#HorseBytes: Stanford Stars

Sometimes things are just out of your control. This past week, I experienced some technical difficulties on my Macbook in regards to navigating Twitter. I was unable to access the tweets I had favorited to feature in #HorseBytes, so the column was delayed in being published. Unfortunately, I still can’t access these tweets. But when life throws you a curveball, you improvise. Just because there are no tweet images for me to share with you, doesn’t mean that the tweets weren’t posted, or that there is no news. There is always some sort of news to be shared in the NFL. So without further ado, here is the top #ColtsNation news of the week, as collected from around the web.

Training Camp

Take notes, #ColtsNation. The members of the Horseshoe will officially report to training camp on Saturday, July 28th and take part in their first practice the following day: Sunday, July 29th. Camp will be 17 days long, ending on August 17th. Once again, it will take place at Anderson University at the Farm Bureau Football Center. The practices are free and open to the public.

Training camp is the ideal time to get a real glimpse at what the 2012 Colts will look like when they take the field for the first time in the regular season. Moreover, it is a prime opportunity to be in a more intimate setting with the team, and autograph sessions are frequent and informal. If you live in Indianapolis, I don’t recommend missing it. A full schedule is available here via the Indianapolis Star. Dates and times are subject to change.

The Man, the Beard, the Go-Phone: Getting to Know Andrew Luck

QB Andrew Luck’s resume speaks for itself. His college statistics show 713 completions for almost 9500 yards and 82 touchdowns. He was second in the Heisman balloting twice, and he’s been decorated with the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year award (twice), the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and (ironically) the Peyton Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. But there’s another side to Luck, the star player. There’s also the person side, the side we really don’t get to see all that much.

What does Luck like to do in his spare time? What kind of music does he listen to? Why did he wear such a strange outfit at his graduation? What’s with the beard? Indianapolis Star reporter Bob Kravitz asks everything you wanted to know – but wouldn’t think to ask – about the Colts’ new franchise quarterback. To read the article (Luck’s responses are great, and unique to most NFL players), click here.

Monday Morning Tight End: Coby Fleener takes over Peter King’s MMQB

While working towards his master’s degree in media studies, TE Coby Fleener took a journalism class in which he studied the “history and evolution of sportswriting.” While taking the class, he wrote a few features and profiles himself. In the first, he spoke with and wrote about Joe Jacoby, the former offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins after which Fleener was named. For his second assignment, he interviewed Peter King, writer for Sports Illustrated and author of the very popular column “Monday Morning Quarterback.” King was impressed with Fleener’s piece, so much so that he asked the tight end to write a MMQB column of his own.

Fleener’s column was published today, and you can read it here. In it, Fleener details the events at this year’s NFL Rookie Symposium, in which the league gives a type of orientation to help incoming rookie players transition from the college ranks to the pros. Fleener relates his own personal experiences at the four-day event: his expectations, the lessons he learned, and what stood out to him most, all the while revealing small nuances about himself through his writing. It’s very well done.

Fleener says, among other things, that he is “a rookie, and I think I know nothing…but I’m learning.” Well, I think Fleener knows more than he thinks he does, and he definitely has a great head on his shoulders, refreshing insight, and a true passion for the game football. I look for him to make a big statement within his first two seasons.

The Colts’ first two picks in the draft this year – Luck and Fleener – both hail from Stanford University, where they obviously were prepared and taught very well for their budding football careers. They’re stars, and I’m glad that as a Colts fan I get to root for these bright, talented, and humble men instead of against them.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a special Monday edition of #HorseBytes. I’ll resume the column on Fridays next week as we get a little closer to training camp (Hopefully laptop Twitter fixes itself). In the meantime, for more Colts news, retweets, and commentary, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08.