Wayne anything but brash

What’s nice about Reggie Wayne is there’s never a sniff of trouble from him.

No sombreros on the sideline. No sharpie in the socks. No sit-ups in the driveway. No sulking during practice. No demands of a trade, arguments with the coach, getting in the face of the quarterback or yelling at fans.

Sure, he jokily put on a hardhat and vest for his training-camp arrival last summer, to signify his desire to lead the Colts’ rebuilding project, but that was hardly harmful and he hasn’t made a peep of panache since.

It’s refreshing that one of the NFL’s marquee receivers – the one with arguably the best hands – can be so good while being uncontroversial.

This isn’t to say Wayne is boring. He’s anything but. He has fun during interviews, clearly enjoys the game and exudes cool.

But when it comes to playing football, he’s only about playing football, not being a showman, and that’s why he’s been so important to the Colts.

First of all, he’s productive. He’s tied for second in the NFL with 83 receptions. He’s fifth with 1,035 yards. His nine touchdowns are tied for third.

Almost more importantly, Wayne’s abilities have forced opposing teams to focus so much attention on him that it’s opened things up for Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie.

“That’s the beauty of it,” said Wayne, who learned the lesson of monopolizing coverage from former teammate Marvin Harrison.

“I can go to Peyton (Manning) on the sidelines and say, ‘You know what? They’ve been doubling me on certain plays.’ So, Peyton will send me on a nine-route just for the fun of it, and I’ll take two guys out of the picture. I do what I can. If I’m running a decoy route to get an extra guy out of the picture, then that’s what I have to do. That should be a positive for us. That’s how it goes.”

Heading into today’s game against Denver (8-4), the Colts are 12-0 and riding a 21-game regular-season winning streak, tied for the longest in NFL history. Yet Wayne’s production the last two weeks has been sparse. He has seven receptions for 67 yards and one touchdown in that span.

Think he cares? Think Randy Moss, Chad Ochocinco or Brandon Marshall would?

“You just stay focused and play ball. At some point in time, they’re going to call my name,” said Wayne, a three-time Pro Bowler in his ninth season out of Miami. “If you mope and complain and things of that nature, you’re not going to be ready for your opportunity.”

It’s too bad more wide receivers – the diva position in sports – aren’t as altruistic. But unselfishness is what has helped the Colts so much this season. Joseph Addai didn’t complain when Donald Brown was drafted. Tony Ugoh has taken his demotion from starting left tackle in stride. Kelvin Hayden didn’t mind playing second fiddle to rookie cornerbacks last week.

Wayne has led by example, instead of being an example of what’s wrong with so many receivers these days.

“He is a guy that understands what hard work is all about. I think he had that kind of work ethic before he arrived,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. “The guys all down there at the University of Miami all talk about Reggie Wayne’s work habits. They are legendary. He has not ceased that type of effort and commitment to excellence. … All I see is the same guy we saw when we first walked in the building. He is very, very effective with excellent hands. He is an all-around football player that loves the game.”

Click here to order Reggie Wayne’s proCane Rookie Card.



(journalgazette.com)