"But there's a spot open there, either in the slot or on third down if Gonzalez or Reggie goes in the slot, somebody comes in at that right or left. All three of those guys need to be saying, 'Hey, that's my job to go win.' One thing that's always been proven around here that they will give you a chance to compete. It doesn't matter how old you are, how many years you've been in the league. If you win the job, it's yours. And that's healthy."

Many observers within the Colts' organization have compared Collie to former Indianapolis wideout Brandon Stokely. Collie has also been auditioning for kick-return units.

Scott Collie said mini-camp and offseason practices were "a great introduction to where (Austin) is and where he needs to get to. Early on, he struggled with the pressure he put on himself to understand the plays. It's a process to begin to understand the playbook and what Peyton expected. Nobody's ever questioned Austin's work ethic. It paid off. He started to play at a high level. (The Colts) started to see what kind of player they had in him."

As for what kind of impact Collie might make as a rookie, that's still up in the air.

"There's a competition that is wide open right now," Scott Collie continued. "He's competing with a couple of other guys who are good football players. From what (the Colts) have been able to see from Austin's ability to learn quick and translate into the mental part and physical ability, I think they were well-pleased with that. They've given him an opportunity to compete for playing time. If he's not playing, he won't be happy."

One of Collie's biggest obstacles is learning the Colts' playbook. He told the Indianapolis Star that he's been through difficult situations like this before, when he was trying to learn Spanish during his LDS Church mission to Argentina.

"It's going to be a lot like that with football," Collie said. "Right now, it's tough. I lose patience with myself, expecting to pick things up quickly. My brain is fried every day. But it's like going to Argentina and not speaking Spanish. I'm making mistakes right now. But I'm going to learn it."

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com