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- Mar 19, 2019
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» Side throwing sessions before training camp helped Pascal get on the same page with Philip Rivers: We're often reminded of the fact that the Colts, and every other NFL team, didn't get a true offseason workout program this year; the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, led to the utilization of virtual meetings, while players mostly had to figure out the workout and positional drills aspect on their own.
With the Colts signing a new starting quarterback this offseason in Rivers, the team lost out on some crucial early opportunities just to simply get out on the field and toss the ball around to start the process of getting in sync with each other. But once training camp started getting closer, and once Rivers finally was able to make the move to Indy, that all began to change.
Rivers not only headed up a three-day players-only "minicamp" in June away from the Colts' facility, but he also made sure to have other side throwing sessions with the various pass catchers who were already in town, one of whom was Pascal.
Now more than a week into training camp, Pascal said those sessions have paid dividends.
"It's been real good. During the offseason, we had a couple throwing sessions — me and Phil. A lot of guys, we kind of linked up and got some throwing sessions in," Pascal said. "It was kind of the same offense that Phil and Frank (Reich) had back in the day so it just all gelled together. A couple routes in and we got our timing down. It's been pretty cool especially during the offseason when we were able to get that timing good."
» With health, the Colts' wide receiver corps has every weapon you could ever want: Speed, quickness, size, flexibility, smarts, route-running ability — the Colts have it at the wide receiver position. Staying healthy is the key, however.
Last year, the Colts also had plenty of promise at the wide receiver position heading into the season, but several key contributors, including T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell and Devin Funchess, would have to sit out a significant portion of the season as they dealt with various injuries. When they were able to play, especially Hilton and Campbell, they just weren't able to get any sort of consistent momentum going their way.
So while injuries are unpredictable by nature — and simply unavoidable in a contact sport like football — one would hope they wouldn't ravage the same Colts position group again this year. And if that ends up being the case, watch out, Pascal said.
"It's been really fun," Pascal said. "A lot of guys are healthy now so you get to see guys make plays and continue doing what they've been doing like T.Y., and I saw Parris Campbell making a couple plays. It's good to see all the guys back healthy. We all have different skillsets, so we could be very valuable to the offense and have different weapons doing different things. It's been looking real good lately."
Pascal definitely showed he could step up his game last year when Hilton, the team's top receiver, was out of the lineup. After more than 600 yards receiving and five touchdowns in 2019, Pascal remains focused on his consistency as a solid all-around wide receiver.
"Just consistency, being able to go from one play, make a big play and next play make another big play, then making a right block on this play and not getting tired of doing the dirty work," Pascal said when asked what he wants his next step to be. "Just continuing to grow, continuing to learn from T.Y., but also bring on the other guys and just being a better teammate. This year that's kind of just my focus."