Published: August 30, 2008 11:03 pm         

Roby on Colts' 53-man roster, Lorenzen and Gray not so lucky

INDIANAPOLIS — It was a dream come true Saturday for former Indiana University wide receiver Courtney Roby.

Roby, who attended North Central High School in Indianapolis and had always dreamed of playing for his hometown team, found out that he was one the lucky players to have made the Indianapolis Colts’ 2008 53-man regular season roster.

With veteran punt and kickoff returner T.J. Rushing sidelined for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury in the Colts’ preseason loss to Buffalo last week, Roby was able to impress the Indianapolis coaching staff with his work on special teams.

Roby had an 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. He also excelled as a gunner on the punt and kickoff coverage units along with earning a spot as the Colts’ fifth receiver.

“Being my hometown team, it’s going to be a dream come true,” Roby, whose younger brother Brandon Walker-Roby currently is a receiver at IU, said late last week as he assessed his chances of making it past the cut.

“I would definitely like to be here … but I can’t make that decision. All I can do is just control what I can and that’s my performance. Every time I’m out there, just try and give 100 percent.”

The news, however, wasn’t quite so good for some other familiar names, such as backup quarterbacks Quinn Gray and Jared Lorenzen. Running back Kenton Keith, who had been locked in a battle throughout training camp with sixth-round draft pick Mike Hart, was also released.

Indianapolis waived 20 players and placed two others — offensive guard Ryan Lilja (knee) and strongside linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (torn pectoral muscle) — on the team’s reserve/physically unable to perform list. Lilja and Hagler’s return to the active roster will now be delayed at least until after the sixth week of the regular season.

Among those waived, along with Gray and Lorenzen, were wide receivers Devin Aromashodu, Sam Giguere and Onrea Jones; defensive tackles Joe Bradley, Dan Davis and Colin Ferrell; defensive ends Jeff Charleston and Ben Ishola; safety Brannon Condren; cornerback Brandon Foster; offensive guard Tala Esera; offensive tackles Darren Marquez and Michael Toudouze; linebackers Kyle Shotwell and Victor Worsley; running back Chad Simpson; and tight end Tyrice Thompson.

The decision to let Keith go didn’t come as too much of a surprise. His spot on the Colts’ roster had been in jeopardy since the team re-signed running back Dominic Rhodes last spring. The emergence of Hart during training camp also didn’t bode well for Keith’s chances of making the team for a second straight year.

With Gray and Lorenzen gone, Indianapolis will open the season with just two quarterbacks on its active roster — Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi. Manning has been practicing for the past week and expects to start against the Chicago Bears in the team’s nationally televised Sept. 7 season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium. Sorgi has made good progress from a knee injury he suffered in a preseason game with the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago and will probably return to practice Monday.

Lilja, meanwhile, continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. Hagler suffered a torn pectoral muscle while lifting weights a few weeks before the start of training camp. The Colts decided not to place center Jeff Saturday (knee) on injured reserve but have yet to announce what his plans are, other than Coach Tony Dungy saying Friday that the three-time Pro Bowl selection was leaning against having surgery.

Some of the players released by Indianapolis on Saturday could return as members of the team’s eight-man practice squad, which should be announced on Monday.

• Saints to practice at Lucas Oil Stadium — With Hurricane Gustav getting closer to the New Orleans area, the Saints have decided to go ahead with plans to move their operations to Lucas Oil Stadium.

Team officials had indicated late last week that was their contingency plan, should weather conditions dictated such a move. The Saints, coached by former Eastern Illinois quarterback and ex-Indiana State assistant coach Sean Payton, are expected to arrive in the city today and begin preparations for their Sept. 7 season opener at the Superdome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Former Terre Haute North football and track standout Steve Weatherford is in his third season as the New Orleans punter.

• Petrowski waived by Titans — Ex-Indiana State tight Jamie Petrowski was waived by the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. Petrowski was one of two tight ends released by Tennessee, the other being Casey Cramer. The team waived 22 players overall.

Petrowski, who also attended Terre Haute North, spent time on both the practice squad and the active roster for the Titans last season.

“This is always a difficult time of year for us and it seems like over the last couple of years the decisions have become harder, which is a good thing; it means we are more competitive and have more depth. We had to let some players go today that have been part of our program which is not easy. They were tough decisions, but we made the decisions that we thought were in the best interest of the club and I am aware that some of these players will resurface somewhere else in the league,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said in a statement posted on the team’s website.

“We wish them well, and they have been tremendous workers and a part of our success. We will watch the cuts over the next 24 hours and if there is a player there that can improve us at a spot, then we will do our best to create a roster spot for them.”