Assistant coaches dish out details on Colts players at the bye

INDIANAPOLIS – It’s the bye week. Indianapolis Colts players are off for the week, enjoying some midseason down time.

The coaching staff is going to take a bit of a break, too. But first, assistant coaches spent some time on Wednesday with reporters, one of only a few times per year they’re permitted to do interviews.

Here are some notable excerpts from those interviews, which shed light on the coaches’ perception of some key Colts players.

Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal

>> On Donte Moncrief’s performance in 2016:

“Hot and cold, to be honest. Shows flashes. He knows it, I know it. We continually strive to get him playing at a high level consistently… I’ll say this: Donte tries. He’s one of the most attentive in the meetings. He watches film. He wants to be good. It’s just a process that he has to rely on his physical gifts more than he does. Sometimes he overthinks what’s happening out there on the field before it does happen, in terms of coverages, what’s the (defensive back) going to do? But if he just relies on his physical ability, just haul a-- and run, the DB will be in his hands, for lack of a better word.”

>> On Moncrief’s 60-yard touchdown against Pittsburgh:

“To his credit, he spent time in practice getting that move just right. Because we wanted a specific depth. We saw it on tape, where (number) 25’s going to jump a certain route… So, he worked all week on that. He went into that route saying, ‘I’m going to run this route the way we practiced it. And I’m going to dictate to 25 not the other way around.’ And if that resonates with him and he takes that into all his routes, he’ll ascend.”

Offensive line coach Joe Philbin

>> On the biggest challenge of playing multiple lineups:

“I think a lot of it is the communication in the middle of the game. As we all know, there’s a lot of variety in NFL defenses. We play some excellent defenses. It’s easy when you have the remote in your hand the day after the game and you can rewind it seven different times. But things happen quickly in the game. When you have a bunch of guys shuffling in and out, it makes it more challenging. It’s not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. Every team deals with it. But I think that’s one thing, the communication and the understanding that ‘I’m gonna be in this gap when this guys does this’ or ‘I’m going to kick out to that defender.’ Sometimes it’s a little bit of a process.

>> On dealing with increased blitzes:

“There’s a combination of things. We started the season with a brand-new center, so that’s part of it. We had a young quarterback who had (just) gotten here. So, you know how things are: If you don’t take advantage of a situation, if you can’t make the defense pay, so to speak, for blitzing us, then they’re going to continue to do so. And we have made them pay at times. But sometimes we haven’t. I think it’s something we’re going to probably be dealing with for the next six weeks.”

>> On Anthony Castonzo’s performance:

“I thought he played a really excellent game down in Houston and was really solid the other day against Pittsburgh. I think his run blocking is underrated. I think this guy is a very, very good run blocker. His protection, look, we all got off to a rugged start out in L.A., but I think (now) he’s playing some good football.”

Defensive backs coach Greg Williams

On the physicality of the team’s cornerbacks:

“It’s rare in (terms of) what everyone thinks is the prototypical cover corner, who doesn’t tackle. That day of football is kind of gone now just because of the kind of game we have now with the quick passing game. You’re gonna have to come up and tackle. That’s just the name of the game. So, we kind of look for guys like that when we were looking to build the secondary. I think the personnel guys did a good job of getting willing tacklers. And Nate Hairston, everyone knew coming in what he was: He was a blue-collar, tough guy. So, he’s exactly who we thought he was when we got him.”

On the likelihood of rookie corner Quincy Wilson seeing playing time down the stretch:

“It’s really tough. But I didn’t think Pierre (Desir) was going to have a chance, either. I didn’t think a lot of guys were going to have a chance. But with the way this season has been going, you never know when your number is going to get called. And that’s what I told him. We always say, ‘Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.’ And that’s what he does.”

Running backs coach Jemal Singleton

>> On Marlon Mack’s development as an inside runner:

“That’s where I’ve seen his biggest development. There’s no doubt we’ve seen explosiveness when he gets to the outside. He’s at a different speed. The thing is, when they take that away, what can you do? And he’s shown that he can lower his pads. I look at the Cincinnati game. There are things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. But for me as a coach, I see him adding things to his game that he didn’t have before.”

>> On Mack’s frequent negative runs:

“It’s a combination of things. I think a lot goes into the play. And I think he’s also shown, again, things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He made a 4-yard carry. Well, he made a guy miss four yards deep in the backfield. They brought a safety blitz and he was able to make that guy miss and go. So, in my book, he almost had a 9-yard carry as opposed to a 4-yard carry that the stat sheet says. But he’s definitely doing some things speed wise and garnering some attention from defenses. They’ve got to respect him and he’s just got to get better.”

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.

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