WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

December 27, 2018 at 1:43 am.

–No surprise that Colts Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (ankle) didn’t practice on Wednesday. He’s been playing gimpy for the past month and has practiced on a limited basis once in the past three weeks. That said, Hilton has been the NFL’s hottest wide receiver in the past seven games with 856 receiving yards on 48 receptions. He vowed to be ready come Sunday night. “This is Game 7,” Hilton said, then added, “You know I ain’t gonna miss that.”

–Quarterback Andrew Luck has been around Hilton enough in seven seasons to know that he respects the wide receiver’s word. “I ask him how he is going to do and he says he is going to do fine,” Luck said. “I say, ‘OK, I know he is going to do fine then.’ If T.Y. says it, then it must be true.”

–Tight end Eric Ebron, selected to his first Pro Bowl last week, sounded upbeat while strolling through the locker room on Wednesday although he’s in concussion protocol and his status hinges on being cleared. Head coach Frank Reich said Ebron’s availability won’t be known until late in the week, but on a conference call with Titans media, the Colts coach said he was “hopeful” and “optimistic” that Ebron will play. Ebron’s career-high 12 touchdown receptions lead all NFL tight ends. The Colts re-signed tight end Erik Swoope to the practice squad and would promote him to the active roster if Ebron isn’t cleared to play.

–Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota didn’t practice on Wednesday and is still recovering from a neck stinger suffered in Saturday’s home win over Washington. If he can’t play, backup Blaine Gabbert will get the start. Reich said the Colts are preparing for the Titans offensive system, not a specific quarterback.

“They are both athletic. They both play winning football. They got a lot of confidence in both of them,” Reich said. “I think they both fit their system very well.”

–Linebacker Anthony Walker (shoulder) returned to practice on a limited basis after missing the last start. He spoke with optimism about the next game, including the emphasis of needing to stop running back Derrick Henry, who he’s known from his younger years growing up in Florida. “Definitely, have to get him before he gets going,” said Walker, whose 103 total tackles are second on the team.

–Reich shared how he got creative in reiterating the “1-0 weekly mantra,” even during the rough start. “We used several examples, the Chinese bamboo tree, an ice cube that you put in a room,” the coach said. “We used the example of here is an ice cube in the room and it’s 25 degrees in the room. It doesn’t start melting, even though the room is heating up from 25 to 26 to 27. Things are getting better, it’s getting warmer, but it’s not melting. We were talking about this way back when. We just weren’t seeing the results until the room hits 32 degrees. So we were talking each week as we started going along, ‘Hey, it’s getting warmer.’ Or even sometimes when we didn’t get the results we want, we knew there were things going in the right direction. So that’s been the mantra.”

–Nothing ever changes for Leonard, who has not played anything like the typical rookie and sounds wise beyond his 23 years. “We always talk about not looking back and not looking forward,” the rookie linebacker said. “It’s always about what you do on Sunday. So we just got to go on Sunday and just put on a big game.”

–Luck reiterated how he’s just enjoyed being able to play football without any pain this season. He’s said that repeatedly throughout this season, so being a key player in such an important game means just as much as any other start in terms of his approach. “I’ve looked forward to every game this year and every preseason game,” he said. “Maybe it’s because I missed last year or what I’ve been through, but I’ve been excited for every game this year. I’ve been excited for every practice this year. I’ve been excited for every meeting. So hopefully that will continue for the rest of my career. But I wouldn’t say I am more excited than any other game this year.”

–Reich said team leadership has been key in helping the younger players stick to the same routine and not get caught up in the hype. Luck echoed that sentiment. “I think starting with (general manager) Chris Ballard and Frank (Reich) and the way this building is run – I think there is great leadership in this room,” Luck said. “I know I certainly don’t take an Adam Vinatieri, a T.Y. Hilton, a Clayton Geathers, a Najee Goode and a Jabaal Sheard – we don’t take those guys for granted. They do a great job of making sure this locker room is pointed in the right direction and the young guys are buying in. Certainly, when you’re winning games it makes it easier, right? It makes it easier, but the young guys really are doing a great job of being the spine of this team.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 10.7 – Average point differential in the Colts’ 10-0 streak against the Titans with quarterback Andrew Luck. In the most recent 38-10 rout of the Titans at home in November, Luck completed 23 of 29 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 143.8, the second-highest rating of his career. He has a career 97.2 passer rating against the Titans with a 63.2 completion percentage, 2,650 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In the last three meetings, he’s thrown eight touchdown passes with one interception.