Colts Training Camp Report: Notes From Day Two

[cbear]

Inconsistent at best, he is agile but has gotten beat inside a couple times, lacks strength in my opinion especially when asked to hold his blocks, I didnt notice Reitz today, I thought I saw Satele play Right Guard as well a couple times as well but might be mistaken on that, Hard to see everything when ya got people that cant sit still for very long who just have to walk right in front you

Thanks Gavin for the updates. I understand they were not in pads today. If so, how could they stage anything meaningful along the trenches (either pass rush or pass protect)? Thanks.

[Gavin]

Thanks Gavin for the updates. I understand they were not in pads today. If so, how could they stage anything meaningful along the trenches (either pass rush or pass protect)? Thanks.

They had some padding on but it wasnt full pads, there was contact between the O Line and D Line on a side note I got Antoine Betheas autograph, Mike Newtons, Delone Carters, Kris Adams , Pat Mcafee's, He stayed around after practice more then anyone else on the team, it must have been 45 minutes maybe or so just chatting some small talk and every day conversation, I did make the comment to him, I hope that he isn't the best tackler on the special teams this year again and he laughed and said something to the affect of I hope not either, I also got a picture of him but dont have a printer, Im on my moms laptop, I will see what I can do about getting up. I am hoping to get Angerers autograph tomorrow and Lucks, I also got Jeremy Rosses, Buddy Jackson, Brian Stahovich, D.J Johnsons, Terrence Johnsons sadly I dont expect many of those 5 named to make the team except D.J, Johnson and maybe Jeremy Ross but Ross is probably a stretch, I expect Kris Adams to make the cuts, Newton I think will as well

[Golfr]

Inconsistent at best, he is agile but has gotten beat inside a couple times, lacks strength in my opinion especially when asked to hold his blocks, I didnt notice Reitz today, I thought I saw Satele play Right Guard as well a couple times as well but might be mistaken on that, Hard to see everything when ya got people that cant sit still for very long who just have to walk right in front you

Thanks.........keep us posted if you continue to go to camp.

[Gavin]

Thanks.........keep us posted if you continue to go to camp.

Will do, I think with Castonzo more then anything its a lower body strength problem and he just hasn't shown that mean streak, he is agile

[Phil J]

ok so from what I have read its Ijalana's ACL again, and Link is starting. Have heard that early reports are that he is absolutely "abysmal", is the word being batted around. That he is going to be potentially responsible for Luck possibly getting hurt.

We knew Link was no good last year. Get him out of the starting OL.

[Andy]

Here are my notes from Day 1 and 2... Will try to do this everyday:

Training camp is 2 days old and already there is a lot of excitement generating around Anderson, Indiana. Andrew Aziz breaksdown what happened.

Well, let's start with the man everyone wants to know about: Andrew Luck. Well, he looked awesome! Also, the offensive line looked a bit different, and there were some other surprises.

Day 1

Day 1 brought in a great big crowd and they didn't end up disappointed. Andrew Luck was great, and went 27 for 32 with 2 interceptions in 11-11 and 7-7 drills. Besides those 2 interceptions, his passes were solid and looked "effortless." Although he wasn't wearing any equipement, that's still very impressive and even made NFL.com reporter Scott Hansen say

Note: I've been to AZ, Denver, Jets, Panthers so far.Luck is also 2nd most *effortless* passer I've seen this camp.(Cam = 1)— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson)

July 29, 2012

That's better than Mark Sanchez, Peyton Manning, and Kevin Kolb. Coach Pagano said that he looked "impressive" and didn't "stumble or get confused." That's very reassuring.

Next, let's talk about the rest of the offense. Let's start with the receivers. Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie were the starters, but Donnie Avery, Lavon Bazill and Jeremy Ross (of all people) were standouts. Donnie Avery had 7 catches which tied the most with Austin Collie. Maybe that cheap signing is paying off. That's about it for the receivers, but Jeremy Ross improved his chances of making the roster.

Then there were the tight ends. Something to note was that Coby Fleener lined up a lot of the times as a wide receiver. It's sort of like Dallas Clark and how he lined up a few years ago. He looked pretty good, but Dwayne Allen was the real standout. He's really looking better than Coby Fleener, and right now it's looking like he's going to start.

Then there were the running backs. Donald Brown and Delone Carter were not bad, but the standout guy was Vick Ballard. I've been saying this all year now, and I think that Ballard will start by midseason. He's really improving his stock and his chances of getting more playing time. Michael Lombardi said that "The guy to watch is Vick Ballard. He really runs hard. Can come in & give them some power." It makes sense, I believe he's more powerful than Carter. With the Colts probably moving to a 2 back attack (smash n dash kind of thing), Ballard could become very useful.

Finally, on offense there was the offensive line. This was the most interesting out of everything. Jeff Linkenbach, the heart and soul of nothing played left guard, a spot that he clearly cannot play (as seen in the past). He looked okay. Also, Ben Ijalana, a promising young star is getting no praise. Supposedly, if he doesn't improve his play, he will get cut by the Colts. He has to step it up, but right now he isn't starting. Anthony Castonzo looked pretty solid out there. His agility is getting better and his footwork is looking good too. The line was made of:

LT -- Anthony Castonzo

LG -- Jeff Linkenbach

C -- Samson Satele

RG -- Mike McGlynn

RT -- Winston Justice

Nothing major besides Linkenbach. McGlynn is getting starting time, and has been holding his own.

That's it for the offense. Different from the old system, but different doesn't mean worse.

Here are some notes about the defense. Cory Redding has been the most vocal player of any defensive player. He was vocal in Baltimore, and he's vocal here. He's going to be a great addition. Also, Dwight Freeney looked really good. He got a lot of pressure on the QB and had a tipped pass. Jerraud Powers and Antoine Bethea were great in the secondary, as usual. Korey Lindsey had 2 interceptions and really impressed out there. With the backup spots up for grabs, he really improved his chacnes of starting. That's about it for Day 1.

Day 2

Andrew Luck had another great day. He went 28 for 37 (79%) and had 3 touchdowns playing in "ultra lights" uniform. His deep throws looked great, which going into his rookie season, is one of his few concerns. He should erase those concerns fairly quickly. So another good day from Luck, let's see how he does in pads.

The receivers looked good again, but the best one (by far for Day 2) was TY Hilton. He looked really good and showed off his great speed and good hands. He had a 45 yard touchdown by blowing out the secondary.

Nothing major to report from running backs, but Vick Ballard had another solid day.

The tight ends, Fleener and Allen, did the same thing as Day 1, where Fleener played a lot of slotback and Allen played on the line. They did however play in stack formations, which shows they can both play anywhere.

The offensive line stayed the same, with Link still at left guard. The major story was Ben Ijalana and his injured knee. He reaggravted his knee and is awaiting an MRI. A positive MRI will probably spell the end of his Colts career. Another note to add, AJ Edds, backup inside linebacker also had an injury.

On defense, the secondary looked great. Bethea and Powers knocked down balls in the redzone, and Jermale Hines even had a pick 6 (against Stanton). Lindsey wasn't as good today, but still pretty solid.

Dwight Freeney looked really good again, dropping into coverage and knocking down balls. He even got pressure on the QB, which is a great sign if he wants to bounce back after a bad season.

Pat McAfee was the only person kicking field goals out there and went 7-8. Adam Vinatieri did not kick.

Day 3 is tomorrow and it involves hitting with pads. Should be a heck of a day.

**FOR COLTS FAN FORUM GUYS, I'm going to be there tomorrow at Anderson, so look for a guy in a white button-down t shirt, that's me. I won't be in the stands, I'll be with the other media members.**

[Rifford]

Another note to add, AJ Edds, backup inside linebacker also had an injury.

I read on BR that Edds' injury may be a torn ACL and may be out for the season. What did you see?

[Andy]

I read on BR that Edds' injury may be a torn ACL and may be out for the season. What did you see?

MRI coming back tomorrow. I've heard a lot of speculation about the Torn ACL. I personally don't think it is. I think it could be a meniscus tear or an MCL tear.

[FightLikeSin]

Do you mean Kris Adams? And if so I agree. As the tallest receiver out there I'm beginning to see something good out of him. I expected to see more out of Sambrano (who looked fine), but Adams is starting to become one of my favored for a roster spot. I just wish I'd could find something about coaches thoughts on him.

Really? That's good because I thought he was going to be cut during mini-camp when I went to LOS to watch them. He looked brutal. Dropping passes left and right. Glad to see he's coming along.

[jskinnz]

MRI coming back tomorrow. I've heard a lot of speculation about the Torn ACL. I personally don't think it is. I think it could be a meniscus tear or an MCL tear.

Based on what?

[shakedownstreet]

thanks for the updates!

[oldunclemark]

http://www.stampedeb...es-from-day-two

• The starting offensive line for the Colts (so far) is LT Anthony Castonzo, LG Jeff Linkenbach, C Samson Satele, RG Mike McGlynn, and RT Winston Justice.
  
• As previously reported, Ben Ijalana is in serious danger of getting cut. He is also hurt, having reaggravated the knee injury that kept him out most of last season. Chuck Pagano confirmed Ijalana hurt the knee Sunday.
  
• Rookie T.Y. Hilton flashed both speed and hands during drills today. He got behind the secondary for a deep ball; 40 yards through the air, six points.
  

• During the afternoon practice, safety Tom Zbikowski noticed a fan in the stands wearing a Steelers jersey. Chuck Pagano then went over to the fan and asked him to put on a Colts Andrew Luck jersey. When asked later if Pagano would have kicked the fan out of the stands if he did not wear the Colts jersey, Pagano responded, "Absolutely." The fan was reportedly there to cheer Bruce Arians, who spent five years in Pittsbrugh as their offensive coordinator.
  
• Unofficially, Andrew Luck was 28-37 with three touchdowns today. As a Twitter follower noted, Luck is completing 79% of his passes at camp. Keep in mind, this is in non-contact drills, shorts and helmets. No pads.
  
• Luck was bombing it all day. Several deep balls, displaying impressive arm strength.
  
• Impressive DB play by Antoine Bethea and Jerraud Powers, breaking up a pass in the redzone during the two minute drill.
  
• This tweet by Phil B got national attention when Adam Schefter retweeted it:
  

Phillip B Wilson

@

pwilson24

#

Colts

C Samson Satele on Luck: "You watch bro. He’s crazy good. There’s nothing I can teach the man right now. I mean he’s that great."

30 Jul 12

• Reply
  
• Retweet
  
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• Safety Jermale Hines made a nice break on the ball and got a pick 6 courtesy of Drew Stanton.
  
• Media is awaiting MRI results for Ijalana and A.J. Edds.
  
• Donnie Avery had a drop that caught the eye of Phil B, but he also has a nice long ball catch (touch pass) from Andrew Luck.
  
• Pat McAfee was 7-8 on FG attempts.
  
• Estimated crowd of 1,800 watched the afternoon practice.
  
• Tomorrow's practice will be in pads, hitting.
  

Sorry if post is hard to read. I just copied and pasted. Not good with this stuff.

Dont worry about style Captain..its all good..

[oldunclemark]

we didnt need injuries in the line...

..but it doesnt seem like they were counting on Ben I. anyway