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INDIANAPOLIS – The normal workflow of an NFL regular season week is reaching an end for the Indianapolis Colts.

 

Thursday’s practice saw another pretty healthy injury report for the Colts, who will have one more practice on Friday before traveling to Los Angeles this weekend for their season opener.

 

Here are some tidbits from the Colts returning to practice on Thursday:

 

  • The Colts announced their captains on Thursday for the 2019 season: QB-Jacoby Brissett (1-time captain), WR-T.Y. Hilton (1-time captain), LB-Darius Leonard (1-time captain), S-Clayton Geathers (2-time captain), K-Adam Vinatieri (5-time captain). No real surprises on this list. Your quarterback needs to be a captain, no matter the lack of starts he might have in his NFL career. And this team loves everything Geathers stands for. Speaking of captains, driving by Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday morning got me thinking that Darius Leonard deserves to be on the side of the building. Right now, the Colts have their normal 4 banners with these pictures on it: Hilton, Vinatieri, an Andrew Luck thank-you message, and the Colts horseshoe.
     
  • Justin Houston doesn’t say much, but he was pretty vocal about Jacoby Brissett on Thursday. “I have so much love and respect for him,” the veteran defensive end said of Indy’s new franchise quarterback. “I think he’s going to shock a lot of people. He’s an underdog right now. Really, no pressure is on him. Everybody, I think, they gave up on this team, because of the situation we are in. I think he’s going to handle the challenge.”
     
  • Houston will meet with the media every Thursday this season. On this Thursday, Houston said he’s not an individual goal guy, even if the Colts believe he can have 13 or 14 sacks this season. “If I was a stat guy, the (2014) year I had 22 sacks at the end of the season, I would have been rushing instead of dropping in coverage,” Houston said on Thursday. “I would have been shooting for that record.” Houston hasn’t had a double-digit sack season since 2014, as he’s missed 22 games over the last 4 years.
     
  • The latest in the circus act of Oakland WR-Antonio Brown (with the supposed incident between him and Raiders GM Mike Mayock) now has the All-Pro wide receiver in question of even playing against the Colts in Week 4. It got me thinking back to Chris Ballard’s answer earlier this offseason when asked about the Colts possibly acquiring Brown/Le’Veon Bell. That quote looks pretty darn accurate right now.
     
  • On Wednesday, T.Y. Hilton joined our airwaves, hopping on ‘The Ride With JMV.’ Hilton, 29, is under contract through the 2020 season. From the sounds of it, Hilton would like to play through a third contract, in Indianapolis “Hopefully I’ll go through one more contract here, then hang it up,” Hilton said to JMV. Hilton was a third-round pick in 2012. His second NFL contract was a 5-year extension, worth $65 million, which he signed in August 2015. It’s been a remarkable first 7 seasons of Hilton’s career, and he sounds like a guy wanting to play into his mid-30s. With Hilton going into a contract year in 2020, could he be an extension candidate next summer? Currently, 14 NFL receivers make more money annually than Hilton. On another Hilton note, hearing how Antonio Brown acts makes you appreciate the lack of ‘diva’ in the Colt’s star wideout.
     
  • T.Y. Hilton knows it without being prompted. The Colts haven’t won a season opener in 6 seasons, tied for the longest drought in the NFL. “Of the years I’ve been here, I think we’ve only started 1-0 one time,” Hilton said earlier this week. “That’s a big thing. We need to get off to a good start and end this week 1-0.” It was 2013, in a home win over the Raiders, when the Colts last won a Week 1 game. A few of the starters in that victory? C-Samson Satele, WR-Darrius Heyward-Bey, FB-Stanley Havili, NT-Aubrayo Franklin, ILB-Kelvin Sheppard, CB-Greg Toler.
     
  • What will the Colts miss the most about Andrew Luck no longer under center?
     
  • It’s season prediction time around the NFL. Go ahead, rip away my 8-8 prediction for the 2019 Colts.
     
  • Just guessing on the 7 inactives for the Colts this Sunday: DE-Jabaal Sheard (knee), RB-Jonathan Williams (ribs), CB-Marvell Tell, TE-Hale Hentges, OL-Joe Haeg, DT-Jihad Ward…and I still need one more. That’s a very healthy list which is exactly what the Colts want.
     
  • Anthony Lynn is the head coach of the Chargers, but both of his coordinators used to be the head coaches of AFC South teams. It was OC-Ken Whisenhunt with the Titans and DC-Gus Bradley with the Jaguars. Frank Reich is expecting a lot of 3 deep zone looks from Bradley’s defense and see some very instinctive personnel on that side of the ball, led by two disruptive edge rushers.
     
  • The Colts will have one final practice on Friday before Sunday’s regular season opener in Los Angeles. The Colts and Chargers will kick off at 4:05 PM from the small Dignity Health Sports Park, which is normally a soccer stadium, holding a capacity of 27,000.

 

THURSDDAY INJURY REPORT

 

DNP: DE-Jabaal Sheard (knee), RB-Jonathan Williams (ribs), S-Clayton Geathers (not injury related)

 

           -Bowen Analysis: Sheard has been out for more than a month. With Williams’ absence now nearing three weeks, it’s looking very iffy for him this Sunday.

 

LIMITED: CB-Kenny Moore (right thumb), RB-Jordan Wilkins (ankle), DE-Kemoko Turay (neck)

 

          -Bowen Analysis: For a second straight day, Moore and Wilkins were in red jerseys again on Thursday. It’s a big club on the right thumb of Moore. Turay has battled a neck injury early in his NFL career.

 

FULL: WR-Devin Funchess (back)

 

          -Bowen Analysis: Funchess progressed to being a full participant on Thursday.

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