Austin Collie Now Sounds Less Optimistic He'll Play Against Bears

Earlier this week, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told the media that things were "full go" regarding wide receiver Austin Collie, and that it seemed likely he would play Week One against the Chicago Bears.

On Thursday, Collie himself sang a somewhat different tune.

From Josh Alper at PFT:

Collie met with the media on Thursday and sounded a bit less confident that he’s going to be in the lineup on Sunday. He said there wasn’t a "definite timetable" for his return and referred to himself as "day-to-day" when asked about the likelihood of playing.

"Like I said, it’s day-to-day. It’s up to the doctors. It’s up to the coaches. Whatever the doctors say, whatever the coaches say, I’m going to obey. I’m going to do as they say," Collie said in comments distributed by the team. "I’m really not focused about that right now. I’m not focused about Sunday or what’s going to happen. What I’m focused on now is just getting better today."

Maybe Pagano was tossing up a smoke screen earlier this week to throw off the Bears, but I personally don't buy that. It's possible that the Colts want one thing (Collie playing Week One) while Collie is wisely being a bit more cautious.

I'm on record as saying Collie should not be playing in Indianapolis anymore. When he gets his fifth concussion (not if, when), it could be one in which he doesn't get back up. If so, the Colts own a significant amount of the responsibly for that. Yes, Collie is a grown man and can make his own decisions, but if the franchise is willing to toss a concussion-prone wide receiver out there in an effort to win some games, they are morally responsible for what is likely to happen.

All we can hope for as fans is that Collie, who switched helmets again after sustaining his fourth dinger in two years, beats the odds and doesn't feel "cloudy" after getting blasted in the head again.