Published: August 01, 2006 12:11 am         

Camp Scene: Hot day doesn’t stop work from beginning at camp

There’s at least one person who didn’t mind Monday’s oppressive heat wave.

Matt Sinclair, Rose-Hulman’s director of facilities, didn’t complain that the temperatures reached the mid-90s or that the heat index slipped past the 100-degree point. Sinclair, the man in charge of making sure the training-camp practice fields for the Indianapolis Colts are in good shape, said the recent high temperatures have been good for the continued maturation of the Bermuda grass surface.

Of course, there’s a pretty good chance that Indianapolis’ players and coaches didn’t have quite the same appreciation for the blast-furnace-type conditions they were forced to endure over their initial two practices.

The Colts hit the field Monday morning in full pads when the temperature was in the mid-80s and the heat index was an almost-palatable 93 degrees. By the time the team returned for its 3:30 p.m. practice, the temperature had risen to 93 and the heat index was up to 104. Midway through the afternoon session, the heat index reached as high as 109.

“It’s hot out here, but I think this is when our off-season conditioning is supposed to kick in. All the work that [strength and conditioning coach] Jon Torine does with us. Guys are in good shape,” Peyton Manning said after Monday’s morning session.

“You can find out real quick what kind of shape the guys are in with this heat and how they respond. The key is not as much physically. It’s if they can still handle the mental. The checks and the reads in the heat. And I thought guys responded well to that [Monday]. First day in pads, which I think is the ultimate test for the young players, to see how they respond in pads. It’s a good start and we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Manning added that the Colts’ athletic training staff does a good job of determining how much water weight the players have lost.

“They actually have charts,” he said. “You have to weigh in before and weigh in after [each practice]. Like if I lost two pounds [after Monday’s morning practice], that’s four Gatorades I need to drink immediately to try and replenish those fluids. But it works and it pays off. And like I said, if it makes you perform better, then it’s worth it to do.”

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n Full pads for the morning — Colts Coach Tony Dungy didn’t second-guess the decision to go in full pads for Monday’s first workout.

“It was a good first day, but obviously very hot. I was proud of our guys. I think we came back [to training camp] in good shape. We tried to be smart about getting the hydration and I think for the most part, we made it through pretty well,” Dungy said.

“We had good work and that’s the thing I told the team. We’ve got to get the work no matter what the weather is and we’ve just got to be smart how we take [water] breaks and how we hydrate. So far, so good.”

A couple of players appeared to have some difficulty with the heat, most notably outside linebacker Keith O’Neill and rookie defensive lineman Marcus West. O’Neill missed the last portion of the morning practice but was able to take part in the afternoon workout. West, meanwhile, was able to complete the morning practice.

Cornerback Kelvin Hayden and safety Mike Doss left the afternoon session early, but Dungy wasn’t sure if the reasons were heat-related or something else.

“We have a way that we try to do things. We could wait until Wednesday or Thursday [to go full pads], but it might be just as hot then,” he continued. “We had a few guys that came off early. [Former Indiana linebacker] Kyle Killion came off and went back. We had some guys struggling with it and we tried to watch them. Had we gone on a little bit longer, Keith [O’Neill] may have come back. But I think, for the most part, we made it through OK.”

While offensive and defensive linemen are the most susceptible to heat-related health issues, Dungy said he tries to keep a careful watch on everybody, coaches included.

“Everybody’s a concern while it’s this hot. We just had to drink while we were out there. I thought our trainers did a good job. That’s what you have to do,” he said. “We have a more firm grasp on it [than in the past].

“We chart the players, the weight loss and the electrolytes and different things. We do as well as you can do. And our training staff has been outstanding. Obviously it’s something that we’re concerned about and we monitor. We had quite a few coaches sweating profusely. That’s when I know it’s hot.”

The Colts practiced in shorts and jerseys in the afternoon, as was already set in the team’s training-camp schedule.

“Fortunately we [had] a no-padded practice on the schedule [for Monday afternoon] and you take that into account when you set the schedule up,” Dungy said, adding later that he hadn’t considered moving the afternoon practice to the evening in an attempt to beat the heat.

“It’s been hot, but I really don’t like to alter the schedule,” he said. “We slowed down some things, cut some plays out and took more breaks. But we wanted to stay on schedule. We’ll see how it goes the rest of the week. We’ve got a night practice set up for Wednesday anyway.”

n From the ESPYs to training camp — Jason McElwan — the Athena, N.Y., high school basketball manager who came to national prominence last spring after scoring 20 points in the final four minutes of his team’s final home game — is helping the Colts’ equipment staff at training camp this week.

McElwan, who is autistic, captured the nation’s attention with his once-in-a-lifetime performance, which has allowed the personable young man to run in some pretty impressive company. He recently spent time with President George W. Bush and was honored last month with an ESPY for the best sports moment of the 2005-2006 athletic season.

He spent part of Monday’s morning practice with the Colts’ offense, playing catch with receiver Marvin Harrison and having a conversation with receiver Brandon Stokley.

“J-Mac is a real interesting situation,” Dungy said. “He’s here, really, to do the same job he did in [high] school. He wants to come here and work a week, work in our equipment room. He’s done a great job so far. We’re happy to have him. He’s a very good worker and a very good sports fan.”

And his reason for deciding to work with the Colts?

“He wanted to get some football experience and felt we were a good team to come to. So we’re happy to have him,” the Colts’ coach said.

n Roster moves — The Colts officially announced several roster moves Monday. Cornerback Eric Hill (foot), cornerback Tim Jennings (ankle), defensive end Jonathan Welsh (knee) and safety Bob Sanders (shoulder) have been placed on the team’s physically unable to perform list.

Dungy also confirmed the release of wide receiver Jamie Goodwin, quarterback David Koral, wide receiver Gerran Walker, outside linebacker Dale Robinson, offensive tackle Makoa Freitas and middle linebacker Keyon Whiteside. Goodwin, who played at Northern Iowa, was an undrafted rookie free agent, as were Koral, Walker and Robinson.

Indianapolis added rookie free-agent quarterback Mike McGann and confirmed the addition of wide receiver Levon Thomas. McGann, who played at Temple, participated in the Colts’ mandatory spring practices on a tryout basis.

n Injury update — Wide receiver Reggie Wayne was inadvertently poked in the eye by cornerback Jason David during Monday afternoon’s practice. Wayne appeared to have suffered no ill-effects from the injury and is expected to practice today.

Wide receiver Montiese Culton, who has been recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him a year ago, practiced Monday afternoon.



Tom James can be reached by e-mail at TJames1475@aol.com.