ANDERSON, Ind. —
Coby Fleener, the Indianapolis Colts’ No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, is a bit divided about the upcoming preseason game Sunday.
“Yeah, definitely eager to get on the field,” said Fleener.
But he does have some reservations as well.
“Camp is going well,” he said. “But they are baby steps. I think I’ve learned a lot to say the least. There’s a lot of learning. Partly (it’s) the playbook, but there’s also a lot of little things that you pick up.”
One of those things is far from easy — blocking Colts’ All-Pro defender Dwight Freeney.
“Close your eyes and hope,” said Fleener when asked about his strategy for dealing with Freeney so far in camp. “He’s a heck of a player, and he’s going to get me better.”
Better is what the Colts are hoping for out of Fleener, who is listed as the No. 1 tight end on the team’s depth chart, which was released Monday evening.
“He’s solid,” said Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians of Fleener. “He’s a really good blocker on the offensive line. We need to get him better as a receiver. But he’s making progress.”
How much progress will likely be defined by his work with the No. 1 offense Sunday against St. Louis.
“They need to play against somebody else,” said Arians. “Each receiver will have a set of things designed for him to do.”
The team won’t be reluctant to put two tight ends on the field, Fleener and another early draft pick, Dwayne Allen. That is a combination that just might work well because of their differences.
“I think Coach Arians has done an awesome job of utilizing our strengths in a way that both of us feel very comfortable in moving inside, outside, all around,” said Fleener. “I think he’s done an awesome job of using us in all of those routes. I think Stanford (where he was a teammate to Colts No. 1 quarterback Andrew Luck) utilizes their tight ends more than any other school in the nation. So I think I’m excited to be part of an offense that really uses their offensive tight ends.”
So Fleener will now take that next step in his NFL development.
“Everybody’s fast out here,” said Fleener. “Thus far it hasn’t been a huge challenge for me. It’s been more mental than it has been physical. But I think each guy has his own physical challenges.”
Colts
Related Photos
-
Colts tight end Coby Fleener brings in a pass during practice Monday. John P. Cleary / The Herald Bulletin
Discussion
Fleener feeling his way
- Colts
-
-
Chargers, Freeney agree to 2-year deal
The San Diego Chargers agreed Saturday to a two-year deal with aging star pass rusher Dwight Freeney that could be worth $13.35 million.
The deal to bring Freeney to the Chargers came four days after outside linebacker Melvin Ingram tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a padless practice. -
Holmes carrying on family tradition
Khaled Holmes will have to work hard just to become the most notable football player at his extended family’s Thanksgiving dinner table.
-
Colts Notebook: Cunningham’s catch completes camp
Justice Cunningham enjoyed a solid three-day rookie mini-camp with the Indianapolis Colts this weekend. So perhaps it’s fitting the reigning “Mr. Irrelevant,” as the final player selected in last month’s NFL draft, got the last word on Sunday.
-
Kelley's road leads to Indy
Jeremy Kelley stayed behind after Friday’s rookie mini-camp practice, catching pass after pass from the automated JUGS machine.
-
Colts Notebook: Hamilton slowly rolling offense out
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Indianapolis Colts’ 2013 season is the exact nature offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s new scheme.
-
So far, so good for top pick Werner
It’s the height of folly to make definitive judgments on football players wearing shorts and helmets in non-contact drills.
But there is plenty to be learned from this weekend’s three-day rookie mini-camp, and first-round pick Bjoern Werner made a favorable impression during his first practice with the Indianapolis Colts. -
Colts Notebook: Thornton honors past, focuses on future
None of the 37 players at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center had to overcome more tragedy before pulling on an Indianapolis Colts helmet than rookie offensive guard Hugh Thornton.
-
Colts open 3-day rookie camp today
As a youngster growing up in Germany, Bjoern Werner woke up every Monday morning at 6 a.m. to download highlights from NFL.com before school.
-
George Bremer: Colts camp should draw big
Monday’s news the Indianapolis Colts will return to Anderson University this summer for the fourth straight year came as little surprise.
An announcement has been expected for weeks, and the school remains the team’s most logical training camp home. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to look forward to as we count down the days to the players’ arrival — likely in late July. -
Colts returning to Anderson for training camp
For those who “bleed blue” in Madison County, the opportunity to see some football action off-screen will once again present itself this summer with the return of the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason training camp.
- More Colts Headlines
-
