INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Colts coach Jim Caldwell spent the past month running practices and making contingency plans, while players kept wondering how things would shake out with their new-look team.

Now, after arguably the most unusual offseason in the Peyton Manning era, players and coaches are eager to step away from the spotlight and sideshows following a final practice Thursday.

``It's important for them to get a little bit of a break,'' Caldwell said Wednesday. ``But it's important for them to keep working, too.''

Nobody knows that lesson better than Manning, one of the most diligent workers in the game. A year ago, he underwent knee surgery in mid-July, never appeared at training camp and struggled early while recuperating from an infected bursa sac. By midseason, Manning was back in form and en route to his third MVP award.

Injuries are not Manning's major concern this year.

He's searching for a new receiver after losing longtime favorite Marvin Harrison in a cost-cutting move. Former first-round draft pick Anthony Gonzalez is likely to replace Harrison, despite hurting his right leg Saturday. Veterans Roy Hall, Pierre Garcon and Sam Giguere, and rookie Austin Collie, are expected to resume their battle for the coveted No. 3 job when training camp opens in August.

Manning also is looking for a stronger ground game after the Colts ranked near the bottom of the league last season. Caldwell believes the team is getting some of those questions answered.

The one that still looms, though, is where former assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd fit in. Both retired last month after the NFL's owners changed the league's pension plan. The uncertainty prompted Manning to air his complaints publicly two weeks ago, saying: ``I don't think it's been the most properly communicated scenario around here.''

He now has the answer.

Team owner Jim Irsay said Moore and Mudd will return as consultants and will be on the field when training camp opens, though their exact roles are still to be defined.

Moore has been the only offensive coordinator Manning ever played for in the NFL. Mudd built the offensive line that annually ranked among the league leaders in protecting the quarterback. Both joined the Colts in 1998, Manning's rookie season.

Irsay expects them to perform the same duties they have since 1998, yet the final decision is up to Caldwell.

``We haven't gotten there yet mostly because I think there's a little bit of due diligence still to be done,'' Caldwell said. ``(Team president) Bill (Polian) has been talking to the lawyers, and once this practice is over tomorrow, I'll have a little more time to work on that.''

These are strange days for a team that has been one of the NFL's most stable franchises over the past decade.

Indy has made seven straight playoff appearances, won 12 games in a league-record six straight seasons and captured the AFC South title five of the past six years. Former coach Tony Dungy kept the same offensive and defensive coordinators through his entire seven-year tenure and since 2002, the Colts have lost only two key players from the offensive core (Edgerrin James signed with Arizona after the 2005 season and left tackle Tarik Glenn retired after the 2006 Super Bowl season).

Things started changing in January when Caldwell was replaced the retiring Dungy.

By early February, Caldwell announced he had brought in a new defensive coordinator and a new special teams coordinator. Then Moore and Mudd announced they were retiring despite pleas from Irsay.

``The big thing is continuity, that's the first thing,'' Caldwell said. ``No. 2, they're two outstanding football coaches. Those are two of the primary reasons we wanted them back.''

Moore and Mudd did not attend May and June practices, but Manning & Co. did not let their absences become a distraction.

Instead, they focused on football, worked with Clyde Christensen and Pete Metzelaars, the replacements, and progressed just like Caldwell wanted.

``We feel good about the progress we've made, we feel good about where we are,'' Caldwell said. ``They'll probably work on some stuff on their own, but they can't just put it down and start all over on August 2.''