With the Indianapolis Colts' 2010 organized team activities sessions ongoing at the team's practice facility, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a daily look at the team's most-pressing issues . . .
The most unexpected storyline of the early part of Indianapolis Colts' 2010 organized team activities is one no one – not even the team – could have expected.
Still, the reality is this:
The Colts aren't as deep entering 2010 OTAs as they expected at cornerback. And an injury is the reason.
Kevin Thomas, a cornerback from the University of Southern California and the Colts' third-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, sustained a serious knee injury on the final day of the team's 2010 rookie mini-camp earlier this month.
The Colts announced shortly thereafter that the injury could force Thomas to miss the season.
We've written before here that the Colts announcing such specifics on the severity of the injury could be a strong indication that it indeed is season-ending (even before said season begins), and that the injury certainly further hurts a position already weakened by a series of necessary roster-reducing moves early this off-season.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said during the first week of OTAs last week. “We just have to get better. That’s kind of what this time of year is for, is to try to mold your team and develop your skill level, and in areas where you may be a little inexperienced, you try to improve on that through film study and work on the field as well, and hope you can get yourself in position to be a little bit better. That’s kind of where we are. We have our eyes on that position.
“We understand that position is one that we’re going to have to work extremely hard and the coaches will do a great job doing just that.”
What isn't yet known is exactly how much the injury will hurt the Colts.
And only time will determine that.
We'll start with some necessary perspective, and that's that while losing Thomas isn't ideal, neither is it necessarily a disaster.
The Colts, with or without Thomas, have three solid front-line corners – sixth-year veteran Kelvin Hayden, second-year veteran Jerraud Powers and second-year veteran Jacob Lacey.
Hayden, despite missing significant stretches the last two seasons, is potentially one of the NFL's better corners, and Powers – a third-round selection from Auburn University – was one of the Colts' better rookies of recent years last season. Colts President Bill Polian said late in the season Powers merited Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration, and he had the look throughout much of his rookie season of a potential core-, Pro-Bowl-level player. Lacey was the latest in a long line of collegiate free agents to make a significant contribution for the Colts, starting nine games without a disastrous dropoff from the starters.
It's beyond the first three that the Colts could have concerns.
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