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HOT TOPIC
There's certainly going to be a different feel when the Indianapolis Colts face the Tennessee Titans in their annual divisional home-and-home series this fall.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said as much recently as Indianapolis wrapped up its final week of summer school workouts.
The trade of former Titans quarterback Steve McNair to the Baltimore Ravens -- along with the move of quarterback Daunte Culpepper from Minnesota to Miami -- will certainly make things that much tougher for the Colts in what is expected to be a very competitive AFC during the 2006 season. Manning and McNair shared the NFL "Player of the Year" award in 2004.
"Certainly there have been a few changes (in the NFL landscape since the end of last year)," Manning said. "Steve McNair going to the Baltimore Ravens. That is maybe the biggest (move) for me so far because I know Steve so well and he's been such tough competitor that played against us every single year. And the fact that twice a year we'll play the Titans and not to see number 9 over there.
"But, unfortunately, that's kind of what we're dealing with in today's NFL game. It's pretty rare for a guy like Steve to have probably played with a team that long. But you kind of come to expect these kind of changes are going to happen. It does take a little while to get used to it, especially when you see them in a totally different NFL uniform."
Tony Dungy agrees.
"It has been a little different," he said. "You don't normally see a year when that many really good players, Pro Bowl caliber players, changing teams. But it's probably a sign of the times.
"The (new) collective bargaining agreement, nobody knew exactly what was going to happen. I don't think people's long term planning was maybe as good as it would have been had this been in place a couple of years ago. Maybe that's part of it. I don't know. Or maybe it's one of those years where people's contracts were up at the same time. But you don't normally see a Daunte Culpepper and a Steve McNair, two really franchise quarterbacks who are still playing well, you don't see them moving in the same year."
PLAYER NOTES
--DE Robert Mathis has agreed in principle on a five-year contract extension with the Colts that will keep him with the franchise until the 2011 season. The deal, however, won't be signed until sometime this week. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Mathis had signed a one-year free agent qualifying offer of $2.093 million this past spring.
--"I'm not a water skier or a snow skier," Colts QB Peyton Manning said when discussing the recent motorcycle accident of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.
"I don't play pick-up basketball anymore. It's not that you don't think you can control yourself. But it's the pick-up basketball game when the guy who was all-district (in high school) wants to be a hero and try to take out your legs.
"That's what you can't control. I have a window of opportunity to play for the Colts. It's hard enough to stay healthy on the field. I try to keep myself in good situations off the field as well."
--"You educate. You talk about taking precautions, doing wise things, making good decisions. You hope you get through to them," Colts coach Tony Dungy said when asked what he tells his players about being careful when taking part in activities such as riding a motorcycle.
--A few days before the Colts are due to report for the start of training camp, the team will have a brief rookie mini-camp in Indianapolis. The mini-camp has proven to be successful in recent years.
"We'll have three days before we go to camp," Dungy said. "That's been very, very valuable for the young guys. And I think it's really important this year because in 10 days, after we get to (training) camp, we'll be playing a (preseason) game and most of those young guys will be playing in most of them."
--While the team hasn't released a full training camp practice schedule, Dungy acknowledged that there will be more single-day practices than in past years.
"I like the way we've been. But we've got one little change (in training camp routine). After our first (preseason game), we've got 11 days between the first game and the second game, which is a little different. We're going to go to some one-a-day practices in there so we don't really overwork the guys. But, all-in-all, you shouldn't notice too much of a difference in how we do things," he said.
--Dungy plans to keep to his policy of not scrimmaging against other teams during training camp. Prior to his arrival in 2002, the Colts scrimmaged against the St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns but haven't done so since.
"No, it's not been something that I really like to do," he said. "I think we're going to get plenty of work in the four (preseason) games that we have and in working against ourselves."
--The Colts are hoping to install an artificial turf practice field sometime in the not too distant future.
At present, Indianapolis has two outdoor practice fields and an indoor facility that has a FieldTurf playing surface. But recent rainy weather has made it tough to practice on either of the outdoor fields.
"Soon, we hope," Dungy said, adding that an outside FieldTurf surface might be ready before the start of the 2006 season. "The problem we have here is that we can have some days (where's it's sunny) but if it's rained two days before, the ground is so soft we can't get out. And we've had much more practices inside because of wet grounds and bad weather. So we should get that solved with the FieldTurf, that will help us stay outside."
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Colts have signed former Iowa WR Ed Hinkel to an undisclosed contract. Although details of the agreement have not been released, it's thought to be a three-year deal.
Hinkel, who caught 40 passes for 518 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior for the Hawkeyes despite missing three games with a broken arm, was not drafted and agreed to a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens last month.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Erie, Pa., was never signed after he failed a physical exam administered by the Ravens. In addition to signing Hinkel, Indianapolis has waived OG Chip Myrick and LB Cole Snyder. Both were rookie undrafted free agents.
The Colts have also re-signed rookie free agent QB David Koral. Koral had been cut when the team signed former Tampa Bay and Arizona quarterback Shaun King.
MEDICAL WATCH: Tony Dungy is optimistic the vast majority of players recovering from injury or offseason surgery will be ready for the start of training camp.
That list includes linebackers Cato June, Gary Brackett and Keith O'Neil, cornerbacks Marlin Jackson, Jason David and Tim Jennings, safeties Bob Sanders and Mike Doss, wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Aaron Moorehead, and defensive linemen Jonathan Welsh and Vincent "Sweet Pea" Burns.
The biggest question mark, though, is Jim Sorgi. The backup quarterback hasn't thrown in more than a month while resting a sore right arm. He isn't expected to throw for another couple of weeks.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--LB Rocky Calmus (not tendered June 1).
--S Joseph Jefferson (not tendered June 1).
--OT Kurt Vollers (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
--LB Keith O'Neil proved to be a pretty good special teams performer last year after arriving from Dallas. Was sidelined with a shoulder injury midway through the year.
--LB Keyon Whiteside is recovering from a serious knee injury that has curtailed his career the last two seasons. Has shown some upside when able to practice.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--LB Gary Brackett: Potential RFA; $10M/4 yrs, $3.5M guaranteed.
--DE Raheem Brock: Potential UFA; terms unknown.
--OT Makoa Freitas: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--LB Cato June: RFA; $1.573M/1 yr.
--OG Ryan Lilja: ERFA; $385,000/1 yr.
--DE Robert Mathis: RFA; $2.097M/1 yr.
--WR Aaron Moorehead: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--LB Rob Morris: UFA; terms unknown.
--RB James Mungro: UFA; $585,000/1 yr.
--S Gerome Sapp: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--TE Ben Utecht: ERFA; $350,000/1 yr.
--WR Reggie Wayne: Potential UFA; $36M/6 yrs, $12.5M SB; 2006 cap: $4.68M.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--QB Shaun King: FA; $585,000/1 yr.
--PK Adam Vinatieri: UFA Patriots; $12.5M/5 yrs, $3.5M SB.
--WR Terrence Wilkins: FA; $585,000/1 yr.
PLAYERS LOST
--QB Josh Brown (released).
--PK Jose Cortez (released; had been re-signed as UFA).
--OT Joaquin Gonzalez (released).
--RB Edgerrin James: UFA Cardinals; $30M/4 yrs, $7M SB/$4.5 RB.
--WR Brad Pyatt: Not tendered as RFA/Rams; $432,500/1 yr, $7,500 SB).
--LB David Thornton: UFA Titans; $22M/5 yrs, $8.5M SB.
--DT Larry Tripplett: UFA Bills; $18M/5 yrs, $5.5M SB.
--PK Mike Vanderjagt: UFA Cowboys; $5.5M/3 yrs, $2.5M SB.
--WR Troy Walters: UFA Cardinals; terms unknown.
--DT Josh Williams (released).
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
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