Following Thursday’s OTA practice, the second of which was open to the media, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen spoke with reporters.
In case you missed it, here are the highlights from that conversation. To watch the full interview, click here.
– Jonathan Taylor was not at Thursday’s practice. Steichen said he will be back next week and is dealing with some “personal stuff.”
– After leaving last week’s practice after banging knees with a defender, Micahel Pittman did not participate on Thursday. Steichen said “he’s in a good spot and we’re just resting him” Steichen adds that he probably could go out and practice but they are being smart with him.
– OTAs are a great time to build the comradery and chemistry within the team. Steichen loved how everyone was flying around and the back-and-forth trash-talking that was taking place.
– Steichen on Thursday’s practice: “You can feel the competition. You can feel the energy from the guys and that’s how you build team off energy and effort and they’re giving it out here in these OTAs, so it’s really good to see.”
– Steichen says that Bernhard Raimann has taken the next step in his pass protection and the run game. He complements OL coach Tony Sparano for the work he’s done with Raimann. “I think with any young player, the more you play, the more you learn,” added Steichen. “He’s really settled into his own.”
– Steichen on AD Mitchell: “The explosiveness that he comes off the ball and wins one-on-ones. I mean he’s been making a ton of plays out here the last couple of days. He’s going to bring an element to our offense that we’re really excited about.”
– Steichen says that Jelani Woods has “been making a ton of plays.” Adds that he’s a big-bodied tight end who can run vertical routes, run the shallows, and run the deep cross. “It’s been good to see.”
– Steichen on Drew Ogletree: “He’s a great competitor. He made a ton of plays for us last year. Obviously, we’re past what happened; we let the legal process play out, and he’s here, he’s in our room, and we’re excited to have him on our football team.”