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Friday, May 9, 2025B Sectionindianapolisrecorder.comBy NORAL PARHAMnoralp@indyrecorder.comThe Indianapolis Colts%u2019 2025 offseason workout program begins May 28 as part of the NFL%u2019s league-wide schedule released April 30.The voluntary program, structured under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), spans nine weeks. It is divided into three phases designed to gradually ramp up player preparation.The Colts%u2019 schedule includes organized team activities (OTAs), a mandatory minicamp for veterans and a rookie minicamp, all critical for roster development ahead of training camp.Phase One (two weeks) focuses on meetings, strength training and rehabilitation. Start dates for this period were not detailed in the team%u2019s public calendar. Phase Two (three weeks) permits on-field walk-throughs and individual drills without live contact.The most intensive segment, Phase Three, includes ten days of OTAs from May 28%u201330 and June 3%u20135, allowing 7-on-7, 9-on7, and 11-on-11 non-contact drills. The Colts will then hold their mandatory veteran minicamp June 10%u201312, the only portion of the offseason program requiring player attendance under CBA rules.Rookies will report earlier, with a development camp May 9%u201310, aligning with league provisions allowing post-draft minicamps on the first or second weekend following the draft. While the NFL permits seven-week rookie programs starting May 12, the Colts%u2019 earlier rookie sessions fall under the exception for draft weekend activities.The Colts%u2019 OTAs and minicamps aim to integrate new personnel, refine schemes and assess player fitness under head coach Shane Steichen and his staff. Per CBA guidelines, all workouts except the June 10%u201312 minicamp remain voluntary, though most veterans traditionally attend a significant portion.The NFL%u2019s offseason rules prohibit live contact in all phases, emphasizing skill development and injury prevention. Teams face restrictions on padded practices until training camp, which typically opens in late July.Indianapolis%u2019 schedule mirrors the league%u2019s broader efforts to balance competitive preparation with player safety. The Colts%u2019 2024 draft class and free-agent signees will have their first opportunities to work alongside returning players during OTAs, often shaping early depth chart projections.The full offseason calendar is subject to adjustments by individual clubs, but no changes to the Colts%u2019 announced dates have been reported. Team facilities will host the workouts, which are closed to the public.With the NFL Draft concluding on April 26, the Colts%u2019 coaching staff will soon finalize installation plans for playbooks and conditioning regimens.Indianapolis finished the 2024 season 8-9, narrowly missing the AFC playoffs.Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X@3Noral.By DANNY BRIDGES%u00a0No matter what your opinion is about Shedeur Sanders, it%u2019s%u00a0obvious the young man couldn%u2019t care less about what those who cover the NFL really think about him. With plenty of confidence and a truckload of bravado to boot, he is both an entrepreneur and a football player as well.You all know who his Father is and what the two of them have done together since arriving at the University of Colorado.%u00a0Ticket sales quickly increased dramatically, and NIL monies became part of the world in which Shedeur and his ultra-talented teammate Travis Hunter were living in.Deion Sanders has always been a combination of P.T. Barnum and a world-class athlete, as well as fiercely protective of his son.No one has promoted his son more than the man who created the %u201cPrime Time%u201d persona, and while that approach provided substantial monies and other assets for Shedeur, it also created a level of hype that realistically cannot be lived up to.As a college quarterback playing in a system tailored specifically for his skill set, he has enjoyed several moments that were enough to make scouts pay close attention to him and subsequently dissect his game.While it%u2019s clear there is talent, there%u2019s also the altered ego of the quarterback off the field living a life that%u2019s lucrative with blue chip endorsements from Nike, Gatorade, Beats By Dre and Mercedes Benz. Not a bad array of partners to be affiliated with.While some thought he would be drafted early in the first round, l wasn%u2019t one of them. I saw an arm that%u2019s not consistent with that of an NFL starting quarterback and too many instances where his passing attempts deeper down the field weren%u2019t spirals and often fell incomplete. He%u2019s also not tremendously big in physical stature, but he is an agile individual and not afraid of contact when running the ball.Those things aside, Sanders did himself no favors by opting not to participate in the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine in terms of conducting passing drills.%u00a0He also apparently forgot that when sitting down with NFL coaches and front office personnel, he was in a job interview and certainly in no position to bargain with them.Before you ask me what makes me an NFL scout, let me say I%u2019m not one. There are many people out there who know more about evaluating young talent than I ever will, but when speaking with a former Colts executive about how these situations can get sideways quickly and are often irreversible, a part of me also felt some of the P.R. sideshows could have been handled better.The point is Sanders will be going to minicamp this month with the Cleveland Browns and will more than likely be listed as the fifth option on the%u00a0QB depth chart, which may seem unusual for a talented young man that I refuse to throw under a bus and write off accordingly.%u00a0Is there an opportunity here for him to leave his ego at home and play hard every down in the quickly upcoming minicamp?Of course, there is. Will he be humble and participate in drills that he may not be accustomed to from his time in Boulder?%u00a0I sure hope so, as having an opportunity for himself could certainly lead to other things.%u00a0He%u2019s been beaten up a lot in the last week or so, but the Browns need a quarterback, and maybe Shedeur can compete for the job.It%u2019s okay if he wants to rap and collect cars and jewelry because that%u2019s his right to do. Many players incorporate similar characteristics into their lifestyle, but it has to be off the field and out of the locker room.Being the first guy in the weightlifting session and always%u00a0hustling back to the huddle after being sacked is a good idea.Does this young man have what it takes to become a starter in the NFL? I don%u2019t think so currently, but the Browns do need a quarterback, and he could get some playing time.%u00a0How he handles being a reserve will go a long way in determining if he can stick it out and mature as an individual and not just a professional football player.I, for one, wish him well, and I won%u2019t throw him under the bus. It is, however, time for Shedeur Sanders to fully realize the bus is still warming up in the parking lot and he will either be on it or under it soon.Danny Bridges, who would love to be wrong about this young man, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.%u00a0Indianapolis Colts fi rst-round draft choice Tyler Warren speaks during a press conference at NFL football team%u2019s practice facility in Indianapolis, Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Colts%u2019 offseason workout schedule announcedSanders has an opportunity to prove all the naysayers wrongSPORTS QUIZ Pacers go up 2-0 against CavsThe Indiana Pacers lead the Cleveland Cavaliers two games to none in the Eastern Conference Semifi nals of the 2025 NBA Playoff s. The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 on May 9. (Photo/AP)By Ryan A. Berenz 1. What NASCAR series, created for short-track drivers to get experience on superspeedways, had three driver fatalities during its existence from 1989-96? 2. What team accomplished a Major League Baseball first by hitting home runs on the first three pitches thrown against them in a 20-9 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers in March 2025?3. Offensive lineman Dwayne White earned what nickname for being the New York Jets%u2019 lead blocker on short-yardage run plays in the early 1990s? 4. What short-lived 1951 TV series originating from Philadelphia consisted of children ages 3-12 fighting in three-round boxing matches?5. First opened in 1977, Ice World was a venue for skating, hockey, boxing and professional wrestling located in what U.S. state?6. How many 3-pointers did the Alabama Crimson Tide make to set a new NCAA Men%u2019s Basketball Tournament single-game record in their 113-88 Sweet 16 victory over BYU in 2025?7. What American track athlete, a gold-medal winner in the 4x100 meter relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, also had three touchdown receptions in an NFL career spanning 1987-92? Answers1. The NASCAR Sportsman Division.2. The New York Yankees.3. The Road Grader.4. %u201cKid Gloves.%u201d5. New Jersey.6. 25.7. Sam Graddy.(c) 2025 King Features Syndicate, Inc.