Colts owner Jim Irsay expects Robert Mathis to return in September

During Thursday night's broadcast of the Colts' fourth preseason game on FOX59, Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay sat in the booth with Don Fischer and Rick Venturi and had some interesting comments on a variety of topics, but perhaps most interesting were his comments about Robert Mathis.

Mathis was recently activated off of the PUP list by the Colts a year after tearing his Achilles, and while the Colts still haven't put a timetable on his return, Mathis wants to be out there in week one.  Jim Irsay's comments indicate that Mathis' return could indeed be near.

"I can say this tonight: Robert Mathis is really progressing well," Irsay said.  "Really progressing well on his recovery.  I see him in September playing.  I see him in this building in September playing.  The way his progress is going, I don't see anything slowing him down.  And you know what a boost that would be, to have the likes of a guy like Mathis joining (Frank) Gore and Andre Johnson to an already excellent football team."

Now, if you look at the Colts' schedule, they have just one home game in September - the week two Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets on September 21.  So if Irsay truly means that he sees Mathis playing in Lucas Oil Stadium in September, he's saying that he expects Mathis back in week two (if not before).

That would, as Irsay notes, be a huge boost to the team.  Regardless of how Mathis actually plays, just getting a player like Mathis back would be a big morale boost for the team.  And if he could produce on the field, it would be an even bigger boost to the team on the field.  It's probably unreasonable to expect him to produce like the Robert Mathis of old, but he still could be a big contributor to the defense when it comes to pass rush.  That's the hope, but regardless, getting him back on the field period will be a big boost.  And according to Jim Irsay, that return will be coming this month, quite possibly in time for the team's home opener in week two.