MUC’s Garcon in Colts’ WR mix

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Marvin Harrison gained nearly 15,000 yards receiving in 13 years with the Indianapolis Colts.

The top three candidates to replace him have five catches for 32 yards in the NFL.

The Colts released Harrison during the offseason, leaving Roy Hall, Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie the front-runners to fill his void. With Reggie Wayne having moved into the No. 1 role and Anthony Gonzalez into Harrison’s old position, the competition to be No. 3 will carry into Friday’s preseason opener against Minnesota.

Garcon, a second-year player from Mount Union, had four catches for 23 yards last season. Collie, a fourth-round draft pick, made 106 catches for 1,538 yards and 15 TDs as a junior at BYU.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell is confident that both can produce.

“Austin is a guy that has good spatial awareness and is certainly getting a feel for the slot, but obviously he could possibly play outside,” Caldwell said. “Certainly, Pierre is a guy who can stretch the field for you, who can get down the field and really threaten defenses deep. Nevertheless, he also has enough talent to work the intermediate routes as well.”

Hall has one catch in two seasons with the team. The Ohio State product has been limited to seven NFL games because of injuries, missing 12 games last year with a bad knee.

The lack of experience at receiver has prompted quarterback Peyton Manning to spend extra time preparing for the season. He spent an hour following the afternoon practice Tuesday with a group of young players that included Garcon, Collie and rookie running back Donald Brown.

Garcon primarily has been a special-teams player who returned 22 kickoffs for 475 yards last season. He’s excited about the opportunity to start or earn significant playing time.

“It’s what you work for all your life,” he said, “to have a great chance to have an impact on a team.”

Garcon’s advantages are his size, speed and experience. He’s had a year to get used to the extensive playbook and Manning’s hand gestures at the line of scrimmage.

“I’m a lot more comfortable with the system, going a lot faster than I was last year, getting a lot more mental and actual reps,” he said.