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TERRE HAUTE – Defensive tackle Eric Foster was a pleasant surprise for the Indianapolis Colts last season. The undrafted rookie started 11 games and had 34 solo tackles.
Foster received the unexpected playing time after the Colts released Ed Johnson, who had been pulled over for speeding with marijuana in his possession. Johnson re-signed with the team this offseason.
“I took away a lot from last season,” said Foster, a 24-year-old Rutgers product. “The main thing for me was you have to finish in this league. It’s nothing like college, so you have to give 110 percent and make sure you finish.”
The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Foster was referring to pass rushing, after he failed to record a sack last season.
“A lot of times, I had the (offensive lineman) beat,” he said. “But it’s the split-second after you make the move that you really have to get into that mode and get at the quarterback because these (offensive linemen) are good on their feet and move quick. You have to finish and give that extra burst at the end.”
Fans who showed up for the morning practice at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology saw the Colts’ players without pads and moving at a snail’s pace. First-year head coach Jim Caldwell was having the players do “mental reps,” where they walked through plays but rarely doing so at a high speed.
“There’s a big part of this game that certainly is mental,” Caldwell said. “And a great part of it (involves) what happens before the ball is snapped, probably more than people think. Defensively, if you can get the call and recognize the formation, make the proper alignment, that all happens before the snap. … Offensively, the same thing happens. The call is made in the huddle and then they come out and maybe realize the right call wasn’t made and you then make sure you line up in the right formation.”
Safety Bob Sanders, who missed 10 games last season with knee and ankle injuries, still hasn’t practiced through three days of camp.
“He’s making real good progress,” Caldwell said of the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year. “We certainly feel he’s doing everything he can to get back. He’s working extremely hard, and you can see that he’s into it mentally. He’s into it in the meetings and in our practice sessions. He’s out there and doing coaching on the side. When he’ll be back, I’m not certain (though).”
