He’s listed as a cornerback, but that’s a pretty narrow classification.
If it weren’t for his dual threat abilities, the Colts may have very well passed over Ray Fisher instead of picking him up with their last pick of the NFL Draft last Saturday.
“I love playing special teams,” said the former Indiana Hoosier-and that’s exactly what the Colts wanted to hear.
While Fisher figures to get his chance to compete to backup Kelvin Hayden, Jacob Lacey and Jarraud Powers come this summer, its the help in the return game that might give this athletic player a chance to contribute right away to this Colts team.
“What player doesn’t want to go out there and play all game?,” asked Fisher, and he answered in the affirmative during his time in Bloomington.
Before getting injured against Iowa in November of 2009, Fisher was a regular starter at cornerback, accumulating 40 tackles with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Where he did significant damage, however, was on kickoffs where he returned 17 of them for 635 yards, giving him a nation-leading average of 37.4 yards per return.
Among those returns were two touchdowns-a 91-yard return on the opening kickoff at Akron and then a 93-yard scamper at Northwestern.
“If I can get into the open, I don’t think anyone can catch me,” said Fisher, and that is something the Colts could use on the kickoff teams.
For a team that has had few flaws over the past few seasons it would be in the kick return game. Sans a 93-yard return for a score by Chad Simpson, the unit was quiet throughout the season, averaging 22.2 yards per kick return, good enough for 18th in the NFL.
With Simpson gone for the 2010 season, the Colts are looking for a way to improve immediately.
“We’re not looking for a guy that is going to run back eight kick returns (for touchdowns) because it is not going to happen, but we are looking to improve upon where we are, ” said head coach Jim Caldwell of the kick return game. “We just need to get the ball consistently out past the 20 (yard line). ThatÂ’s what we’d like to do. We’re just pushing to get a little above the norm.”
That figures to put Fisher into the kick return mix when training camp opens up in Terre Haute, but this former Hoosier says he understands that special teams at the pro level are much different than in college.
“I think I have a chance to be a kick returner but I’ve still got to do it on the field and off the field,” said Fisher. “So I’ve still got a little bit of ways to go.”
according to fox59.com
