Earlier this week, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said that wide receiver Austin Collie, recovering from his fourth concussion in less than two years, was “full go” in practice and that his chances of playing against the Bears looked good.
Collie’s continued to practice and Pagano said Wednesday that nothing had changed in terms of getting Collie on the field. Collie met with the media on Thursday and sounded a bit less confident that he’s going to be in the lineup on Sunday. He said there wasn’t a “definite timetable” for his return and referred to himself as “day-to-day” when asked about the likelihood of playing.
“Like I said, it’s day-to-day. It’s up to the doctors. It’s up to the coaches. Whatever the doctors say, whatever the coaches say, I’m going to obey. I’m going to do as they say,” Collie said in comments distributed by the team. “I’m really not focused about that right now. I’m not focused about Sunday or what’s going to happen. What I’m focused on now is just getting better today.”
Unless Pagano is trying to engage in some gamesmanship with the Bears about preparing for Collie’s presence, his opinion on the matter seems pretty clear. That would leave the doctors, who may need to still sign off on Collie, who has switched helmets after the latest concussion, graduating from the practice field to the active roster on Sunday.