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INDIANAPOLIS – Pierre Garcon got more than 130 text messages Monday night, too many to read, so he started hitting the delete key on his cell phone.
Those movements were almost as swift as the ones that deleted the Miami Dolphins in a 27-23 victory by the Indianapolis Colts earlier that evening.
Garcon’s 48-yard game-winning touchdown on a screen pass from Peyton Manning not only legitimized Garcon’s role in the Colts’ offense, it also attracted the attention of reporters – about 15 were camped out by his locker Wednesday.
“This is cool,” the second-year receiver said. “I appreciate this.”
Garcon’s touchdown helped overcome a night that saw the Dolphins dominate time of possession – 45:07 to 14:53 – yet fail to keep Indianapolis from starting off 2-0 under new head coach Jim Caldwell.
“It was a great feeling,” said Garcon, who played at Mount Union College, a Division III school in northeast Ohio. “That’s what I used to do in college – those (screens) were basically our plays in college – and that’s what helped me get here. It felt good to run it and get to actually catch the ball.”
Garcon had only four catches for 23 yards last season. He has four for 72 this season, and his one touchdown.
“Every time you catch the ball, you want to get into the end zone,” Garcon said. “But there’s less pressure now because I’ve been there and I know what to do. I am more comfortable now.”
With Anthony Gonzalez out from one to seven more weeks with a knee injury, Garcon joins Reggie Wayne, rookie Austin Collie and the recently signed Hank Baskett as Colts receivers.
The Colts play Sunday night at defending NFC champion Arizona (1-1), which is coming off a 31-17 victory at Jacksonville in which quarterback Kurt Warner set an NFL record for completion percentage (.923) by going 24 of 26 for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
Garcon realizes the Cardinals will be prepared to cover him and the screen pass.
“I can do more than just catch a screen and run with it, though,” he said. “I just want to make a play every time I get the ball, really. That’s how I got here. That’s how I play, trying to make a big play, and I want to do that every time I get the ball.”
Note: The Colts signed linebacker Jordan Senn after defensive captain Gary Brackett was injured late at Miami. Coach Jim Caldwell said Brackett was day to day. The Colts waived tight end Tom Santi to clear room for Senn.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
