--Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount and his family were interested spectators during a recent Colts training camp practice.

Blount, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a 1989 inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is a former teammate of Colts coach Tony Dungy with the Steelers. Dungy, who joined the Steelers as a rookie when Blount was already well established as one of the NFL's best defensive players, wound up serving as the Steelers' defensive backfield coach during Blount's final year in the league.

"Got a special treat with one of my buddies here. So it was a fun day for me," Dungy said. "Mel just came, wanted to see practice and see the (Rose-Hulman) facility. And so I said if you're going to be in the area, I'd love for you to talk to the guys.

"I really had him talk about, not necessarily going back-to-back (as Super Bowl champions), which (Pittsburgh) did a couple times. But really more about what it takes to stay at the top and what it takes to be the best at your position for 14 years. How to do that and how important practice is. He said all the things probably that I've been saying. It just was a little more impressively done."

--Rookie wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is continuing in his quest to learn Indianapolis' intricate offense, which relies on the ability of quarterback Peyton Manning to make last second changes (such as plays, line blocking or pass routes) at the line of scrimmage.

It's tough enough for veteran receivers to pick up every nuance of Manning's line calls in a quick fashion. For a first year player like Gonzalez, it can be downright daunting. Just when the team's number one draft pick thinks he's got some of Manning's hand signals or verbiage figured out, the two-time league MVP will throw something else at him.

"He'd better get used to that. Peyton likes to change things as we go and keep everybody on their toes. Anthony is a quick study, he's picking it up well. But you can be here six years and not have it all down," Dungy said.

--Even though Reggie Wayne is currently ranked among the best receivers in the National Football League, it's not all that hard for him to feel some empathy for what a rookie like Anthony Gonzalez is going through right now.

After all, they've both followed pretty similar paths in trying to earn a job with the Indianapolis Colts.

Wayne was the Colts' first-round selection in 2001, but it took him at least a year to begin feeling somewhat comfortable in understanding the team's intricate offensive system.

That is why, seven years after he first entered the NFL, he would prefer to sit back and watch Gonzalez, Indianapolis' 2007 first-round draft pick, learn things in his own time and at his own pace.

"Well, you know, I've kind of been taking it easy on him," Wayne said. "He's got about a million things probably being thrown at him. Once he kind of starts getting a little comfortable (with the offense), I'll probably give him something.

"But I just feel like there's no sense in me looking to tell him something. And then you've got (Colts receivers coach) Clyde Christensen telling him something, then you've got (offensive coordinator) Tom Moore and then you've got Peyton. It's like you're in a calculus class, you know? But once he gets a little comfortable, and then I'll start giving him the ins-and-outs unless he asks me something."

--Freddy Keiaho, a third-round draft pick last year, is coming along nicely as he takes over as the Colts' starting weak side linebacker. Former starter Cato June signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March.

"Freddy's doing fine. Still very, very early. Freddy is going to be a good player for us. So far he is adjusting well and relaxing. That's the big thing he's going to have to do. He's another guy that plays with high energy and plays fast. The biggest thing for him is just to slow down and be patient and let the game come to him," the Indianapolis coach said.

--Second-year cornerback T.J. Rushing was drafted, primarily, to be Indianapolis' primary kickoff and punt returner. Injuries and the sudden reemergence of Terrence Wilkins a year ago limited Rushing's chances to as a return specialist.

But with Wilkins gone (he wasn't re-signed after the 2006 season), Rushing has been impressive in camp thus far both as a kick returner and as a cornerback. He is currently making a push to be among the Colts' cornerback rotation.

"T.J.'s played very well at corner for us. Really made some big improvement," Dungy said. "I know he wants to play at cornerback. But he came here as a return guy/corner not as a corner/return guy. So we know what he can do. In the times that he returned for us last year, he did really well. So we chose not to bring Terrence Wilkins back because of the confidence we had in T.J."

--If there was one area in which the Colts needed to display some improvement over last year, with the exception of the leaky regular-season run defense, is in kickoff and punt coverage.

"We know we've got to improve. We've worked on our coverage units, a little bit of kickoff return. But mainly punt coverage and kickoff coverage. It's an area of emphasis and we've got some new guys that we think are going to help us," Dungy said.

--Rookie cornerback Daymeion Hughes has decided he wants to be called by his middle name, Dante.

Hughes was the Colts' third-round draft pick from California this past spring.

--Former NFL quarterback Frank Reich is spending his summer with the Colts as an intern coach. He is working with assistant head coach Jim Caldwell and the quarterbacks.

Reich spent 14 seasons in the NFL, the first nine with the Buffalo Bills. He's best known for directing the biggest comeback in league playoff history, a 41-38 Bills overtime win over the Houston Oilers in a 1992-93 AFC wild-card game. Buffalo trailed 35-3 early in the third quarter.

--Indianapolis also signed a pair of free agents, defensive end Noland Burchette and wide receiver Aaron Brown. Burchette is a 6-foot-2, 259-pound rookie defensive lineman who played at Virginia Tech. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Atlanta. Brown is a 6-3, 212-pound rookie receiver who played at New Hampshire. He was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by Buffalo.

--The Colts have claimed former Clemson cornerback Duane Coleman off waivers from the Buffalo Bills.

Coleman, who began his collegiate career as a running back, was undrafted after the 2006 college football season but signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. He was recently waived by the Bills.

Indianapolis has released rookie defensive tackle Quintin Echols and second-year center Albert Bimper. Bimper spent some time a year ago on the Colts' practice roster.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's a little hard to believe. Really just above and beyond what I expected. And really just a blessing from the Lord. But I think, in some ways, I think people want to read some positive stuff and not necessarily hear about all the negative. So maybe it was just good timing that it came out when it did. No, no, certainly not. It's just something that was a one-time thing. It just seemed to be the right time. And to be honest, I was hoping that by now we'd have that behind us and wouldn't be talking about it much. But it's done well. It was a fun project, but it's really time to look at just concentrating on football. I've been a little surprised by the response. We talked to someone from one of the bookstores and they were trying to decide where to put (the book). Whether it should be in the African-American section, religion, sports, biography, or what. I think that's probably a good thing." -- Colts coach Tony Dungy on his book "Quiet Strength" being No. 1 on the New York Times' nonfiction bestseller list.

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