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By Mike Chappell
mike.chappell@indystar.com

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Macholtz Stadium was overflowing and buzzing for the Indianapolis Colts' practice Wednesday night, and it was the scene of an unexpected collision.

A thunderclap and subsequent flash of emotion on an otherwise clear evening occurred when wide receiver Reggie Wayne slanted in from the right and caught a pass from quarterback Peyton Manning. A split-second later, he was whacked by linebacker Philip Wheeler.

"Just a little brotherly tap, that's all,'' defensive end Robert Mathis said, smiling. "Ain't going to hurt nobody.''

Wayne disagreed. Irritated because receivers aren't expecting such contact during training camp, he flipped the ball at Wheeler.

"No harm,'' said cornerback Kelvin Hayden. "Anybody not expecting a hit that gets hit is going to react the natural way.''

The hit came as the Colts' No. 1 offense was going against their No. 1 defense. That was the theme much of the evening, much to the delight of a crowd estimated at 6,500.

"We enjoy it a lot,'' Mathis said. "On defense we've got a couple of trash talkers. We like talkin' trash with No. 18.

"Yeah, I'm one of them. I give (Manning) a little crap in practice. It's all for the good.''

The defense had its moments, especially in goal-line work. Safety Bob Sanders thwarted one scoring opportunity with a leaping interception in the right corner of the end zone.

Later, Dallas Clark provided an offensive highlight, taking a tight end around to the left side, hitting the sideline and outrunning tenacious defensive tackle Daniel Muir for a 48-yard touchdown.

ANDERSON, Ind. -- When Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker Pat Angerer watches every move of captain Gary Brackett, the ambitious understudy swears he is seeing football perfection.

Brackett makes light of the praise from Angerer, drafted in the second round in April with the idea of one day replacing the eighth-year middle linebacker.

"That's the thing. When you do something wrong, make it look right," Brackett said. "That's the trick of the trade. When you go the wrong way, you point at someone else. You tell the coach you saw something, the quarterback looked one way or looked you off."

He was only half-joking. The 5-11 Brackett has made a career out of his quick feet, ability to take ideal attack angles and uncanny anticipation. And experience with the guys next to him is a huge help.

Fourth-year linebacker Clint Session is starting for a third year and second on the weak side. Third-year linebacker Philip Wheeler started the last seven games in 2009 and is primed for a breakout season.

The Colts haven't always had linebacker continuity. If the starters stick through 2010, it would be the first time since 2002 that a trio has stayed intact from one year to the next.

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"Any time you can keep people together, they get better," linebackers coach Mike Murphy said. "They communicate with each other better. They know where the other person is going to be. It makes it so you don't necessarily have to start at ground zero. You're building upon something you already have."

As the Colts neared the end of their first week of training camp Friday at Anderson University, the most noticeable difference among the trio was in Wheeler. The former third-round draft pick, who showed glimpses of his unique blend of speed and range last year, has been expressing himself on the field.

"He's come a long way from where he was last year at this time in training camp to where he is now," Brackett said of Wheeler. "Before when he was out there, he wouldn't communicate and wouldn't talk. He was locked in. Now, he can relax a little bit and make some calls."

Colts president Bill Polian also likes Wheeler's progress.