:D I don't think Colts would just make that up...bet they have a source!

So who reported the back injury? I see Chappell and Holder attached to it and they are typically solid.

Doesn't necessarily mean JT is lying, but... If JT is being honest, that would mean a dishonest leak from the Colts... but what do the Colts stand to gain by making JT look worse at this point?

I can't think of a reason, which makes me lean toward believing the back injury is real.

Well, Mike Chappell is confident enough in his source that he wrote an article on this recent news with the back injury...

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After the Colts ended their offseason work in mid-June, they preferred Taylor remain in Indy while completing his rehab from surgery in January on his right ankle. His rehab forced him to miss all of the on-field work.

But Taylor opted to prepare for training camp by working out with his associates in Arizona.

The bottom line: the Colts clearly were aware of the ankle situation, but Taylor never mentioned a back injury until he reported to Grand Park Sports Complex for his pre-camp physical, according to the source.

Until that time, the team fully expected Taylor to be full-go for camp.
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I hate to say it, but I just don't believe JT. Chap's always been good.

I gotta put a little different perspective on this.

If JT says he doesn't have a back injury then I believe him.

Colts would be stupid to put the NFI tag on JT if he was working out to get better and healthier, to play this upcoming season. Don't burn you're fuckin' bridges until the have to be burned.

I do also believe that JT has probably volunteered to be the RB to fall on the sword for the cause. Too bad, cause it ain't going to work out.

The Colts won't even sniff a 2nd round pick for JT in a trade. Whether it's true or not JT is viewed as damaged goods in the NFL. Not because of the drama and hoopla, but coming off injury and then another (reported, but unsubstantiated injury) makes him almost untradeable.

Also in 40+ years of covering the Colts, how many scoops did Chappy really ever have?

You could be right about JT and I couldn't say what Chap has ever broken (don't usually pay attention). As far as I'm aware both he and Stephen Holder have pretty good reputations and both seem to have independently reported the same thing.

Never had JT out to be anything other than a good dude. But he at the very least has some people in his ear that have made him turn heel faster than any player I can think of outside Luck.

Somebody is lying in a significant way. That's quite a story to make up (Colts source) or to deny (Taylor). I can understand JT denying it if it's true. But I don't really understand what the Colts gain by making up the story so I lean toward believing it. I'm sure I could be overlooking something, why do you think?

Let him rot on the bench and ruin his career like Le'Veon Bell did. I've always liked Taylor, and he's good, but he isn't as good as Bell was. Fuck him. Can Moss catch and block? New HC and OC, new offense, new RB in a new role. We move on, Taylor sits and wastes a year. Good luck with that.

Yeah, I can’t imagine the Colts would make something like that up out of the blue.

Chap wouldn't make that up in my opinion...a reliable source has told him that JT was complaining of back pain when he reported. My guess is he or his agent figured out later that he may have screwed up telling that, so they have changed their story. I guess it is also possible that the source is lying but Chap is just reporting what he was told. Just my two cents!

I'm not saying that Chappy or Holder are making shit up. Just that their sources might have part of the story right, but have fucked up on the details of who said what. Other than Irsay the Colts have always been very tight lipped. This is not coming from the Colts.

JT is under contract on a rookie deal, that frankly because of last season, he has not surpassed.

He would not get much more on the open market than his $4 million that he is making this season. He needs to play and perform this season to ever achieve the contract he desires.

Colts are already taking a media mud bath over this incident, it would be suicide to just make this up- somewhere he has said something to the training staff about a back problem- again as noted, probably as part of this grand scheme, and probably orchestrated by this new agent as part of the contract strategy. Soooo, there's a paper trail or the Colts wouldn't even attempt to go this route, and that paper trail will completely FUCK JT's chances of landing a trade.

Dude, call up your dude and tell him he's fired. That is your ONLY chance at salvaging your chances at getting paid in accordance with your position going forward. Unbelievable.