Indianapolis Colts Monday Training Camp Wrap-Up

Jul 24, 2014; Anderson, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) motions to the wide receivers while doing drills during training camp at Anderson University. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

As their time in Anderson comes to a close, the Colts returned to the practice field on a rainy Monday. While it remained overcast for much of the day, the rain wouldn’t hold off and the practice was cut off a half-hour early due to thunderstorms in the area.

Tons of players sat out today, either getting rest or healing injuries for the day:

Davin Meggett, Stanley Havili, Reggie Wayne, Nu’Keese Richardson, Jack Mewhort, Xavier Nixon, Khaled Holmes, Ulrick John, Cory Redding, Jeris Pendleton, Robert Mathis, Daniel Adongo, Jerrell Freeman, Josh McNary, Henoc Muamba, Andrew Jackson, LaRon Landry, Delano Howell, and Adam Vinatieri all sat out practice today.

Some notes on the day:

• The battle for the fifth receiver spot may resolve itself in a way that not many expected; both Griff Whalen and Da’Rick Rogers have impressed during camp, and the team may very well keep six receivers on the roster.
• Speaking of Rogers, he had a monster day. One of his biggest flaws from last year was his inability to make short/mid-range passes and only possessed speed. He challenged that today, making routine short routes look easy against the Colts’ defensive backs. Rogers certainly made a huge case for him being on the active roster in 2014 with his performance on Monday.
• Penalties were everywhere on the 11-on-11 drills, which one wouldn’t really expect at training camp. While the several offsides calls on defense can be attributed to Andrew Luck’s strong cadence, the offense struggled with false starts. Every false start penalty was called due to a guard or center, meaning that chemistry between Luck and the guys up front has to be stronger moving forward.
• My colleague and fellow Colts writer Jake Arthur made the note that Donte Moncrief doesn’t look like a rookie in the way he plays. Arthur’s completely right, there are no shortcomings to Moncrief’s game. He made big plays with both Luck and Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback and showed great ability to adjust to the ball.
• With Vinatieri out, Pat McAfee split reps at placekicking with Cody Parkey. Parkey was solid for most of the day, but McAfee struggled field goals, missing two, from 63 and 40 (note: the 63-yarder had more than enough distance, just couldn’t split the uprights).
• With Landry and Howell out today, we got a good look at Sergio Brown and Colt Anderson at safety. They didn’t do too badly, but the quarterbacks completed almost every throw down the middle of the field.
• The first team offense is looking top-notch, especially on long passes. Luck is as accurate as they come on throws in-camp.

Practice resumes tomorrow from 1:55-4:25 p.m. The gates in Anderson open to the public at 12:30.