During the Tony Dungy era, winning preseason games was never a priority.
Current Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell has taken the same approach. When the Colts host the Washington Redskins Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, the focus will be the same as last week, but with a little more sense of urgency. Last week's 33-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams may have been disappointing to Colts fans, but for Caldwell, and president Bill Polian, it's just another step towards preparing for the regular season.
Preseason games for the Colts are about gradually bringing the starters up to speed for Week 1 of the National Football League regular season, and letting their top draft picks gain some valuable game experience. Another aspect of preseason games is the battle for roster spots among the remaining rookies and free agents.
Friday night's game against the Redskins will be loaded with local interest on both sides, as far as contenders for roster spots before final cuts are made in two weeks.
For the Colts, two former Indiana high school running backs should see playing time, but appear to be longshots to make the final roster. Darren Evans, an undrafted running back from Virginia Tech and standout at Warren Central High School, led the team with 52 yards on eight carries against the Rams. Chad Spann, another rookie free agent, from Northern Illinois and North Central High School rushed three times for 10 yards. Both backs should get enough carries to prove themselves, but with Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and rookie Delone Carter securing the first three spots, Evans and Spann's only shot might be to impress the coaching staff on special teams, and grabbing one of the final roster spots.
Spann's fumble on special teams may have hurt his chances in last week's debut, but he still hopes to impress the coaches, if given the opportunity.
"I dropped that one and recovered it at the 10, and I can't let that happen again," he said after Friday's game on the Colts.com website. "Special teams is going to be the way I make the team, so I've got to get better at that and on offense."
For the Redskins, former Indiana Mr. Football and University of Florida quarterback Rex Grossman is battling John Beck for the starting spot after the Donovan McNabb project failed last year. Grossman started three games for Washington in 2010 and threw for 881 yards, while completing 74-of-133 passing attempts. Last week, he passed for 207 yards in a 17-6 win over the Pittsburg Steelers. Grossman is a nine-year veteran in the NFL, spending most of his career with the Chicago Bears.
Rookie free agent and former Indiana University quarterback Ben Chappell is trying to make the Redskins roster as the third signal caller. Chappell threw for 3,295 yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior year at Indiana, but was undrafted. Chappell and Grossman both played at Bloomington South High School. Chappell didn't play last week against the Steelers, but hopes to see action against the Colts in front of some of his family and fiends.
And then, there's Curtis Painter.
The former Purdue University quarteback has struggled in preseason and regular season games, but the Colts still consider him as the backup for Peyton Manning. Painter played just two series last week, completing 3-of-6 passes for 55 yards and threw an interception in the first possession. He's expected to see more than two series Friday with Manning's return date in question. Painter definitely needs more time with the starting offensive unit, and has three more preseason games to get ready if Manning's return is delayed.
"We did some things well as a unit, but there were thing we've got to correct with the interception," he said. "I think there were some positive we can buid on."
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