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The Indianapolis Colts squandered a late lead yet again last week to fall to the Tennessee Titans, 36-22. Now, they have another AFC South division matchup this week at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here are some quotes that I found interesting this week leading up to this game.
“Andrew (Luck) will not be at practice today or the rest of this week. He’s had some soreness in his shoulder that he’s been dealing with, and so the doctors and the trainers have decided – they’ve given him a cortisone shot to kind of take away some of that inflammation that’s been happening. In terms of the rehab, it’s been going well. You’ve seen him throw. I’ve watched every session of him throwing, and it’s been going really well. His velocity’s good, his motion’s good, all of that’s coming along at a good rate. It’s the soreness right now that we’re dealing with that we have to get through.”
-Colts general manager Chris Ballard on Andrew Luck.
Luck had been back at practice for a couple of weeks to this pointed, getting integrated in a little more along the way. He’d been participating in 7-on-7’s last week. Although Luck will be out of practice for at least this week, the good news is that Ballard said Luck will pick back up where he left off when he returns to practice.
“We’re working through that right now. He will be back though, soon. Yeah, he will be back soon.”
-Ballard on safety Clayton Geathers returning to practice.
This is obviously huge for a defense that’s already been showing some great flashes but is obviously missing something here and there. Whenever Geathers returns, it gives the Colts an above-average strong safety to mix in with rookie free safety Malik Hooker. Geathers can also drop down as a linebacker in certain packages which will be a welcome change in place of Antonio Morrison and Jon Bostic.
“He’s got to stay healthy and then he’s got to produce. He went out and played a good game and got injured and missed time. Now he’s trying to work his way back. He’s healthy now. He has to have a great week of practice on defense. He has to have a great week of practice on special teams. You’ve got to earn your way every single day and every single week. He’ll have another opportunity.”
-Colts head coach Chuck Pagano in regards to cornerback Quincy Wilson being inactive the last two weeks.
I’m sure a lot of you are as irritated about this as I am. Matt and I tackled this topic on the Colts Cast recently. The bottom line is that the Colts have to keep Wilson involved.
“A lot of Frank (Gore), a lot of (Marlon) Mack. Mack and Frank. Frank and Mack. Mac and cheese. Whatever you want to call it. We’re going with Frank and Mack. Frank and Mack attack. You guys like it? I like it. I just made it up. Frank and Mack. Not cheese and mac, we’re going Frank and Mack. And I like it.”
-Pagano on the Colts’ run game now that Robert Turbin is likely out for the year.
Whoa.
“Yeah. He’ll be a limited, non-contact type of deal, but (he) should be back out there which would be great. It’d be a great lift, be great for him, obviously, and great for our team.”
-Pagano on if Geathers is going to return to practice next week.
“Just keep throwing him the ball. He’s a guy that’s going to make a lot more plays than he messes up. It’s the NFL. Those plays happen, so you’ve got to go to the next play. Jack is a professional, so I’m 100 percent positive he’s going to do that.”
-Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett on how to find a rhythm after tight end Jack Doyle’s recent struggles.
Doyle’s struggles the last few weeks have definitely been surprising, but he has always been very dependable for the Colts. He is one of the best chain-movers that they have, so the best medicine is to keep getting him the ball and let him work his way out of his slump.
“I talked to Jalen today and he has a ton of respect in thinking T.Y. (Hilton) is one of the best receivers in the league. I think that’s the first thing we understand. I think that obviously he’s a very, very dangerous receiver. I have a lot of respect for him. Not only can he make the tough catches, make all the catches whether it’s deep or short. He’s very dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands. He’s going to make catches and we’ve got to make sure that we can get him down and tackle him. He does a hell of a job. He’s one of the best, if not the best receiver that we play every year.”
-Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone talking about the matchup between Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.