INDIANAPOLIS — Colts defensive tackle Ed Johnson savors every precious moment at summer minicamp.

The daily meetings with Indianapolis coaches give him reason to rejoice. The conditioning drills that usually run 296-pound linemen ragged, are welcome. Even answering continuing questions about his past are OK now.
Johnson knew it would be like this when he returned to the Colts.
But it’s better than nothing.
Nine months after losing his job following an arrest on drug possession charges, Johnson is back, hoping those tough lessons will help him rebuild his life and his reputation.
“I’ve changed some behaviors, some of the people around me,” he said. “It’s really just growing up, maturing.”
Johnson’s new philosophy convinced the Colts’ braintrust he is to doing things the right way now. The difference, as new coach Jim Caldwell explains, is that Johnson is remorseful, focused and ready to stay out of trouble.
For Johnson, it’s not quite that simple.
Words and actions are one thing; proving it repeatedly is quite another given Johnson’s history of problems.
He was temporarily expelled from Penn State in 2005 for violating the school policy on sexual misconduct and confining another student against their will. He was reinstated in 2006 and later suspended for the Outback Bowl for violating team rules.
That track record sent Johnson’s NLF draft stock plummeting. Once considered a first-day prospect, he went undrafted in 2007 before signing with Indianapolis — the only team that offered him a contract — with the caveat that one problem would lead to Johnson’s immediate exit.
Things went well during Johnson’s rookie season. He stayed within the team’s guidelines and when defensive tackle Anthony McFarland went down with a season-ending knee injury in training camp, Johnson filled the void. He started on opening day, a job he held for 17 consecutive games before his arrest.
Sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. on Sept. 10, Johnson was stopped for speeding. Police officers said they also found marijuana, and less than 24 hours later, Johnson was gone from the Colts and the team was missing its biggest linemen and best run-stuffer.
The loss cut both ways.
The Colts never recovered from Johnson’s absence, finishing with one of the leagues’ worst run defenses.
Meanwhile, Johnson spent his time in Detroit, his hometown, working to get back into the league.
“I worked out with the guys at my old high school, was helping to coach the basketball team and I was running with them,” he said. “I learned a lot of things that I can’t do that I used to. It wasn’t a good situation, what happened, but I think it was something I can learn from.”
The Colts are counting on it.
Caldwell and Johnson stayed in touch during the offseason, and Johnson’s changes eventually prompted the Colts to give him yet another opportunity to play football though he will miss the regular-season opener against Jacksonville for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
“Ed’s a guy who I think has a big heart and he loves this team and the guys on this team,” Caldwell said.
Make no mistake, Johnson also brings some coveted commodities to a Colts defense that is usually described as undersized.
One of three defensive linemen in the 300-pound range, Johnson clearly is the most experienced.
The Colts selected two big rookies — Fili Moala and Terrance Taylor — in April’s draft, and if Johnson can avoid those off-the-field problems, he could be the surest thing in the middle of the defensive line.
“When you bring someone like Ed back, you start at ground zero and say ’Let’s go forward rather than looking back,’ “ Caldwell said. “If he’s good enough, then he’ll take his rightful position.”
That’s all Johnson could ask for right now — a chance.
The rest is up to him.
“I think I have to prove myself all over again,” he said. “The only way to do that is go hard. I’m really grateful to be here. I’m just happy to have another chance.”