The last time Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday saw Patriots owner Bob Kraft, the two hugged — both in celebration of the end of the summer-long NFL lockout and in mourning of the loss of Myra Kraft, who had passed away that week.

In his remarks to the media in the aftermath of the NFL and its players’ association agreeing to a labor deal, Saturday paid special tribute to both Bob Kraft, for his work in making the deal happen, and Myra Kraft, for her support.

“Without him, this deal does not get done,” Saturday said then. “He is a man who helped us save football.”

What Saturday said was seen as a significant conciliatory gesture to end what had been, at times, an acrimonious process.

“At the end of the day, we all wanted to play football and we just wanted to get a fair deal in place,” Saturday said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. “Those guys understood and everybody knew the situation that Mr. Kraft was going through. I think it helped kind of solidify the deal just going forward, saying ‘Hey man, we’re all back and getting this league where it needs to go and be the greatest game in our country.’ ”

The sacrifices Kraft made to get the deal done weren’t lost on the players on the other side of the table.

“I’ve got my wife and kids at home, and I can’t imagine going through something as stressful as the lockout was on top of having an illness that you know is as serious as it was for his wife,” Saturday said Wednesday. “I had a ton of respect for what he was doing, and I had a ton of respect for, when he was there, he was engaged.”

Will Saturday have another hug waiting for Kraft at Gillette Stadium on Sunday?

“I think we’ll go to handshakes from this point on,” he said.

Will Manning return this year?

For the first time in recent memory, Peyton Manning won’t be under center Sunday when the Colts face the Patriots.

But there’s a chance the Colts could get Manning back before the end of the season.

Manning, with Tom Brady, one of the top two quarterbacks of his generation and perhaps of all-time, has missed the entire season to this point after undergoing neck surgery in early September, his third neck surgery in a little more than 18 months. He was scheduled to undergo tests Wednesday to determine the next step in his rehabilitation — tests that could determine whether he can play again this season.

“Peyton, obviously, you can’t respect a player more than I respect him,” Saturday said. “I’ve been with the guy for 13 years. I know how hard he works. I know what a good player he is, how valuable he is to our football team. On top of all that, to see a player face this type of injury, this isn’t something you get over in a week or two — this has been a major process.”

The Colts’ season was lost a long time ago, but a return by Manning could give the team a morale boost heading into the final month.

“I’ve told people, people that ask me over and over, ‘If he’s healthy enough, he’ll be on the field, I can guarantee that,’ ” Saturday said.

Edelman doing it all

Julian Edelman might have made the Patriots’ most impressive defensive play last Sunday against Philadelphia, wrapping up 230-pound quarterback Vince Young in the open field and tackling him shy of the goal line.

Edelman finished with three tackles in the game, the same number as Jerod Mayo and Rob Ninkovich.

But open-field tackling isn’t new to Edelman, a regular on the Patriots’ special teams in the past.

“Tackling in the open field, using your leverage, knowing where your help is — whether it’s a defensive player inside of you or the sideline outside or wherever it happens to be,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You’re in some of those same relationships in the kicking game, no question. I don’t want to say tackling is tackling, but tackling is tackling.”

The emergence of Edelman, a quarterback-turned-wide receiver who now is playing defensive back in the slot, has bolstered what all season long has been a weak New England secondary.

“Obviously, we don’t have a lot of numbers there, and he’s done a great job of trying to step in and learn what we’re doing and try to do it to a competitive level — and he’s definitely done that,” Belichick said. “He’s a smart guy and he does have a little bit of an instinctiveness and a set of skills that are conducive to both spots.”

Belichick: Colts’ offense looks the same

A year ago under Manning, the Colts led the NFL in passing offense.

This year, under the since-deposed Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter, the Colts rank 28th among the 32 NFL teams in passing offense.

No matter. When Belichick has shown his team film on the Colts’ offense to prepare them for Sunday, he’s made sure they’d seen everything they used to see.

“It’s identical,” Belichick said. “It’s their offense — no-huddle, they go at a fast pace, hard to substitute. You have to be ready to play defensively with whoever you have on the field. You have to be ready to play first, second and third down with them. You can’t count on getting anybody in or getting anybody out. …

“Painter and (Dan) Orlovsky, both of them, whoever has been in there, they’ve both done a good job of changing plays, taking advantage of looks. They’ve hit some big plays — a couple of long passes against Tampa on audibles.”

The same goes for the Colts’ defense — at least the way Brady looks at it.

“I know that we have to go out there and we have to play well and try to block Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis and the inside guys,” Brady said. “They have some young, athletic linebackers, some guys in the secondary who can make (plays). Antoine Bethea, I’ve played a lot of free safeties and he’s one of the better ones that we play. You can’t go in there and go ‘Oh, we’re the Patriots. (They’re) the Colts. We’re going to win this game and move on.’ That’s not the way we approach it, and that’s not the way it works — not in the NFL.”

Injury line

Offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer did not participate in practice Wednesday with foot and back injuries. His return remains uncertain.

Fourteen Patriots were listed as “limited” in practice: Patrick Chung (foot), Dan Connolly (groin), Edelman (back), Dane Fletcher (thumb), Gary Guyton (shoulder), James Ihedigbo (shoulder), Matt Light (ankle), Devin McCourty (shoulder), Antwaun Molden (concussion), Chad Ochocinco (hamstring), Taylor Price (hamstring), Matthew Slater (shoulder), Brandon Spikes (knee) and Ryan Wendell (calf).

bmacpherson@providencejournal.com

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Enough was enough for Indianapolis Colts center Jeff
Saturday(notes).

Saturday called the team together Monday, a day after the Colts dropped to
0-9 for the first time since 1997 with a 31-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons -
their worst start since going 0-10 in 1997. It’s a desperate bunch headed into
Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville (2-6).

“I felt like it needed to be said and I said it,” Saturday said Friday.
“We just need to play better as a team, we need to get wins and ultimately
that’s what it was about.”

Saturday wouldn’t go into detail about his message to the team, which had
been described as a stern talk.

“”He did what a veteran should do,” receiver Reggie Wayne(notes) said. “He steps
up and he puts his two cents in and he did a great job of that. I think
everybody understood where he was coming from and I think we all took it
personally and we should.”

Saturday’s message comes down to staying focused on playing the game.

“He didn’t have to yell, he didn’t have to scream or sound like a macho man
or Randy Savage,” Wayne said. “Play football, nothing else. Love football,
nothing else. Be a man, nothing else.”

Having these meetings isn’t all that new, though. Saturday said the fashion
is which he did it on Monday was simply because of the current, dismal
circumstances. The Colts have struggled without Peyton Manning(notes) as the
quarterback recovers from neck surgery.

“We all kind of have an open policy as far as addressing the team,”
Saturday said. “It’s just not something that has to happen very often, but then
again, we haven’t been in this position very often.”

Wayne said he’s even stepped up to the plate to talk before.

“Guys talk all the time,” Wayne said. “You don’t need coaches to always
be the ones to say the words. Sometimes you can tell the coach to take a seat. I
think everybody will listen better coming from a player than coming from a
coach. Sometimes you need that.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a blowout loss and looking for the relief their first win of the season will bring. The Tennessee Titans are ticked off, upset and just plain embarrassed by a two-game skid that includes their most lopsided defeat since moving into their stadium in 1999.

The two teams used to fighting for the top of the AFC South simply want a victory Sunday to show to themselves and everyone that they’re for real.

“You have to prove that wasn’t you,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of losing to Pittsburgh and Houston by a combined score of 79-24. “It starts to become a pattern when you lose two games in a row by large scores. We have to make that go away, we have to erase that memory and just worry about us and doing our jobs in our building. I know that we believe in what we can do, and that is all that really matters right now.”

A challenging season without Peyton Manning turned uglier for the Colts (0-7) with a 62-7 loss to the Saints last week. Colts centre Jeff Saturday said motivation isn’t a problem, not against Tennessee, the only team other than Indianapolis to win the AFC South.

“We have had some great battles, and I have a ton of respect for the way they play football and we have had some great games over the years,” Saturday said. “Motivation wouldn’t have been an issue regardless, but coming off of a (62-7) whipping, you can’t wait to get back on the field and try to get some redemption.”

The Titans (3-3) were booed by their home fans during last week’s 41-7 loss to Houston in which Tennessee blew the divisional lead. The run game that has been a staple of this franchise since 1996 still ranks last in the NFL, averaging a meagre 64.3 yards per game, and critics are targeting Chris Johnson with his pre-season holdout and US$53 million contract extension as the cause.

“We’re having a tough year, he’s having a tough year, they’re having a tough year,” Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said. “He’s definitely a tough challenge for us because he can take it to the end zone at any given time.”

Tennessee hopes to get Johnson running early and often against an Indianapolis defence giving up 150.9 yards per game, 31st in the NFL. But Munchak cautions that the Colts have given up yards in the second half when opponents have had leads. That’s something the Titans haven’t been able to do in this skid.

Munchak also has warned his Titans against taking the Colts’ winless mark as a sign that Indianapolis hasn’t been competitive. He argues the Colts easily could be 5-2 with just a few plays, and Titans who remember their own 0-6 start in 2009 see many of the same Colts playing for Indianapolis even with Manning out after neck surgery.

The Colts have won five straight in this series, but they swept last season’s games by a combined five points against a Tennessee team that finished 6-10.

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan ticked off the names of tight end Dallas Clark, receivers Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, along with rookie running back Delone Carter as reasons the Colts remain explosive on offence. Carter ran for a career-best 89 yards against New Orleans. Finnegan said the Titans have to give their own fans something to cheer about again.

“We’ve just got to win,” Finnegan said. “Whoever rolled in here, if the Titan Blue Bells rolled in here, didn’t matter. We’ve got to win. We’ve got to get back to Titan football, and that’s defence and then scoring points.”

Indianapolis may rank 30th in total offence with 280 yards per game, but the Colts have been intercepted only three times this season. Saturday said that quarterback Curtis Painter is getting more comfortable each week and has done enough to give the Colts chances to win.

“We just got to get a win for him,” Saturday said.

Painter took over when veteran Kerry Collins, signed out of retirement after five years with the Titans, sustained a concussion. Collins was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

With all the talk of going winless to land the top pick in the 2012 draft and the chance to draft Stanford star Andrew Luck, Saturday said he was stealing a quote from teammate Robert Mathis that he won’t suck for anybody.

“I am out there every week trying to win games and don’t care about all the rest of it,” Saturday said. “I am trying to take care of this week against Tennessee, and that’s the way I set my mind.”

___

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Published: Monday, August 15, 2011

Updated: Monday, August 15, 2011 19:08

A feel-good story of the summer in Indianapolis and at Ball State has come to an unfortunate end. 

INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning has a new long-term deal in time to report to training camp.

He still hasn’t been cleared to practice.

Colts owner Jim Irsay said he was “thrilled” to sign the only four-time MVP in league history to a deal that will likely keep him in Indianapolis for the rest of his career. Details of the contract were not immediately available but it is believed to be for five years. The contract is reportedly worth $90 million.

“Signing Peyton was a top priority for this organization and we are thrilled that the deal is complete,” Irsay said in a statement released by the team Saturday. “We feel that it is a salary cap friendly deal and it allows us more flexibility.”

Irsay and team president Bill Polian are scheduled to discuss the deal at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

The deal comes nearly five months after the team used the exclusive franchise tag to prevent Manning from negotiating with any other teams. Had Manning signed the one-year offer, he would have made $23.1 million this season.

By getting the long-term deal done, Manning’s salary cap number will be reduced, allowing the team to sign more of its own free agents. The Colts have already re-signed two key veterans — safety Melvin Bullitt and kicker Adam Vinatieri — this week. They also lost linebacker Clint Session to Jacksonville in free agency.

Other key players that Indy is trying to work out deals with include running

back Joseph Addai and left tackle Charlie Johnson. They still have not signed first-round pick Anthony Castonzo either.

The Colts report to training camp Sunday at Anderson University, about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

And the Manning deal should ensure he arrives in camp on time.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Friday he expected Manning to be at camp if he was signed.

But Manning will not practice because he’s continuing to rehabilitate from neck surgery he had in May. It was the second since March 2010 that he had neck surgery.

Caldwell also said Friday he did not expect Manning to practice, and the team announced Saturday it will put Manning on the physically unable to perform list, preventing him from practicing until he is removed from the list. Because it is the preseason, he could be removed from the list at any time and return to practice.

“There is every medical indication that he is progressing steadily, team neurosurgeon Dr. Hank Feuer said in a statement. “While he looks fine, he still has some rehabilitation to go. Recovery from disc surgery is unpredictable and it is not a medical concern that he is not ready at this time.”

Manning has started all 227 regular-season and playoff games in his 14-year career, and the Colts have repeatedly said they expect Manning to be ready to start the regular-season opener against Houston.

Manning has completed 64.9 percent of his passes in his career, has thrown for nearly 55,000 yards and 399 touchdowns. He’s led the Colts to the playoffs 12 times, to two Super Bowls and one world championship.

But as the negotiations dragged on, Manning became more irritated with the pace.

On Friday night, he told The Indianapolis Star that he had instructed agent Tom Condon to complete the deal by Sunday at the latest.

And after months of Irsay promising to make Manning the highest-paid player in league history, surpassing the annual average salary of $18 million that Tom Brady agreed to in September. Manning also said he didn’t have to have the title.

On Saturday, the two sides finally came to terms on a deal that will continue to make Manning the highest-paid player in franchise with a caveat — that the team can hopefully keep some of Manning’s teammates under contract, too.