Colts Notebook: Oct. 6

After Sunday's 31-28 road loss to AFC South rival Jacksonville, the Colts are 2-2 for the season heading into Sunday's home matchup with a 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs team. Indianapolis is 0-2 in the division after the loss to Houston and the Jaguars. It's safe to say that the Colts are a little frustrated and trying to find answers as to what is ailing them.

"Just inconsistent. (We are) up and down. We've got to stop that. We've got to be a more consistent team. We've got to be the team that we have shown and that we can be," tight end Dallas Clark said.

"We've got to keep doing our job. Everybody's got to take it upon themselves to improve that. We can't take weeks off. We can't look good one week and then come back and look mediocre. It's our job. We've got to come back every week and keep improving."

With a team that has such an experienced veteran base, there is no panic within the squad. There is concern however.

"We have the players. We have the plays. We just have to go back and minimize our mistakes," running back Joseph Addai pointed out.

The Colts' problems have come on both sides of the ball. Mental and physical errors continue to crop up. Indianapolis had two key turnovers deep in Jaguars' territory on Sunday.

No pass rush the last two weeks. The running game, as well as the run defense, has been inconsistent at best.

"One of the things that we've been experiencing in just so much inconsistency," coach Jim Caldwell said.

"Typically we've been able to put back-to-back quarters together where we've played extremely well and string them along for game-after-game-after game. But we've been rather sporadic. Maybe one side of the ball is clicking and the other side is not. We know where we are after the first quarter (of the season). We're a .500 team. I don't believe that's who we are."

NOTES, QUOTES

• WR Reggie Wayne's 15 catches against Jacksonville were not only career single-game bests but also snapped the franchise record for receptions in a game. The old record (14) was shared by former Colts WR Marvin Harrison (twice in 1999, 2002) and TE Dallas Clark (2009).

  "I would have preferred catching five passes for 95 yards and winning rather than (setting individual and team single-game receiving record) and losing," said Wayne after the loss to the Jaguars.

• QB Peyton Manning and Wayne have now combined for 9,703 career yards, moving past Buffalo's Jim Kelly and Andre Reed (9,538) into second place on the NFL's all-time list for yards by a quarterback-receiver duo. Manning and Wayne now trail Manning and former Colts WR Marvin Harrison (12,766).
• Wayne's fourth-quarter fumble against the Jaguars was his first since the 2007 season opener with New Orleans.
• S Melvin Bullitt broke his right shoulder in Sunday's game, and he will undergo season-ending surgery. The operation will be performed within two weeks, and the Colts placed Bullitt on injured reserve. He had offseason surgery on the same shoulder.
• QB Peyton Manning has more completions (120), attempts (172) and yards passing (1,365) than in any other four-game start during his 13-year NFL career.
• RB Devin Moore was placed on injured reserve with an injury the team described as a brachial plexus problem. Weakness in the arm is the result of an injury to the nerves that control and supply the muscles of the shoulder. Moore was hurt on his second kickoff return at Jacksonville and did not return.
• RB Donald Brown's status for the Kansas City game won't be known until Friday or Saturday. Brown, who struggled with injuries as a rookie last year, missed the Jacksonville game after he was dinged up a week earlier at Denver.
• Rookie TE Brody Eldridge accepted the blame for not hanging onto the football as he tried to make a catch near the Jacksonville goal line, resulting in a tipped pass and the first interception of the year for QB Peyton Manning. Team president Bill Polian, however, credited the Jaguars with making a good play on the ball.
• WR Reggie Wayne wasn't happy with his fourth-quarter fumble in the Jaguars game. Wayne lost the ball as he was attempting to stretch for a first down. "I saw the first-down marker and knew we had just lost yards on (a sack of QB Peyton Manning)," Wayne said. "Just trying to get the first down so we could keep the chains moving, and that's normally what happens when you try to do too much."
• WR Austin Collie has slipped behind WR Reggie Wayne for the team lead in receptions. Collie, who has hauled in a touchdown pass in every game this season, had been the Colts' top receiver through the first three games. He now has 32 receptions for 398 and five touchdowns.
• S DaJuan Morgan might earn his first start since joining the Colts on Sept. 15. With Bob Sanders out indefinitely due to a torn biceps and Melvin Bullitt sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury, Morgan — who was released by the Chiefs — might just find himself in the starting lineup.
• S Brandon King is another option to start at strong safety with Melvin Bullitt out for the season. King, a rookie from Purdue, has been sidelined the past two weeks with a sore hamstring. He returned to practice Monday and said that he should be available to play against the Chiefs.
• With both RB Donald Brown and RB Devin Moore sidelined due to injuries, the Colts may decide to bring in another running back this week. The team worked out a pair of running backs a week ago — former Raiders RB Justin Fargas and ex-Texans RB Ryan Moats — but they weren't signed.
• Another potential roster addition is former Bills WR James Hardy. Hardy, who played collegiately at Indiana and grew up in Fort Wayne, was a second-round pick by Buffalo in 2008. He was released a month ago. He had a tryout Tuesday.
• C Jeff Saturday could be facing a hefty fine from the Colts' offensive line Kangaroo Court. Saturday was featured in an Indianapolis Star article a week ago, accompanied by a large color photo. According to OT Charlie Johnson, the secretary/recorder of the court, Saturday could be fined for "shameless self-promotion." All monies raised by such fines go directly to a Christmas gift fund for needy families in the Indianapolis area.

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