Colts observations: Donte Moncrief owns the day

Stephen Holder | IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS – Wednesday was Day 2 of Colts minicamp. Here are the day’s key observations as the offseason winds down:

Moncrief rules the day

The reception — a leaping fingertip catch — was one of the most impressive plays of the day. But it did not count. One of Donte Moncrief’s feet was out of bounds, if only by a hair. The NFL officials on hand for practice ruled the Colts’ fourth-year receiver failed to get both feet in, making this play one of the most remarkable overruled catches you’ll see — even if Moncrief disagreed.

“They cheated me, man,” Moncrief said afterward, only half-kidding. “My feet were in over there. They saw it.”

Not to worry.

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Moncrief would make up for that disappointment with a dazzling performance in camp on Wednesday, perhaps establishing himself as the best player on the field. He caught three touchdowns in various portions of practice, including a sure-handed grab on a hard slant in traffic moments after the catch that was ruled out of bounds. There also was his leaping, toe-tapping touchdown on a fade from quarterback Scott Tolzien in the corner of the end zone. Moncrief took the ball away from Rashaan Melvin on the play despite Melvin’s excellent position.

Most notable was Moncrief’s reliable hands. On a day when players like Jack Doyle and Josh Ferguson struggled with drops, Moncrief caught everything thrown his way.

As the Colts prepare to conclude their offseason of work with this minicamp, Moncrief’s performance this week is most welcome. He’s seemingly been on the verge of a breakthrough the past two seasons, but entering this 2017 — the last season on his rookie contract — the Colts want to see a more polished Moncrief.

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And they have.

“It started the first day of OTAs,” Moncrief said. “You have to come in with the mindset that you want to get better.”

It helps that Moncrief is actually on the field. After undergoing surgery for a foot injury after the 2015 season, he spent much of the 2016 offseason with physical limitations. That did not provide the same opportunity for refinement that this spring and summer have.

When you’re sidelined, “you fall back a little bit,” Moncrief said. “This year, being healthy and being able to get some work, being in shape, you can tell the difference. And I’m ready to keep it going.”

The Colts appear to be taking the wait-and-see approach to Moncrief’s contract status. So, look for his 2017 performance to ultimately decide if and how much the Colts pay to keep him.

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Lots of Colts still sidelined

The Colts entered Wednesday with a long list of missing players, and the list might have grown by one.

Running back Christine Michael, signed this past week to a free-agent contract, was injured in a collision with safety Tyson Graham and stayed down awhile before limping off with the training staff. He did not return.

The list of players missing either for injury or precautionary reasons was just as long as it was on Tuesday. Receivers T.Y. Hilton (hamstring) and Phillip Dorsett (hamstring), guard Jack Mewhort (unknown), running backs Frank Gore and Marlon Mack (unknown) and guard-tackle Denzelle Good (unknown) missed practice again. Coach Chuck Pagano did not meet with reporters on Wednesday so injury updates will come Thursday.

Sights, sounds

Strong safety Matthias Farley, who continued to work with the first team over T.J. Green on Wednesday, made an interception on a ball that went off the chest of receiver Kamar Aiken. Farley is a player to watch as we head toward training camp. … Receiver Chester Rogers burned rookie cornerback Nate Hairston for a touchdown on a deep ball down the sideline. … Rookie tight end Darrell Daniels had one of the day’s highlights, a leaping touchdown catch over Green. … Vontae Davis got the better of Moncrief on one particular play, when the Pro Bowl cornerback muscled Moncrief on a fade route in the back corner of the end zone to make a midair pass deflection.

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