Indianapolis Colts Link Storm: Mini-Camp Edition

The Indianapolis Colts held their first day of mini-camp this week. It was rather uneventful, save for the absence of a few veterans.

Safety LaRon Landry missed the practice but was merely taking his mandatory physical with team doctors, something most players had done on Monday. Defensive end Cory Redding was also out, but it was due to a family matter that he is attending to.

Cornerback Vontae Davis and safety Delano Howell were both kept out with what sound like minor injuries. Ironically, CB Greg Toler was healthy and a full participant.

Stephen Holder of the Indy Star broke down yesterday’s practice and puzzling secondary issues. Landry might not be fully committed to the team after being the only player to miss voluntary workouts in April. Honestly, this secondary is terrifying, even after signing safety Mike Adams.

Good news is that we’ll know just how truly bad it is after week two. I predict the Broncos and Eagles will throw for a combined 12 touchdowns against this extremely mediocre secondary.

Mike Chappell, also from the Star, posted his first notebook on camp. There are a number of players who are being held out due to injuries from last season, one of them was Reggie Wayne. Not surprisingly, the staff is having trouble getting Wayne to do less at practice.

Rookie guard Jack Mewhort was also working with the starting unit but the offensive line appears to be a big work in progress. Aside from the interior of the line, the offense looks very solid at every position.

Chappell also spoke with Peyton Manning about Dallas Clark’s retirement. Manning said it was  privilege to play with Clark and spoke about his remarkable athleticism and weight room prowess. Clark is the poster child for what Manning can do with a quality tight end: big plays, but ones that also leave the player open to big hits.

The Clark play that stands out to me was from the 2009 season against Miami. He opened up the game with an 80-yard touchdown reception up the seam, not sure he’s ever run faster than on that play. It was also the game that proved time of possession didn’t matter as the Colts had the ball for just 15 minutes.

Marcus Dugan over at Colts Authority talked about how the offense needs to dictate the game. After the first day of camp, it sounded a bit like the coaching staff might be trending away from the running mentality. Offense isn’t about ball control, its about scoring points. The Colts need to come out with the mentality that they will score on every possession and do whatever it takes to find the end zone.

Craig Kelly from Colts.com posted his mini-camp roundup following day one. Everyone spoke about how great it was to be back and Kelly discusses who was out and why. Andrew Luck, who looked like a high schooler after shaving, was clearly excited to be back and spoke about the importance of consistency for the offense.

Make sure to watch the Luck interview. Covers everything on the offense from goals, to relationships with other players, and the new targets on the field.