INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three postseason losses taught Anthony Castonzo

some valuable lessons about playoff football.The Indianapolis Colts left tackle hopes his teammates find an easier way to learn."Basically Denico Autry Jersey , my advice is not to take it any differently," Castonzo said Wednesday as the Colts prepare for Saturday's wild-card game in Houston. "Practice the same way, work the same way, play the same way. You have to not make it more than it is." It's a mantra coaches and players in Indy have stuck to since the Tony Dungy era.The Hall of Fame coach, who brought Indy its first football title, often talked about how most playoff games were lost rather than won because of the natural temptation to try and do too much — and the ensuing mistakes.Young players, the Colts know, tend to be the most vulnerable and Indianapolis (10-6) has one of the league's least-experienced teams.Twenty-four of the 53 players on the active roster are in their first or second NFL seasons and only 15 have participated in a playoff game.Castonzo, T.Y. Hilton, Andrew Luck and Adam Vinatieri are the only remaining active players from Indy's previous playoff team, which lost in the AFC championship game at New England in the 2014 season.Of the seven who own Super Bowl rings only three — linebacker Najee Goode, defensive end Jabaal Sheard and Vinatieri — have actually been on the field for those title runs.The other 47 players on Indy's roster have won a total of six postseason games, with midseason acquisition Mike Mitchell accounting for half.So first-year coach Frank Reich recruited some help this week."I was sitting around thinking, ‘OK, how many playoff games has (Vinatieri) played?'" Reich said, noting the answer was 30. "So I said, ‘All right, tell me Vinny what have you learned?' The (text) message he sent me, I thought, was vintage and we shared that with the team (Tuesday) morning and we had Vinny share a few extra thoughts on that. A lot of wisdom in what he was saying."Vinatieri didn't need a handful of Super Bowl rings to provide credibility for his message.The league's oldest active player Nyheim Hines Color Rush Jersey , at age 46, became the NFL's career scoring leader earlier this season and heads into his 31st playoff game already holding the title of career postseason scoring leader."I told them it's a playoff game but it's the Houston Texans we're playing," Vinatieri said. "There are a lot of ebbs and flows and you've got to stay focused on your job."His words appear to have resonated.Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard, the league's top tackler with a franchise-record 163, said he's sticking to his regular routine and Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson, another rookie, isn't making any changes either. Both are eager to get started.Reich acknowledges there is one significant difference between the regular season and postseason: Mistakes are magnified.So the Colts will spend the rest of this week on cleanup duty after having two turnovers and 12 penalties in Sunday's 33-17 playoff-clinching victory at Tennessee."I would say the needles adjust slightly. For instance, the importance of running and stopping the run, the importance of the turnover battle, the importance of penalties or lack thereof," said Reich, who played on all four of Buffalo's AFC championship teams in the 1990s."I think we have proven we can win a game throwing it 50 times, but in my experience that gets harder to do in playoff football. You can do it if you have to, but you want to establish dominance."Being young also has an advantage."They have no idea how big a moment it is and if they go on a run they'll have no idea how special it is," former punter Pat McAfee said after doing his first NFL broadcast for Fox Sports last weekend. "My rookie year we didn't lose until we chose to lose in the Super Bowl and I thought, we'd be back the next year."Instead, McAfee never made it back and Castonzo missed out on the playoffs each of the past three years.But this time feels different to Castonzo, who believes the young guys such as Leonard and Nelson have changed this team. They didn't crack under the pressure all season and none of the Colts expect them to start now."They bring a lot of energy and are playing at a high level," he said. "That's one of the big reasons we're here."Notes: Center Ryan Kelly (stinger), safety Clayton Geathers (knee) https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Johnny-Unitas-Jersey , linebacker Anthony Walker (shoulder) and running back Jordan Wilkins (knee and ankle) were full participants at practice Wednesday. Geathers and Kelly were inactive last week, but Kelly said Wednesday he expects to start Saturday. … Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron took the day off while four-time Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton missed another workout because of his injured ankle. INDIANAPOLIS 鈥?The Indianapolis Colts‘ defense was reeling early this season.After six games, it had allowed an average of 30 points, had given up 37 or more points in three consecutive losses, was languishing near the bottom of the league's overall rankings and showed no sign of a turnaround.Today, those performances are almost unrecognizable. Though the names remain essentially unchanged, the Colts overcame that dismal start and have emerged as one of the NFL's stingiest units and a key cog in Indy's playoff run."We feel good, we've been rolling," rookie linebacker Darius Leonard said. "We just want to keep it going. We want to keep everything rolling." Leonard and his teammates face their biggest challenge yet in Saturday's divisional-round game at Kansas City. But the timing couldn't be better for a young, suddenly sturdy defense that still has plenty to prove.Over the past six weeks, the Colts have given up 12.0 points per game, posted their first shutout in four years and ascended to No. 11 in the rankings. But many wonder whether the defense can hold up against the league's highest-scoring team.So far, Indy (11-6) has passed every test. The defense has played a vital role in two five-game winning streaks. Indy is one of two teams that have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season and have had at least one turnover in 16 of 17 games.Outsiders have noticed the turnaround by a unit once regarded as a weak link."I think the players have bought in and they play hard," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "They're accurate with their assignments."Reid isn't alone.Leonard, the league's leading tackler, was named first-team All-Pro last week, and first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus interviewed Sunday for the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job. Though he wasn't hired, the dramatic ascension could help Eberflus stay on the coaching radar.What's changed? Not much personnel-wise from opening day.Defensive tackle Al Woods and linebacker Skai Moore both wound up on injured reserve. Margus Hunt moved from defensive end to defensive tackle and Pierre Desir claimed one of the starting cornerback spots. Otherwise, the lineup remained as consistent as Eberflus' message."When you keep doing the same things over and over again and you get good at the fundamentals of the game, then you can start adding a little bit to your package because the guys understand the basics Jacoby Brissett Jersey ," Eberflus said."You can never move on or never forget the basics of what your system is about. That to me is the hustle, the intensity, taking the ball away and being smart players."Eberflus, initially hired by Josh McDaniels and retained by Frank Reich after McDaniels backed out of the job, scrapped the 3-4 defensive front from previous coaching staff and installed the Tampa-2 preferred by general manager Chris Ballard.Reich was on board, too, remembering how the system helped the Colts win a Super Bowl during his first stint with the team.The scheme relies largely on speed and trust and was a perfect fit for a team trying to rebuild. Only three full-time starters returned in the same spot this season while a fourth, Jabaal Sheard, moved from outside linebacker to defensive end, but the simplicity shortened the learning curve for everyone, including the youngsters.And after six games, things started to mesh. Leonard became the breakout star, the pass rush became more consistent and the run defense tightened up."We go into this game knowing that we can beat the best," Leonard said. "Once you go in as an underdog, there's a lot more chips on your shoulder. It makes you want to play harder. It makes you want to win more."NOTES: Four-time Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton (ankle) is one of five players who did not practice Wednesday. The others are defensive tackle Denico Autry (shoulder), receiver Ryan Grant (toe), safety Malik Hooker (hip/foot) and defensive end Tyquan Lewis (knee). Hilton expects to play. … Tight end Eric Ebron (hip), receiver Dontrelle Inman (shoulder/finger) and Sheard (knee) were limited in practice.