From Javarris James, via Twitter:
On the road headed to camp with @bjamesk22 an @CrewCampRay let's go Colts.
That was Tweeted roughly an hour ago. Jerraud Powers is already in his dorm room, contemplating camp and trying to be as optimistic as possible. All players are expected to arrive by 2pm. Jim Caldwell was asked at Anderson this morning if he felt Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis would show up. His response:
There was no official announcement as to whether wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Robert Mathis would report prior to the 2 p.m. deadline, but coach Jim Caldwell expects his two disgruntled Pro Bowlers to be on hand."It's the start of training camp; that's the way it's supposed to be,'' Caldwell said during a news conference. "We anticipate that happening. If it doesn't, we'll adjust.''
The only player who is not expected to arrive by 2pm is Jerry Hughes, the team's first round pick. Hughes still is not signed despite the fact that the player picked ahead of him (Jahvid Best) and the player picked after him (Patrick Robinson) have signed with their respective teams.
Also, for some odd reason, the Colts decided to piss off the media today and only allow press access to head coach Jim Caldwell and Peyton Manning. For the longest time, when players arrived on "reporting day," they were all made available to media. This year, they've changed things and offered no real explanation as to why:
The Colts caused a stir among the media by deciding to greatly limit access on reporting day.Previously, every player along with Caldwell were available. Today, only Caldwell and Manning were made available to the media.
"It’s just how we’re doing things year,’’ Caldwell said.
I love the Colts. I really do. But this kind of annoying crap is why they have such a terrible reputation in media and PR circles.
I mean, come on. It's reporting day! IT'S AN EXCITING TIME! All of us are really jazzed and pumped about the start of the 2010 season. We want to see and hear from players we haven't heard from in months. Why not make Bob Sanders available? Why not make Anthony Gonzalez available? Pierre Garcon? Dwight Freeney? Rookies Pat Angerer and Brody Eldridge?
Again, I love this team, but I get very frustrated when they pull crap like this and offer little or no explanation. It just sucks all the air out of the room, so to speak. It also feeds the dumb rumor mill, or "silly machine" as I often call it. It suggests to us the Colts have something to hide perhaps in regards to players like Sanders and Gonzo. If they are healthy, then they can stand in front of reporters and fans and say they are. However, when they and others are closed off from reporters and fans, it just feeds the silly machine.
I don't want to harp on this because this is supposed to be a fun, exciting time. However, I'm a big proponent of openness and accessibility. I'm one of those people who instinctively feels that if someone is hiding something, it's likely for unacceptable reasons. So, when the Colts close ranks and shutout the media from their players on reporting day, a day intended to welcome the team back after a long off-season, that tells me something is up. I hope I'm wrong.
[UPDATE]: From AP's MIchael Marot:
Receiver Anthony Gonzalez(notes), who missed all but the first quarter last season with a right knee injury, and safety Bob Sanders(notes), who missed all but two games last season with knee and biceps injuries, are not expected to open practice on the physically unable to perform list.
Thank goodness.