Sadly Andrew Ogletree has been placed on the IR, ending his rookie season as it started. This did not keep Ogletree away from the Indianapolis Colts second joint practice with the Detroit Lions. He was spotted on the sidelines supporting his teammates. Jelani Woods has stepped up in absence of his rookie tight end team mate. Matt Ryan has found comfort in connecting with him and the rest of the big bodied receivers, including Michael Pittman Jr and Mike Strachan.
Young Indianapolis Colts Step Up in Second Joint Practice
“When one door closes, another door opens,” so they say. The Colts lost one big receiver as they gained another. Mike Strachan has joined the team in full stride. His huge frame has been flying across the field while making leaping grabs with no limitations. He looks ready to make a difference and fight for the WR5 or maybe WR4 spot.
Jelani Woods has found his confidence on the field. In the Colts’ second joint practice with the Lions, Woods made plays with the first team. He is now starting to show how he can be used in this offense. It is a terrible situation, but the silver-lining of a next man up is nice.
Shout out to George Bremer for the updates.
A Strong Start but a Slow Finish for the Offense
The offense continued to pass all over the Lions’ defense. Jonathan Taylor got in on the action today with some big runs in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11. Matt Ryan finished the day with ten completions on thirteen passes. These completions were full of great reads and big plays, one came on a screen like play to Michael Pittman Jr.
This hot start ended during the RedZone and 2-minute drill work, the offense could not find the end zone on any drive. Teams are allowed to have bad days, but the drops which derailed the drives need to stop now. There is little room for error for the young pass catchers.
Indianapolis Colts Second Joint Practice: An Update on the Defense
The coolest thing to happen in camp, Shaquille Leonard signed a baby. After the hype of that died down, practice was allowed to start.
E.J. Speed and Nick Cross continued to carve out their spots on this roster. They coordinated on a solid run stop during the full team work. Nick Cross continues to flash his speed, strength and knowledge of the game. He looks to be an early contributor to this defense. E.J. Speed secured an interception on Jared Goff after pressure from the defensive line.
The defense made the Lions’ day a rough one. The bright spot was running back D’Andre Swift who gave the Colts all they could handle. I think Swift has the potential to dethrone JT this season as Taylor’s workload hopefully lessens.
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