INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Each year the Indianapolis Colts preach the importance of starting fast.
Recently, it's been all talk.
They've lost 11 straight Week 1 games, missed the playoffs in four consecutive years and are preparing to welcome their eighth opening-day starting quarterback in nine years after Daniel Jones beat out Anthony Richardson for the job.
Indy will try to find a solution to its season-opening blues when the Miami Dolphins visit on Sunday. The Colts will also honor their late owner, Jim Irsay, who died in May.
“We definitely want to break that streak,” coach Shane Steichen said. “We’re not just playing for ourselves. We’re playing for this city, we’re playing for Mr. Irsay every time we go out there. We know Miami is a good football team, but to start Week 1 at home and give everything we’ve got to break that streak will be huge.”
Irsay made it clear in recent years that he expected the team to be better in season openers. His name will be added Sunday to the team's Ring of Honor alongside his late father, Robert Irsay.
With Jim Irsay's three daughters beginning their tenure as owners, Steichen altered the team's training camp routine, adding snaps and demanding more physicality in practice in hopes the Colts would get off to a better start.
Miami also wants to change direction after missing the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years.
The Dolphins struggled when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was injured early last season but finished with six wins in nine games.
Tyreek Hill, the game-changing All-Pro receiver, missed most of August camp with an oblique injury and only returned to practice last week when he did limited work.
“I feel great," Hill said. “I’m one of those guys, I never fall out of shape. I feel like I’ll always be like the hardest worker on the team no matter what, because I’m always doing the small things, whether that’s running after practice when nobody’s watching or whether that’s catching like 500 passes off the JUGS (machine) when nobody is watching. I’ve been doing all the small things right this whole entire time.”
So, will some extra motivation to honor Irsay lead to the Colts celebrating a Week 1 win?
“If that’s the history of the season opener, so be it,” Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II said. "Our job is to go out and win a game. It’s not for the stat, it’s not for the historical moment, we just want to get the job done.”
Wrong way?
If cornerbacks Xavien Howard and JuJu Brents started walking to the wrong locker rooms Sunday, it would be understandable.
Howard spent eight seasons with Miami, where he was a 2020 All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time NFL interception leader. Brents played his first two seasons in Indy. Howard and his ex-teammates in Miami both know what to expect.
“He’s a great player,” Hill said. “He’s one of those guys who understands coverages, who understands certain routes, so we’ve got to be on top of our game. He’s definitely a playmaker.”
Miami released Howard after the 2023 season and Indy signed him in late August amid a rash of injuries that included Brents, who was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins following final cuts.
Where’s Waller?
The Dolphins acquired Darren Waller from the New York Giants in July, about a year after the veteran tight end announced his retirement. But they’ve cautiously eased him back into the fold as he works on his conditioning.
Waller, 32, did not play in the preseason or participate in any joint practices and only recently began doing limited work in practice.
Waller is in line to play Sunday but missed practice Wednesday, in part because the team is trying to avoid having him practice three consecutive days, McDaniel said.
New look
Sunday will be the first test for Indy's revamped defense.
General manager Chris Ballard addressed the secondary by signing two free agents — 2023 Pro Bowl cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum — in addition to Howard, who has been reunited with new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, his position coach in Miami.
Indy also gets 2023 sacks leader Samson Ebukam back after he missed all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon. And the Colts are hoping last year's first-round pick, Laiatu Latu, ends up with more than the four sacks he had as a rookie.
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AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames in Miami Gardens, Florida, contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Michael Marot, The Associated Press
