INDIANAPOLIS —
The Indianapolis Colts defense is preparing to face a two-pronged offensive attack when the Tennessee Titans visit Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.

Either veteran Matt Hasselbeck or rookie Jake Locker will get the start at quarterback and both offer specific skills that could give the Colts problems.

Hasselbeck is not known as a scrambler out of the pocket but can keep plays alive with his mobility behind the line of scrimmage. Locker, meanwhile, can present all sorts of issues with his legs and his arm.

“You have to assess both [Hasselbeck and Locker. Hasselbeck has been around for a while and the reports are that we think he will be there and be ready to go,” coach Jim Caldwell previewed Thursday.

“So that’s what we’ll prepare for. But, also, we’ll take a look at Locker as well, and make certain that we get prepared for him also.”

Hasselbeck is nursing a sore left calf that he hurt in last week’s home loss to New Orleans. Locker has been getting most of the work behind center this week but Titans first-year coach Mike Munchak is going to wait before formally announcing a starter.

Hasselbeck started and went the entire way in Tennessee’s 27-10 win over the Colts at Nashville’s LP Field on Oct. 30. Locker, though, remains a bit of a mystery.

The former University of Washington quarterback, who has been bothered by a sore chest, saw extensive playing time against the Saints last week after Hasselbeck left with the calf injury. It would be his first regular-season NFL start if he got the call Sunday.

“[Locker is] very fast and he’s pretty explosive outside of the pocket, as was demonstrated last week on his touchdown run. But he can also throw the ball,” Caldwell said.

“He made some impressive throws as well. He’s got good touch, and I just think he’s a pretty complete guy. So he does pose a lot of problems for you.”

I I I

n Johnson running well — Despite the Colts’ problems in stopping the run against the rest of the league over the years, the team has done a pretty good job in the past at slowing down Tennessee running back Chris Johnson.

In six career games against Indianapolis, Johnson has rushed for 408 yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee has a 2-4 record against the Colts games that Johnson has played. He has averaged 68.0 rushing yards per game, 32.0 receiving yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry.

Still, as evidenced by recent games against the rest of the NFL, the fleet-footed runner is still a dangerous weapon in the Titans’ offensive arsenal.

“[The Titans are] taking advantage of his skill set, and I think he’s back in his groove,” Caldwell said. “He looks pretty good to me. He’s still just as explosive as ever. They’re getting the ball in his hands quite a bit, both in the passing game and also handing it to him as well. He’s still like lightning in a bottle.”

n Injury list — It’s still uncertain whether weak side linebacker Philip Wheeler (foot) will be available for Sunday’s game. Wheeler was injured in the second half of last week’s loss to the Ravens.

“He is day-to-day,” the Colts coach said.

Caldwell said the same thing about tight end Dallas Clark (burner) chances of playing against the Titans.

Clark, who had missed three game with a broken fibula, was injured in last week’s loss to Baltimore.

“Dallas is day-to-day and hopefully he’ll continue to improve,” he added. “He’s improving, but we’ll see how fast.”

Wheeler, Clark, defensive end Jamaal Anderson (groin), linebacker A.J. Edds (ankle), defensive end Robert Mathis (knee), and center Jeff Saturday (rest) did not practice on Thursday.

I get paid to watch the Indianapolis Colts. I don’t know how anyone else does it.

Don’t get me wrong. You have to admire Colts fans who stick by their team, which is now stuck at 0-13 after a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

Loyalty in sports often ranks as a low priority among professional athletes as they jump from team to team, but it’s a requirement for true fans. Your team is your team whether it’s good, bad or Colts ’11. You don’t abandon it for another bandwagon, no matter how frustrating; just ask Cubs fans.

So, kudos to Colts fans who have persevered from Collins to Painter to Orlovsky, a football version of Tinkers to Evers to No Chance.

Still, this latest Colts exercise was more torturous than ever, almost impossible to endure and a cinch to mentally dispose of five minutes later.

By my unofficial count, there were two moments worth watching:

1. Dwight Freeney’s 100th sack. The great defensive end devoured Joe Flacco like he was engaged in some sort of salute to classic Pac-Man. Freeney just swallowed him whole. For Freeney, who was shut out in his attempt to make Tom Brady his 100th victim, it was a week late but sweet nonetheless.

2. Reggie Wayne’s one-handed grab. The greatest catch of the season didn’t count since Dan Orlovsky’s pass was a sliver too wide. Wayne went up with one hand, his arm stretching like made of elastic, and pulled in the pass. He was out of bounds. And, in a way, that captured Wayne’s season: Supreme talent wasted.

Beyond that, the only suspense was whether the Colts would break their 1954 record for fewest offensive yards in a game. They tried their worst, but failed when a fourth-quarter Orlovsky completion to Wayne put them well past the 67 yards set 57 years ago. Maybe next week.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell likes to say things are never as good or as bad as they seem, although we haven’t had to contemplate any good illusion for a while. In that light, Orlovsky is not as good as he looked against the Patriots [team stats]’ bend-and-crack-and-sometimes-break defense nor as bad as he looked against the Ravens’ Super Bowl-worthy defense.

But, wow, was Orlovsky discombobulated by Baltimore. Toward the end, before he threw a touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme as time expired – a personal moment of semi-excitement as it cemented my predicted 24-10 final score – he seemed to be taking the snap and throwing a pass simultaneously. And then he’d still get hit by a minimum of two Ravens.

On the bright side, Anthony Castonzo now has some good film on the difference between being a consistently strong left tackle and being a human blocking dummy for Terrell Suggs. I’m sure it was not a fun learning experience, but should be a valuable one moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, and other good news, the Colts have three games left, including their final two home games in a five-day span. They play the Titans at home next Sunday, followed by the Texans on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football on Dec. 22. Then it’s off for Christmas. (Dear Santa, we’d like two lock-down corners and some luck. Or some Luck, depending on Peyton Manning’s health.)

The end finally arrives on Jan.1 on the road in Jacksonville. The Colts’ New Year officially begins Jan. 2.

Colts fans will keep watching for three more weeks. It’s become a test of devotion now. The reward remains the prospect of the most entertaining NFL Draft since 1998. Now you couldn’t pay me to miss that.

———

By Travis Miller

– Associate Editor

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Dec 15, 2011 – One of the reasons that the Indianapolis Colts have been so successful over the past decade is their amazing consistency. The franchise rarely makes rash decisions, but this season has been an aberration with Peyton manning out for the year. Indianapolis sits at 0-13, and naturally, coach Jim Caldwell’s job is in jeopardy. Reports are circulating that Caldwell will be fired this season, but strangely only if the Colts go 0-16:

According to Jason La Confora of NFL.com, should the Colts go 0-16 in 2011, head coach Jim Caldwell will be fired. La Confora reported this last night, and he cites ‘sources close to the situation.’ It’s also worth noting that La Confora just recently finished an exclusive one-on-one interview with Colts owner Jim Irsay, which aired last night on NFL Total Access.

At this point a win looks highly unlikely for Indianapolis. This weekend they host a Tennessee team trying to reach the playoffs, and next week Houston enters with one of the best records in the AFC. Indianapolis closes the year at Jacksonville, and the Jaguars already won with ease in Indianapolis.

Read More: Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars

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INDIANAPOLIS —
The Indianapolis Colts may be 0-13 for the season, but the team keeps battling.

Two weeks ago, the Colts dropped a 31-24 road game to AFC East leader New England. On Sunday, Indianapolis battled to the end but came up on the losing side of a 24-10 decision to AFC North leader Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens’ defense proved to be just too much for Indianapolis to overcome, especially after the Colts — as they have done throughout this season — got off to a slow start offensively.

Baltimore’s defense set the tone early against an inconsistent Indianapolis offensive attack that saw quarterback Dan Orlovsky consistently harassed.

But there just might be some light at the end of a very long and frustrating 2011 season.

The Colts will wrap up the year with back-to-back home games with Tennessee (Sunday, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium) and Houston — on a Thursday night, Dec. 22 — before ending the year at Jacksonville on Jan. 1.

The final three games will be against AFC South rivals, giving coach Jim Caldwell’s team additional extra motivation. The Colts will have matchups with the Titans and Texans over an 11-day period.

“It’s tough. As a professional, to do what you do and to be winless right now, it’s tough,” tight end Jacob Tamme admitted after the Ravens game. “But we have three more [games] left and we’re going to go into [this] week trying to get better and come in with a good plan, try to execute it. But it’s tough. It stinks.”

Reasons for the Colts’ rough season are many. Losing the services of quarterback Peyton Manning to preseason neck fusion surgery certainly tops the list.

But also injuries to several defensive starters, such as middle linebacker Gary Brackett (shoulder), safety Melvin Bullitt (shoulder) and cornerback Jerraud Powers (elbow) have been crucial as well.

Manning (offense), Brackett (defense) and Bullitt (special teams) have been unit captains for the past several seasons.

“Regardless of what the records are, we want to win those [AFC South] games,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to take them one at a time. It’s a competitive situation, obviously.

“We’re going to go after this next [game] as hard as we possible can and see if we can get a victory.”

And just how do the Colts go about doing that?

“We’ve got to find a way to be more consistent,” the Indianapolis coach said. “That’s one of the things we did a little bit better [against the Patriots] as opposed [to the Baltimore game]. We’ll look at the problems to see what we need to get straightened out and get back to work.”

• Facing the Titans Sunday — Familiarity won’t be an issue for the Colts as they close out the 2011 season.

“We’re coming up on a stretch where we have three of our division opponents in a row, and certainly we do know something about their personnel,” Caldwell previewed. “But there are some guys that we don’t know much about. Certainly we don’t know much about [Titans rookie quarterback Jake] Locker. We’ve seen him run around and play, but this will be an opportunity for us to get a little bit closer look at him.”

Locker has seen increased playing time in recent weeks due to injuries surrounding veteran starter Matt Hasselbeck. He is expected to start against the Colts on Sunday.

“I know he’s a very fine player and he runs extremely well,” Caldwell said. “There is some benefit to having played them once, but between the times that we’ve played one another, some things change in terms of personnel.”

• No decision on Caldwell — The fate of the Colts’ coach is not up for discussion, according to vice-chairman Bill Polian. Not now anyway.

“My fervent hope is that Jim’s job is not in jeopardy because my fervent hope is that we don’t go 0-16. And we’re doing everything we can to try and avoid that,” Polian said during his weekly Monday night radio show.

• Wheeler update — There won’t be an update on the status of strongside linebacker Philip Wheeler, who suffered an ankle/foot injury against Baltimore, until later in the week.

“[There is] nothing solidified as of yet,” Caldwell said. “He’s being evaluated and getting all of the exams that he needs, so we’ll have an idea shortly.”

BALTIMORE – As long as Terrell Suggs continues to go harass
opposing quarterbacks, and if defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano
repeatedly finds the perfect blitzes to call, the Baltimore Ravens
will keep on winning without Ray Lewis.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles as part of an
overwhelming defensive performance by the Ravens, who kept the
Indianapolis Colts winless with a 24-10 victory Sunday.

Lewis, Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker and longtime
defensive leader, missed a fourth straight game with a right toe
injury. The Ravens (10-3) have won every one of those games.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the
levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I
honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Baltimore limited the hapless Colts to 167 yards – just 53
through three quarters. Were it not for a touchdown on the game’s
final play, Indianapolis would have been held without a TD for only
the second time since the 2003 season opener.

Baltimore didn’t recover any of the three fumbles that Suggs
forced, but he harassed Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky throughout
the afternoon.

“We shut them down early, and then they had to start passing the
ball,” Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. “That’s when
Terrell Suggs went crazy.”

Suggs, a movie buff, described the action this way: “It’s chaos
out there. A lot is going on more than you see. It’s like ‘The
Matrix’ out there with a little bit of ‘Inception’. It’s a little
bit crazy.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103
yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and
improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the
lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because
of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the
driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was
when Peyton Manning was healthy and at the top of his game. He has
yet to play this year because of a neck injury.

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went
17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked four
times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky
said of Suggs. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football
player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place
by Pagano, in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive
coordinator. To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made
Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach, if they ask me I’m
going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible coach
and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when
he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would
indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third
quarter, and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a
drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Tamme as time expired.

Indianapolis has three games left in the season. If the Colts
don’t win, they will join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL
team to go 0-16 in a season.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” Orlovsky said. “Whether
it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose. There’s
nothing fun about losing.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “We need to find a way to get our
team better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We’re
running out of time.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for
good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening
kickoff, Lardarius Webb returned a punt 27 yards to the
Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended
with a 36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10
advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt
and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended
with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe
Lefeged returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then
completed a fourth-down pass to Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri
kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he threw
a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end
zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

Notes: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. …
The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over
3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. …
Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens
rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for
his career.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BALTIMORE (AP) — As long as
Terrell Suggs
continues to go harass opposing quarterbacks, and if defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano repeatedly finds the perfect blitzes
to call, the
Baltimore Ravens
will keep on winning without
Ray Lewis
.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles as part of an overwhelming defensive performance by the Ravens, who kept the

Indianapolis Colts
winless with a 24-10 victory Sunday.

Lewis, Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker and longtime defensive leader, missed a fourth straight game with a right toe
injury. The Ravens (10-3) have won every one of those games.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I
honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Baltimore limited the hapless Colts to 167 yards – just 53 through three quarters. Were it not for a touchdown on the game’s
final play, Indianapolis would have been held without a TD for only the second time since the 2003 season opener.

Baltimore didn’t recover any of the three fumbles that Suggs forced, but he harassed Colts quarterback
Dan Orlovsky
throughout the afternoon.

“We shut them down early, and then they had to start passing the ball,” Ravens defensive tackle
Haloti Ngata
said. “That’s when
Terrell Suggs
went crazy.”

Suggs, a movie buff, described the action this way: “It’s chaos out there. A lot is going on more than you see. It’s like
`The Matrix’ out there with a little bit of `Inception’. It’s a little bit crazy.”

Joe Flacco
threw two touchdown passes and
Ray Rice
ran for 103 yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with
Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when
Peyton Manning
was healthy and at the top of his game. He has yet to play this year because of a neck injury.

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went 17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked
four times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky said of Suggs. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football
player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place by Pagano, in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator.
To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach, if they ask me I’m going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible
coach and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter,
and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass
to
Jacob Tamme
as time expired.

Indianapolis has three games left in the season. If the Colts don’t win, they will join the 2008
Detroit Lions
as the only NFL team to go 0-16 in a season.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” Orlovsky said. “Whether it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose.
There’s nothing fun about losing.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “We need to find a way to get our team better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We’re
running out of time.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening
kickoff,
Lardarius Webb
returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Torrey Smith
.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a 36-yard field goal by
Billy Cundiff
for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that
ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when
Joe Lefeged
returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to
Dallas Clark
, and
Adam Vinatieri
kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he
threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Dennis Pitta
in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

NOTES: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing
and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens rookie. … Indy’s

Dwight Freeney
had two sacks to go over 100 for his career.

© 2011 STATS LLC

BALTIMORE (AP)—Ever the optimist, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell
remains confident there’s still a victory—or more—to be had in the weeks
ahead.

After the Colts fell to 0-13 with a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on
Sunday, the beleaguered coach said, “We just have to find a way to get our team
better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We need to stack a few on top
of each other. We’re running out of time.”

So too is Caldwell, whose job appears in jeopardy as the Colts try to avoid
joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL team in history to finish 0-16.

Even though Indianapolis has been without injured quarterback Peyton Manning
for the entire season, the Colts’ problems extend well beyond that.

“I really don’t focus on myself. … There’s no self-pity or anything of
that nature,” Caldwell said. “Really, I’m concerned about the men who play for
us, making sure these guys keep their heads up, keep fighting to the end. Those
are the things that really matter.”

From that perspective, the Colts at least made their coach proud Sunday.
Despite being harassed by a relentless Ravens defense all afternoon, Dan
Orlovsky directed a late scoring drive, throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Tamme on the game’s final play.

“The guys kept fighting,” Caldwell said. “But obviously, it’s little
consolation in a game like this.”

Precisely. The Colts trailed 17-3 at halftime and had only 53 yards in
offense through three quarters.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” said Dan Orlovsky, who was 17 for
37 for 136 yards. “Whether it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like
to lose. There’s nothing fun about losing.”

Terrell Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles for the Ravens, who
have won four straight without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis.

“They’re one of the best defenses in the league statistically in every
category for a reason,” said Orlovsky, the third quarterback to start this
season for Indianapolis. “Are they the best defense in the NFL? I don’t know.
But I’d like to watch one better.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a
score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and improve to 7-0 at home.

Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the
Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s
seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when
Manning was healthy and at the top of his game.

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate.
Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter, and the Colts
drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky’s TD
pass as time expired.

`It just shows that you play as hard as you can until the end,” Colts
center Jeff Saturday said. “You can’t give up. At least it shows we were still
playing hard.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After
the Colts went three and out following the opening kickoff, Lardarius Webb
returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play
drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a
36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in
yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco
went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown
run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe Lefeged returned
the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to
Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the
half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled
to his right and was near the sideline when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

NOTES: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs
this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000
yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a
Ravens rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for his
career.

BALTIMORE (AP) — As long as
Terrell Suggs
continues to go harass opposing quarterbacks, and if defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano repeatedly finds the perfect blitzes
to call, the
Baltimore Ravens
will keep on winning without
Ray Lewis
.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles as part of an overwhelming defensive performance by the Ravens, who kept the

Indianapolis Colts
winless with a 24-10 victory Sunday.

Lewis, Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker and longtime defensive leader, missed a fourth straight game with a right toe
injury. The Ravens (10-3) have won every one of those games.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I
honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Baltimore limited the hapless Colts to 167 yards – just 53 through three quarters. Were it not for a touchdown on the game’s
final play, Indianapolis would have been held without a TD for only the second time since the 2003 season opener.

Baltimore didn’t recover any of the three fumbles that Suggs forced, but he harassed Colts quarterback
Dan Orlovsky
throughout the afternoon.

“We shut them down early, and then they had to start passing the ball,” Ravens defensive tackle
Haloti Ngata
said. “That’s when
Terrell Suggs
went crazy.”

Suggs, a movie buff, described the action this way: “It’s chaos out there. A lot is going on more than you see. It’s like
`The Matrix’ out there with a little bit of `Inception’. It’s a little bit crazy.”

Joe Flacco
threw two touchdown passes and
Ray Rice
ran for 103 yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with
Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when
Peyton Manning
was healthy and at the top of his game. He has yet to play this year because of a neck injury.

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went 17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked
four times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky said of Suggs. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football
player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place by Pagano, in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator.
To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach, if they ask me I’m going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible
coach and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter,
and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass
to
Jacob Tamme
as time expired.

Indianapolis has three games left in the season. If the Colts don’t win, they will join the 2008
Detroit Lions
as the only NFL team to go 0-16 in a season.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” Orlovsky said. “Whether it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose.
There’s nothing fun about losing.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “We need to find a way to get our team better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We’re
running out of time.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening
kickoff,
Lardarius Webb
returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Torrey Smith
.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a 36-yard field goal by
Billy Cundiff
for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that
ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when
Joe Lefeged
returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to
Dallas Clark
, and
Adam Vinatieri
kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he
threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Dennis Pitta
in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

NOTES: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing
and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens rookie. … Indy’s

Dwight Freeney
had two sacks to go over 100 for his career.

© 2011 STATS LLC

The winless Indianapolis Colts were reeling toward their 12th loss. Suddenly, they were rolling.

Could they actually beat the New England Patriots, a three-touchdown favorite leading by 28 points going into the fourth quarter? Could they finally erase the stigma of a possible 0-16 season? And against the highest scoring team in the AFC?

They couldn’t, but they sure came close.

The Patriots (9-3) held on for a 31-24 win on Sunday, their fourth in a row but one that left them disappointed.

“This was too close for me,” linebacker Rob Ninkovich said.

The Colts weren’t satisfied either.

“Guys played well and did some things well,” coach Jim Caldwell said, “but, still, we’re measured by wins.”

The Patriots scored touchdowns on four straight possessions and took a 31-3 lead on Rob Gronkowski’s third score, a 2-yard run with a lateral from Tom Brady with 4:13 left in the third quarter.

But then the Colts rallied on a 5-yard touchdown run by Donald Brown with 10:24 left and scoring passes from Dan Orlovsky to Pierre Garcon of 33 yards with 2:12 to go and 12 yards with 36 seconds remaining. The outcome wasn’t determined until Deion Branch recovered the onside kick.

“”We’ve obviously got to do a better job of finishing the game,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “That was disappointing, but we’ll work on that.”

The poor finish took some of the focus off another outstanding game by Gronkowski. He has nine touchdowns in the last five games and 14 for the season. Thirteen of them have come on passes, tying the NFL single-season record for tight ends set by San Diego’s Antonio Gates in 2004 and tied by San Francisco’s Vernon Davis in 2009.

He originally was credited with a 14th but it was changed to a lateral.

“I thought it was a forward pass,” Brady said. “I threw it.”

Gronkowski didn’t seem to care.

“I wasn’t thinking about whether it was a pass or a lateral,” he said. “I’ll take the rushing touchdown. It’s the first of my whole career.”

The Patriots’ offense struggled after that, gaining just 11 yards on four possessions. The Colts had five series after that and gained 348 yards on those, including three scoring drives of 90 yards or more. Orlovsky, a member of the winless Detroit Lions in 2008, completed 30 of 37 for 353 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

“We felt confident going into the game that if we stayed patient we could move the ball,” Orlovsky said. “We fell short. I wish we had more time on the clock.”

He got his first start of the year, replacing an ineffective Curtis Painter. Peyton Manning, out all season following neck surgery, watched from the sideline.

“I thought Dan was patient,” Manning said. “I really thought he did a good job. He gave us a chance there at the end.”

The reality, though, is that the Colts will become the second team to finish 0-16 if they lose their remaining games in a tough schedule against Baltimore, Tennessee, Houston and Jacksonville.

The Patriots had beaten their three previous opponents, the New York Jets (37-16), Kansas City Chiefs (34-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (38-20). Through three quarters, they were headed to another blowout.

“We played good for 45 minutes and then didn’t do anything offensively,” Brady said. “So we’ll hear about that.”

With two touchdowns passing, both to Gronkowski, Brady overtook Johnny Unitas and tied Warren Moon for sixth place in NFL history with 291 during the regular season. Brady was 29 of 38 for 293 yards.

Stephen Gostkowski gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead on their first series with a 39-yard field goal. Adam Vinatieri’s 31-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter tied it. The Patriots led 17-3 at intermission on two touchdowns in the final three minutes, an 11-yard pass to Gronkowski and a 1-yard run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

The onslaught continued with a Gronkowski’s 21-yard scoring catch and 2-yard touchdown run on the Patriots’ first two series of the second half. Then the offense took the rest of the game off. And the defense couldn’t stop the Colts.

“We were able to get a good lead,” said Wes Welker, who had 11 catches for 114 yards and leads the NFL with 93 receptions, but “if we don’t play four quarters we’re not going to end up in the situation we want to be in.”

The Colts may be getting closer to the situation they’d love to be in – winning a game.

“People can say what they want to say about not playing hard, but I think that (comeback) pretty much shut that up right there,” Colts tight end Jacob Tamme said. “We want to win.”

Notes: Brady has thrown for 30 touchdowns, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to do that at least three times. … The Colts outgained the Patriots 437 yards to 366. … The Patriots clinched a winning record for the 11th straight season. … The Patriots are 38-5 in December since 2001, best in the NFL.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Curtis Painter and Larry Coyer are out in Indianapolis, and it could be just the start of the changes for the winless Colts.

Coach Jim Caldwell broke up a normally quiet Tuesday by announcing that Coyer had been fired as defensive coordinator and that Dan Orlovsky would replace Painter at quarterback when the Colts play at New England on Sunday. Longtime linebackers coach Mike Murphy will replace Coyer.

The moves come in the midst of a shocking 0-11 season, Indianapolis’ worst start since 1986, and two days after Indy may have lost its last chance at a victory.

“It’s not an easy day,” Caldwell said. “Anybody that would tell you any differently is cold-hearted and callous, and that’s not me.”

The relationship between the two coaches dates to the 1970s when Coyer was an assistant coach at Iowa and Caldwell was a player there. And over the past three seasons, Caldwell has gone out of his way to back Painter even after Painter was serenaded by boos when he failed to save Indy’s perfect season in his NFL debut two years ago. Caldwell yanked Peyton Manning in the third quarter against the New York Jets in 2009, and Indy lost 29-15, dropping its record to 14-1.

As recently as Monday, Caldwell still seemed to back Painter, saying the Indiana native and Purdue alumni had improved in Sunday’s 27-19 loss to Carolina. Painter rallied the Colts after another slow start and got them in position, twice, to force overtime late. Both times Painter threw interceptions in the end zone.

Some thought these changes were overdue and could have been made during the Colts’ recent bye week.

But this could be just the start for Indianapolis.

All this losing has prompted fans to call for the firing of Caldwell, vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian, both of whom stood behind Caldwell during Tuesday’s news conference. The decision to fire Coyer, Caldwell’s first hire and close friend, will undoubtedly create more speculation about the fate of Indy’s head coach.

In an interview earlier this month, team owner Jim Irsay said he strongly backed the Polians. He showed more tepid support for keeping Caldwell.

The front office also faces a busy offseason in which it will have to make big decisions about Manning, who still hasn’t healed from neck surgery in September, and at least a half-dozen other key veterans. As the clear front-runner for the No. 1 pick, Indy will probably need to decide whether to use a first-round pick on Manning’s successor, presumably Andrew Luck.

On Monday night, Bill Polian told listeners on his weekly radio show that changes were coming.

“The message isn’t getting across as clearly as it should be,” Polian said as he talked about the defense. “We probably have to make some changes there and when you’re in the position we are, you should probably be making changes.”

Caldwell acknowledged there was a communication gap between the pipe-smoking, 68-year-old Coyer and his players. The defense is ranked 29th overall and 31st against the pass.

But it’s not just the defense struggling.

Painter’s quarterback rating of 66.6 is the second-lowest among all qualified NFL starters. Only Jacksonville rookie Blaine Gabbert (62.2) has a lower mark.

Still, it’s unclear if Painter anticipated that a change was coming after throwing eight interceptions and one TD in his last five games.

“I think coming out of this past game we were able to move the ball and score some points, so I think we have a little bit of confidence,” he said Monday. “We just have to trust that we’ll get it done on all sides of the ball, and it won’t be a big scoring shootout.”

Now, it’s Orlovksy’s job.

The seven-year NFL veteran has appeared in three games this season. He’s started seven career games, all with the 0-16 Detroit Lions in 2008. Orlovsky is 14 of 21 for 122 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions this season.

What can be accomplished by making these moves so late in the season?

“Obviously, it’s going to be very, very difficult to say you’re going to see a wholesale change (on defense) in three days,” Caldwell said. “But I do think that you’re going to see effort, hustle and good, sound principles and practices, and football in the way in which we know how to play. We just expect to be better in all areas. Now that’s going to take, like I said, it’s going to take us a little time.”

The season has been full of twists and turns for Indy, most involving Manning’s absence.

The four-time league MVP had surgery in May to repair a damaged nerve that was causing weakness in his throwing shoulder, then signed a new 5-year, $90 million contract just before the start of training camp. When his recovery went slower than expected, the Colts signed 17-year NFL veteran Kerry Collins to a $4 million deal as Manning’s top backup.

Then on Sept. 8, Manning underwent a spinal fusion and has not been able to practice since. If he has a good checkup Wednesday, he could start throwing at practice in December.

Collins started the first three games before sustaining a season-ending concussion late in Week 3. Painter replaced Collins in that loss, then played well in his first three starts before posting four straight quarterback ratings below 51.0.

Coyer was a defensive assistant for two years in Tampa Bay and in Denver from 2000-06 before joining the Colts in 2009. In his first season with Indy, the Colts ranked eighth in the NFL in scoring defense (19.2 points per game). But the defense has gotten progressively worse each of the last two seasons.

“I’ve known him a longtime, he coached me in college,” Caldwell said. “(He is) a good man, (a) hard-worker and I certainly appreciate everything he’s done for us. I think we can make a change, and you’re going to see some results.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

INDIANAPOLIS —
The Indianapolis Colts, despite the statistics, still have a formidable group of talented receivers.

Veterans such as wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez can still make plays and be major contributors to the Colts’ offense.

Their talents haven’t eroded.

But, they can be major contributors if given an opportunity.

But with the state of the Indianapolis offense as it currently stands, with an inconsistent quarterback — Curtis Painter — at the controls and a hit-and-miss running game, finding a way to get the football on a regular basis to the team’s receivers remains a major issue.

According to Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Wayne and the remainder of the team’s receiving corps knew that when starter Peyton Manning (neck fusion surgery) was sidelined before the start of the season that things would certainly be different this year.

“[The Colts coaches talked to the receivers] a long time ago. We have a pretty decent feel of our team; who we have and what the situations are and what the strengths are. That was a while back. Nothing’s changed since then. It’s just been a little bit different,” Caldwell said recently, acknowledging that it would be natural for a little frustration to seep through.

“I’m not certain competitors ever get to the point of resignation. They always want the ball, which they should. They always think they can do more, which they should feel that way. That’s probably where they are. Highly competitive individuals with a great desire to excel and play well and play hard and win. So you can anticipate a little bit of that [frustration].”

When it comes to Wayne, who is in the final year of his contract, and the remainder of the Colts’ receiving corps, the current state of the team’s offense has forced them to concentrate more on being wide blockers instead of wide receivers.

“[We’re] running the ball a little bit more, obviously. And we certainly haven’t been converting as many third downs as we’d like to keep drives going so our opportunities [to throw the ball] have been limited,” the Indianapolis coach said.

Roster moves — Running back Darren Evans, who was waived off the Colts’ active roster on Tuesday, has been re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Evans is an undrafted rookie from Virginia Tech.

Injury report — Sitting out Thursday’s practice were tight end Broad Eldridge (hand), defensive end Robert Mathis (rest), linebacker Adrian Moten (illness) and defensive tackle Drake Nevis (back).

Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (groin) and offensive guard Joe Reitz (knee) both saw limited work.

Running back Joseph Addai (hamstring), safety Steve Brown (hamstring) and cornerback Terrence Johnson (ankle) all fully participated in practice. Addai remains hopeful of playing Sunday against Carolina.

“My leg is feeling better,” he said after Thursday’s practice. “Before, it just felt like a big knot in [his right thigh]. Now it just feels a little sore. So we’re going to wait and see how I feel [today] and then decide what we’re going to do on Sunday.

“I want to play. I don’t care what our record is or anything like that. I just want to get back out there playing again. I love to play and I’d like to be out there. I’ll do whatever they [the Colts coaches] tell me to do.”

CHARLOTTE – 

The Colts have scored 27 points in their past four games.

Over the past 22 quarters, the Colts have five touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Quarterback Curtis Painter, who will start against the Panthers after some discussion as to whether he should be replaced by Dan Orlovsky, has thrown five touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. His 67.7 passer rating is 31st in the league. His fourth-quarter passer rating ranks 39th.

The Colts rank 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. Their minus-10 turnover ratio is tied for 29th in the 32-team league.

“It’s been tough,” Painter said. “Any time you’re not winning games, it’s tough especially to be where we are. We’re still optimistic in the sense that we look at some of the things we’re doing and we’re still doing it to ourselves. We’re still positive that those are things we can correct and we look to do that and hope to end this last section of the season the right way.”

While outside chatter focuses on the Colts’ increasingly good chance of landing the first pick in next year’s college draft and, almost by default, securing the chance to pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the inside emphasis is on changing the direction of the suddenly struggling franchise which is likely to be without Manning for the rest of the season.

It’s still a team sprinkled with familiar names – receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, running back Joseph Addai and defensive end Dwight Freeney – but injuries have limited them. Besides Manning, receiver Dallas Clark also is out.

What started with a 34-7 loss at Houston in the season opener has spiraled downward. The Colts’ past four losses have come by an average score of 32-7.

Manning’s absence is a huge factor in the struggles but not the only one.

“It’s not just one problem. It’s been different ones that have popped up. If I wanted to give you one word to describe the season it would be inconsistent,” coach Jim Caldwell said.

“There have been games when we’ve played well offensively and maybe didn’t play well in other phases in order to get us a win. Or we’ve played well defensively and the opposite has been true.

“We’ve been turning the ball over a little bit too much and inconsistent play on and off throughout the season.

“What we’re trying to do is to see our team ascending and getting better. That’s the key here down the stretch. We’re working hard to make certain that happens. There’s a lot of things we need to keep concentrating on. It boils down to the same things week in and week out. It’s your fundamentals. Sometimes we’ve been just a little off, and in this league if you’re a little off, you’re going to have some problems.”

In Painter, the Colts are relying on a seventh-round draft choice out of Purdue who had played briefly in one 2009 game before this season. After Kerry Collins went down with an injury in the third week of the season, Painter was pushed into action.

He’s completing less than 55 percent of his passes as the Colts have made just 19 trips inside opponents’ 20-yard line this season. Two weeks ago, the Colts never got deeper into Falcons’ territory than the 33.

Painter is “a guy that has not played a whole lot of football for us,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to give him some help and give him a chance to learn and develop.”

After playing behind Manning for two seasons, Painter now takes pointers from the veteran recovering from neck surgery.

“He’s been around. He’s been helpful, certainly to me,” Painter said of Manning. “He’s been a great help whether it’s been during the week at practice or during game day when I’m coming off to the sideline and talking to him about different looks or things we’re doing offensively.

“I can’t say enough about how much he’s helped out this year.”

As the Colts move closer to locking down the first pick in the next draft and the likelihood they could use it on Luck, Painter said he hasn’t paid much attention to who might be playing quarterback for the Colts next season.

“It’s not much of my concern. It’s hard to worry about anybody that’s not here right now,” Painter said. “We’re really not looking any past” this weekend.

Regardless of how you do the math, the numbers don’t add up well for the Indianapolis Colts.

The big one is the Colts’ 0-10 record.

Dig below the surface and past the glaring absence of injured quarterback Peyton Manning and the reasons for the winless season become more apparent.

The Colts have scored 27 points in their last four games.

Over the last 22 quarters, the Colts have scored five touchdowns and thrown seven interceptions.

Quarterback Curtis Painter, who will start against the Panthers after some discussion as to whether he should be replaced by Dan Orlovsky, has thrown five touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. His 67.7 passer rating is 31st in the league. His fourth-quarter passer rating ranks 39th.

The Colts rank 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. Their minus-10 turnover ratio is tied for 29th in the 32-team league.

“It’s been tough,” Painter said. “Any time you’re not winning games, it’s tough especially to be where we are. We’re still optimistic in the sense that we look at some of the things we’re doing and we’re still doing it to ourselves. We’re still positive that those are things we can correct and we look to do that and hope to end this last section of the season the right way.”

While outside chatter focuses on the Colts’ increasingly good chance of landing the first pick in next year’s college draft and, almost by default, securing the chance to pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the inside emphasis is on changing the direction of the suddenly struggling franchise which is likely to be without Manning for the rest of the season.

It’s still a team sprinkled with familiar names – receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, running back Joseph Addai and defensive end Dwight Freeney – but injuries have limited them. Besides Manning, receiver Dallas Clark is also out.

What started with a 34-7 loss at Houston in the season opener has spiraled downward. The Colts’ last four losses have come by an average score of 32-7.

Manning’s absence is a huge factor in the Colts’ struggles but not the only one.

“It’s not just one problem. It’s been different ones that have popped up,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “If I wanted to give you one word to describe the season it would be inconsistent. There have been games when we’ve played well offensively and maybe didn’t play well in other phases in order to get us a win. Or we’ve played well defensively and the opposite has been true. We’ve been turning the ball over a little bit too much and inconsistent play on and off throughout the season.

“What we’re trying to do is to see our team ascending and getting better. That’s the key here down the stretch. We’re working hard to make certain that happens. There’s a lot of things we need to keep concentrating on. It boils down to the same things week in and week out. It’s your fundamentals. Sometimes we’ve been just a little off, and in this league if you’re a little off, you’re going to have some problems.”

In Painter, the Colts are relying on a seventh-round draft choice out of Purdue who had played briefly in one 2009 game before this season. After Kerry Collins went down with an injury in the third week of the regular season, Painter was pushed into action.

He’s completing less than 55 percent of his passes as the Colts have made just 19 trips inside opponents’ 20-yard line this season. Two weeks ago, the Colts never got deeper into Falcons’ territory than the 33-yard line.

“(Painter is) a guy that has not played a whole lot of football for us,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to give him some help and give him a chance to learn and develop.”

After playing behind Manning for two seasons, Painter now takes pointers from the veteran recovering from neck surgery.

“He’s been around. He’s been helpful, certainly to me,” Painter said of Manning. “He’s been a great help whether it’s been during the week at practice or during game day when I’m coming off to the sideline and talking to him about different looks or things we’re doing offensively. I can’t say enough about how much he’s helped out this year.”

As the Colts move closer to locking down the first pick in the next draft and the likelihood they could use it on Luck, Painter said he hasn’t paid much attention to who might be playing quarterback for the Colts next season.

“It’s not much of my concern. It’s hard to worry about anybody that’s not here right now,” Painter said. “We’re really not looking any past (this week).”

INDIANAPOLIS —
The Indianapolis Colts, despite the statistics, still have a formidable group of talented receivers.

Veterans such as wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez can still make plays and be major contributors to the Colts’ offense.

Their talents haven’t eroded. They can be major contributors if given an opportunity.

But with the state of the Indianapolis offense as it currently stands, with an inconsistent quarterback — Curtis Painter — at the controls and a hit-and-miss running game, finding a way to get the football on a regular basis to the team’s receivers remains a major issue.

According to Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Wayne and the remainder of the team’s receiving corps knew that when starter Peyton Manning (neck fusion surgery) was sidelined before the start of the season that things would certainly be different this year.

“[The Colts coaches talked to the receivers] a long time ago. We have a pretty decent feel of our team; who we have and what the situations are and what the strengths are. That was a while back. Nothing’s changed since then. It’s just been a little bit different,” Caldwell said recently, acknowledging that it would be natural for a little frustration to seep through.

“I’m not certain competitors ever get to the point of resignation. They always want the ball, which they should. They always think they can do more, which they should feel that way. That’s probably where they are. Highly-competitive individuals with a great desire to excel and play well and play hard and win. So you can anticipate a little bit of that [frustration].”

When it comes to Wayne, who is in the final year of his contract, and the remainder of the Colts’ receiving corps, the current state of the team’s offense has forced them to concentrate more on being wide blockers instead of wide receivers.

“[We’re] running the ball a little bit more, obviously. And we certainly haven’t been converting as many third downs as we’d like to keep drives going so our opportunities [to throw the ball] have been limited,” the Indianapolis coach said.

n Roster moves — Running back Darren Evans, who was waived off the Colts’ active roster on Tuesday, has been re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Evans is an undrafted rookie from Virginia Tech.

n Injury report — Sitting out Thursday’s practice were tight end Broad Eldridge (hand), defensive end Robert Mathis (rest), linebacker Adrian Moten (illness) and defensive tackle Drake Nevis (back).

Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (groin) and offensive guard Joe Reitz (knee) both saw limited work.

Running back Joseph Addai (hamstring), safety Steve Brown (hamstring) and cornerback Terrence Johnson (ankle) all fully participated in practice. Addai remains hopeful of playing Sunday against Carolina.

“My leg is feeling better,” he said after Thursday’s practice. “Before, it just felt like a big knot in [his right thigh]. Now it just feels a little sore. So we’re going to wait and see how I feel [today] and then decide what we’re going to do on Sunday.

“I want to play. I don’t care what our record is or anything like that. I just want to get back out there playing again. I love to play and I’d like to be out there. I’ll do whatever they [the Colts coaches] tell me to do.”