Colts Training Camp
 

So....first day of camp kicks off in about an hour.

What are you most interested in hearing about/seeing at camp this year?

Me? Honestly, I could say a lot of things but for me, it is the trenches.

Is the D-Line going to be greatly improved with Latu playing downs on th edge?

Is the depth on paper for the O-Line going to translate into superior O-Line play throughout all of pre-season? Does our young left OT Raimann make that next step towards elitism?

It all starts up front, IMO.

What most exictes you about this year's training camp?

I'm just ready to see it all start, tbh

o


I was most interested in who was going to start the training camp thread here on ColtFreaks ...... my curiosity has been realized.

o

One thing I am hoping to see is a healthy Evan Hull returning to the field, I believe this guy is going to be a great player for the Colts, but he has to stay healthy and hopefully he has fully healed and is ready to go!

The only thing I am going to be following in TC is Richardson's health. I can't help but feel that he will miss 14+ games again this year because of an unusual injury. If he's healthy, he will be a top 15 QB in the league this year, but that's a huge "if".

The rest is background noise.

Richardson's progress/health, Latu's abilities, and if Mitchell breaks into the starting lineup

It’s crazy to think at this time last year we were wondering how long it would take Shaq Leonard to get back to game shape. Now he’s out of football.

It's a real shame about Leonard, we had two hard hitting defensive players in Leonard and Bob Sanders, both had their careers end far too early due to injury. Not sure if it was a result of being too reckless with their bodies since both of them were kind of undersized, or just bad luck?

While I agree with you about it starting in the trenches, I'm not so sure we will learn a lot in TC about those position groups.

It's just the way today's NFL is. Not a lot of hitting, not in pads as often as needed, no tackling to the ground.

Maybe we will see it in the joint practices though.

IMO, the entire DB room has to step up. That is a group that should be easy to evaluate in camp.

Also Gus Bradley should have a very short rope. Two years in a row as the 28th ranked defense isn't going to cut it. Top 15 this season or cut bait.

Latu though, is the most intriguing player. Is he truly the best defensive player in the draft. He was my top defensive player, now he has to prove it.

Also, it has to be mentioned. I wanna see AR go through camp without any shoulder issues.

Obviously super early, but is there any word where Goncalves is lining up so far?

I thought it was interesting that post-draft everybody was saying that the team was saying he's going inside... but Ballard at his presser mentioned him competing for swing tackle.

Another thing. A lot of dudes got paid this offseason. And rightfully so.

I don’t want to see guys lose their edge. You got paid. Now go out and earn it.

db's intrigue me. especially safety.

Mitchell and how he adjusts to the nfl

and how does ar look

Has anybody gone to training camp or will be going to training camp? Any reports?

Also, why for the last 20+ years are the Colts one of the last teams to report for camp?

I’ve been seeing Harrison and Cross have been splitting reps with the starters

which was my fear. doesnt seem like cross is the guy. we need to get some help here.

I agree Cross has had plenty of opportunities to show what he can do so if he can’t beat out Harrison that says a lot

Harrison is not a Free Safety. If ends up starting then Blackmon will get the majority of snaps at Free.

Bowen indicated that he was mainly taking reps at LT and RT at the beginning of camp but yesterday took snaps at RG.

So the Colts appear to be trying him out at several different spots to see how he responds.

Blackmon is the most interesting guy as they finalize the depth chart. He's our best SS and FS.

I don't know the answer to this... did he have his best year in '23 because of the move to SS? Or would he have also had a career year at FS because it was more about him being another year experienced and another year removed from that achilles in '21?

I tend to think it's better to have him at SS, closer to the line and communicating. That requires Cross to get the mental part down. He's only turning 23 in September.

I agree but if it hasn’t clicked yet at this point for Cross, I don’t hold out hope that it ever will.

Seems like he’s a guy with good athleticism and piss poor awareness. Kind of the anti Rodney Thomas.

They’re flirting with disaster at the safety position if they don’t sign anyone. Reminds me of the o-line debacle in 22.

I agree, I get it he’s a young guy and you want to give him a chance but there were plenty of options out there and now we have a guy that was out of the league basically and signed to play linebacker pushing for starting position. That doubt alone should have them bringing someone in here

Why even fuck around

Yea there are some aging veteran free agents out there that could provide useful depth. Its not something Ballard does much (bring in veterans to back up the young guys) but I could see it helping this position.
Micah Hyde, Quandre Diggs, Tashaun Gipson.

Hell, Gipson was starting for the niners last year - though he's also on a 6 game suspension if I understand correctly.

And Justin Simmons is also still unsigned. The Broncos tagged him twice before letting him go to save $$.

One of the reporters who covers the Broncos has indicated that Simmons has 12 "offers" in hand. Not sure how many of those teams he would seriously consider playing for though.

The Broncos reporter further speculated that Simmons would probably choose an offer this week and that it will probably be with an AFC South team. I would assume that means either the Texans or the Colts - if he has a dozen offers, I would guess two of them are from the Texans and the Colts.


EDIT: There has been conflicting info about whether the Texans have submitted an offer or not. Aaron Wilson has reported that the Texans have NOT submitted an offer...or at least not yet...and he is usually a good source for Texans info (and other general NFL transactions as well).

Diggs signed with the Titans.

Any reputable leaks for what Simmons is asking for?

Too much, I would expect. His previous salary was in excess of $15 mil. How much less will he play for?

Other less costly, intriguing options are Micah Hyde and Jayron Kearse.

So what happened to Downs now? I just see he hurt his ankle on a Nick Cross tackle.

Is he fucked for the season?


***Just read some more... not known yet, but some kind of lower leg/ankle injury. Either a break or a high ankle sprain would put him out for a long time and probably fuck with him all season at best.

Hopefully it's neither of those, but apparently he couldn't put any weight on it, so I wouldn't count on it.

He’s working out for the Saints today. Apparently too much for bargain bin Ballard.

High ankle sprain. Out for about one month. Could have been a lot worse

If they're saying one month, then fucking whew!

Missing the HOU game for sure with that timetable... I'd rather he miss a few games at the start of the season and get all the way healed than have this thing linger all season.

If necessary.

Wait...Micah Hyde is available?

As a native Western New Yorker whose entire extended family and friend group are avid Bills fans, Hyde is the truth. He could immediately fix the issue at safety.

Even after Steichen called Cross out for stupid play, Cross still didn't seem remorseful or accountable.

I'll bet Steichen cuts his ass before the week is out.

Ha, yeah I Cross had that demeanor when talking to reporters after practice. I actually don't think he was indifferent. We've all fucked up and know that shitty feeling of letting people down. It felt like there was some guilt/embarrassment fighting with some pride. And I'm positive he got his fucking ass reamed by Steichen and co.

It kind of reminded me of my kids when they hurt their sibling.

Or maybe the dude is retarded.

Offensive Line depth took a little bit of a hit...French has been placed on IR - his season is over.


https://x.com/RomeovilleKid/status/1821293446684144104

https://x.com/RomeovilleKid/status/1821313494349746262

That sucks, the French Fries duo did fairly well last year

Yeah it does. French filled in really well last year. Hope either Bortolini is ready to step in right away or Pinter has recovered and is back to his 2021 form.

Was at camp yesterday. AR was stellar in team comp. Had one bad throw on a little check down flare that was aimed vs thrown. I think this will continue to be the area he has to grow in the most- that little timed touch pass that only goes 5-6 yards. His seam passes were so intense, he was putting balls in spots between coverage that were lasers- that spiral and speed is just crazy. Finally, he hit Gould for a deep six where he torched the secondary and the ball was dropped in perfectly in stride. Gould shined, he is going to be a great addition. Mitchell wasn't targeted a ton but had one catch where he caught it in the middle and did some wild double spin move that was reminiscent of Anferney Hardaway's famous spin away shot- got a full "gasp" sound from the stands.

Watched first team D against Cards 1's for a bit - we didn't look so great. During the time we watched them Cards were committed to check down and underneath work. Brents was lined up several times across from Marv 1v1, during the time we watched they weren't really doing much in trying to get him loose so hard to say what that really looked like. Was great to see a DB out there just as big as Marv though. Cards were also moving Marv around, was interesting to see him running some out of the slot.

Was back at it yesterday. Sloppy sloppy conditions so good for letting them play through it vs canceling and the crowd mostly stayed through it which was cool. Due to the conditions, it was very choppy until the final session of the day. Hard to draw any real conclusions from much of the drill work due to how bad the weather was. Running plays were tough to really get a read on.

2 minute drill. They moved with incredible speed, looked so well prepared and the play calls effortlessly run through. Steichen just has a great command and presence; it is crisp and he absolutely has a plan and is thinking ahead.

A fantastic little wheel route with the ball lofted over the edge and caught in stride down the sidelines for a big gain. That's a ball that a top QB has to be able to make- and it was delivered perfectly.

Richardson later threw a gorgeous 30-35 dart to a well covered Pierce (sorry, so far have seen nothing that says the guy has this magnificent separation skill and now that we have AR back there he will shine), perfect over the shoulder dive for the ball falling perfectly in the pocket over his right shoulder with the defender draped on his back for 6- these are the catches that live on in highlight reels- Pierce dropped it. Then he started limping and came to the sidelines running on the side. I just am not impressed.

A couple plays later probably 12 yard line, shotgun, AR took the snap, planted, just a very subtle shoulder shrug- not even a hard pump (it wasn't a fake to buy time- it was a fake to run off of) and the entire D froze as he scampered through open space for the TD. He was living it up after the TD too. His enthusiasm is ALWAYS on display- 2nd & 3rd team working, D drills, something good happens, dude is jumping around and high fiving dudes. I have to expect he is already loved by his guys for the way he cheers for EVERYONE on the team. So far, his leadership is very similar to Luck from what I see. If and of course it's an IF, but IF the kid can become a top QB, he will be a superstar in the PR department. Always impressed with his size, but man the legs on this dude good God he must have spent every day in the gym working on them while the shoulder healed.

Flacco, well no more worries about the backup with the pop gun arm. Old man can rip the hell out of the ball. Failed to mention the 25 yard out he threw yesterday- definitely the best pass of the day by anyone. If we need him, he can still deliver- but man the line better give him a pocket, there are NO legs there, none!

Gould shined again- the kid is just electric and is going to need to be on the field. He is a demon in open field after the catch- shiftiness is crazy. Gonna get killed if he gets squared up, but man he can make people miss and the release is leaving his defender standing still at the line. Hate to make the comparison but he has a lot of Eddlemen traits. Rare to see a good kick off return in these settings but he had one that was full speed cuts fooling would be tacklers and had it been a real game, probably to the house.

AD had a couple good moments, in 1:1 drills he was catching everything thrown his way. Looks very polished already. Pitt was Pitt, lots of possession catches and great body positioning to shield the defender.

TE- man no idea. Nobody has shined. Granson is clearly a lock. I would say Mallory is really his backup and is kinda the same dude- not sure if that's good or bad for him? There is no question a battle for 2 and 3 and out the door. Wouldn't be shocked if they kept 4, but the difference between 2-5, nothing really stands out. Woods, Ogletree, Cox, man they all three basically look the same really, enormous dudes that look like they would dominate, but they don't. People are dogging Woods saying he is the odd man out but not sure what is really the difference between him and the other 2 giant athletes?

Our 1st string D did a really good job in the 2 min session. We stopped them and forced some bad throws- a couple were close to being picked. Latu seems to have that shoulder dip and lean that you see from many of the great DE's which causes the edge to just collapse. Kid is powerful and yet another guy that will be a massive PR guy if he becomes a player on the field. He already has great audience awareness and likes to let the fans know he sees them. He is definitely part of the new age- will be a social media superstar if he can become an on the field force.

Kenny had an end zone pick in drills, great come off his man to read it and grab it on the run, would have been 6 in a real game. He had the crowd jacked and does a great job interacting with the fans on the sideline.

Overall, impressed with the team. They look very organized and athletic. Barring injuries this looks like a really solid team (why Ballard refuses to add depth / leadership in the defensive backfield is puzzling of course...).

Also, the whole of camp seemed to be well organized and engaging. Volunteers all informative and happy to talk and direct. The rain was a pain in the ass but the staff was right there in it, thanking people for coming etc...

Great recap.

There are some seriously likeable players in this team. Like AR himself I want to see succeed probably more than any player since Edge, and not just because his success will make the Colts better, but also because it would feel really really deserved.