How Much Will Colts Starters Play on Saturday?

According to Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, his starters will play a lot more in Saturday night’s preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, but the team plans on being really smart about it.

After a week that saw the Green Bay Packers lose star wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending offseason injury, the Colts know there is a fine line when it comes to pushing playing time over staying healthy:

"“Yeah, it’s such a fine line because you typically play your starters a lot more in this 3rd (preseason) football game, and they need to play in order to prepare for the opener up at Buffalo,” Pagano told longtime Colts play-by-play announcer Bob Lamey. “But then, there’s a fine line, you see guys going down all over the league, week-in and week-out at practice and during the games, so you’re a little bit hesitant,” added Pagano."

For those players that are a bit banged up, including cornerback Greg Toler (week-to-week), tight end Coby Fleener (week-to-week), offensive guard Hugh Thornton (week-to-week), and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (day-to-day), it’s highly unlikely they’ll lace them up against the Rams.

The team would simply rather err on the side of caution, when push comes to shove:

"“So, we’ll be smart with the guys in how much they play and guys that are nicked up and haven’t practiced much–those guys are obviously guys that won’t won’t play, but you’ve got to be very, very smart,” concluded Pagano."

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