PHOENIX -- Good luck with injuries was not on the Indianapolis Colts' side during the 2014 season.
Donald Thomas. Vick Ballard. Gosder Cherilus. Fili Moala. Aaron Morgan. Daniel Adongo. Jeris Pendleton. Robert Mathis. Ahmad Bradshaw. Hugh Thornton.
Those are just a handful of the players that ended up on injured reserve for the Colts last season. And it’s uncertain when some of those players will take the field for the Colts in the coming months.
“Again, they’re all going through the rehab process,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "We get some updates periodically from Dave Hammer and the guys about all those guys. There isn’t a specific date on any of those guys as to their return at this time.”
Cherilus is an important piece to the Colts' offensive line at right tackle because he and left tackle Anthony Castonzo are the pillars on the outside protecting quarterback Andrew Luck. Cherilus, who had a down 2014 season, had groin and knee surgeries. He’s still recovering from the knee surgery.
“'Gos' is how he’s wired. He’s a tough, tough guy, almost to a detriment I think sometimes,” general manager Ryan Grigson said. “Once we get him out there doing field work, watch and see how he looks, see how he’s come along in that dialogue because you know, tackles are hard to find. We really like Gos, but we’ve got to see how he comes back.”
Thomas signed with the Colts in 2013, but nobody knows what type of player the team is getting because he can’t stay on the field. Thomas has only played two games the past two seasons because of a torn bicep and torn quad, and it looks like the Colts may be ready to leave him behind because they signed veteran Todd Herremans and they still have high hopes for Thornton, who is headed into his third season.
“It’s not for lack of effort or attitude. He’s a great pro,” Grigson said of Thomas. “He’s not ready yet. Those decisions and where he’s at will be defined by his actual progress physically. This is a hard game. He’s got to be confident that he can play on that thing again and make sure that he’ll be able to stay healthy.”
New inside linebacker Nate Irving, whom the Colts just signed last week, is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last season. Grigson reiterated what owner Jim Irsay said earlier this week: November is the worst-case scenario for linebacker Robert Mathis to return from his torn Achilles, which occurred in September 2013.
“You figure that’s very conservative when Jim spoke on is the worst-case scenario,” Grigson said. “We feel like what a bonus player he’ll be once he’s back. You don’t want him to come back from that thing and not be ready.”
Grigson and Pagano both said they don't plan on putting players on the field that aren't fully healthy because they have one goal on their mind next season: winning a Super Bowl.
“We have a lot at stake this year, so I think all the players know that,” Grigson said. “We can’t afford to put anybody out there that can’t do the job. That’s just the reality of the business side of this thing. If a guy’s body is not ready or he’s not able to perform at the level that we need him to, then we have to have those discussions. But it’s still too early to tell.”
