Who’s in your five?

Here’s who’s in mine — or, at least, here are my views on five Indianapolis Colts topics from the past week. . . .

  

5) Marvin Harrison . . .

It’s perhaps not as significant that Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell again was asked about ex-Colts WR Marvin Harrison this week as it is that his response wasn’t news.

Caldwell, in his first season as the Colts’ head coach, on Tuesday was asked that with Harrison still unsigned if there was any chance he might re-sign with the Colts. Caldwell’s response was the same as it had been when asked the same question weeks before — that the team has had no discussions on the issue:

I’m not certain. You never say never. We have not had any discussions in that regard.

Lost in the mini-furor around Colts QB Peyton Manning’s comments about Howard Mudd and Tom Moore is that Manning also was asked about Harrison, if he was surprised he hadn’t signed anywhere else. Manning’s response:

I am surprised and I still feel like someone is going to pick him up. It’s not normal the way he runs at his age — for a guy to be in that 34, 35, and still be able to run as fast as he does and to get open. You just don’t know what other teams are looking at, what they’re timing is and their individual financial situations. I know that when somebody does get him they’re going to be getting a great player. I’ll always be indebted to Marvin for what he’s done for me and my career.

Manning also reflected upon teammates being released . . .

You just feel lucky to have played with a guy like that. And it’s the worst part about the NFL and it’s happened with a number of guys. With Edgerrin James . . . Adam Meadows, Ken Dilger, Marcus Pollard, of course Tarik retires. You wish you could play with guys forever. You know it’s going to come eventually, but when it happens it doesn’t make it easy. Probably your least favorite part
of the NFL. It does make you cherish and have great memories of the times you were together.

All true, and it is tough seeing players move on, but let’s reiterate what has been said here before — that while people certainly will ask about a possible Harrison return until he signs somewhere else or announces his retirement, it’s very unlikely it will happen. The Colts said their good-byes in January. While he was great for 11 years, the last two seasons the Colts have won despite little production from Harrison and at age 36, it’s foolish to hope for a dramatic uptick. The Colts are focused on Anthony Gonzalez as the starter, and on finding a third option from Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and perhaps Roy Hall.

The team hasn’t had discussions on Harrison. And it’s hard to imagine any forthcoming.

 

4) Marlin Jackson and Mike Hart . . .

Each sustained season-ending knee injuries last season, and each said this past week they’re ahead of schedule to return.

Jackson, a starting cornerback from 2007 until midway through last season, participated in Thursday’s organized team activities session and said afterward he’s confident he will be ready to play in the opener. Hart said, he, too, expects to participate in training camp:

I’m ready to go come training camp. That’s what you’d always like to think. That’s what you put yourself on schedule for, and as long as there are no setbacks I can play right now. Camp, there’s no question. That’s two more months away. . . . I’m doing everything right now – run around, cut. This is kind of the time you feel like you want to do more, but you have to limit yourself, because you can still develop those things like tendinitis if you try to rush too fast. This is kind of a tough time mentally, because you want to do more, but they don’t allow you to. I’m kind of at that stage right now. I do team drills, individual drills — the full speed stuff I stay out of, because you don’t want to get tangled up. I don’t want to do too much right now.

Hart spoke of his rehab:

Mentally, its tough, because you’re doing the same thing day in and day out. You have to get over that hump every day. You have that new day where you’re like, ‘I don’t  feel like doing anything today.’ Those are the days you have to limit, but besides that, it’s just like everything else: You always work hard when you’re training in the offseason, so I come at that the same way. The normal battle is just to get your day right.

Hart sustained his injury in a Colts victory over the Baltimore Ravens in October, the same game in which he had a key third-down converting run, his most signficant play of his rookie season. Still, Hart said he never said, ‘Why me?’:

I don’t know why it happened right now, but it happened. There’s nothing I can do about it. It gets me a little rest time, so that’s how you have to look at it, I guess. 

This is good news for the Colts, particularly regarding Jackson, who is part of a secondary I thought was on its way to being one of the NFL’s best until injuries to Jackson, S Bob Sanders and CB Kelvin Hayden last season. Hart will be an interesting story. He’ll be pushing for the third running back position behind Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, and before the injury, there might not have been much of a competition. Can he beat out Chad Simpson and Lance Ball  less than a year removed from a torn ACL? That’s a huge question entering training camp.

 

3) Tweaking the defense . . .

This is a theme  that will be the source of speculation until next season, but DE Dwight Freeney and CB Marlin Jackson each said this week there will be some changes and new looks and adjustments to the Colts’ defense under new coordinator Larry Coyer. Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said the scheme won’t change, but that there will be some tweaks to the defense within the framework of the four linemen, three-linebacker scheme. The guess is there will be more blitzing and some more changes in coverages than in the past, but likely little drastic.

 

2) Howard Mudd and Tom Moore . . .

This has been reported ad nauseum, and the latest from this week is that although NFL Coaches Association Executive Director Larry Kennan said the former offensive line coach and offensive coordinator are able to return immediately if they return without benefits or pay, Colts President Bill Polian said he hasn’t been told yet that that’s true. The gut feeling here is that the Colts will still find some way to get the pair pack — this is from the if-there’s-a-will-the-very-rich-and-powerful-will-find-a-way-dept. — but the reality is this is a red-tape, bureaucracy, lawyer situation and as such, is a long, confusing process really that unusual?

 

1) Peyton Manning speaks out . . .

The week locally was dominated by this story and because it involved Manning, it had a national scope. But while Manning voicing his thoughts on the team’s communication involving Moore and Mudd made news, I just can’t see it having much of an impact on the Colts’ long-term. Mudd and Moore seem likely to return, and whether or not they do, the process is in place for Clyde Christensen and Pete Metzelaars to step in to the offensive coordinator and line coach positions, respectively.