Clint Session won't fall back on clichés this week.
And when facing the team that drafted him, the team for which he played his first four NFL seasons, the Jaguars' fifth-year linebacker won't say the feeling won't be strange. And he won't say the weirdness won't be on his mind come Sunday.
Playing the Colts? Returning to Lucas Oil Stadium? Yeah, it will be different.
How couldn't it be?
"There are going to be some goose bumps, especially going over to the other sideline," Session said as the Jaguars (2-6) prepared to play the Indianapolis Colts (0-9) at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Sunday at 1 p.m.
"I haven't been over there. Don't even mention the other team's locker room. I don't even know what that looks like. I don't know where it is. I have to find out. Those will be factors I'll be thinking about, but when the whistle blows, it's football."
Session, a fourth-round selection by the Colts in the 2007 NFL Draft, played with Indianapolis four seasons, moving into the starting lineup his second year and starting the last three. He signed with the Jaguars as a free agent in late July.
Session also said he won't fall back on another cliché – that of a former player saying it didn't hurt when a team didn't re-sign him.
Session, who has played his best two games of the season the last two weeks, said he believed himself key to the Colts in recent seasons, particularly the last three seasons. And while maybe he wasn't perceived as a core player along the lines of Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney or Reggie Wayne, he still believed he played a part in three AFC South titles, four playoff appearances and an AFC Championship.
So, did it hurt? Yeah, it hurt. How couldn't it?
"Regardless of how the business goes, regardless of how you say, 'I can't keep this guy because I can't afford it,' when you have a team you want to keep the players that keep the team gelled together," Session said. "I wasn't a big-time talker when it comes to the guys, but when it was time to get the guys going at a high level, that was me.
"I feel like it's bad business to do a player like that, but who am I? That's the nature of the game."
Session said while he wouldn't consider himself bitter, human nature is that "I definitely want to prove to these guys that, 'Hey, this is what you lost.'
"Out of all people, they knew the most about me as any team in the league," Session said. "They knew I could cover. They knew I could play the run. I did anything they asked me to do, and they were willing to let that go."
Also around the Jaguars:
*Defensive end Aaron Kampman, who missed the first five games of the season with a knee injury, missed practice Thursday for a second consecutive day with a hamstring injury.
*Fullback Brock Bolen, who missed the last game before the bye week with a calf injury, remained out of practice for a second consecutive day Thursday.
*Offensive lineman Eben Britton (back), who was declared out for Sunday's game by Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio Wednesday, also missed practice.
*Defensive end John Chick (abdomen) practiced limited for a second consecutive day and wide receiver Brian Robiskie worked limited with a hamstring injury.
*Safety Courney Greene (hamstring), wide receiver Cecil Shorts (hamstring) and defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (ankle) practiced full Thursday after being limited Wednesday and the four players who missed practice Wednesday for non-injury reasons – defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, fullback Greg Jones, cornerback Rashean Mathis and running back Maurice Jones-Drew – also practiced full.
*Jaguars special teams coordinator Russ Purnell on Thursday addressed linebacker Mike Lockley, a rookie who signed to the active roster from the practice squad this week. "He's a strong, physical, anxious guy," Purnell said. "He's going to run down the field the first time on a kickoff and there's going to be smoke coming out of his ears and his eyes are going to be spinning. He can hit people."
*Purnell also addressed the injuries sustained by the special teams this season. Fullback Brock Bolen missed the Jaguars' last game, and is still returning from a calf injury, while safety Courtney Greene missed four of five games before the bye. The Jaguars' two Pro Bowl special teams players – wide receiver Kassim Osgood and running back Montell Owens – missed four and three consecutive games in the first half of the season, respectively. "That's how it is," Purnell said. "Everybody deals with it. Some years seem to be worse than others. You know you're going to have some. Obviously, you're disappointed when you lose a guy who's going to be a contributor for you. You don't like doing that, but you hope they don't come in bunches."
*Purnell said one reason the Jaguars' kickoff return unit hasn't matched the production of past seasons has been a lack of opportunities. The Jaguars have yet to have a return past their 40 this season, but the team has just 22 kickoff returns. Last season, the Jaguars returned 80 kickoffs over 16 games and had returned 40 after eight games. That is part of a league-wide trend in the wake of a rule change moving kickoffs up to the 35 from the 30. A year ago, 16.7 percent of kickoffs were touchbacks. This season, 47 percent of kickoffs have been touchbacks. "You just don't have as many opportunities," Purnell said.
*Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said the Colts' 0-9 record and second-to-last-place ranking in total offense has little bearing on preparation for Sunday. "We feel like we have our hands full," Tucker said. "Every week is a challenge for us. Everyone has firepower. These guys are no different. They're going to be at their best and we have to be at our best."
*Tucker said he believes the Jaguars' pass rush has improved this season. The team has 16 sacks through eight games after registering an NFL-low 14 in 2009 and 26 last season. "We're getting good rush from the front four," Tucker said. "We need to finish better at the quarterback and finish with sacks." Tucker said the Jaguars are also getting more pressure from linebackers and safeties in blitz situations.
