INDIANAPOLIS COLTS News and Notes for 2007/2008

[The General]

Veteran Defensive Tackle McFarland Says Summer School Important Time


Just because he’s a veteran, and just because he has played his entire career in the same defensive system, that doesn’t mean he knows all.

Anthony “Booger” McFarland said he doesn’t know everything.

Not even close.

He can still learn techniques.

He can still learn subtleties.

Particularly, he can still learn a lot about his teammates and they can learn a lot about him.

Which is why although he has eight years experience in the “Tampa 2” defense, the Colts’ starting defensive tackle spent the last two weeks participating in the Colts’ summer school sessions.

This was a chance not only to learn, but also to be with teammates.

And it wasn’t a chance he wanted to miss.

“It’s important, No. 1, because this is my first full year here,” McFarland said. “This gives me a chance to see how things are done around here during the summer, how things are being taught.

“Now is when you really learn and get a feel for what you’re going to be doing during the season.”

McFarland, who spent his first seven and a half NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joined the Colts in a mid-season trade last November.

He immediately became a crucial member of the defense, and during the playoffs, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said his leadership was crucial to the defense’s development – and to the Colts’ run to the Super Bowl XLI championship.

McFarland registered 40 tackles and 2.5 sacks with the Colts in 11 regular-season games, then added 12 postseason tackles and two sacks.

Solid numbers, and a solid performance.

But McFarland said because never has spent an off-season with the Colts, being in Indianapolis for the voluntary organized team activities – or OTAs, as they are often called – was critical.

“After seven, eight, nine years in the same system, it doesn’t take you as long to pick it back up,” McFarland said. “But with this being my first year here, I felt like it would be advantageous for me to be here.

“I’m not just a hired-hand to come in. It’s all about getting better. It’s all about trying to go out and be the best you can be.”

McFarland also said this off-season is an important one for the Colts because of the many new faces in new places.

Cato June. Nick Harper. Jason David.

All started last season for the Colts, and all have departed as free agents.

In their place, second-year veteran Freddy Keiaho (outside linebacker) and third-year veterans Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson (cornerbacks) are working as starters during summer school.

That makes the session an important time for cohesion and camaraderie.

“Guys that are going to play have to realize they have an opportunity to go out and work on the game of football when the stakes are low,” McFarland said. “If you make a bad snap or forget the coverage, you’re still going to feel bad, but guess what? It doesn’t cost us the game right now. So now a guy can do that.

“Then, when the stakes get higher, you have confidence, because you’ve done the things over and over that you’re about to do. It gives you confidence.

“Now is what develops confidence and that knowledge for what you’re going to do.”

McFarland, a first-round selection by the Bucs in the 1999 NFL Draft, spent his entire Tampa Bay career playing for Top 10 defenses. He said the off-season personnel losses shouldn’t prevent the Colts from being a quality defense next season.

Off-season losses are a part of the modern NFL, and McFarland said who teams lose isn’t important.

“It’s about who you line up with and who you play with,” McFarland said. “It’s about their attention to detail. Let’s face it. We all have talent at this level. What separates talented players and talented teams, talented defenses, is their ability to perform within the system they play in and perform well.

“That comes down to attention to detail. That’s what you’re trying to develop now.”

McFarland said his focus this off-season is about more than leadership, and more than being in town for young players. Although the Colts and Bucs each play the Tampa 2, and although the schemes are the same, there are subtle differences.

“I’m working with (Colts defensive line coach) John Teerlinck and learning even more about defensive line play,” McFarland said. “It’s a critical time for me, to be able to come in and learn and to do different things. I’m having a blast.

“Thankfully, the systems are fairly similar, but still, the nuances in between are different and I’m learning those. They’re different and similar. The terminology’s different and some of the things they do are different. That’s the biggest deal.

“But we’re learning. We’re having fun and we’re definitely moving forward.”


The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts

[The General]

Gonzalez Continues to Make NFL Adjustment.


Anthony Gonzalez's short-term goal is a clear one.

And he figures if he's going to achieve it, now is the time to start working toward it.

That's because the Colts rookie wide receiver’s goal involves training camp. Specifically, it is about maximizing his performance when camp begins at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on July 29.

Gonzalez wants perfection, at least when it comes to what he can control, and if it’s going to happen, he said he needs to work now.

Really, really work.

“My thing is I kind of challenged myself a while back not to have any mental errors when training camp opened,” Gonzalez said Tuesday as the Colts’ continued their summer-school sessions at their practice facility.

“We’re still a ways away from that and I’m a ways away from that goal. At the same time, you have to find little gimmicks and clues as to how you’re going to pick up different things and what each word means and how it translates to a route or play.”

That, Gonzalez said this week, is what the last few weeks have been about, and what the next few weeks will be about, too:

Picking up routes.

Honing timing with quarterback Peyton Manning.

Learning the subtleties of a new offense.

Gonzalez, who spoke to the Indianapolis media Tuesday for the first time since the Colts’ summer-school session began on May 22, made it to professional football by focusing on such details, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said Tuesday.

And Dungy said he sees no signs of that focus blurring.

“Anthony, I think, is going to be a very good player for us,” Dungy said. “He’s a guy who really pays attention to details. That’s unique for a young guy. Most young people who come in are really just trying to learn what they’re supposed to do and learn their assignments and the basics of them.

“He wants to know what’s going on and he wants to learn every little detail of what he’s supposed to do. I think that’s probably why he was a good player in college and why I think he’s going to be a good player (here).

“We knew he could catch the ball and had quickness in and out of breaks, and the things you need to do to be a good receiver, but his mindset is very, very impressive.”

Gonzalez, the No. 32 overall selection in the April NFL Draft, caught 87 passes for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns at Ohio State. The Colts drafted him with the idea he can replace former wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who played in the slot receiver position the last four seasons.

Gonzalez said he has begun the process of studying the Colts’ offense to fully understand the slot receiver’s role.

“I’ve looked a good deal at it,” he said. “My approach is I’ll look at a game a day. I’ve seen a decent

amount. Obviously, I have more to look at. I have a ways to go. I’ll get there. I have time. That’s the good thing.

“There’s no substitute for experience, and in my situation, I’m just trying to get as many experiences as possible, trying to get with Peyton as often as possible to go over signals and go over routes, how he wants certain things run.”

Gonzalez, who attended the Colts’ three-day rookie camp a week after the draft, missed the team’s mini-camp in mid-May because of a league rule requiring he attend Reebok’s NFL Player Rookie Premier in Los Angeles.

“I feel like I’m a little bit behind,” Gonzalez said. “It was a rule that was imposed on me and a few of the other guys. We had to go to the rookie premiere. It was one that I obviously wasn’t crazy about, but it’s what it is. You’ve got follow all the rules, so that’s just how it works.

“You catch up by doing a little bit extra every day. That’s something that has always come natural to me. I’m not the type of guy who shows up as late as humanly possible and leaves as early as humanly possible. That’s never been how I’ve gone about my business.

“Really, it’s just putting in a little extra work. That’s all very natural.”

Said Dungy, “He’s behind a little bit, but we tell them all that we’re not really trying to get ready for August 1 or July 4. We’re trying to get ready for September and he has a long time to catch up, as will the other guys.”

Something else happened last week, too, Gonzalez said. For the first time, he said he realized the difference between the speed of the NFL and college football.

“It’s a lot faster,” he said. “It’s a little bit different. It’s something you adjust to. It was nothing that was overwhelming. It was just something that I noticed.”

For the most part, Gonzalez said his early days in the NFL have gone as expected. Yes, there were some initial nerves working with Manning and yes, the speed is an adjustment, but not one he can’t handle.

“The last couple of days, I’ve really progressed,” Gonzalez said. “Last week, I thought I made some strides.”

Gonzalez said he has approached the adjustment period the only way he knows how - by pouring himself into learning one of the NFL’s most complex, advanced offenses.

And by striving for as much perfection as he can control.

“This is the time, really, when a lot of the vets are around and it’s probably a little bit slower in terms of what they put in offensively,” Gonzalez said. “In that way, it’s a lot like being a young college football player. At the same time, they can’t slow up too much. So, you do have to get in your playbook. You have to study at night. You have to take care of everything you can take care of so when you get on the field you can move as quickly as possible.”


The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts

[The General]

Moorehead Plays Dual Role in Summer School Sessions.


The way Aaron Moorehead sees it, he has two jobs during the next few weeks.

One, he said, is no more important than the other.

Moorehead, a veteran wide receiver for the Colts who recently re-signed with the team as a free agent, wants to continue to improve personally and to contribute more than last season, when he emerged as a consistent threat in the postseason.

Then there’s the other job.

That of the veteran, the teacher, the voice of experience.

It’s an unusual position for Moorehead.

But it’s one he said is important, and one he very much likes.

“I’ve always had that coach’s mentality,” Moorehead said recently during the Colts’ summer-school sessions, which continue this week at the team’s practice facility.

“As (veteran) guys taught me in the past, you’ve got to get (younger) guys up to speed. I’m really trying to help these rookies out.”

For Moorehead these days, assisting the youth in the Colts’ receiving corps is a big part of his role – and a part that is critical considering the summer-school presence of first-round wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and fifth-round wide receiver Roy Hall.

Those players are spending summer school learning the Colts’ complex offense, earning the trust of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

In such a situation, veteran leadership is key at the position.

“They’re looking at me, because I’m the guy who’s been in the games, and the one with the experience,” Moorehead said. “They all come to me asking me the questions. It keeps me sharp. It keeps me on my toes. I have to be concentrating.

“Sometimes, Peyton makes it easy for us receivers, so this keeps me sharp and keeps me going. It’s been fun so far.”

The realities of the NFL off-season make the role more important, Moorehead said. Gonzalez and Hall were drafted in late April and after a three-day rookie mini-camp, they joined the Colts on a full-time basis in late May.

They will work with Manning in summer school – 14 days of organized team activities, or “OTAs” as they are known league-wide – but that’s the majority of their on-field work until training camp begins at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in late July.

Each off-season, Colts veterans speak of the importance of helping younger players, of passing along the “Colts Way.” Moorehead said when he was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2003, players such as Brandon Stokley and Troy Walters helped him learn one of the NFL’s most complex offenses.

Now, Stokley and Walters are gone, and Moorehead said he figures it’s his time to play the role.

“Preseason’s coming up pretty quickly and we start camp pretty late,” Moorehead said. “When those guys come in the game, they’re representing our organization. They need to be out there playing as well as they can and being as comfortable as they can. I’m out there just trying to help them learn the plays and help them learn different things that are going to help their game.

“These guys are going to be counted on during the season at some point. You don’t know if it’s going to be early, late – it might be in the playoffs. You don’t know. These guys need to catch up with us vets.”

Not that Moorehead’s focus is strictly on others. It’s also about continuing the improvement he showed late last season.

Moorehead, who played collegiately at the University of Illinois, played extensively as an undrafted rookie in 2003, then with Stokley, Wayne and Harrison healthy throughout 2004 and 2005, he played sparingly.

Last season, with Stokley out in late December and the playoffs, Moorehead again played a critical role, catching eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and five passes for 41 yards in the postseason.

“At the end of last year, I was playing really well and I started feeling like I had a really good rapport with Peyton,” Moorehead said. “He started to get more confidence in me, throwing me the ball in crucial situations. That’s what you need, the confidence of your quarterback, especially Peyton.

Moorehead said his increased production was mainly a matter of opportunity.

“It was nice to think that all those years of hard work, and not getting down on myself because I wasn’t playing, paid off,” Moorehead said. “I wasn’t able to crack the lineup as a receiver. That’s frustrating because you know you can play. You know you can be out there making plays and you see them out there making plays. Then, last year Brandon gets hurt and all of a sudden, you have to show, ‘Hey, I can come out here and be reliable.’

“As the season went on, it got better and better. Toward the end of the season, in the playoffs and in the last couple of games of the regular season, I was out there a lot, making some big plays and some big first downs. It’s very gratifying to know, ‘Hey, I am a person who’s a key contributor on this team and not just a guy who can potentially be a contributor.’ It was just a good feeling and going into this year, it has my confidence at a high.

“I want to get back out there and prove it again, that it wasn’t a one-year deal. It’s a consistency-type thing and that’s what the Colts are all about.”

Working toward consistency, Moorehead said, is what summer school is about – that and looking for future players such as himself, who surprise the experts and make the team as undrafted free agents.

“That’s what you’re looking for – it’s a fun time,” Moorehead said. “Every year you look to see who’s going to be that next guy.”

But this year, for Moorehead, suddenly being one of the older receivers also means a new role – one he considers important and one he’s enjoying very much.

“That’s what this time is – getting your game back from the off-season rust, but also getting those guys up to speed,” Moorehead said. “I feel like in the last couple of years, we’ve had guys who have been able to help me: Stokley, Troy Walters.

“Those guys helped me when I needed stuff. You just have to get those guys up to speed, and that’s part of my role now.”





THE WIDE RECEIVERS


Marvin Harrison

Twelfth NFL season

6-0, 185

Syracuse

Acquired: First round, 1996 (No. 19 overall)

One of the premier players in the NFL regardless of position. . . . He has been a critical member of one of the NFL’s top offenses the past eight seasons. . . . He has been a Pro Bowl selection each of the past eight seasons and still the Colts’ go-to receiver after 11 NFL seasons. . . . He caught 95 passes for a team-high 1,366 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns last season. . . . He has had at least 10 touchdown receptions in each of last eight seasons. . . . He has 1,022 receptions for 13,697 yards and 122 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons.




Reggie Wayne

Seventh NFL season

6-0, 203

Miami

Acquired: First round, 2001 (No. 30 overall)

Wayne continued to emerge as one of the NFL’s top receivers last season, catching 86 passes for 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns, also catching a 53-yard touchdown pass in Indianapolis’ 29-17 victory over Chicago in Super Bowl XLI. . . . He made his first Pro Bowl in 2006. . . . He also caught a team-high 83 passes for 1,055 yards and five touchdowns in 2005. . . . The receptions total was a career-high, the sixth time in as many NFL seasons he has set a career-high in the category. . . . He caught 77 passes for 1,210 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns in 2004 and averaged 15.7 yards a reception that season, also a career-high. . . . He went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark each of the last three seasons, the first three such seasons of his career. . . . He has 390 receptions for 5,474 yards and 37 touchdowns in five NFL seasons.




Anthony Gonzalez

Rookie

6-0, 193

Ohio State

Acquired: First round, 2007 (No. 32 overall)

Gonzalez, a three-year letterman at Ohio State, caught 87 passes for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns in three seasons. . . . He started 17 of 33 career games at wide receiver, and forewent his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. . . . He had his biggest college game in one of the biggest games of the season last year, catching eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in a nationally-televised victory over Texas.




Aaron Moorehead

Fifth NFL season

6-3, 200

Illinois

Acquired: Free agent, 2003

Moorehead made the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2003 and caught seven passes for 101 yards that season. . . . He played in seven games in 2003 and 2004, then played in two in 2005 before playing a career-high 12 in 2006. . . . He caught seven passes for 75 yards in 2005 and caught eight for 82 last season. . . . He has 23 career receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown in four seasons. . . . He caught five passes for 41 yards in the playoffs last season.




John Standeford

Second NFL season

6-4, 206

Purdue

Acquired: Free agent, 2006

Standeford spent much of last three seasons on the Colts’ practice squad, then signed to the active roster on December 14 of last season. . . . He spent the final three games of last season and the playoffs on the active roster. . . . He caught 266 passes for 3,788 yards and 27 touchdowns at Purdue. . . . He finished college career as Big 10’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.




Roy Hall

Rookie

6-3, 240

Ohio State

Acquired: Fifth round, 2007

Hall, a four-year player at Ohio State, started seven of 48 games in college, catching 52 passes for 580 yards and three touchdowns. . . . He played behind three eventual first-round draft selections – Gonzalez, Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn, Jr. . . . As a senior, he played in 11 games and caught 13 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.


Devin Aromashodu

First NFL season

6-2, 200

Auburn

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

Originally a seventh-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft by Miami, Aromashodu spent much of last season on the Colts’ practice squad. . . . He was released by Miami shortly before last season and signed with the Colts shortly thereafter. . . . He played four seasons at Auburn, starting 31 of 51 games and catching 71 passes for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns.




Kevin McMahan

First NFL season

6-3, 193

Maine

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

Originally a seventh-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft by Oakland, McMahan spent last season out of the NFL. . . . He signed with the Colts as a free agent in January. . . . He started 12 of 44 games at Maine and was a third-team All-Atlantic 10 selection as a senior. . . . He had 1,995 career receiving yards.




Taylor Sele

Rookie

6-0, 204

Boston College

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

Originally a collegiate free agent with Washington, he signed with the Colts on May 9, 2007, after being waived by the Redskins. . . . He played in 45 games at Boston College, catching 27 passes for 296 yards.




Brian Hare

First NFL season

6-2, 192

Purdue

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

Signed as a free agent with the Colts on May 5, 2006 and re-signed this off-season. . . . He started one of 23 games for Purdue after transferring from Pima (Ariz.) Community College. . . . He caught 25 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns. . . . He is currently with the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europa.




Trent Shelton

Rookie

6-0, 202

Baylor

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

A collegiate free agent, he started 29 of 46 games at Baylor, catching 155 passes for 1,978 yards and 14 touchdowns. . . . He also rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. . . . He also had a reception in a school-record 45 consecutive games.




Michael DePriest

Rookie

6-0, 185

Texas Christian

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

A collegiate free agent, he played in 45 games at Texas Christian, catching 50 passes for 785 yards and five touchdowns. . . . He also had a 17.1-yard average on eight kickoff returns.




Craphonso Thorpe

First NFL season

6-0, 187

Florida State

Acquired: Free agent, 2007

Originally a fourth-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, Thorpe has spent time on the practice squads of the Chiefs, the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions the past two seasons. . . . He was on the Chiefs’ active roster for one game in 2005. . . . He started 21 of 48 career games at Florida State, catching 123 passes for 2,153 yards and 18 touchdowns.

--Colts.com

[The General]

Addai Preparing for Second NFL Season Same as He Did First


Joseph Addai’s not given to bold statements.

So, despite leading all NFL rookies in rushing last season, when Addai is asked about his prospects for his second season, his answers are modest.

Is he ready for a full-time role?

Can he carry the load?

Is he ready for prime-time?

Addai, the Colts’ first-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, said he is confident entering his second season, and he also said he expects to build on his rookie season.

But as for predictions . . .

Well, those aren’t really Addai’s way.

“That’s a thing to ask me at the end of the season,” Addai said at the Colts’ summer-school sessions, which will conclude next week with four practices at the team’s practice facility.

“That’s what we’re looking forward to now, if I can carry the load or whatever.”

Addai, who rushed for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns on 226 carries despite not starting a regular-season game as a rookie, likely will enter next season as the starter. He also will enter it for the first time without his friend and backfield mate, Dominic Rhodes.

“If you don’t have a challenge, I don’t know why you’re out there playing,” Addai said. “That’s the biggest thing. Now, you have a challenge.”

Addai and Rhodes shared carries last season, with Rhodes starting all 16 regular-season games and Addai starting all four post-season games.

Now, Rhodes is gone, having signed with the Oakland Raiders as an unrestricted free agents.

That means a new role for Addai, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said.

And one Dungy said he can handle.

“We have that in a couple of positions,” Dungy said recently. “Joseph obviously knows he’s going to have the more extended role, and (safety) Bob Sanders knows he’s going to be the senior guy in the secondary now.

“You see guys like that, who understand the leadership falls on them a little more. I remember having a talk with (tight end) Dallas (Clark) when we let Marcus Pollard go. I said, ‘You’re not going to be able to look around and see from someone else. You have to be the guy in the meeting rooms.’ I think Joseph will end up doing that.

“I think we’re going to see much, much more of Joseph Addai and I think he’s going to be get better and better.”

One reason for the interest in Addai’s full-time, feature-back role next season is he rarely has played it in his past.

Addai, despite finishing his career at Louisiana State University as the school’s fifth all-time leading rusher, started 19 of 51 games there. He started 12 of 13 games as a senior and six games as a sophomore, and was an All-America quarterback in high school.

But Addai said those who are wondering if he can be the lone back in an offense may be approaching the question wrong.

With Rhodes gone, DeDe Dorsey has worked extensively as the backup in summer school and mini-camp. Colts President Bill Polian and Head Coach Tony Dungy each have said in recent weeks Dorsey can be effective in a two-back system.

The Colts also early this off-season signed Kenton Keith, who has twice rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the Canadian Football League. The Colts, Addai said, aren’t short on backs, and the backfield likely won’t be a solo situation.

“We never know the situation,” Addai said. “We have a lot of good running backs behind me trying hard to get

a spot, so I didn’t know if I will have to carry the load.

“The best thing is to win games. That’s the thing we have to do now.”

What Addai is focusing mostly on this off-season is continuing to learn. Dungy often has said players typically make their biggest jump from their rookie seasons to their second seasons, and Addai said although he grasped the Colts’ offense last season, there is plenty to study.

Being the starter, he said, his mindset is a bit different than last season, “but at the same time,” he said, “I think I have to do what I did last year, just come in and take small steps.

“I’m still just a young player,” he said. “Last year it was all, ‘Can we replace (former Colts running back) Edge (Edgerrin James)?’ I don’t think we did it. This is my second year, but I think I did well for myself my first year. The biggest thing is just starting over again, forget what I did last season and just start fresh again.

“Last year, I was coming in trying to take in everything. Now, I’m kind of starting over, but I’ve got a lot of information in. It’s not as much trying to get everything in. Now, it’s pretty much trying to pick up from where you left off.

“That’s the biggest thing, just going out and learning the small things and working on my techniques.”

Among Addai’s most important tasks this off-season, he said, is to continue to improve as a pass receiver. He caught 10 passes for 66 yards in the Colts’ 29-17 Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears, and finished the regular season with 40 receptions for 325 yards, but in summer school and mini-camps, he has run routes extensively with the Colts’ receivers.

“It’s a real credit to Joe for being here this whole off-season,” Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. “I think that’s where he’s really trying to expand his game – by putting him in the slot or putting him out wide. He’s worked on his route-running. To me, that’s important. The running part, he’s got that in pretty good shape, but he’s saying, ‘How can I get better?’’’’

Addai said it’s simply a matter of seeing where he can improve.

“I’m more relaxed and I’m enjoying myself,” Addai said. “Last year, it was ‘What do I do on this play? What do I do on this play?’ Now, the questions are, ‘What are the receivers doing now? What are the tight ends doing?’ Now, I’m learning about what everybody else is doing.

“It’s still early. You want to try to open up all your options. Just going out and catching with the receivers helps me understand what’s going on when I come out of backfield, so I know their blocks and I know their routes, so when I’m out there running my routes, I know where to be.”

And as for the coming season, and the questions others may ask, he said he doesn’t see it that way. He said he won’t change his approach much, and as for the questions, for now, they’ll have to be patient.

“On the outside looking in people might say that, but I don’t look at it like that,” Addai said. “I think if I keep on doing what I’ve been doing. I’m going to start over, keep doing the same thing and try to get better every day. I think I’ll be all right.

“Each game, I was getting comfortable. I was getting more relaxed, so if I stay in that mind-frame I’ll be all right. I think that’s the biggest thing, is understanding what’s going on so you can do out there.

“That’s half the battle, understanding what you’re doing, then putting your will upon them.”

--colts.com

[The General]

Veteran Glenn Happy to Help Rookie Tackle Ugoh




The way Tarik Glenn approached the situation surprised the rookie.

Tony Ugoh, the Colts' second-round selection in the recent NFL Draft, didn’t know exactly what to expect from Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

The Colts drafted Ugoh with the idea he could be the left tackle of the future.

Since his arrival, Ugoh said Glenn – the Colts’ starting left tackle since 1998 – has worked with him extensively on the field, and taken time to help him off the field, answering questions, offering advice. Just being there, basically.

“I was kind of surprised it was like that,” Ugoh said, but Glenn said the rookie shouldn’t have been surprised.

As far as Glenn sees it, there’s really no other way.

“I’ve been a Colt my whole career,” said Glenn, the No. 19 overall selection by the Colts in the 1997 NFL Draft and a Pro Bowl selection following the past three seasons. “I’d like nothing more than to finish my career here, but at the same time, to help build for the future. I’m committed to that.

“This organization has done nothing but do well by me. They’ve been with me through a lot of the good times as well as the hard times, personally. I can honestly say I’ll do whatever I can to help build this organization and to help build this team – not only for this year, but for years to come.

“If that means to get the second-round draft pick focused not only on the field, but off the field, I’m willing to be committed to doing that.”

Glenn, who will enter his 11th NFL season next season, said his approach is far from unusual around the Colts’ locker room these days. Veterans, he and Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said, help rookies, with the idea being to pass down the Colts Way.

When Dungy was a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers, veterans helped younger players – even players at their own positions – and the result was a team that won four Super Bowls from 1974-1979.

“That’s something I tried to instill in this team,” Dungy said. “When I got there, it was like, 'Hey, you know what? We need everybody to win and everybody’s going to help you be as good a player as you can be because nobody’s worried about who plays the most or whatever: at some point, we’re going to need you and you have to be ready if you’re going to win.’

“That’s the way championship teams think. Our team over the years has begun to think like a champion, so I’m not surprised at all. I think that’s very important.”

Glenn said it wasn’t always that way. When he was a rookie in 1997, he said he felt shunned by older veterans on the offensive line. That made life difficult at times.

Finally, a player came to him and eased the transition.

That player wasn’t an offensive lineman.

Instead, it was wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

Harrison, then in his second season, had been drafted No. 19 overall the previous off-season. Immediately, the two formed a bond, one that exists a decade later.

“I didn’t get that same embrace by the majority of the guys,” Glenn said. “I remember Marvin pulling me aside and being one of those guys who kind of embraced me. Even though we don’t play the same position, he just taught me the ropes and what it meant to be a professional, and how to practice and not really take stuff for granted.

Harrison’s gesture made a lasting impression, Glenn said.

“Ever since then, I vowed I would try to be that kind of leader for guys who come in and hopefully give some kind of wisdom and words of encouragement,” Glenn said. “If I have anything technique-wise and fundamental-wise that I can give them to become a better player, I’m going to do that.”

Glenn said the idea Ugoh may eventually start for the Colts at his position did nothing to change his thinking.

“A lot of people, with him coming in here, could look at it as controversial,” Glenn said. “Whenever you’re trying to build a team, you have to believe in the way you want to do it. There is some time down the line they were going to have to prepare and make sure each position is secure not only in the short team but in the long-term.”

The approach is particularly important on the offensive line, Glenn said. The Colts typically carry only seven-to-eight offensive linemen, and often in recent seasons, young players have played key roles early. Last season, rookie right tackle Charlie Johnson played much of Indianapolis’ Super Bowl XLI victory in place of veteran Ryan Diem.

“(Offensive line coach) Howard Mudd always has been that kind of coach, and always encouraged that in our room,” Glenn said. “For the most part, our guys – the guys who have been here the longest – understand that that is the way we want it. The legacy we want to leave is that when you come into our room, there are no prima donnas. Everybody works as hard as the next man and if you have something to give, you don’t hold it back because if you hold back anything, all it does is it hurts the whole.

“I saw it when (former starting right tackle) Adam Meadows transferred from starter to backup to not being here. He embraced Ryan Diem and really encouraged him. It made us better as a team unit. Everybody didn’t agree with some of the decisions that were made, but it wasn’t about agreeing with the decisions as much as it was about building for the future.

“More than our personal gains, we want that unit to be cohesive and do whatever it takes to win games.”

Glenn said the approach involves more than football. He said it’s more about life.

And because of that, he said he really sees no other way.

“A lot of it has to with my faith, and my values,” Glenn said. “What I believe got me here isn’t a self-centered, selfish mentality or way of thinking.

“It’s more, ‘Whatever you receive, you give that much more.’’’

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[The General]

As hard as it is to do, I'd like to see the Colts defend the title and get back 2 back SUPER BOWL RINGS.

Very tough task though.

[The General]

Dungy Pleased with Colts' Summer-School Period



All in all, Tony Dungy saw about what he wanted.

Rookies learned from veterans.

Veterans practiced with intensity and focus.

And overall, progress was made.

As far as Dungy, who is entering his sixth season as the Colts’ head coach, is concerned, that’s pretty much what he wants from a summer-school session.

“I’m excited about our guys, just the way we’re working,” Dungy said.

The Colts, the four-time defending AFC South Champions and defending Super Bowl champions, finished their four-week summer school this week. Wednesday morning marked the last of the team’s 13 organized team activities – OTAs, as they are known – for the 2007 off-season.

The Colts’ off-season conditioning program began a few weeks later than normal, and Dungy said the work was scaled back to provide a chance to recover from a fifth consecutive playoff appearance.

But quality was the goal, Dungy said. Not quantity.

And he said quality was what the Colts gave over the last month.

“We scaled it back a little bit and condensed the work, but when it was time to work, these guys did a great job,” Dungy said. “Our veterans did a good job of setting the pace and our young guys did a great job of following.

“It was good and I think we got accomplished what we need to.”

The Colts, 29-17 winners over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in February, visited the White House in late April, and on Wednesday night, they received their Super Bowl rings in a private ceremony.

Those are just a few of the off-field events in which Colts players have participated in the four-and-half months since returning from Miami, but Dungy said the players have maintained focus on the 2007 season.

“You always wonder with a new situation, and there was so much outside . . . I don’t want to call them distractions, but fun things,’’ Dungy said. “We had guys, I know, get asked to a lot of things. I can tell just by the number of things I was asked to do what’s come to them.

“I think they kept it all in perspective and did it and had fun with it. When it was time to work, they worked and the concentration was there.”

Forty previous teams have won Super Bowls, and of those, eight have repeated as Super Bowl champions. The last team to repeat was New England in 2004, and before that, Denver won back-to-back Super Bowls following the

1997 and 1998 seasons.

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri played on the 2003 and 2004 Patriots teams, and defensive tackle Anthony McFarland played for Tampa Bay in 2002 when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. The presence of such experience has helped this off-season, Dungy said.

“I think the key is having solid guys who have been there – guys like Adam and Anthony McFarland, who have come off it and understand and are able to talk to other guys about it,” Dungy said. “But then, there are guys where that’s just what they do. We have so many guys where they only know one way to go and everyone follows that lead.”

Dungy said that sort of player has been typified this off-season by veteran left tackle Tarik Glenn. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, he has worked extensively on and off the field with rookie offensive lineman Tony Ugoh, the team’s second-round draft selection.

That approach is something Dungy said he discussed in his final summer-school meeting with the team Wednesday.

“That’s part of the whole process, getting everybody as good as they can be,” Dungy said. “Last year at this time, I don’t know that we would have sat here and said, '(Offensive tackle) Charlie Johnson, (safety) Antoine Bethea and (cornerback) Kelvin Hayden are going to play critical roles in the last game of the year, so we better get them ready.

“Everybody just takes the approach that whoever’s here is going to help us. We all just get them ready.”

Dungy said his belief is that such an approach is the mark of a championship team, as is the ability to prepare and maintain focus throughout the off-season. While the summer-school session ended Wednesday, the team’s voluntary off-season conditioning program did not.

Dungy said participation in the program has been critical in the past, and he said he expects that to continue, too.

“Everybody’s got to handle it individually, but I reminded them Wednesday that historically the guys who have had the most success are the guys who have stayed with (Strength and Conditioning Coaches) Jon (Torine) and Rich (Howell) and worked here,” Dungy said. “That’s the ultimate – the best chance for being in great condition and staying away from injuries.

“If not, they’ve got get with them, get individual programs and do what we ask them to do. We have guys who do that, too. It’s really what’s best for that individual guy, knowing what he has to do to get himself ready.”


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[The General]

Off-Season Has Been Productive and Positive, Polian Says



As far as Bill Polian is concerned, there was much to like about the off-season.

Injuries stayed at a minimum.

The draft class performed to expectations.

And, perhaps most importantly, Polian – Colts’ President – said the team has shown no negative aftereffects of February’s Super Bowl Championship.

“It’s been business as usual,” Polian said Friday. “But that’s the way we’ve always been. It hasn’t changed an iota from what it was a year ago.”

Polian, entering his 10th season as the Colts’ President, on Friday discussed the team’s recently completed summer-school session, along with several topics concerning the organization’s first off-season as Super Bowl champions in 36 years.

Overall, Polian said, he is “very pleased.”

“I think we did a good job working with our young people, getting them up to speed,” Polian said of the summer-school period, 13 days of organized team activities that concluded with a practice Wednesday at the Colts’ Training Facility.

“The veterans did a terrific job of leadership. We’ve been working hard to improve in some areas. The conditioning looks terrific. From an injury standpoint, we had our best summer-school session ever. We’re very pleased. I hope we can keep it up.”

Polian said while rookie cornerback Antonio Smith has a collarbone injury, veterans such as recently-acquired tight Mike Seidman, 2005 Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders and 2004-2006 Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney should be ready for training camp.

The Colts are scheduled to report to training camp at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute on July 29.

“There will be some guys who will be on one-a-day programs, but that’s just precautionary,” Polian said. “Other than that, we’ll be ready to go.”

The top priorities before training camp, Polian said, are reaching a long-term agreement with Freeney, and establishing the groundwork to sign the team’s nine selections in this past April’s 2007 NFL Draft.

“That becomes the immediate focus right now,” Polian said of Freeney, who is currently designated the team’s Franchise Player.

“Not that it will get done overnight, but we’ve been talking and will continue.”

Polian said there may be several roster moves before training camp and said one could involve running back James Mungro, who played with the Colts from 2002-2006. He missed much of last season with a knee injury and has not yet been re-signed.

“The question is how do we structure the roster and that’s related to how we shore up the positions where we’re going to need people to take reps in training camp and the preseason,” Polian said. “We have a number of one (practice)-a-day guys at those positions. It’s not quite as easy as saying, ‘We’re going to re-sign James.’

“We only have 80 spots and you have to make sure you’re in a position to be protected at all of those spots. If it’s possible, we’d like to do it.”

Running back, Polian said, could be a key position during camp. Second-year veteran Joseph Addai, the leading rusher among NFL rookies last season, is expected to enter camp as the starter, with second-year veteran DeDe Dorsey, Canadian Football League veteran Kenton Keith and rookie free agent Clifton Dawson among the reserves.

“The one area where the preseason will tell us a lot is at the backup running back spot,” Polian said.

Addai last season shared time at running back with veteran Dominic Rhodes, one of several veterans who signed elsewhere in the off-season as free agents. Rhodes signed with the Oakland Raiders, with linebacker Cato June signing with Tampa Bay, cornerback Nick Harper signing with Tennessee and cornerback Jason David signing with New Orleans.

Such departures – while unpleasant – were an expected part of the off-season, Polian said.

“The system we operate under – the Collective Bargaining Agreement and other facets – is designed specifically to weaken teams like us,” Polian said. “We get a double in it because if you are a team that drafts well and whose focus is on the draft and you do well, you are automatically handicapped.

“(Colts Owner and Chief Executive Officer) Jim (Irsay) and I were part of the group that originally constructed it (the CBA) in 1993 and we recognized that. One of the things that (then-NFL Commissioner) Paul Tagliabue spoke to the (NFL Players’ Association) union about was that this system would create competitive balance not only because it would give weaker teams the opportunity to sign free agents, but it would in fact weaken the stronger teams, particularly the teams that drafted well. If you draft well, by definition, you’ve hit on second-day players. You can’t keep those second-day players. That’s the bottom line.

“You look at Jason David and Cato June: a fourth- and a sixth-(rounder), respectively. Nick Harper, a free agent signed from (the CFL). The system is designed to let those guys go free and to handicap you. Do we like it? No. Are we inured to it? Yes. Would we be the Super Bowl champions without this system? Without question, we would not. We would probably be akin to a very small-market, uncompetitive, major league baseball team.”

Many of the team’s draft selections have been participating in the team’s off-season conditioning program, and many practiced in the summer-school sessions.

Polian said while it is too early to know exactly what roles the rookies will play, they have shown early that “athletically, they are what we expected them to be.”

“No surprises,” Polian said. “As (Senior Consultant to Player Personnel) Dom Anile used to say, ‘That’s one of the cornerstones of what our scouting program is all about.’ We don’t want any surprises when they step out there on the field. What we tell the coaches they’re going to be is what we hope they will be, and should be. That has been the case. We’ll now find out where they fit once they put the pads on and begin to play preseason games.

“Now, we’ll find out. That’s what training camp and the preseason is all about. Let’s see what slots we’ll fit them into.”

Polian said Friday the Colts won’t approach the 2007 as a team trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Last year, he said, is over and every season is its own entity. Colts players, Polian said, already have shown the correct approach to the coming season, dealing professionally with the slew of potential distractions.

“What’s gone on inside this building this off-season is exactly what has gone on the past five years,” Polian said. “What’s gone on outside is total different. You’re in demand. Everybody in the organization is in demand not only in Indiana, but around the country. All of the other things that go with winning the Super Bowl – when I sit back and reflect on it, it’s absolutely incredible.”

Polian said he was “shocked – totally shocked” by the aftermath of the Super Bowl, but said the off-season approach has been steady and normal.

“(Colts Head Coach) Tony (Dungy), and to a lesser extent myself, have preached to them almost from Day One about perception and reality,” Polian said. “I think they’ve bought into it. They understand what is perception and what is reality.

“I think you see that reflected in how they prepare and how they go about their business.”


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[The General]

INDIANAPOLIS - The veteran took little for granted this off-season.
He didn't approach drills casually. Not that he ever did. But for Rob Morris, his seventh off-season in the NFL had unusual importance for an experienced veteran.

Because in one sense, he’s not so experienced at all.

“There are a lot of things I have to learn,” Morris said during the Colts’ recent four-week summer-school program, which concluded this past Wednesday at the team’s Training Facility in Indianapolis.

A learning curve?

For an eight-year veteran?

Absolutely, Morris said, and for a simple reason:

Although Morris, the Colts’ first-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, is one of the most familiar names and faces on the roster, and although he has started 74 NFL regular- and postseason games, he is in a very real sense, a second-year player.

At his new position, anyway.

Morris, after spending his career as a middle linebacker, moved late last season to the strong side, where he will enter training camp as the Colts’ starter.

“Really, for me, it’s not so much the meeting time and the walkthroughs, although those are good,” Morris said. “For me, it’s being out there out on the field practicing full speed.

“That really helps me the most.”

Morris, who started at middle linebacker from 2001-2004, spent the 2005 season as a backup at the position, then remained a backup for three months last season.

But in December, with the defense struggling to stop the run, Morris was inserted into the lineup at strong-side backer.

He started the last three regular-season games at the spot.

He started all four postseason games there, too.

And in the postseason, the Colts – who ranked 32nd among 32 NFL teams against the run in the regular season with 173 yards per game allowed – led the league in rushing defense, allowing more than 100 yards just once in four games.

Safety Bob Sanders was one reason for the improvement.

But Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy and President Bill Polian each said after the season Morris’ play was, too.

“He really typifies what you preach as a coach,” Dungy said. “You preach to give your best and be ready whenever the opportunity arises and really be a team player. Rob has done that. Whatever job he has had, he’s done it very well and really led by example. You can preach that as a coach, but to see it, that means more to the players when you can point and say, 'This is what it’s all about.’’’

Now, entering his eighth NFL training camp, Morris is starting again.

This time, he’s starting at strong side.

“He’s still learning the new position, and I think we had just the right amount of time with him here,” Dungy said. “It’s exciting for him, and really a new challenge. He’s really fine-turning what he built on last year. I know it has been fun, and he has had a twinkle in his eye about being here and getting it done.”

Counting the seven games he played there last season, how many games has Morris played on the strong side? Seven, he said with a laugh.

“Never played until last season,” said Morris, the second-most experienced player on the Colts’ defense behind defensive tackle Anthony “Booger” McFarland. “This is really my first time really practicing at this position.

“There are a lot of things I have to learn. There are some things I’m pretty good at and some things I’m not so good at. This is a good time to work on those things.”

Which is what Morris said he tried to do during the team’s recent mini-camps and summer-school sessions – that, after missing the team’s last two summer-school sessions. He was unsigned in 2005 and was finishing his degree at Brigham Young University last off-season. This season, he attended to work with a young defense on which he is suddenly very much a leader.

The Colts this off-season lost several veteran leaders. Linebacker Cato June signed with Tampa Bay. Cornerback Nick Harper signed with Tennessee. Defensive tackle Montae Reagor signed with Philadelphia. Cornerback Jason David signed with New Orleans.

How much the departures will impact a defense that improved drastically in the postseason Morris said he’s not sure.

“We’re young,” Morris said. “We’re real young. A lot of people say, ‘Well, they’re young and that’s a bad thing.’ I’m not so sure it’s a bad thing. (Cornerbacks) Kelvin (Hayden) and Marlin (Jackson) have big-game experience – the biggest game experience. (Safety) Matt Giordano has played a lot. (Safeties) Bob (Sanders) and Antoine (Bethea) have played.

“We have young guys, but we don’t have a lot of inexperience. We have a lot of youth. There’s a difference.”

Just how much Morris said he will still have to learn when the season begins, he said he’s not completely sure. On the one hand, it’s a new position.

On the other hand, he said, he did play seven games there last season.

“I think the novelty has worn off, with going through the playoffs,” Morris said of the new role. “Even if the year would have ended last year and we hadn’t made that (postseason) run, I think it would have not sunken in yet. I started seven games, and that’s almost half a season. I feel like I got some experience, but it will be a learning process for me.

“I don’t look at it any different for me than playing the mike (middle) or being the backup and playing special teams. You prepare the same way for whatever happens.”

That approach, Morris said, helped him the past two seasons, which were at times difficult ones. After starting four seasons, he moved into a backup role in 2005, developing into one of the team’s top special teams players. It was a role he continued to play last season. During those two seasons, Morris – who averaged 114 tackles from 2001-2004 – had a total of 63 tackles on defense.

But at the same time, he had 42 special teams tackles – 21 in each season – and led Indianapolis in the category last season.

“You see it all over the league, and to some extent on this team: the up-and-down guys, they’re not here anymore,” Morris said.

Now, he is not only still with the Colts, with the off-season departure of cornerback Nick Harper, he became the only defensive player to predate the 2002 arrival of Dungy.

As for whether that’s a good or bad thing, Morris said he’s not sure, and neither is it something he goes around discussing much.

“I guess that’s good,” he said with a laugh. “That means somebody likes me. It’s good for me. I don’t want to say anything to anyone, because they may think about it and say, ‘Let’s get rid of that guy.’ The only thing I think of is some of these young guys don’t know how good they’ve got it here.

“I think I do. That’s why I’ve been so happy to stick around in whatever capacity.”


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[The General]

Utecht Says He has Potential to be Prototype Tight End

INDIANAPOLIS - Ben Utecht figures it's possible.

In the NFL, Utecht said, there is always a need for a prototypical tight end - mainly, he said, because they're difficult to find.

A player who can run.

A player who can catch.

A player who can block.

A player, mostly, who can do all of the above with almost-equal effectiveness.

Utecht, who is entering his fourth NFL season – all with the Colts – said such a player is invaluable to an NFL team. He doesn’t consider himself such a player. Not yet.

But he said he might be.

And he said that might happen relatively soon.

“I really think I have the potential to be that,” Utecht said recently during the team’s summer-school sessions, which concluded June 14 at the Colts’ Training Facility.

Utecht, who originally signed with the Colts as a free agent shortly after the 2004 NFL Draft, said he proved he possessed at least part of the equation last season.

In his first full season as a starter, Utecht – considered one of the nation’s top receiving tight ends while at the University of Minnesota – started 15 games last season, catching 37 passes for 377 yards and no touchdowns.

Solid production – and production Utecht said he expected from himself.

“I grew up being a receiver,” said Utecht, who caught 83 passes for 1,211 yards and 15 touchdowns at Minnesota. “I went to college as a receiver. That always has been something I feel very comfortable doing – catching the ball.”

But he said he wants to be more.

And Utecht (6-feet-6, 251 pounds) said it is blocking where he most wants to improve – and he said that it is as a blocker that he focused much of his concentration and energy during the summer-school sessions.

“I really want to become a better blocker,” Utecht said. “I want to become a better point-of-attack guy so that I know they have the confidence in every situation to run the ball to my side, because not only can I get out and catch the ball but I can also be a dominant blocker.”

While he was proficient as a receiver in college, Utecht said he gained experience blocking at Minnesota, too.

“It’s something I had to do a lot at Minnesota because we were a running offense,” Utecht said. “It’s something I’ve really tried to work on here the last three years. I think the new confidence, the full year of experience – these will be things that will help me in that phase this year.

“Blocking is a very important part of being a tight end in the NFL, and it’s something I definitely need to solidify myself in.”

Utecht said while that area improved last season, he said it can improve more – and that it should do so this season.

“As the year went on, I got more confident blocking and had some really good games,” Utecht said. “Blocking, I had some games where I made mistakes where I can definitely see the area I can improve. So, that’s going to be a huge goal.”

Utecht said he has a confidence entering this season he hasn’t had in three previous NFL seasons. It’s a confidence, he said, that comes from experience.

Utecht, after signing with the Colts in 2004, missed the entire 2004 season with a sports hernia injury. He then sustained a rib injury in Week 2 of the 2005 season, an injury he said cost him momentum.

He played 12 games in 2005, starting twice, but catching just three passes for 59 yards.

Last season, he missed just one of a possible 20 games for the Super Bowl XLI champions, which he said is why entering the 2007 season he feels “really comfortable in the offense.”

“In mini-camp, it came back very quick and that just gives you more confidence,” Utecht said. “I’m excited for that, because I’ll be able to go into this year’s training camp with a greater amount of confidence than I did last year. I think that will help me play more to the potential that I’m capable of.

“This will be my first year with a full year of experience – and what a great year of experience. I really think it’s going to just be a different year for me – hopefully it will be even more of a breakout year for me. It was such a blessing to be a starter on that team last year, to be put in a lot of positions to make plays. Throughout my entire college career, I never had a chance catch 40 balls.

“To do that here, with one of the greatest quarterbacks (Peyton Manning) to have played, is a privilege.”

Utecht said his mission this season is to package that pass-catching ability with the blocking ability he believes he possesses – something he said that, if it happens, will make him the all-purpose, multi-threat tight end he believes he can become.

“Not only in this offense, but around the league, so often I hear teams talking about how they desire the prototypical tight end, the guy who can be a huge asset in the passing game, but also someone who can get the job done blocking,” Utecht said. “It’s hard to find those guys. Usually, the blocking guys are bigger guys – 260 (pounds) and up – and the receiving guys are 250 (pounds) and below.

“To find somebody who can open the field up in the passing game and control the line of scrimmage in the run game is a very important thing to have.”



THE TIGHT ENDS


Dallas Clark

Fifth NFL season

6-3, 252

Iowa

Acquired: First round, 2003 (No. 24 overall)

A big-play tight end with rare athletic ability, he continued to develop into a crucial part of the passing offense last season in his fourth NFL season. . . . He played a huge part in the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI championship, returning from a late-season knee injury to catch 21 postseason passes for 317 yards. . . . He led the NFL in receiving yardage in the postseason. . . . In four seasons, he has 121 receptions for 1,618 yards and 14 touchdowns. . . . He finished last season with 30 receptions for 367 yards and four touchdowns, his third consecutive season with at least four touchdowns.



Bryan Fletcher

Third NFL season

6-5, 230

UCLA

Acquired: Free agent, 2005

An athletic tight end, Fletcher has emerged the last two seasons as a critical part of the Colts’ offense, particularly in the red zone. . . . After spending the 2004 season on Colts’ practice squad, he has caught 36 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns the past two seasons. . . . Fletcher caught four passes in the postseason last season, but one was critical – a 32-yard reception from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning that helped set up the