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NFL: CHIEFS: Q&A with QB DAMON HUARD - 10/12

/noticias.info/ By John Oehser - Colts.com


A Colts Rarity: Peyton Manning Misses Practice
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts went through practice as scheduled Wednesday, working – as Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy planned – on fundamentals and focusing not on future opponents, but on themselves.

It was a normal day, a day for improvement and for many players, for rest.

And there was one very unusual circumstance:

Peyton Manning wasn't there.

Manning, the Colts’ quarterback since being selected No. 1 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft, missed the Colts’ practice session on Wednesday to attend services for his grandmother, who passed away recently.

Manning, who has not missed a start in nine NFL seasons, rarely misses a practice either in the off-season or the regular season.

“We’re certainly passing on our prayers to their family,” Dungy said after the AFC South-leading Colts (5-0) went through a shorter-than-normal practice session at the Union Federal Football Center early Wednesday afternoon.

Dungy, the Colts’ head coach since 2002, was asked if it was the first practice he remembered in which Manning didn’t line up behind center.

“It probably is,” Dungy said.

Teammates said their thoughts were with Manning.

“He’s doing the right thing,” Colts center Jeff Saturday said. “He’s with his family and doing what he needs to be doing. That’s taking care of business. Out here, it’s always odd when you don’t see the guy who’s been here for so long leading it.

“We can handle it for this short week, but we wish he and his family the best. Our prayers are definitely with him.”

Manning was far from the only Colts players not practicing Wednesday. The bye week is designed for rest, and several players did so Wednesday.

“We had some guys who were not going to practice – mainly the leg injuries,” Dungy said. “We had those guys stay inside. Some guys came out right at the tail end, but for the most part, it was for the healthy guys.”

Among the players missing practice: wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who sustained a sprained knee against Tennessee Sunday.

Also Wednesday, Dungy said he expects safety Bob Sanders – who missed the last three games with a knee injury – to return to practice
Monday.

“I would think so,” Dungy said.

Of Wednesday’s practice, Dungy said, “I thought we had a good day for what we wanted to accomplish. We got a workout in, and we got some of our younger guys and our backup guys involved in the offense and defense.

“Overall, we just had a good day. We were satisfied.”

Also, the Colts have released kicker Martin Gramatica with the idea that kicker Adam Vinatieri likely will be ready to kick against Washington. Gramatica, a seven-year NFL veteran, handled kickoffs, field goals and extra points the last three weeks while Vinatieri rehabilitated a groin injury.

“We let him go with the caveat that if Adam’s not OK, you can turn around and fly back,” Dungy said. “He’s on his way to Florida. Really, it was a great three weeks for him and for us. He filled in nicely, did everything we asked. It was one of those that was a win-win situation.”

Near the end of a brief meeting with the media, Dungy was asked if the Colts were considering signing a veteran defensive tackle after placing veteran and former Pro Bowl tackle Corey Simon on the NFL’s non-football illness/injury list last week.

Dungy’s reply came with tongue firmly in cheek.

“I talked to (Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle) Joe Greene,” Dungy said. “He’s possibly having hip surgery, so he wasn’t available. We talked to (Hall of Famers) Bob Lilly and Randy White, some guys we thought would fit the bill.

“I can’t say we’re standing pat, but I think we’re pretty happy with the guys we have and that’s who has to do it for you. There’s not going to be anybody you sign.”

Dungy also said the team was “considering” signing former New York Jets and Colts tackle Joe Klecko, whose son, Dan, currently plays tackle for the Colts.

“I bet you Joe would come, to be able to play with his son,” Dungy said.

In a more serious tone, Dungy said the team likely will continue to work to improve the NFL’s 31st-ranked run defense with the players already on the roster.

“It’s not like baseball, where at the trade deadline somebody’s going to give you a Pro Bowl guy,” Dungy said. “It just doesn’t happen that often. We have to get it fixed with the guys who are here.”
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