Colts pleased with Hart
Some NFL teams looked at Mike Hart’s resume and saw too many questions to waste a draft pick.
The Indianapolis Colts scoured Hart’s game films and found a football player.
Hart, Michigan’s career rushing leader, slid through nearly six rounds of April’s draft primarily because too many teams paid more attention to his poor time in the 40-yard dash than the traits that made him one of the nation’s best running backs: desire, determination and the ability to make tacklers miss.
So the 5-foot-9, 206-pound rookie finds himself vying for a spot in the Colts’ crowded backfield and perhaps on special teams.
“It’s fun. There’s lots of competition back there,” Hart said after Tuesday’s practices. “Anytime there’s competition, it’s a good time. Every day you come out here to compete, and you can’t have a bad day out here.”
What the Colts have seen from Hart has impressed them.
They like his work ethic, his personality, the way he fits into the locker room setting and, of course, what he’s been able to do on the field.
During Sunday’s preseason opener against Washington, Hart looked more like the players his high school and college fans remember than the one who clocked a pedestrian 4.7 seconds in his predraft 40.
The darting cuts allowed him to dodge tacklers and find open space. He caught three passes for 28 yards, giving him an average of 11.3 yards each time he touched the ball. Most important in Indy’s one-back offense, Hart did a solid job blocking the bigger, faster pass rushers he’ll face if he makes the team.
Colts coach Tony Dungy wasn’t surprised.
“When you watch him practice and watch him work, we felt he’d have a good game,” Dungy said. “He did everything that he was called on to do. … That’s probably what he’s been doing for eight or nine years.”
Mangini undecided on QB
The New York Jets’ starting quarterback for the preseason opener at Cleveland is … still undecided by coach Eric Mangini.
“Because there’s a lot of factors that go into that, I’ll get together post-practice, watch the tape,” Mangini said.
He added that he’ll also meet with his staff and general manager Mike Tannenbaum before deciding “later today, tomorrow” whether Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens – locked in a tight competition for the No. 1 job – will take the field first Thursday against the Browns.
“I just want to go through the week, finish up the practices, finish up the meetings with the coaches, with Mike, and then go from there,” Mangini said.
Broncos’ Marshall suspended
The Denver Broncos finally were told what they’ve been fearing for several weeks: They’ll start the season without wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was suspended for three games by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Marshall was summoned to commissioner Roger Goodell’s New York offices on July 18 to explain a series of off-the-field misdeeds over the past year, most notably his March 6 arrest on a domestic violence warrant filed by his former girlfriend in Atlanta.
Marshall, who is due in court next month for a drunken driving trial, can have his suspension reduced to two games if he undergoes counseling and abides by other conditions, which the NFL did not specify.
•Broncos center Tom Nalen might be out until the season opener as he continues to recover from off-season surgery on his left knee.
The 15-year veteran hasn’t practiced since the first few days of camp.
Boller gets the nod
Kyle Boller will start at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in their preseason opener against the defending AFC champion New England Patriots.
Boller is competing against Troy Smith and rookie Joe Flacco to start the regular-season opener.
Coach John Harbaugh said Boller was chosen to open against the Patriots on Thursday because of his experience.