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Notes from Mini-Camp

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So, what did we learn from mini-camp?

Well, it seems Marlin Jackson will play CB this season, and will not be moved to safety. If they were going to move him, they would have worked on it at mini-camp. The staff are really big on Addai. His pass catching abilites impressed O.C. Tom Moore, and they might split Addai out like they did with Edgerrin in his rookie year (pre-knee injury). Vinatieri is fitting in well, and he seems impressed with how the Colts conduct business.

It seems, moreso than any other year, the attitude of the Colts has changed. Everybody is attending summer workouts. Guys look angry, focused, and ready. Fat Lenny of ESPN penned a pretty decent article on this very subject in Indy. The mental sledgehammer that is the playoff loss to Pittsburgh will indeed linger all year long. There is no way around that. The media, the fans, everyone will bring it up. The pressure will be on them all year long, until they (hopefully) make the Super Bowl.

That is the only way the pressure lets up. With every game they win, the noose will get tighter and tighter. Dungy, per usual, is approaching this in his practical, calm manner. His mantra: do your job, and do it very well. The rest will take care of itself. The Colts are lock-step with this mindset. They would follow Dungy into hell if he asked them. Such loyality is rare in modern sports. Despite the fact that Indy is one of the youngest teams in the NFL, they are also one of the most mature:

"This is an unusual team," Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday said. "I mean, I doubt anyone would think of us as an old team, right? Just look around [the locker room]. But I think we're a really mature team. Guys have come and gone, including this offseason, but they've always done a good job here of keeping the core group of players. There is still a strong nucleus here."
Can the Colts overcome this mental hurdle? Yes, I think they can. They have too many good players and are too well coached. They have the tools to do so. It is a simple matter of execution.