INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts are back to full strength in time for their Monday Night showdown in Jacksonville.
Four starters were inactive for the game against Tampa Bay on Oct. 7, including wide receiver Marvin Harrison, running back Joseph Addai and safety Bob Sanders. Dungy said before Thursday's practice that he expects all of them to play against the Jaguars.
"We seem to be healthy," Dungy said. "We're as good as we can be, I think."
On Friday Dungy said Harrison ran some pass routes and did individual work, and he is much further along than he was last week.
"My sense is, if I were a betting man, I'd say he'd probably go," Dungy said.
If Harrison misses Monday's game, it would mark the first time since he has missed consecutive starts since the final four games of the 1998 season.
A week off helped the Colts heal, and they hope it will be a factor in their quest to remain unbeaten.
"We got some guys back healthy, and we had a couple of practices last week," quarterback Peyton Manning said. "We certainly hope to keep the same momentum we had before the bye week."
Against Tampa Bay, Harrison was inactive with a bruised left knee, Addai was out with a bruised shoulder, Sanders was inactive with injured ribs and linebacker Freddy Keiaho was out with a concussion.
Another key contributor, H-back Ben Utecht, missed the Tampa Bay game with a concussion.
"It seems like it's been a long time since we've been preparing for a game," he said. "It's a big game for us. Division lead at stake, on Monday night. I think our guys are excited."
Most of the damage to the Indianapolis lineup was done in a 38-20 win against Denver in Week 4.
Harrison, an eight-time Pro Bowl receiver who ranks fourth on the NFL's career receptions chart, bruised his left knee when Denver linebacker D.J. Williams rolled sideways into his leg while tackling Addai late in the first quarter. Harrison spent the final 2 1/2 quarters in the locker room.
The NFL schedule is now in Week 7, and we still have two undefeated teams and two teams without a win.
Last year, the Bears and Colts hit the 7-0 mark at this point but we had no teams after Week 7 with a goose egg in the win column (the Raiders were 0-6 before a Week 7 win over the Cardinals). Will the Dolphins and or Rams finally get a win this weekend? The Fish play the Patriots and the Rams travel to Seattle, so it looks tough for both teams. Full story ...
Addai, last year's top rookie rusher, couldn't finish the Denver game after taking a hard shot to his right shoulder. Afterward Dungy said Addai could have returned but was kept out because the Colts were firmly in control.
Sanders, a former Pro Bowl safety, injured his ribs during the first half against Denver, and Dungy said team doctors instructed him not to play Sanders in the second half.
Utecht's concussion also came in the Denver game.
Keiaho started the season opener against New Orleans, then dislocated his right elbow the next week against Tennessee. He came back for the following game against Houston, but the elbow hadn't fully healed. The time off helped that, too.
"My body feels great right now," he said. "Having those weeks off helped my elbow get really strong. It's almost 100 percent."
Keiaho had to take a test after his concussion to see if he was able to play, and passed on his third try.
"It was a lot harder when I first took it, then I took it two more times and it got easier and easier," he said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.
