Indianapolis, IN
5 things to watch as Colts starters face Bengals backups in preseason finale
![5 things to watch as Colts starters face Bengals backups in preseason finale 5 things to watch as Colts starters face Bengals backups in preseason finale](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/images/smg/2024/08/20/SMGW/74880069007-USATSI_23954936-e1724191616524_1.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=2499,1407,x0,y80&format=pjpg&width=1200)
CINCINNATI — A chance to see the Colts starting lineup get extended action has finally arrived.
Indianapolis is planning to play its starters for roughly a quarter and a half in Thursday’s preseason finale in Cincinnati, an 8 p.m. kickoff against the Bengals that will be televised on WXIN-59 and Amazon Prime.
The matchup should be interesting.
The Colts and Bengals have already squared off, practicing against each other with Paycor Stadium looming in the background Tuesday, and both offenses left the practice field wanting more.
But the two teams are planning to treat the preseason finale differently, a development that must be kept in mind when the preseason game kicks off Thursday night.
Colts camp observations: Richardson, offense go from bad to sharp vs. Bengals trash talk
Colts camp observations: Defense holds Joe Burrow, Bengals offense scoreless
How do Colts starters handle Bengals backups?
Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen believes his starters need to see significant game action, considering there will be 17 days between Thursday night’s preseason game and the Sept. 8 season opener against the Texans.
“We’ve got to get the players ready to roll,” Steichen said. “Go out there and play, get that game-like experience before, obviously, Week 1 gets here.”
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor is taking a different approach.
Bengals starters will not play against Indianapolis, marking the second consecutive preseason game that Cincinnati holds its starting lineup out of action. Because of Taylor’s decision, the Indianapolis starters will get their work against Cincinnati’s second and third-teamers, a development that puts pressure on both Colts units to perform.
Anthony Richardson’s accuracy
Richardson’s performance in the passing game has been up and down since Indianapolis started playing other NFL teams.
The second-year starting quarterback struggled against Denver in the preseason opener and started slow in Tuesday’s joint practice against Cincinnati, sandwiching those performances around an efficient, big-play pair of joint practices with the Cardinals, the only blemish coming when rains in Westfield turned into a downpour.
Richardson will likely be playing with one hand tied behind his back on Thursday; the Colts likely do not want to call a bunch of quarterback runs, considering the potential for injury.
Colts news: Why Colts fans shouldn’t worry about Anthony Richardson’s play in the preseason
But even if Indianapolis isn’t running its full offense, the Colts would like to see an efficient, accurate Richardson attacking the Cincinnati secondary on Thursday night. Indianapolis might build its offense around his dual-threat skills in the regular season, but he’s still going to need to make throws on a consistent basis for the Colts to get where they want to go.
Secondary opportunities
Uncertainty remains in the Indianapolis defensive backfield, the only position group where a clear group of starters has not been solidified.
Presumably, former second-round pick JuJu Brents will start at cornerback next to Kenny Moore II and Jaylon Jones when the regular season begins, but Brents has seen limited preseason action due to injuries to his shoulder and nose. Brents did not practice against Cincinnati on Tuesday; Dallis Flowers has struggled at times in training camp, but it is fair to wonder if Brents’ lack of availability has left an opening for Flowers to earn early playing time in the regular season.
But cornerback is far more settled than the safety position.
After weeks of playing Nick Cross at free safety, the Colts moved Cross to strong safety and shifted Julian Blackmon to free safety in the joint practice against the Bengals, at least when Indianapolis wasn’t playing Blackmon at strong safety and Rodney Thomas II at free safety with the starters. Nearly a month into training camp, Steichen acknowledged the Colts are not set at safety.
“We’re looking at all that stuff right now,” Steichen said. “The guy that makes the most plays here (will start). … We’ll make that decision when it needs to be made.”
One complicating factor?
Cincinnati’s top two quarterbacks, Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, will not play on Thursday, leaving Logan Woodside to test the Indianapolis starters.
Running back race
Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull have a lot at stake Thursday.
The two young backs have been competing for the No. 3 running back role, a position that could be elevated to the primary backup spot early in the season, depending on the prognosis of Trey Sermon’s hamstring injury.
From the outside, the battle appears to be close.
Goodson has 13 carries for 50 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason; Hull has 12 carries for 42 yards and a score. Hull has two catches for 20 yards in the preseason; Goodson has 2 catches for a single yard. Goodson got the first snaps against the Cardinals last week, but Hull took plenty of first-team reps in the joint practice against Arizona.
And the battle might be for more than just the No. 3 running back spot.
If Sermon is expected to be healthy by the start of the regular season, Goodson and Hull might be competing for a spot on the 53-man roster, depending on the team’s needs at other spots.
Injury instability
No one likes to acknowledge the threat of injury.
The Colts would like to get through this game healthy, then make their roster decisions without too many meetings with the medical staff.
But the reality is that injuries in the preseason finale often make the team’s 53-man decisions for them. When third-year tight end Jelani Woods suffered a significant toe injury that will require surgery against Arizona last Saturday, a cloudy picture at tight end likely became much more clear. On the other side of the coin, Raekwon Davis’s return from high blood pressure issues this week puts the focus on a trio of defensive tackles — Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson — competing for what might be just one spot.
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Indianapolis, IN
IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory'
![IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory' IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory'](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/21/August-20th-Indianapolis-Animal-Care-Services-Board-Meeting-attendees.jpg)
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Aug. 20 Indianapolis Animal Care Services Board Meeting was contentious.
The tension was caused by a policy change that prohibits adoption coordinators from running criminal background checks on potential adopters through MyCase, the statewide public court records database.
Kelly Diamond, IACS deputy director, said Tuesday the MyCase checks will not return and called the practice discriminatory.
“As far as the MyCase, It’s not coming back,” Diamond said. “Just by the mere fact that people of color are more likely to have records on there, that by itself is discrimination. It introduces biases for things that are not related to a person’s ability to be a good pet owner.”
Diamond refused two times to speak to News 8 in a one-on-one interview to clarify the old policy or provide additional context.
Two IACS employees were recently fired for going against this change, continuing to look, and in some cases, block adoptions from being approved based on the background checks.
News 8 first reported this story on Aug. 7.
Kylee Fox was the first woman to be fired. She said that, to her knowledge, the initial policy told employees to check every potential adopter for any of the following charges:
- Animal cruelty charges within the last three years
- Murder
- Sex offenses
- Domestic violence
- Neglect of a dependent
- Strangulation
She said she felt this put everyone on an equal playing field.
Fox admitted to checking potential pet adopters for a history of animal neglect and cruelty knowing it was against policy. She told News 8 she continued to do background checks after learning a couple with five animal cruelty or abandonment violations readopted their dog after IACS officials confiscated it.
“We expressed our concerns that we felt more like dog distributors because there’s no fees, there’s no background checks,” Fox said.
Makenna Chiddister is another IACS employee fired for checking MyCase, despite telling the shelter she didn’t break the policy.
“I did know Kylee was doing it. I do think it’s something we should do, but I personally didn’t check MyCase,” Chiddister said. “I was fired based on hearsay.”
The two want to see the policy reinstated.
Both of the women attended Tuesday night’s meeting, and many supporters joined them.
“These animals need to have better protection for them so I will continue to try and get this policy reinstated because the vast majority of the public wants it brought back,” Fox said.
Diamond told the crowd that IACS now instructs employees to use Chameleon before an adoption.
Chameleon is an internal Animal Care Services system. It covers Marion County, but only contains data that animal control officers input, according to Fox.
The MyCase system is statewide and has all criminal charges available.
Fox and Chiddister say they believe the policy was removed to help the shelter improve its “live release” numbers without considering if the adopters were fit to be pet owners.
IACS Board Member Chris Roberson also declined two interview requests after the meeting. News 8 was unable to speak to the other board members.
News 8 was unable to find the names or contact information of any of the board members online to contact them to gain further understanding of the policy and situation.
Indianapolis, IN
Here’s when the Indianapolis Colts picked quarterback Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft
![Here’s when the Indianapolis Colts picked quarterback Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft Here’s when the Indianapolis Colts picked quarterback Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/04/28/PIND/4fbb1c53-653d-4bfb-9220-ef9b4f420bbd-1485896672.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4307,2423,x0,y646&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Anthony Richardson is the second-year quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. The 22-year-old didn’t get a lot of playing time as a rookie as he suffered injuries in Week 2 (which kept him out the following week) and Week 5 (which ended his season).
His intriguing mix of throwing and running ability − and a breakaway threat at running back in Jonathan Taylor − has Colts coach Shane Steichen creating a scheme that opposing defense won’t be able to deal with. However, injuries have interrupted Richardson throughout his career and his completion percentage at all levels has been low by today’s standards.
The Colts narrowly missed winning the AFC South in 2023 and they are eager to challenge for the playoffs with a full year of Richardson behind center.
When was Anthony Richardson drafted?
The Colts selected No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He was the third quarterback selected. The Carolina Panthers picked Alabama’s Bryce Young first overall, and the Houston Texans picked Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud second. Houston also had the No. 3 pick and took Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said a few days after the draft that had Young, Stroud and Richardson been taken in the top three, the Colts would have selected former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis at No. 4. The Tennessee Titans took him with the first pick in the second round, No. 33 overall.
Anthony Richardson’s contract
Richardson has a four-year, $34 million rookie contract, according to Spotrac, all of it guaranteed from 2023-26. The Colts hold an option for the 2027 season.
Here is how much Richardson counts toward the Colts’ salary cap through 2026:
2022: $6.18 million
2024: $7.73 million, 24th among NFL QBs this season
2025: $9.27 million
2026: $10.82 million
Anthony Richardson back tattoo
Richardson went all in on a back tattoo: His last name, the NFL logo, four aces, a roulette wheel, a lion, a cross, a Spartan warriors. And there’s plenty of ink on his arms, too.
The second-year player said he spent much of 7 hours sedated while getting full back artwork during the offseason. The tat includes his last name, the NFL shield, a lion’s face, four aces and much more.
Richardson said he got hassled a little for going under sedation. However: “I’ve been getting tattoos since I was 13, so I did my time there.”
Richardson told Pat McAfee earlier this week that he has space for a Lombardi trophy tattoo, for when the Colts win the Super Bowl.
Richardson’s first tattoo? Praying hands, done by an uncle in his living room. (Richardson said his uncle is a tattoo artist.)
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Airport reports record-breaking traffic in 2024
INDIANAPOLIS — The numbers are in, and the Indianapolis Airport Authority is reporting record-breaking passenger traffic for the first half of 2024.
According to reports, more than 5.2 million people traveled through the Indianapolis International Airport from January through June.
“First and second quarter data show us that we’re tracking at 10-percent higher in passenger travel than in 2023 and 2019,” said Mario Rodriguez, IAA executive director. “In fact, five out of the 10 busiest days in the airport’s history have occurred in 2024 so far, and four were from 2023.”
At the beginning of the year, much of the traffic was driven by the NBA All-Star game in February and a busy Spring Break travel season.
WRTV
The airport says March 2024 was IND’s busiest month of all time, with a total of 967,597 passengers.
May kicked off the summer travel season with a 12 percent increase in traffic compared to 2023. More than 967,360 passengers made it the second-busiest month of all time. The days surrounding the Indianapolis 500 had the most traffic.
However, June takes IND’s busiest-month ever title, with 995,139 total passengers. The numbers were boosted by the Olympic hopefuls and swimming fans that visited for the Olympic Swim Trials.
The top three busiest months of all time at IND are now June, March, and May 2024.
“We’re confident the Indy airport will hit double digits with a record 10 million total passengers for the year,” said Rodriguez. “The real question is when it will happen.”
Indy airport officials say they are preparing for another record-breaking Fall Break travel season and holiday travel to cap off 2024.
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