- As some of you know, Marvin Harrison left mini-camp early to have surgery on his elbow. It was a planned surgery. Early in the offseason, he had surgery on his wrist. They waited for the wrist to heal before working on the elbow. Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com has some snarky comments about Harrison's surgery:
Gee, why didn't he wait until August?
In general, I like reading Florio's stuff, but the dumb, uninformed, snarky comments can go. They make Mike sound like a turd. Oh, and he needs to lose the constant product placements from his sponsor (Sprint). We get it already! Sprint gives him money. We're happy for him. But putting Sprint adds in his content is a bit much.
- Joseph Addai had an outstanding mini-camp. And guess what, he's not done. Rather than go back home, take a vacation, or press the league so he can wear his college number, Addai is staying in Indy. He's hitting the weight room, attending Colts summer school, and working with Peyton. This guy has "Baller" written all over him.
- Addai is getting help from his competition: Dominic Rhodes. Despite what New England Patridiot fans think, there are no egos on this team.
- Here's a nice feel good story about Brandon Stokely and his family. Stoke's a good man, and seems like a good father as well.
- Keyon Whiteside is trying to make a comeback. If he makes the 53 man roster, it's a minor miracle.
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: