Ross Gives Indianapolis Benefit of Doubt, More

Someone should tell Charger Coach Bobby Ross his team is playing the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, not the Miami Dolphins or San Francisco 49ers.

“They have become a pretty good football team,” Ross said Monday of the Colts, 3-2. “They’re complete.”

Complete?

The Colts’ offense is ranked 27th in the NFL and scored only six points in a overtime victory over the New York Jets last Sunday. Their running game is last in the NFL.

“They’re starting, in my opinion, to get things totally and completely together as an offensive football team,” said Ross, who noted that Colts running back Anthony Johnson ran for 75 yards against the Jets.

After losing two of their first three games, the Colts have won two in a row. That has Ross worried.

“The thing that concerns you the most is they’re winning,” he said. “They’ve gotten two straight come-from behind wins. That is a tremendous lift to them confidence-wise.”

Ross said it’s no coincidence that the Colts’ last two victories have come since quarterback Jeff George returned after missing the first three weeks of the season with an injury.

“Jeff George makes a world of difference to their football team offensively,” he said. “He’s one of the premier young quarterbacks in this league.”

Ross also is concerned with a Colts defense that ranks fifth in the AFC and 11th in the NFL, and a pass rush that has made 19 sacks, the third best in the NFL. Former Charger Chip Banks has six sacks, third in the AFC.

In complementing the Colts, Ross didn’t miss anyone. He said they “have the premier punter in the NFL” in Rohn Stark.

“They almost start out with a first down advantage against us,” Ross said of Indianapolis, which has a net punting average seven yards better than the Chargers. “We’ve really got to have a great game out of the special teams to offset the advantage they have.”

Linebacker Billy Ray Smith’s injured hamstring is better, but Ross doesn’t expect him back for at least two or three weeks.

“He’s starting to jog, but he’s by no means anywhere near being at full speed,” Ross said.

He said right tackle Broderick Thompson will be activated from the injured reserve list for Sunday’s game, but he did not know whether Thompson would start. Ross also did not know whose roster spot Thompson would take.

Running back Marion Butts said his sore right knee still is not 100%. Ross said Butts told him last week his knee was 80% healthy. Butts said that figure hasn’t changed much.

“When you say you’re 80% or 90%, it means you probably have some pain every now and then,” Butts said. “But with football, you have to be able to play with pain.”

If Butts is not better by Sunday, Ross said the back probably would not start.

Running back Ronnie Harmon had arthroscopic knee surgery last Monday. Harmon, who only missed one day of practice, didn’t want to discuss the matter.

“It’s like the A&E; channel, it’s boring,” Harmon said.

Safety Delton Hall, a Plan B free agent acquisition from Pittsburgh, has been a mystery this season. It appears he finally will play more. Ross said he added a package last week that includes Hall.

“Delton is starting to get a real good grasp of things and he played very well two weeks ago and against Seattle,” Ross said. “You can expect to see him more and more in certain situations.”

Rookie receiver Ray Ethridge, a third-round draft pick from Pasadena City, has been on the physically-unable-to-perform list with a hamstring injury since the season began. But Ethridge began practicing again two weeks ago and impressed Ross.

“Now that he has started to work you can see some of the talents that he does have,” Ross said.