INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Jim Sorgi opened training camp with the toughest job of any Indianapolis player – replacing Peyton Manning.
By late August, he was back in his customary role as Manning’s forgotten backup.
Now, after nearly 20 weeks without taking a meaningful snap or answering questions, Sorgi is back in the spotlight preparing for his annual pre-playoff rebirth.
“Last year, it was the same type of situation,” he said Tuesday. “Peyton went a quarter and a half, and then the bullets starting flying. It (the preseason) was a long time ago, but it’s still fresh in your brain.”
The late-season calls have become almost as much a part of Sorgi’s Christmas ritual as opening gifts.
In five seasons with the Colts, he is 77-of-126 for 751 yards and six TDs. In regular-season finales, he is 44-of-79 for 443 yards and five TDs, and he’ll get another chance to improve those numbers Sunday against AFC South champion Tennessee.
Again, the Colts have nothing at stake in their final playoff tuneup.
1-4) and Titans (13-2) have already clinched playoff berths and locked up their postseason seeds, prompting Tony Dungy to revert to his philosophy of playing it safe. Dungy hasn’t said how long his starters will play or determined who would be held out other than linebacker Gary Brackett, who will miss his fourth straight game with a cracked bone in his lower right leg.
For Sorgi, that means it’s time to start working. He’ll get his first game action since Week 3 of the preseason, but probably no additional practice time.
“You want to keep going and practice well, so the starters will still probably take their regular reps,” Sorgi said. “And I’ve still got to learn primarily by watching, but you know you’re going to play.”
Some think being Manning’s backup is the best job in the NFL.
Dungy knows better.
With Manning, who has never missed a start, back to his usual self, the Colts have been rolling. They’ve won eight straight games and share the second-best record in the conference with AFC North champ Pittsburgh. Another victory would extend Indy’s NFL record of consecutive 12-win seasons to six, and the Colts haven’t been swept by a division foe since 2002.
But there are other intangibles at stake.
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So Sorgi’s task: Win with the backups and keep the momentum going.
Not so easy for someone who rarely plays.
“Being a backup quarterback is the toughest spot because you’ve got to prepare every week and you don’t usually get to play,” Dungy said. “Other guys, they usually at least get in there on special teams. But as a quarterback, you don’t even do that. So you can get a little rusty, and you can go a long time without playing and when you do go in, you’re expected to play well.”
At least, for Sorgi, it’s not a new experience.
Of his 14 career games, only five have come before December. He’s never logged a start and never been credited with an official victory.
From a personal perspective, Sorgi also has something to prove. His 3-year-old son, Jim III, will be watching his father at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time, a tape he’d like to pull out and replay when his son is a little older.
“He’s not really old enough to understand yet,” Sorgi said. “He knows I play for the Colts, so he just says ‘Go Colts.’ But it’s the first time he’ll actually get to see me play.”
Of course, Colts fans haven’t seen Sorgi do anything but chart plays and stroll the sideline since Aug. 17.
Sorgi can’t wait to get back out there.
“We want to beat them going into the playoffs,” he said. “I’m going to be out there with a lot of young guys and it’s going to be fast. So I’ve got to help slow it down, and speak clearly.”
And win.
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