Colts' new cornerback eager to put past behind him

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Colts’ newest addition on defense, Vontae Davis from Miami, arrived in Indianapolis late Sunday night despite the wet weather pounding South Florida. Davis was out on the practice field already Monday, sporting number 23 for the Colts.

“We’ve got a guy that’s got a tremendous amount of ability, got a great skill set,” said head coach Chuck Pagano. “Great job on Ryan’s (Grigson) part, really from the top down getting a guy of Vontae’s caliber in here to help this team moving forward. So we’re extremely excited to have him.”

There have been concerns, however, about Davis’ off-the-field behavior. That includes when Miami once suspended him for showing up to a Saturday walkthrough reportedly drunk. Both Davis and Coach Pagano, however, are confident those days are behind him.

“What happened in Miami is in the past,” said Davis. “Now I’m a Colt and the biggest thing moving forward is trying to get better as a player.”

“You think about when this kid came out, he came out early, he was 20 years old. He’s only 24 now. So he’s very, very young,” added Pagano. “If I think back to when I was 20, 21, 22 years old, some of the things I did, I’m just glad they didn’t write about it. It didn’t make the papers. I wasn’t a first round draft choice so I kind of flew under the radar just a little bit. He’s serious about helping us win and win now. He’s serious about being the very best that he can be as a football player. So moving forward, I feel really good about him.”

The team isn’t sure whether or not Davis will play on Thursday in their final preseason game. They do expect Davis to start in their regular season opener against Chicago on Sept. 9.