»Safety Malik Hooker made a fifty play to prevent a fast pass to Campbell running everywhere, with the fast receiver doving around the line of scrimmage. Hooker was really the last line of defense in the area. It is these kinds of plays that Hooker told the media earlier in the week that he was working on raising chief in his fourth season; everyone knows how good he is in coverage as the ‘center fielder’, but he also wants to be just as impactful in the box.
»For a second straight practice, safety George Odum created a solid scene deep in cover against Campbell. On Wednesday, Odum trotted out the receiver and picked out Rivers’ attempt; this time, Odum had an all-out attempt to knock Rivers’ over-the-top pass attempt to the ground.
»We see rookie Danny Pinter getting more and more work at center the last few days. Pinter’s ability to adapt to new positions is quite impressive; he came into Ball State as a tight end, he moved to the right tackle of his junior year, and by last year he was an All-Mid-American Conference selection and considered by Pro Football Focus to be one of the best run blockers in the country. Now with the Colts, the fifth-round pick has moved inward because he has taken a lot of snaps on the right guard and, more recently, at center.
»Rivers looked very decisive in a red zone 7-on-7 drill, dismissing probable touchdown passes to Nyheim Hines and Zach Pascal. Cornerback Tremon Smith, meanwhile, made a fine play in cover to pass an attempt by Jacoby Brissett to Dezmon Patmon directly into the air, and linebacker Matthew Adams slipped in for a possible underhand. We’ll overwrite it, however, because general manager Chris Ballard stood right there behind the end zone and marked an imperfect pass. Brissett and Patmon would take their revenge on the very next game, however, as the rookie wide receiver could kick in a touchdown in the back corner against cornerback Jackson Porter.
»Exercise ended with a vibrant red zone 11-on-11 period. It started from the 17-yard line, when Green closed the edge for a big run by Marlon Mack. Shortly afterwards, Rivers found Hines, but just as it looked like the running back was possibly coming to the finish line, he was met by cornerback Rock-Ya Sin, who playfully hung Hines in the air. By getting closer to the goal line, rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. also had a receiving touchdown on a fast lane against Smith.
»Funny moment at the end of practice, when the offense tried to play a Hines-run on 2nd and Goal of the 3rd There was, let’s say, slight disagreement between the offense and the defense over the question of whether Hines entered the end zone before he would have been whistled. The team turned to George Li – the Colts’ senior football strategy analyst / game manager – who had a good view of the play that was just beyond bounds through the front pylon. Li signaled a touchdown, pulling a little ribbon from the defenders. “George! No! George!” Ballard, for the record, did not believe it was a touchdown.
»Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone also had his boys work hard on gunner work during those point exercises, both in covering and defending the gunner with the return unit. This has been a Colts specialty since Ventrone was hired in 2018; Since then, the team ranks first in the NFL point back average (13.2 yards) and third in the league in point return average (5.3 yards).
»The 1-on-1 reps between the passers-by and the defensive backs took on a bit more significance on Friday as they were celebrated within the 5-yard line. The Corners and Safeties claimed a 17-11 advantage over the wide receivers and tight ends on this day, with a “win” described as a catch by the receiver as another result for the defensive backs.
»Broad receiver Parris Campbell used a nasty double move to shake cornerback TJ Carrie on his first 1-on-1 rep of the session. Carrie would return nicely, however, earning fierce fights over two other fast receivers in DeMichael Harris, Ashton Dulin, and loud praise from cornerbacks coach Jonathan Gannon.
»Security Khari Willis showed his persistence in a late 1-on-1 rep against Green, who appeared to fall with the football in the back-middle of the end zone for a touchdown, but Willis never stopped fighting, and throws the ball out at the very last second to force the imperfection, when his defensive teammates swarmed him.
»Rookie quarterback Jacob Eason had a safe on an early 11-on-11 rep to the tight end Green, who had a nice effort on the outside to jump into the air and cut the pass and into boundaries to stay. Every time Eason loosens like this, the glass is clear why he thought he might have the best overall goalie of any quarterback in this year’s draft class.
