Is Reggie Wayne back? It took one play to answer that question

DENVER — The Indianapolis Colts weren't able to finish the job Sunday night at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, but Reggie Wayne finished.

And that, in the end, was one of the primary objectives of the team's relentless and rehabbed receiver.

In his first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury Oct. 20 against these same Denver Broncos, Wayne made up for lost time. He finished with nine catches for 98 yards.

But again, the important aspect was he finished.

"Just to finish the game, show my teammates that I was back out there,'' Wayne said after the Colts' 31-24 loss to Denver. "Like I've been saying, I don't have anything else to prove to anybody else.

"I just wanted to show my teammates I was ready to go in the foxhole with them, go back out there and go to battle. I wanted to finish the game and that's what I was able to do.''

Wayne dealt with pregame jitters, but started quickly. On the Colts' first offensive snap, quarterback Andrew Luck found a crossing Wayne for a 22-yard completion.

"It was good to have Reggie back,'' Luck said.

Added coach Chuck Pagano: "It's like the Reggie of old. We didn't have to monitor how many plays here or there.

"He just went out and played. It was great.''

Wayne, 35 and in his 14th season, continued to establish milestones. He's now had a catch in 191 games, setting a club record he had shared with Marvin Harrison. He had at least three receptions for the 72nd consecutive game, extending his own NFL record.

All that was missing was a suitable closing kick. With the Colts in furious comeback mode but facing a fourth-and-6 at the Denver 39 with 1:57 remaining, Wayne was unable to gather in a Luck pass.

Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby was credited with a defended pass on the play. It appeared Roby might have jostled Wayne before the football arrived, causing Wayne to slip.

"Yeah, let's just say I slipped,'' Wayne said with a wry smile and not interested in drawing a fine from the NFL for questioning an official's non-call. "I've gotta keep my feet. I (usually) catch that ball. That's something we work on every day.''

As stirring a return as Wayne enjoyed, he forced Colts fans to hold their collective breath midway through the third quarter. He went down awkwardly, twisting his right knee. Wayne trotted to the bench for a play, then returned.

Was he concerned?

"Yeah, man. (But) it held up,'' Wayne said. "It scared me more than anything. It kind of aggravated it a little bit but I was able to tough it out.''

Wayne noted he's not the most flexible player on the team.

"When your leg goes back like that and my heel touches my butt, that's going to hurt regardless good knee, bad knee, anything,'' he said. "It kind of woke the knee up a little bit.''

Wayne considered the season-opening loss a bittersweet moment. Being dropped into a 24-0 second-quarter hole by the defending AFC champions was discouraging.

The second half comeback, though, once again revealed the Colts' resilient nature.

"I know what we're capable of doing,'' he said. "I know what kind of team we have. As you can see, no one gave up. Everybody continued to fight.
"That's what we've always done.'


(usatoday.com)