Colts get back to work after taking break

INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Dungy spent a relaxing weekend watching football.\nNo need for the usual monotony of rushing to meetings, breaking down tapes or spending countless hours sifting through scouting reports.\nBut when he headed to the airport Sunday evening, with the New England-Dallas game still in progress, the Colts coach was already thinking about Indianapolis’ next big challenge Monday night at Jacksonville.\n“It was one of those fun times for me, and I got to see why people like football so much,” Dungy said Monday. “It’s nice to kick back and relax and not have that game preparation. Now we have to get ready for a big, big game.”\nThe schedule-makers did the Colts (5-0) a huge favor with setting up the bye week at a seemingly perfect time.\nFive starters and a key reserve missed last week’s Tampa Bay game, and taking the week off gave all but one of those players two full weeks to recover. Linebacker Rob Morris had season-ending knee surgery two weeks ago.\nOne of those expected back, former Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, the Colts’ defensive leader, pronounced himself fit to practice and play this week. Dungy believes the other four players – receiver Marvin Harrison (knee), running back Joseph Addai (shoulder), linebacker Freddy Keiaho (concussion) and tight end Ben Utecht (concussion)– will all play.\nIf they need a few more days rest, they’ll get it, because Dungy opted to go with his regular Monday night schedule. Players will take Tuesday and Wednesday off this week.\nAnd the best news of the weekend actually came Friday night when Dungy learned the truth about a rumor that Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning was in a traffic accident.\n“I did hear about that and, fortunately, I was warned early on it that was it wasn’t true,” Dungy said. “I’ve had that happen in other cases when you don’t know for sure if it’s true or not, so I’m glad it’s not.”\nNow it’s back to what the Colts do best, facing a significant challenge to extend their league-best 10-game winning streak that dates to last December.\nJacksonville (4-1) wants to be the team that ends the defending champions’ streak along with their grip on the AFC South lead.\nIf the recent history is any indication, the game will be tough and close.\nThe last time these teams met on Dec. 10, 2006, the Jaguars ran over the Colts for 375 yards in a 44-17 rout that remains etched in the memories of Indy players.\n“You do learn from that and we will go back in and watch that film to try and prevent what happened,” said Sanders, who missed that game with an injury. “It will be a big week for us, to see how this defense stands up against another good team.”\nThe flip side is that a Colts victory would again give them a virtual stranglehold on a fifth-straight division title.\nWith Tennessee at 3-2 and Houston at 3-3 and the Colts already having road wins over both, a victory over the Jaguars would give them a two-game cushion in the standings as well as the likelihood of holding the No. 1 tiebreaker against all three division foes.\n“We’ve got goals we want to reach, and we still have got to stay focused,” defensive tackle Raheem Brock said. “It’s a big game for us and we’ve got to be professionals about it.”\nThe Colts insist that while the week off was a welcome break, they also appear to have learned how to handle breaks.\nA year ago, Indy won four straight after the bye. In 2005, the Colts won six straight after two weeks off.\nYet in 2004, after opening 4-1, the Colts lost two straight after the bye, the first being a 27-24 decision at home against, yes, Jacksonville.\nDungy is worried about other things, too.\n“We’ll have about three practices in seven or eight days, so you’re always a little concerned about sharpness,” he said.\nBut with so many veterans and so much momentum building, the Colts don’t intend to let a little rest and relaxation get in the way of their quest to win another championship.\n“That’s what you’ve got to do,” Brock said. “You try to relax and heal up a little bit. Now we’ve got to get back into the swing of things. You’ve got to get yourselves prepared for the next part of the season, because it is a long season.”