer Rob Morris. However, at first glance, Richardson fits what the Colts like in LBers: tough, hard-worker, fast, top intangibles, and a team leader. Richardson was a fan favorite at Troy, it seems. His speed and work ethic will serve him well in the Cover 2, and unlike camp fodder like Victor Worsley (who is hurt) Richardson might have a good chance to catch on with the team. God know the Colts need some healthy LBers.

Marcus Richardson, in the foreground, is about to kill this Cowboy.

Now, onto camp.

Just like Colt Homer did the previous day, coltsfanawalt attended camp and offered his impressions of what happened. One particular incident caught me attention:

We saw Clint Session lay out Joseph Addai in a rotating drill of pass rushing/blocking. Everyone made noise about it. Addai stepped aside and took off his helmet. Then when Session was due up again, [Addai] cut in front of the other back to get another crack at #55. Pretty cool to see. And Session looks good.

It's called competition, folks. And it's nice to see Clint and Joseph go at it without the end result being a fist fight and someone with a broken nose.

Another funny observation:

Watch out for Howard  Mudd. He drives like a maniac. I'm just sayin'.

Howard Mudd on a golf cart is like Tony Stewart at the Brickyard. He drives like a maniac, and looks like he's trying to run people over (even though he really isn't). Maybe when Manning gets back, Mudd's golf cart can get retired to the pond.

Based on camp reporters from TheMatic and Aerostar193; articles posted on the Tribune Star and Indy Star websites, ESPN's own "blog"; and camp reports posted on ColtFreaks.com, I'll do my best to piece together early observations of players many of you have questions about. I'll cite the sources at the end of article:

• Philip Wheeler hurt is knee yesterday. After practice he was seen on the sideline with an ice wrap around his knee. This is a somewhat positive  sign that the injury is not too bad because if it was a pulled or torn tendon or ligament, he likely would not have been on the practice field sideline with ice on the knee. Apparently, the knee is "sore." Dungy elaborated on the injury (somewhat):

  "Wheeler has just irritation in the knee and [it’s] a condition he’s had that flared up. We’re hoping that it’s not too serious. Melvin Bullitt did have a little sprained thumb that they’re going to have to work on. He’s probably going to miss a few days, but nothing that should hold him out more than a week," the Colts coach said, adding that he doesn’t know how long Wheeler may be sidelined.

  
  
• Day 2 saw the running backs stand out as the players put the pads on for the first time in weeks. The backs working with the starting unit are Addai, Rhodes, and Mike Hart. Noticeably absent from working with the starting unit: Kenton Keith. They are using Hart the way the used James Mungro from 2002-2005. Hart is small, but hits the gaps in the line hard and with explosion. He is essentially a hybrid short yardage back, fullback.
  


• Mike Hart got his bell rung by Freddie Keiaho on one play. Fans in the stands cheered "Welcome to the NFL, rookie!"
  


• Most have said Roy Hall has looked impressive. The only person I've read who was not impressed with Hall is Aerostar193, which is not to say Aerostar193 is wrong in his assessment. Everyone else though has raved about Hall.
  


• Equally impressive has been Pierre Garcon. His routes are very crisp and his movement fluid. He is drawing comparisons to a young Marvin Harrison in terms of body type and route running.
  


• Speaking of Marvin Harrison, the early assessment of his work at camp is that the old Marvin is back and the league better "watch out." Roy Hall and Pierre Garcon, two young players, were amazed at how fast and well conditioned Harrison has looked:
  

  "Marvin looked excellent," Hall said. "He didn’t miss a beat. He looked extremely healthy. His knees looked fine. He’s running faster than ever. He looks good. I was excited to see him back out there and happy to see him out there. Marv was just out there being Marv, catching the ball and making big plays. He’ll continue to do that throughout the season."

  "I don’t see anything wrong with him," Garcon noted. "He’s quick and fast, extremely fast."

  Both Dominic Rhodes and Jeff Saturday, who have played with Marvin Harrison for over 7 years, say Harrison has a big chip on his shoulder because people have written him off because of his age.


• Eric Foster has drawn a ton of praise from both offensive and defensive coaches. He is especially stout against the run. More and more, Foster looks like a keeper and another undrafted rookie gem for Polian.
  


• Rookie DE Marcus Howard and second year LT Tony Ugoh have gone at it the last two days. During drills, the two are battling against each other extremely hard. Ugoh has had trouble dealing with Howard's great speed and Howard has had problems getting past Ugoh's arms. Howard's speed has been the eye-popping "wow" many at camp have noticed. He seems unblockable unless you have someone fast enough to match him.
  


• Clint Session was not at Day 2 practice because of a personal issue. Because Tyjuan Hagler, Philip Wheeler, and now Session were unavailable, the Colts used Ramon Guzman at SAM. Guzman played special teams and DE last season. No details on how he looked.
  


• Jacob Tamme has been practicing his long-snapping for special teams. Tamme has also looked good blocking. Some have even questioned why blocking was a knock on him in college. He has looked solid blocking in drills and scrimmages. Seems the #2 spot is now Tamme's to lose.


• Mike Pollak worked at OG for the starting unit on Friday, but so did Charlie Johnson. PhilB at the Indy Star still think Pollak will win the job. Pollak did not practice Saturday, and Johnson took most of the snaps at OG.
  


• Most media have praised Jim Sorgi and how well he's looked in camp. PhilB still thinks Sorgi holds onto the ball to long, which has always been Sorgi's problem. Still, most have said Sorgi is leaps and bounds better than Gray and Lorenzen, but much of that has to do with Sorgi having known the offense for 4 years.
  


• Tim Jennings has looked good. Damn good, in fact. He appears more comfortable as a Cover 2 corner, making quick reads and reacting fast. The entire Colts secondary has impressed, with Dante Hughes, Michael Coe, Brandon Condren, and TJ Rushing also standing out. The Colts seem to have an excellent secondary this season. Condren had an INT in morning practice on Saturday.
  


• Raheem Brock will move back to DE, and only play DT on passing situations. The Colts are worried that starting Brock at DT every down will indeed wear him down. Expect to see more of Brock starting at DE against teams that like to establish the run first. Robert Mathis will start at DE if teams like to throw early. Keyunta Dawson is now starting at DT along with Big Ed Johnson.


• Dungy is concerned that players are not used to practicing in pads:

  "I told the team afterwards [that] we have to learn how to practice in pads," the Colts coach said. "What we’re trying to do, you know, we’ve gone three months now and then the first two [training camp] practices [in jerseys and shorts]. So we’ve got to learn how to hit, deal with the contact and get done what we need to do without blowing each other up. So that’s something you always have to learn."



• RB Clifton Dawson made several excellent plays during Day 2 practice.  He had two 15 yard sweeps for TDs, and broke several long runs in the morning practice. Joseph Addai and Dom Rhodes also had some excellent long runs in afternoon practice.


• Not a peep about Kenton Keith. Not one single, solitary bit of news about how well (or poorly) he practiced. That's not good for Kenton, especially with the other RBs looking so good.


• Samuel Giguere caught a 45 yard TD from Jared Lorenzen. Giguere has noticeably been working hard.


• Freeney and Sanders have rehabbed while the rest of the team has done drills. Both are running fast. Freeney has been spinning and making moves. Between the two, Sanders looks the most ready to return.


• Rookie TE Tom Santi had the exact same operation on his knee Peyton Manning did, only two weeks earlier. Santi has been seen at camp walking with a limp and a back of some kind on his knee. If Santi is the measuring point, we will likely not see Peyton Manning practice until the week of August 18th. Manning is still not at camp.


• People have raved over Indy's receiving corps. Hall and Garcon were mentioned above, but Devin Aromashodu has also impressed. With so many receivers looking good, the Colts might carry 5 or 6 WRs into the regular season, with two of them (Hall and Giguere, perhaps) possibly playing special teams as gunners.


• No information as yet as to who is returning punts and kicks.

Whew! Folks, this is the most information I've ever received about any stretch of training camp. Now, more than ever, people have a vested interest in what is going on at Terre Haute, and their desire to report that info back to fans is unrelenting. Special thanks to people like Aerostar193 and TheMatic for giving us first hand accounts just for Stampede Blue readers. Sources for all information bulleted are below. Click the links and read more:

ColtFreaks.com

IndyStar Blog

Tribune Star Article #1

Tribune Star Article #2

Colts.com

Areostar193's Fan Post

TheMatic's Twitter Fan Post

The Terre Haute's Tribune Star has their training camp preview up, and (shockingly) it is far more detailed, thoughtful, and interesting than any preview I've ever read at the Indianapolis Star. And unlike the horrid NFL.com camp preview we trashed last week, the TH preview seems to know what its talking about and validates many of off-season themes we've discussed since March.

Good God. Was March really just  months ago?

The preview's author, Tom James, starts off (after going through the usual who's hurt and why stuff) by naming the Players to Watch: Roy Hall, Mike Pollak, and Philip Wheeler. All three were impressive during the two minicamps and the off0season programs. We've written often about Pollak and Hall, so I found this nugget about Wheeler intriguing:

Slated to be the top reserve behind starter Gary Brackett at middle linebacker as a rookie, he may get a chance to prove what he can do as the team’s strong side linebacker.

Hagler’s pectoral injury could force a move to the outside for the hard-hitting linebacker from Georgia Tech. Wheeler might be in the mix as a replacement when the team reports for training camp. His ability to quickly diagnose a play, combined with his speed and quickness, should serve him well if given the opportunity.

Tyjuan Hagler better heal up quick, because I'm starting to think that Wheeler will win his job as strongside LBer when the pre-season closes.

Some other interesting notes are the possibility of second year player Clifton Dawson transitioning to a lead blocker on short yardage. This is the first I've heard of this, and definitely something I will look at when I get to camp. Other sleepers they mentioned for camp were WR Devin Aromashodu, WR Courtney Roby, WR Pierre Garcon, WR Sam Giguere, WR Charles Dillon, WR Rudy Burgess, TE Gijon Robinson, RB Chad Simpson, DE Ben Ishola, DE Curtis Johnson, DT Colin Ferrell, DT Eric Foster DT Joe Bradley, LB Jordan Senn, LB Kyle Shotwell, CB Brandon Foster, CB Antonio Smith, and SS Jamie Silva. James also says the free agent rookie Sam Giguere is a "Wes Welker clone."

Is Clifton Dawson Indy's new fullback?

via cache.viewimages.com

Tom James put emphasis on players like Eric Foster and Devin Aromashodu:

Aromashodu got the attention of his teammates last year as he filled in on a limited basis for Harrison.

...

Foster is a definitely possibility to earn a spot on the team at the end of training camp.

The article also suggests that kick returning duties will get shared between Dom Rhodes, Dillon, Burgess, Mike Hart, and Simpson. James does not mention TJ Rushing returning kicks, which is interesting to say the least. He did say this about Rushing:

Rushing was drafted to be the team’s kick and punt returner but has proved to be a pretty good cornerback when given the chance to play.

Perhaps Rushing's ability to play CB made him too much of a commodity to just throw out there as a returner. Again, we will pay close attention to see if Rushing is still returning kicks and punts in camp.

Finally, James names his up-and-coming players that could come out of camp and pre-season ready to make an immediate positive impact on the team during the regular season:

In addition to Hall, Pollak and Wheeler, other key players figure to be tight ends Jacob Tamme and Tom Santi; defensive end Marcus Howard; outside linebackers Clint Session and Ramon Guzman; cornerbacks Dante Hughes, Micheal Coe, and Tim Jennings; safeties Melvin Bullitt and Brannon Condren.

Indianapolis’ break out performers could very well be Tamme, Howard, Session, Hughes, Jennings and Bullitt.

This is what football previews are supposed to give you, boys and girls. This article has me fired up big time for training camp, which starts in just four days!

It's been kind of weird this off-season. For the first time in God knows how long, there are more questions about the Colts offense than about the defense. In fact, of three main areas of the team, the defense is the one that has the fewest questions. Now obviously, this is relative to us Colts fans. The "questions" we have about our team focus on depth and versatility. Let's be honest: We're lucky these are our "problems." Elite teams like New England have serious questions about who will start in their secondary, and San Diego doesn't know if their starting QB or their best playmaker in the passing game (Antonio Gates) are healthy.

With the Colts, in particular their defense, there are no current questions about who will start where. Really, if you think about it, there aren't even any big position battles. The only one on defense I can think of is SAM linebacker Tyjuan Hagler fighting off rookie Philip Wheeler, but since Wheeler is a rookie learning an entirely new system, I doubt Hagler will lose his job to him. Gary Brackett is a lock at MLB, and Freddie Keiaho would have to royally screw up to lose his starting WILL spot to the very solid Clint Session.

This means that, essentially, the entire starting defense from the 2007 season will return. This includes Dwight Freeney, who is ahead of schedule on his lis franc rehab. In fact, the Colts seem to think Freeney could play in pre-season, but are holding him back just to be safe. I realize that the Colts injury report is often a load of crap, but seeing Freeney himself say it reinforces it for me. Also expected back at 100% are Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock. Added to their arsenal of DEs are rookies Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson; both with demon-like speed off the edge.

The key area that will warrant a close look is the secondary. Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Bob Sanders, and Antoine Bethea are all locked in as starters. This group in one of the best secondaries in football; top 5, easily. The depth is the area that warrants attention, and not in a bad way. Third year CB Tim Jennings took over the nickel corner spot last season after then-rookie Dante Hughes went down with an injury. Hughes is now back and recovered, and both he and Jennings will battle it out in camps for the nickel back spot. Also lingering are TJ Rushing, Michael Coe,  and Texas free agent rookie Brandon Foster. I don't think Keiwan Ratliff (currently listed on the roster) will last on the team.

Rushing really stepped up his coverage game in 2007. Drafted primarily as a return specialist, he has grown into a solid nickel or dime coverage DB. Because Rushing can return kicks and cover, he has likely locked down a roster spot. If Hughes is healthy, he could win back his starting nickel spot, leaving Jennings as a potential odd man out. Still, even with Jennings potentially getting lost in the shuffle, this is a very deep secondary. I mean, I haven't even touched on players like reserve safety Matt Giordano, or rookie Jamie Silva. This is a touch, hard-hitting, big play group that will flourish in 2008 if the Colts pass rush can stay healthy.

All this talk about defense, and not one mention about the DTs and the run. What difference a year makes. Last year, we were practically down on our knees, begging God Almighty not to get Booger McFarland hurt. Then, Booger went down in the first week of Training Camp. He was replaced by a group of tough, smart rookies like Ed Johnson, Quinn Pitcock, and Keyunta Dawson. Each played magnificently in 2007, and the Colts run defense improved dramatically. Teams like Jacksonville didn't run all over Indy, and even great backs like LT had a hard time gaining yards. This group is now a year older, a year wiser. With Raheem Brock returning to DT, this is a solid group.

I expect big things from this defense in 2008. They have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Bob Sanders and a (hopefully) healthy Dwight Freeney. This group should dominate.