Published: August 01, 2008 12:18 am         

Brackett, Session sit out Thursday’s practice

TERRE HAUTE — Injuries at the linebacking position may force the Indianapolis Colts to scan the waiver wire for some additional help.

Middle linebacker Gary Brackett and strongside linebacker Clint Session both sat out Thursday’s morning training camp practice, with Session expected to be sidelined for the next week with a strained left calf muscle.

Brackett has been ruled out of Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game preseason opener with the Washington Redskins. He has been limited to one practice per day during the first week of camp as he recovers from off-season hip surgery.

Session, meanwhile, was also hurt during the Wednesday night practice. He has been filling in with the first-team defense as projected starter Tyjuan Hagler recovers from a torn pectoral muscle. Hagler isn’t expected back in the lineup until late September or early October.

“Gary had an MRI done on his hip area. They still don’t know exactly what it is, but he’s going to be out this week. We’ll see where it goes from there,” Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said Thursday. He added that Brackett’s current injury is not related to his earlier surgery.

“I don’t think it’s at the point where we need to be concerned. They didn’t say this or that could be long term. They expect him back pretty quick.”

Second-year pro Ramon Guzman or rookie Philip Wheeler, Indianapolis’ third-round draft pick, may get the start at strongside linebacker against the Redskins. Wheeler, though, has been bothered by a sore knee in recent days. The shortage of depth at the position has the Colts looking elsewhere for some linebacking help.

“We would like to bring one in to at least practice,” Dungy said.



• Morris a possibility? — The Colts coach added that team president Bill Polian has talked informally with former Indianapolis first-round draft pick Rob Morris. Morris, who has started both at middle and strongside linebacker for the Colts, was released in February after eight seasons with the team.

“We have talked to Rob and had some conversations. I don’t know exactly where it is to be honest. I know Bill’s had some conversations with him.”

Morris has had some injury issues in the past, but that doesn’t appear to be a problem now.

“He is [healthy]. I think he’s going through did he want to play or not. He’s a name to keep in the back of your mind, I would say that,” Dungy said. “We’re at the point now we got we have six healthy linebackers. So we would look for a guy. You’d like to try to find a guy that knows what we’re doing or something similar. Maybe [someone who] has been in camp in Minnesota or Tampa or Detroit.

“We’re looking around and see who that might be and then if you can’t find anyone like that, then you just look for the best athletic guy you can find. But, you know, ideally it would be somebody who we could plug in and get going pretty quick.”

• Colts may add kicker — Indianapolis may be in the market for another placekicker to help ease the preseason load for veteran Adam Vinatieri.

The Colts have cut Shane Andrus and Adam Crossett in recent weeks.

“We have talked about it. It’s something we would probably like to do. But then we’re going to have to see where we are at other positions. We’re a little thin at linebacker right now with a couple of injuries. It would be nice and something we would like to do if we can,” Dungy said.

• Injury report — Also sitting out Thursday’s morning practice were running backs Dominic Rhodes and Kenton Keith, cornerback Tim Jennings (knee), defensive end Ben Ishola (foot), safety Melvin Bullitt (thumb) and rookie wide receiver Charles Dillon (foot). Neither Rhodes or Keith were injured and both are expected back for this morning’s full-team workout.

“Kenton and Dominic Rhodes were out. It’s hard to describe, but they’re fine. Actually, you just have to take my word for it. It’s something that you don’t want to know,” Dungy said with a smile.

• Manning ranks second in recent poll — www.footballscoop.com, an internet site that caters primarily to high school and college football coaches, recently polled its readers and asked whom they would like most to sit down with for three hours and discuss game strategy.

The four candidates were University of Southern California football coach Pete Carroll, Georgia coach Mark Richt, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning garnered 27 percent of the vote to finish second in the poll behind Carroll (36 percent). Richt was third at 24 percent while Jaworski was fourth with 14 percent.

• Camp attendance close to normal — Despite high gas prices, a sluggish economy and an earlier starting date, attendance at the Colts training camp this year is on a normal pace according to Rose-Hulman officials.

The camp drew record numbers of fans after Indianapolis won Super Bowl XLI, but that was to be expected, officials said. Attendance has dropped off about 30 percent this summer, putting crowd numbers back about to where they were prior to the title run.

Officials announced Thursday that 3,157 fans crowded alongside both of the Colts’ practice fields during Wednesday night’s workout.