Of Painter, Caldwell said, “He has a little bit better grasp in terms of his read progressions, and he is becoming a bit more accurate. All of those things, I think you’ve seen him improve upon. It’s not a real easy offense to grasp and manage, but I think he is improving day after day.”
Caldwell called Painter a resilient guy and said he didn't expect the experience late last season to be a negative issue for Painter.
“It should have no effect on him in that regard,” Caldwell said.
And while observers may question Painter's status, the actions of the Colts this off-season and in the past indicate he likely will be the backup. Observers questioned Sorgi's status throughout his Colts career, even while the Colts continually supported Sorgi and he held the position for more than half a decade.
And while Painter said he was disappointed with his performance at the end of last season, he also said, “Any experience is good experience.”
“Just being in there, getting some live snaps and getting rolling with that, I think it helped out,” he said. “Obviously, it didn't quite go the way we planned, but improving from some of the mistakes – I think that's the best way to learn. If I can continue to grow from some of those things, I think that will be very helpful going forward.
“Hopefully, I can continue to get better and try to make that jump, to continue to the next step. I just want to continue to improve.”
It's likely Painter will get his chance to do so. The Colts signed Tom Brandstater after he was released by Denver this off-season, and that move caused many to speculate Painter might be in for some serious competition. But the Colts believe in continuity at all positions,and just as much, they believe strongly in developing drafted players and having them play the roles for which they were drafted – even in the face of public concern.
The Colts have held that philosophy for years, and have been one of the NFL's most consistently successful franchises doing so. Straying from that philosophy at backup quarterback this season would be unusual and surprising, and when it comes to roster moves, the Colts usually aren't either.
Comments
I think Caldwell's comments are more measured than Polian's. But if Polian says so, then it must be true since he is the guy who calls the shots.
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