Colts coaching staff excited for joint practice with the Cardinals
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — The Colts welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Grand Park on Wednesday and Thursday for two joint practices.
With starters playing less in preseason games now, joint practices have become more important.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said after the preseason game against the Broncos on Sunday that the joint practices will be big for their starters.
“Just like we practice against our guys, you get to go do it against somebody else and see different looks,” Steichen said. “So, I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for us this week.”
Steichen also said that in joint practices, the coaching staff can work on specific situations, like a red zone period or third down period, that they would not be able to focus on during an actual preseason game.
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson said the main focus for the joint practices is going to be execution.
“Be able to manage whatever their defense throws at us, and just execute,” Richardson said. “That’s the main thing we’re looking forward to, because we know we’ve got to play them this upcoming Saturday. So just execute and be prepared.”
Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is excited to “compete against some different color jerseys.”
He also said that joint practices require more game planning than a preseason game. They’re reluctant to spend much time game planning for the opponent for a preseason game when they instead could be focusing on internal improvement with their players.
Jim Irsay tweeted that Colts legends Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison will be there for practice. Harrison’s son, Marvin Harrison Jr., is a rookie wide receiver for the Cardinals.
These will be the first two joint practices for the Colts this season. They’ll also have a joint practice with the Bengals in Cincinnati on August 20 before their preseason game on August 22.
Wednesday’s practice will be the longest practice of training camp for the Colts, and the only one that will last two hours. Practice starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m.