Who will play for Indianapolis Colts may not be known until Thursday, President Bill Polian says

Who will play for Indianapolis Colts may not be known until Thursday, President Bill Polian says
Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
The will play healthy players against the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night.
That much is known.
What Colts President Bill Polian said isn't known is just who those healthy players will be, and further, that may not be known until the day the Colts try to move to 14-0.
Polian, speaking on his weekly radio show on Monday, said although the Colts aren't focused on any of the issues such as streaks, history and particularly not the unbeaten-season talk that has once again pushed them into the national sports consciousness, the team will play healthy players on Thursday.
That, despite clinching homefield advantage Sunday.
Let's talk football rather than issues that are contrived by other people, Polian said on his weekly radio show on 97.1 Hank FM in Indianapolis. We have won 13 in a row because we have focused only on the next game. We haven't focused on history. We haven't focused on conjecture. We haven't focused on what the latest story of the week is. We've focused on only what we can do to make sure we are the best team we possibly can be whoever the next opponent happens to be. That happens to be the Jacksonville Jaguars on a very short week. That is where we're focusing.
We're not thinking beyond Jacksonville. The question then is, 'Who is healthy and who is not healthy?' We can't determine that really until we leave for Jacksonville.
With the Jacksonville game three days away, rules mandated the Colts release an injury report Monday although they did not practice. The report included 29 players:
RB Joseph Addai (knee), S Antoine Bethea (rest), LB Gary Brackett (foot), DE Raheem Brock (back), RB Donald Brown (chest), S Melvin Bullitt (shoulder), DE Keyunta Dawson (knee), OG Kyle DeVan (shin), OT Ryan Diem (hamstring), DT Eric Foster (back), S Aaron Francisco (ankle), DE Dwight Freeney (rest), WR Pierre Garcon (knee), WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee), CB Kelvin Hayden (knee), CB Tim Jennings (ankle), OT Charlie Johnson (foot), CB Jacob Lacey (biceps), QB Peyton Manning (glute), DE Robert Mathis (quad), DT Dan Muir, CB Jerraud Powers (hamstring), OG Jamey Richard (guard), TE Tom Santi (hand), LB Clint Session (calf), RB Chad Simpson (back), OT Tony Ugoh (hip), K Adam Vinatier (right knee), WR Reggie Wayne (foot).
Polian said the short turnaround makes it difficult to predict who will play Thursday.
We'll have to get two days of practice in on Tuesday and Wednesday, Polian said. We'll see where are at that point. Our plan, as (Colts Head Coach) Jim (Caldwell) enunciated Monday, is to play every healthy starter. The question is, 'Who's going to be healthy?' I can't answer that for you right now, because this is a short week.
Polian used as an example left tackle Charlie Johnson, who played last week after missing practice Wednesday with a foot injury.
If this upcoming game were on Sunday I would fully expect that Charlie would make it, Polian said. I don't know if he'll make it based upon the short week, which at this time of the year is almost criminal, but that's another matter and on the road, certainly makes it doubly difficult. In any event, the bottom line is, 'All healthy starters will play' and we'll determine as the week goes on who's healthy enough to play and who is not.
Our focus in on Jacksonville and we're not going to deal with anything else but Jacksonville and the players are not going to deal with anything else but Jacksonville. We're going to focus exactly on that, because that's what got us here.
The great coach at Texas, Darrell Royal, who in addition to being a Hall of Fame coach was a homespun philosopher, said, 'Dance with who brung you.' That's what we're going to do. What brung us here to 13 victories is total focus on the next opponent and that's where we're going to be.
Polian on Monday also addressed:
* RB Chad Simpson as a kickoff returner/special teams player: The only criticism that bothers the players comes from the coaches. Everything else is meaningless because they recognize that's how their bread is buttered. That's how we win. With respect to Chad, first of all, he is an outstanding, well-above-average, difference-making cover guy on the kickoff coverage team and on the punt coverage team. He's a difference-maker. So, that in itself points to the fact that you like to have him up if at all possible. As a kickoff return guy, if he can get in a crease, he can go the distance. I've seen him do that in college on numerous occasions. The problem is the new rule. If Chad were running behind a four-man wedge and just looking for daylight, he would be dynamite. In this particular case, he has to read blocks on the run and that's not something he's used to doing. We're hopeful he will get better at it and it's a new rule, so we're a little bit of a work in progress in terms of what we think may or may not be the optimum way to block kickoff returns. Chad is a valuable, valuable special teams performer in addition to being a good running back when he runs from scrimmage. His value on teams is very, very high.
* Rookie P/K Pat McAfee: "If you were going to have an All-Rookie kicker and I don't know who votes for the All-Rookie teams I don't even know who's on them; I remember one year a guy who only played two games made the All-Rookie team and after that I quit looking-- but if there was going to be an All-Rookie kicker it would be Pat McAfee. He has punted magnificently and he has kicked off magnificently. He has been a big part of that equation, in addition to which (special teams coordinator) Ray Rychleski has brought a little more aggressive scheme. He has those guys fired up and flying led by Chad, who gets double-teamed virtually every week. Then, other players are coming in there, helping out and making plays. It has been a great year for our coverage units. To shut down (Broncos returner) Eddie Royal Sunday . . . it's funny, if you turn on the television and radio the week prior to playing perhaps our last six or seven of the opponents, they're one of the following: the team nobody wants to play, the team that everybody predicts is going to the playoffs, the team that has more firepower than everybody, the team that will definitely break our streak. Then, when we win the game, it's, 'Oh, that team's not very good.' Eddie Royal is a heck of a return guy. He's a dynamic return guy and he's a dynamic receiver. We did a wonderful job in limiting him Sunday. It wasn't easy. It required lots and lots of hard work."

Highlighting Colts President Bill Polian's weekly radio show. . .
* Part One:On 114 victories in a decade: "Really something." .
* Part Two: "No such thing as rust." .
* Part Three: Dan Muir "has been dynamite for us." .
* Part Four: Who will play won't be known until Thursday. .


MORE COLTS COVERAGE
COFFEE WITH THE COLTS | NEXT-DAY LOOK AT COLTS-BRONCOS.
COLTS 28, BRONCOS 16.

QUOTING THE COLTS . . .
* Part One:QB Peyton Manning and TE Dallas Clark. .
* Part Two:Head Coach Jim Caldwell and MLB Gary Brackett. .
* Part Three:LB Clint Session, WR Reggie Wayne and C Jeff Saturday. .
* Part Four:S Antoine Bethea,Jason Taylor Jerseys, CB Kelvin Hayden and DT Daniel Muir. .
* Part Five:DE Dwight Freeney and RB Joseph Addai. .

FREENEY: "If it happens to be that we're 16-0, so be it." .

MORE COLTS COVERAGE
COLTS NEED ANTHONY GONZALEZ.
CALDWELL: "I'M NOT SURE YOU EVER BENEFIT FROM A LOSS." .
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: WHY THE COLTS MUST REST IF THEY CLINCH HOMEFIELD.
FREENEY: No trophies for 16-0. .
MATHIS: AFC Defensive Player of the Month. .
CALDWELL: 16-0 not that important. .

DOES PEYTON MANNING GET TOO MUCH RESPECT?
POLIANS' CONTRACTS EXTENDED.

COLTS FANS OWE RB JOSEPH ADDAI AN APOLOGY.
*** CATCH UP WITH ALL THINGS COLTS ON INDY FOOTBALL REPORT.
*** READ JOHN OEHSER'S INDIANA PACERS COVERAGE. .
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. . . John's Colts website