The Indianapolis Colts Tuesday continued preparing for their final preseason game, at the same time making a roster move to get down to the NFL-mandated 75-player limit.
The roster move?
The release of DB Marcus Paschal, a second-year veteran who signed with the team last month.
Other Colts news and notes Tuesday:
* S Bob Sanders has attended practice this week after visiting knee specialist James Andrews last week. “He got thoroughly checked out,” Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said. “Both of them felt real good about things that were accomplished and where he was from a physical standpoint.” Sanders has spent training camp on PUP with a knee injury, and Caldwell said there is no timetable on his return. “Whenever I get something that’s definitive or can put a finger on it, I certainly will let you know,” Caldwell said. “At this time, it’s progressing and feeling good. It’s great to see him back out there watching things, and we’re looking forward to getting him out.”
* QB Jim Sorgi, after missing the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury, said he will play Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals. “This is the week I’m going to play,” he said. “You will see me out there.” How much will he play? “Enough,” he said. ”I think a good half of football would be good.” Sorgi said the Bengals are a good warmup for the regular season. “Cincinnati offers up a lot of looks, a lot of blitzes, a lot of different coverages to kind of get you in the football state of mind,” he said. “I think they give us enough looks where you feel like you’re playing football. It’s like, ‘This is what they do and we have to figure out how to beat it.’ It will be a little bit of an audible game, which will be good. That’s the kind of game you need to get ready for the regular season.” Caldwell said a play count for Sorgi has not yet been set. “He could use some good, quality work,” Caldwell said. “We haven’t given him a definitive number. We’ll sit down and talk as a staff, see where things are and make a determination on how many reps he will get. He certainly could use some work, obviously. It has been limited work he had had this preseason.”
* Reserve rookie QB Curtis Painter has completed 30 of 50 passes for 338 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions, but said he doesn’t know if he has done enough to convince the Colts to keep three quarterbacks. “In the end, it’s up them,” Painter said. “I feel I’ve definitely gotten better each game and corrected some things, that I messed up on in the prior game. I think things have gone well. Certainly, there’s a lot of room for improvement.” Caldwell said no decision has been made on keeping two or three quarterbacks. The team hasn’t keep a third since 2004. “That’s always something every year that we grapple with,” he said. “You have to kind of weigh and measure everything, then make a determination. We typically have had two and on occasion had three. This year, we’ll have to take a look at all of the factor involved.”
* CB Kelvin Hayden on rookie CB Jerraud Powers, who has started all three preseason games, “I learned from him when you play a similar defense in college, it helps your learning curve. I’m surprised at the way he carries himself on the field as a rookie. I’m impressed. He’s going to do some things to help us during the season. The more help we have, the better. We have four strong corners and that says a lot going into the season. Rookies have their ups and downs, but I think he can handle that. Once the regular season starts, I think he’s going to be productive and he’s going to help us.”
* Among players not practicing for the Colts Tuesday: K Adam Vinatieri (PUP, knee/ankle), Sanders (PUP, knee), WR Sam Giguere, RB Mike Hart (ankle), Hayden (hamstring), G Ryan Lilja (shoulder), G Mike Pollak and TE Tom Santi (ankle).
* Caldwell said there are roster spots to be determined by performance Thursday. “We’ll wait until we finish playing all of the games,” Caldwell said. “In some cases you find someone who has not had an opportunity to get much playing time previously and really does well. They may open your eyes and that’s part of the process. Injuries are a factor as well. There are a lot of different factors we have to weight and it’s not easy.”
