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

Carolina Panthers punter Jason Baker has a unique insider-outsider perspective on the Indianapolis Colts.

Baker spent some time with the Colts in 2004, working as a kickoff specialist. He’s close friends with fellow University of Iowa graduate Dallas Clark. And Baker also lives in Indianapolis and works out at the same facility as many of the Colts during the summer months.

“I learned first-hand the level that organization operates at,” Baker said. “So that makes it somewhat shocking. But I’ve also played in the NFL long enough to know that nobody’s really that much better than anybody else. The Packers have to show up Thursday to win their game and the Colts, I’m sure, are not automatically thinking they’re going to lose just because they’re 0-10.”

Baker, a Fort Wayne native who runs an annual middle-school football camp here, says his 11 years in the league have taught him the difference between the winning teams and the losing ones are much closer than the average fan understands.

Baker and the Panthers (2-8) play the Colts at 1 p.m. Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

“It’s not quite as big a gap as a lot of people would think,” Baker said. “The Colts have had injury problems, more than just Peyton (Manning). …I think the line is much finer between your 11-5 years and your 4-12 years. An injury here, an injury there and everything changes.”

Baker has been through a few changes, too, this season, as new coach Ron Rivera took over and rookie quarterback Cam Newton came in to run the offense.

Newton has impressed analysts and fans, and Baker can attest to Newton’s big-play ability.

“Cam’s been a pleasant surprise on a lot of levels,” Baker said. “I think he’s probably exceeded everyone’s expectations. I don’t want to use the word shocked, but under normal circumstances of an offseason, that would be an impressive rookie performance, let alone meeting the coaching staff basically at the end of July.”

Baker said he has had to adjust his game this season, working on his situational punting. His yardage numbers aren’t as high this season, but he’s also being asked to place his punts at specific places on the field frequently. The Carolina special teams have struggled at times, too.

“It’s a challenge because, on one side, I feel like I’m punting the ball better than I ever have in my life,” Baker said. “A lot of people measure quality by distance and hang time and I think this type of year is one where it’s more positioning to give us the best opportunity to eliminate returns.”

Baker expects the Colts to play one of their best games of the season.

“I do know the Colts have a ton of playmakers on their roster,” he said. “I’m fairly certain if we fall asleep on them, we’re going to lose.”

The Panthers are coming off a game where they built a lead on the Lions but let it slip away.

“We’ve had a handful of those games where the Panthers have beaten the Panthers more than the other team has beaten the Panthers,” Baker said.

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) – The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to keep their training camp at Anderson University through 2016.

The Colts had moved from Anderson to Terre Haute, Ind. in 1999, then returned to Anderson in 2010. Last year’s camp drew approximately 85,000 visitors during the 18-day period. Colts coach Jim Caldwell said Anderson has done well as the host, and he’s glad the future site is set.

The Colts first selected Anderson as their summer home in 1984, the club’s first season in Indianapolis after moving from Baltimore, and kept the camp there through the 1998 preseason.

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

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. 

Reporting from Anderson, Ind.—

No one rooting for the Indianapolis Colts wants to see you. Or talk about you. Or entertain the thought of you stepping onto the field.

If you’re the backup to quarterback Peyton Manning, you’re the worst-case scenario, the embodiment of a raised white flag.

There’s a saying around the NFL that the No. 2 quarterback is the most popular guy in town, the player everyone wants to see at the starter’s slightest stumble.

Not in Indianapolis.

Said Bill Polian, the Colts’ vice chairman: “The backup here needs to realize that if and when he gets in the game, people aren’t happy. By definition.”

At the moment, there’s no choice. With Manning recovering from the neck surgery he underwent in May, the Colts have turned to No. 2 quarterback Curtis Painter to run the first-string offense in training camp. It’s the rarest of circumstances, considering Manning virtually never misses a snap during the season or in the summer.

“This is definitely an interesting camp, especially with all the free-agent guys that aren’t allowed to practice until the weekend,” Painter said after splitting snaps with Nate Davis this week. “Just a couple quarterbacks going through the first couple days. I think it’s good, you’re getting a lot of reps. I’m just embracing the opportunity.”

That opportunity might be fleeting. Manning was getting physical therapy and did not watch practice Tuesday, but he was spotted off to the side Wednesday doing some throwing and light running.

Counting training camp and the regular season, 41 quarterbacks have been listed beneath Manning on the depth chart since the Colts made him the No. 1 overall pick in 1998. Only five of those players took a regular-season snap for the franchise.

In his 13 seasons, Manning has missed one snap because of an injury — and that came in 2001, when Miami’s Lorenzo Bromell broke his jaw with a hit that cost the defensive lineman a $15,500 fine.

Confirming the darkest fears of Colts fans, backup Mark Rypien fumbled a handoff on the next play, setting up the winning touchdown in a 27-24 Dolphins victory.

The situation was even worse for Painter in the 2009 season, when the 14-0 Colts opted to protect their stars for the playoffs rather than aim for an unblemished record. He replaced Manning in a home game against the New York Jets, with Indianapolis leading, 15-10, in the third quarter but deep in its own territory.

Painter’s first series ended with a sack and a fumble, returned for a Jets touchdown. To thundering boos, the Colts wound up losing, 29-15.

“I was worried about him,” Polian said of Painter. “The Jets experience could have cracked him. A lesser man would have folded under those circumstances or at least have wanted out.

“But Jim [Caldwell, the Colts' coach] did exactly the right thing when Curtis came off the field after that sack-fumble. Jim said to him, ‘It’s not your fault. Just relax, you’ll be fine. Go play the game.’ “

Even Rypien, who had two Super Bowl rings and was more seasoned than any other Manning backup, understands the difficulty of coming in cold with the No. 1 offense. He called the job of playing behind Manning “probably the best and worst” assignment in the NFL.

“You know you’re never going to see the field, but you’re going to get a paycheck,” he said. “If you want to be a competitor and you’re a young kid waiting in the wings, it would be hard.

“For an old guy like me who was just there as an insurance policy, it was great. I got a chance to be around a lot of young kids and had an opportunity to be in an organization that was heading in the right direction.”

That said, it wasn’t easy to learn the finer points of the Indianapolis offense, even though the playbook isn’t inordinately thick.