Indianapolis Colts Notes, Quotes
by Sports Xchange
--S Matt Giordano has become a valuable member of the Colts' defensive backfield rotation in addition to earning a key role on special teams. His value isn't expected to lessen this season.
Giordano has been the primary backup to 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders since he came into the league. But he has also shown that he can play free safety when called upon.
"I feel like I'm still a guy who needs to establish himself. I don't want to be one of those people who are complacent with where they're at. I want to continue to improve every season," Giordano said recently. "Compared to my rookie year, I feel a lot more confidence, I feel I gained more confidence every year playing.
"There are new situations every year that I encounter, that I've had to deal with. It has kind of been a new learning experience. Through those, they've made me a better football player. I have to attribute that to just hard work and getting to know the defense. Once the defense clicked to me, it was a lot easier just going out there and focusing on playing. Some might say I'm my toughest critic. I try to improve at everything I do. I try to really critique myself, work on my weaknesses, focus on those and make them into my strength."
--TE Dallas Clark, a native Iowan who played his collegiate football at the state's Big Ten school, helped to raise money for weather-plagued citizens of his home state recently.
Clark signed autographs for $20 as he asked fans to help raise money for tornado and flood ravaged Iowans. He raised nearly $18,000 after four hours of signing autographs in West Des Moines.
--Former Colts players Eric Dickerson, Bill Brooks and Jeff George will combine their efforts July 12 for the Kickoff for the Cure fundraiser in Indianapolis. George is hosting the event, which seeks to help find a cure for breast cancer.
--Overall improvement is the goal of second-year DT Quinn Pitcock as he prepares for the 2008 season.
"I had difficulty coming in (as a rookie in 2007). I came in late to camp with an injury. It took a while to gain the respect of the players here. (Defensive line) Coach (John) Teerlinck was like, 'This is how we're playing. You're not used to playing like this. We think you can do it. We see potential in you,'" Pitcock said recently. "Toward the end of the year, I finally started getting more playing time. Toward the end, I was getting in and making plays.
"I know, to a point, that I can keep up with the speed. I am able to make plays, but now I've got to take it to the next level and be more productive, get more of a pass rush and try to be a wild man out there, making plays. It's a lot of little things. I'm always going to be learning. I'm still learning little things about our defense. I want to understand the defense even more in depth. Our defense is simple, but you've got to learn your position and get through that. The more you understand the overall concept and what everybody else is doing, the more you can teach yourself little areas where maybe the coach can't always explain to you. I barely stuck my toe in at the end of the year. I'm just scratching the surface."
--High school football teams will get first dibs at playing games at Lucas Oil Stadium before the Colts get an opportunity to see what their new home is like.
The annual Peyback Classic, sponsored by Peyton Manning's foundation, will be played at the facility on Aug. 22, which will be a prep doubleheader featuring four Indianapolis-area teams. One day later, on Aug. 23, four more high school games will be played on the field with eight Central Indiana high schools facing off.
All six games will serve as a dry run, or sorts, for stadium personnel.
"We need the rehearsals," said Lucas Oil Stadium Director Mike Fox.
--The Colts, meanwhile, will face the Buffalo Bills in their first preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Aug. 24. Indianapolis will also play the Cincinnati Bengals at the stadium on Aug. 28.
--Team owner Jim Irsay, team president Bill Polian and head coach Tony Dungy were recently inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
Richard Bryant, president of the Richmond, Ind.-based Hall of Fame, noted that the Colts' triumvirate has "created something very special in Indianapolis and done it with class."
"To me," Irsay said, "it's always about those around you who make you look good. There are so many people that make me look good."
Polian, named team president in 1998, and Dungy, whose 80-27 overall record since being named coach in 2002 is the best in club history. Since Polian arrived, the Colts are 105-55 and have earned eight playoff berths.
"Whenever an executive gets an award like this, it's always because of the work of others," Polian said.
--Polian recently co-hosted an Indianapolis sports talk radio show in Indianapolis. He spent the day filling in for Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz on the three-hour "Bob and Eddie Show" on ESPN 1070.
--Dungy doesn't need anyone to tell him that Super Bowl XLIII will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. He began his head coaching career with the Buccaneers and recently purchased a new home in the Tampa area.
"I know," he acknowledged recently with a grin.
--There is no update in the ongoing investigation in Philadelphia concerning WR Marvin Harrison and his possible participation in a shooting incident on April 29. The NFL continues to monitor the situation and could discipline Harrison depending on the legal outcome. Former Colts safety Mike Doss was suspended for the first two games of the 2005 season after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of discharging a firearm in public.
--OG Ryan Lilja (knee) and CB Michael Coe (shoulder) might be limited at the start of training camp. Harrison (knees), DE Dwight Freeney (foot), S Bob Sanders (shoulder) are also rehabbing well from their respective injuries.
--Some of the practice fields at the Colts' training camp site in Terre Haute, Ind., at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, were under water due to recent flooding in the town.
School officials, however, said that the water receded quickly and they don't expect any problems in getting the fields ready for camp.
Most of the damage to the fields occurred in areas that the Colts do not use, such as between the primary practice fields and in the out of bounds areas.
--Indianapolis city officials remain confident that Lucas Oil Stadium will open on time.
"The building will be done on time," said Scott Blanchard, contract manager for Hunt Construction Co., which is building the stadium. "We'll play football. We've got 1,200 workers here that are going to work hard to the end to get it done. "
Blanchard added that some are working overtime and another 200 workers are working a second shift in the evenings.
"Construction is well over 90 percent done," he said. "You'd always like to have a little more time, but the end dates never change on jobs like this. We're used to it."
--Colts officials are also pleased with the progress of the stadium's construction.
Executive vice president Pete Ward said the team has "no concerns at this point" that it will be playing on Aug. 24 in the Lucas Oil Stadium.
Asked if they had a "Plan B," Ward said: "We always have contingencies."
But, he quickly added, they had no reason to think they'll have to activate them. "We're going full-speed ahead," he said.
Ward said the team is working with the stadium authority to finalize plans to show the building off to the public.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I expect big things from myself. I just feel more comfortable. I did it last year and now I know what I can do. I was good when I was good and there were times I was bad when I was bad. It's just a matter of maximizing your good plays and minimizing your bad plays. Last year, I built up some momentum, then got the injury in preseason. I got some good momentum going, then played with one arm for a couple of games, then got the head injury and was out for another three games (in October and November). I put together some pretty good games. (A mid-December game in) Oakland was probably the best game I had in the season. We were kind of on cruise control then. That's one thing I learned, too. That was my first year as a starter and I fell into that lull mode where, 'Oh, these games don't matter and we're trying to get healthy.' I didn't do the routine I had established the weeks prior to that, the film study and everything. That's one of the big things I picked up - just keep your routine the whole season." -- Colts LB Freddie Keiaho on his mindset heading into the 2008 season.
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