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Please don’t call me this morning. I’m sleeping in.
I don’t know whether it is because of separation anxiety now that the Indianapolis Colts have left town or simply that I finally have no morning practice to attend. Either way, any interruption will be dealt with severely.
In truth, I will miss the team being here and having almost daily contact with several friends, some in the media and some in the Colts organization.
The team got much accomplished during the 18-day stay. Many player evaluations have become clearer, and even more will be decided after tonight’s second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. The camp’s biggest question for me was answered as safety Bob Sanders took part in nearly every drill and looked fantastic.
But that issue gave way to another that hasn’t been resolved in camp.
The offensive line is a mess. With center Jeff Saturday sitting out virtually the entire camp and now in line to possibly miss a game or two of the regular season, one of the weakest parts of the Colts’ team got worse. Last Sunday’s home loss against San Francisco saw the running backs have virtually no success running up the middle.
Fortunately the pass blocking was still very good, and Peyton Manning was able to stay virtually untouched despite playing against a 49ers unit that loves to pressure the quarterback.
Speaking of quarterbacks, the No. 2 job should still be up for grabs. Curtis Painter hasn’t shown the ability to step in and keep the team winning should Manning fall victim to injury. To Painter’s credit, he has stood up to media questions about his performances and answered every question off the field. But it’s the on-the-field questions that remain.
It is still unbelievable that the question of playoffs or not is put on the line in hope that Manning is again healthy for an entire year. Three inexperienced quarterbacks behind him isn’t the answer.
Defensively, this is the best team in Indianapolis Colts history. That unit completely smothered San Francisco. If Sunday had been a regular-season contest, I don’t know if the 49ers would have run many plays in Colts’ territory, let alone scored.
One of the best moments of the final day of camp came when a couple of Colts fans walked up to the fence on the visitors side of the stadium. They were wearing white T-shirts. The first had the name “Pat” on the front. The second had the letters “McA” on his shirt.
They started yelling to get the attention of Colts punter Pat McAfee. When they did, McAfee shouted over to the fans, “Where’s Fee?” They responded, “He slept in.” Laughs all around. Those moments are what makes camp worth reliving years into the future.
So as I get ready for preseason game No. 2 and eventually the regular season, having attended this camp will make the regular season more real and more important to me. I want to see the Colts return to the Super Bowl and win this time.
Contact Rick Teverbaugh: 640-4886, rick.teverbaugh@heraldbulletin.com.
