tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14161872608014162442024-03-13T11:28:47.335-04:00Pro-Colts StuffTHIS BLOG IS INACTIVE DUE TO A BLOG CHANGE. CHECK OUT NAPTOWN'S FINEST (naptownsfinest.com) TO READ MY NEWER BLOGS. THANKS!!!Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-63789801089795813982008-08-24T12:02:00.006-04:002008-08-24T12:20:25.302-04:00Pics<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGKNFbFtPI/AAAAAAAAAI4/VOrWJRN1vuM/s1600-h/!Suburban"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238119799007327474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGKNFbFtPI/AAAAAAAAAI4/VOrWJRN1vuM/s200/!Suburban" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGKGU4yMEI/AAAAAAAAAIw/-IyEckvovVQ/s1600-h/!Stadium"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238119682899324994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGKGU4yMEI/AAAAAAAAAIw/-IyEckvovVQ/s200/!Stadium" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGJXjKFAfI/AAAAAAAAAIo/YY9Mbvv4uQI/s1600-h/!Tunnel"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238118879276106226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGJXjKFAfI/AAAAAAAAAIo/YY9Mbvv4uQI/s200/!Tunnel" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGJOzzBHeI/AAAAAAAAAIg/i6a_qGjO0eI/s1600-h/!Roof"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238118729123962338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGJOzzBHeI/AAAAAAAAAIg/i6a_qGjO0eI/s200/!Roof" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGIWFb7rAI/AAAAAAAAAIY/G76CS2kIZoo/s1600-h/!FieldView"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238117754606431234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGIWFb7rAI/AAAAAAAAAIY/G76CS2kIZoo/s200/!FieldView" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGIPqdFVUI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/X-gtGXFc8hc/s1600-h/!PB"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238117644284286274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGIPqdFVUI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/X-gtGXFc8hc/s200/!PB" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGzyPzmaI/AAAAAAAAAII/tvzuofud5T0/s1600-h/!Notice"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238116065828116898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGzyPzmaI/AAAAAAAAAII/tvzuofud5T0/s200/!Notice" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGedRxpNI/AAAAAAAAAIA/UzgIrjr0pOc/s1600-h/!Goodell"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238115699421979858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGedRxpNI/AAAAAAAAAIA/UzgIrjr0pOc/s200/!Goodell" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGEt9J4FI/AAAAAAAAAH4/jO1TpPQLxY4/s1600-h/!LOS"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238115257222291538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/SLGGEt9J4FI/AAAAAAAAAH4/jO1TpPQLxY4/s200/!LOS" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-6334015257187452392008-05-31T22:29:00.002-04:002008-05-31T22:34:57.675-04:00Pro-Colts Stuff: December 16, 2007-May 31, 2008Hey, readers. This is the last blog that will be written for Pro-Colts Stuff. Good news is, I'm not done blogging about the Colts. I have moved up from a small blogger account to a new network of team-specific bloggers.<br /><br /><a href="http://naptownsfinest.com/">Naptown's Finest</a> is the new location of my blog. It is a part of the Fansided blog network. You should check out Naptown's Finest and other Fansided blogs. They are all top-notch and well written by dedicated bloggers. So if you are a blogger who has a link to this site on your blog, change it to Naptown's Finest. If you have been following my blog for a while now or like what you have seen, check out Naptown's Finest. My stuff is posted under the name "Sam".<br /><br />This blog has been retired. I like Pro-Colts Stuff. I liked the layout and I liked the name, but Naptown's Finest is a better opportunity for me to get readers and a little cash on the side.<br /><br />Check out Naptown's Finest!Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-52286776858442431822008-05-26T22:44:00.003-04:002008-05-26T23:22:16.359-04:00Polian The Draft Genius: 1998Bill Polian is the best drafting GM in NFL history. No question there. He consistently gets steals from later rounds and great signings from undrafted free agency. In this 10 part series, we will look at the future Hall of Fame GM and his draft track record to show that he is, in fact, the greatest of all-time.<br /><br /><br />1998 was a huge draft for the Colts. They had the first pick, and Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning were the two stars of this draft. Ryan Leaf was the larger-than-life personality from Washington State. Peyton Manning was the son of an NFL legend who kept to himself off the field. Polian was starting his first draft as the Colts GM. Let's look at the picks he made and how they turned out.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 1, Pick 1: </strong>Peyton Manning/QB/Tennessee<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Ryan Leaf/QB/Washington State, Andre Wadsworth/DE/Florida State, Charles Woodson/CB/Michigan<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>We were so close to being stuck in the top 5 of the draft for 11 years. There wouldn't be a Super Bowl XLI banner hanging anywhere close to Indianapolis. Hell, there may not even be an NFL team in Indianapolis if Polian would have taken Ryan Leaf, the bust of all busts. Peyton Manning is going to end his career with every notable passing record and with multiple Super Bowl victories. Ryan Leaf is the golf coach at West Texas A&M. What a relief...<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 2, Pick 32: </strong>Jerome Pathon/WR/Washington<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Corey Chavous/S/Vanderbilt, Jacquez Green/WR/Florida, Tony Parrish/S/Washington<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Could have done better. Pathon had two 50 reception seasons with the Colts even though he only played 3 years with the team. He was a mediocre kick returner, only getting one return over 40 yards in 3 seasons with the Colts. He was a decent slot receiver for the young Colts offense of the late 90s, but Chavous and Flozell Adams, two future Pro Bowlers taken within the next 10 picks, would have been much better options.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 3 Pick 71: </strong>E.G. Green/WR/Florida State<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Jeremiah Trotter/LB/Stephen F. Austin, Mitch Marrow/DT/Penn, Jammi German/WR/Miami<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Can you tell Polian wanted to get the offense rolling? Green was not the best choice right there. It's a good thing Polian drafted Peyton, or else this draft would be left off of his track record. Green played 3 seasons in the NFL, all with the Colts. He only scored 2 touchdowns and never caught more than 25 passes. Hines Ward was the best receiver taken in the third round after the Colts.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 4 Pick 93: </strong>Steve McKinney/C/Texas A&M<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Alonzo Mayes/TE/Oklahoma State, Michael Pittman/RB/Fresno State, Az-Zahir Hakim/WR/San Diego State<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Finally a strong pick here. McKinney was a solid guard for the Colts for 4 seasons. He helped keep Peyton Manning standing up, which was helpful in his quick development. McKinney is still playing in the NFL today, unlike Green and Pathon.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 5 Pick 135: </strong>Antony Jordan/LB/Vanderbilt<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Jerry Jenson/LB/Washington, Jason Simmons/DB/Arizona State, Oliver Ross/OT/Iowa State<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Not much to say here. Jordan doesn't have a Wikipedia page and pro-football-reference.com doesn't have his stats. Of course, with the talent left in the draft, this isn't a horrible pick.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rd. 7 Pick 190: </strong>Aaron Taylor/C/Nebraska<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>David Terrell/DB/UTEP, Alvis Whitted/WR/North Carolina State, Phil Savoy/WR/Colorado<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Taylor did not play a game with the Colts, but he had a minorly successful career with the Packers and Chargers that lasted for 5 years. There were no Pro Bowlers left, so the Colts didn't miss out on much.<br /><br /><strong>Rd. 7 Pick 231: </strong>Corey Gaines/S/Tennessee<br /><br /><br /><em>Next 3 Picks: </em>Moses Moreno/QB/Colorado State, Ron James/FB/Miami, Kio Sanford/WR/Kentucky<br /><br /><br /><em>Looking Back: </em>Gaines doesn't have a Wikipedia page or a pro-football-reference.com page. That pretty much explains this pick.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Grade: </em></strong>I give the Colts a B for this draft. Sure, 5 picks were crap, but the Peyton pick at least has to give this a B, and McKinney solidifies this grade. If this draft looks mediocre to you, remember this. Ryan Leaf could have worn a Colts jersey. Think of how frightening this image is.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/3536/leaf.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>That is a horrifyingly real picture from deadspin.com. It was probably taken at a photoshoot so there could be pictures to market immediately after the draft. I should have warned you guys about the gruesome image above. Thank Polian for this not happening.<br /></p>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-48644972752322802292008-05-22T21:28:00.004-04:002008-05-24T00:07:24.400-04:00Looking Forward to 2008: Running BacksThe Running back position was a bit of a concern coming into this offseason. Joseph Addai struggled big time at the end of the year, and Kenton Keith got arrested. However, the Colts have completely changed that around, and now running back may be the best position on the roster. Here is the rundown on the running back position for the 2008 Indianapolis Colts<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Joseph Addai</strong></div><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="200" alt="" src="http://www.emptythebench.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/addai10.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Addai is coming off of a Pro Bowl year where he started out as an elite running back and ended as a mediocre one. After his amazing game against the Patriots, he faltered due to injuries on the offensive line and wear and tear on the body. However, now he has a great supporting cast around him, and he is ready to destroy the competition.</p><p>Joseph Addai had 704 yards in his first 7 games. In the last 8, he had 368. The teams he played against in the second half were not much better than the ones the Colts played in the first half. Addai is one of the most talented backs in the league with a perfect combination of power and speed. That goes well with his pass catching ability and goal line running.</p><p>Addai took 58% of the team's carries. That is too much for a player who has never been the main back. For a good comparison of what should be expected of the Colts rushing game next year, look no further than the Minnesota Vikings.</p><p>Adrian Peterson took 48% of the team's total caries. Chester Taylor took 31%. That has to be the Colts. Give Joseph Addai 48% of the carries and give Dominic Rhodes 31%. Mike Hart can take the other 21% or split it with Luke Lawton or Kenton Keith. With this carry split, this is what I expect Joseph Addai's stats to look like.</p><p>1064 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 426 receiving yards, 37 receptions, 1 receiving touchdown</p><br /><p align="center"><strong>Dominic Rhodes</strong><br /></p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 151px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="182" alt="" src="http://www.prosportspictures.com/images/indianapolis-colts/superbowl-xli-dominic-rhodes-action-HX05607.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p>Yes, he is back, and I could not be more excited. I will admit it. I was not a Dominic Rhodes fan at all when he played here. However, it was unnatural for him not to be in a Colts uniform last year. Part of the team was missing when he was gone. Now, he is entering his prime, and this will be his best year of his career.</p><p>Dominic Rhodes will make the roster this year. There is no doubt in my mind. The media and fans have been assuming that he is involved in the running back competition. He's not. Rhodes is going to play second-fiddle to Addai, like he did in the 2007 playoffs. I expect Rhodes to put up similar numbers to his playoff stats.</p><p>Rhodes, the hero of Super Bowl XLI, is getting the veteran's minimum, and he will earn every penny. Rhodes will be great as a change of pace back. Expect the Colts running game to look more like XLI than the second half of the 2007 season. Here is what I expect Rhodes' stats to look like.</p><p>585 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 197 receiving yards, 19 receptions, 0 receiving touchdowns.</p><p align="center"><strong>Mike Hart</strong></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="185" alt="" src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00c2251d41e48fdb00c22524c0ae549d-500pi" border="0" /><br /><p align="left">The Colts don't usually do sexy picks. The Colts don't have a Heisman winner on their roster. Gonzalez was Ted Ginn's understudy. Addai was unknown compared to LenDale White, who was passed on in favor of Joseph. Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson were role players for great defenses. However, Hart is the Heisman contending, big name from a big school stud the Colts haven't drafted in a long, long time.</p><p align="left">Hart was a big name back who just fell down draft boards. Division 1-AA players were taken ahead of him. No names went before him. Finding hidden gems has become more important than drafting proven studs.</p><p align="left">Hart will make the roster over Kenton Keith. Keith is a determined blocker, and he can receive out of the backfield. Keith has butter fingers and is a nonfactor blocking. Hart never fumbles the ball, so he will be valuable in close games. I expect him to get 15% of the carries next year, and I also expect his stats to look like this.</p><p align="left">270 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 242 receiving yards, 14 receptions, 3 receiving touchdowns.</p><p align="left"><strong>The Roster Cuts</strong></p><p align="left">Here are a list of players I do not expect to make the roster.</p><p align="left"><strong>Kenton Keith, Luke Lawton, Chad Simpson, Clift Dawson, Justise Hairston.</strong></p><p align="left">Keith will end missing the cut, and I do not see him sticking around on the practice squad. He knows he can play somewhere else. Let him. I could see Detroit, Kansas City, or Arizona pursuing Keith. Keith played well this season, but his arrest and more importantly, his drop in the San Diego game, cost him his job.</p><p align="left">Luke Lawton is a fairly popular player with the Colts. However, the Colts don't need a fullback. The H-back takes the place of a fullback. Santi and Tamme will take up the roster spot normally given to the fullback. Lawton can find a job on another team. Minnesota and San Diego are both in need of a fullback. They could come calling. If not, there is always the Arena League, where his style prospers in the backfield.</p><p align="left">Simpson is my surprise pick for the practice squad. Not only is he an accomplished runner, but he can return kicks as well. For the Colts, that can make or break who gets a roster spot. Simpson will be on the practice squad, and if there is an injury in the backfield or special teams, he will be ready to step up.</p><p align="left">Dawson and Hairston both have the same problem. A lack of talent. Both look like they will have to act upon their college degrees or else try the CFL. I don't see them as NFL players.</p><p align="left">So to recap, here is the current Colts roster after 2 positional "Looking Forwards"</p><p align="left"><em>QB<br /></em>Peyton Manning<br />Adam Tafralis<br /><u>Practice Squad<br /></u>Jim Sorgi</p><p align="left"><em>RB<br /></em>Joseph Addai<br />Dominic Rhodes<br />Mike Hart<br /><u>Practice Squad<br /></u>Chad Simpson</p>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-22785788183220700442008-05-21T22:42:00.006-04:002008-05-21T23:08:35.335-04:00News Flash: Journalists Are SissiesWhen Indianapolis was awarded the Super Bowl, I expected to here a lot about the weather and the "hick town" image. I didn't expect it to be this bad.<br /><br />Indianapolis is a northern city (that for some reason is in the AFC South?) where it is cold and snowy throughout the entire winter. A lot of people don't mind the weather up north. It is nice sometimes when there is actually snow at Christmas, or leaving parties late at night require you to wear a coat. However, the fan and media reaction outside of Indiana has shown me what the rest of America is. Sissies.<br /><br />The average temperature in February in Indianapolis is below freezing. It can be really cold. It gets icy, and I have gotten a few bruises on my ass over the years. Of course, the fans and media are acting like Indiana is located in Antarctica, not the United States.<br /><br />Gene Wojciechowski wrote an <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3406852&sportCat=nfl">article</a> about how disappointed he was in the owners' awarding of the Super Bowl to Indianapolis. Apparently, Wojisacowski forgot that he works in Connecticut, where I believe it is in fact colder than Indianapolis. He is carrying on like a five-year-old girl about how cold it will be and how he will have to wear a coat and all that crap. Seriously, Wojciblablaski, act like a man.<br /><br /><blockquote>In other business at the league meetings, NFL owners voted to play the 2012<br />Super Bowl in Indianapolis, beating out Glendale, Ariz., and Houston."<br /><br />Indianapolis? You mean, the Indianapolis in Indiana? The place where the<br />low was 26 degrees with a trace of snow on Super Bowl Sunday this year?<br /><br />I don't get it. Playing in a Super Bowl is supposed to be a reward, not<br />a reason to visit your local North Face outlet. And attending a Super Bowl as a<br />fan is supposed to be the experience of a lifetime, a chance to break out<br />multiple bottles of SPF 30.<br /><br />The only things you'll break out in Indy are<br />space heaters.</blockquote><br /><br />So I guess you are saying playing in the Super Bowl is only a reward if it is nice weather? It was a punishment for Jerome Bettis to go to Detroit and get his Super Bowl ring? It was a punishment for Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith to go to Miami during a monsoon and be the first black head coaches to coach in a Super Bowl? Wow, Wojihavenoballski. Stop acting like a prissy little girl and realize that the game is what matters. The game will be played inside if there is bad weather.<br /><br /><blockquote>I've got nothing against Indianapolis. It's a lovely place to hold car races, a<br />Final Four, even an NBA All-Star Game every few decades or so. Plus, you can<br />never go wrong at that downtown Steak 'n Shake. </blockquote><br /><br />Gene: You are supposed to patronize us before you insult our city, not after. You apparently do have something against Indiana and the north. You act like you will be going to the pits of hell in 2012, not a nice city that has success with big events. I do have to agree with you about the downtown Steak 'n Shake, though. That place is awesome after games.<br /><br /><blockquote>And according to The Indianapolis Star, the city's Super Bowl organizing<br />committee has received $25 million in pledges to build, among other things, an<br />east-side neighborhood athletic facility, which will be used by the AFC and NFC<br />champions during the week and then given to a city high school.<br /><br />The<br />newspaper also reported that as part of the bid, the committee will provide each<br />of the 32 NFL owners with "personal concierges" during Super Bowl week. That<br />makes sense. The concierges will help arrange private dinner reservations,<br />choose the proper evening parka and forage for firewood.<br /><br />I would have<br />voted for New Orleans. I would have voted for Glendale. For San Diego. For<br />Mexico City. I would have voted for anyplace where you can't buy a snowblower.<br /><br />Instead, we got Indianapolis. Congratulations.<br /><br />Here's hoping for<br />an NFL labor strike in 2011.</blockquote><br /><br />1) That first paragraph makes no sense there in the article. Is it a bad thing that people donated money to help rebuild a bad neighborhood and help a very poor community? I don't get it.<br /><br />2) Parka? Firewood? Indianapolis is, in fact, in the 21st century where you are. Not the 18th when you were born, Wojichexmixski.<br /><br />3) Mexico City? There is a 95% chance you will be kidnapped there. Gene, you would rather be kidnapped by Mexican bandits than stay a week in a cold-weather city? Go ahead. I'm sure not too many people will miss your senile ramblings on ESPN.com.<br /><br />4) You are hoping for a labor strike so you don't have to go to Indianapolis. Are you freakin' kidding me? Your job is covering the NFL! You would rather be out of a job than go to Indianapolis? This collumn was so laughably bad, I'm not sure whether to be pissed that you say I live in a city where it is better to not have a job than to come here or to laugh at your inability to make a quality article.<br /><br />I'm a doctor, you know. I'll send you a prescription for two testicles, and you can get that filled out at any time you want. Before February 2012 will work best.<br /><br />Here's a big F U, to you, Gene Wojimadoucheski.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-72739515092849166422008-05-20T16:00:00.003-04:002008-05-20T16:11:47.837-04:00The Super Bowl Is Coming to Indianapolis<a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story;jsessionid=0DAD14838662D80B3805451E653C49DD?id=09000d5d80869c8b&template=with-video&confirm=true">http://www.nfl.com/news/story;jsessionid=0DAD14838662D80B3805451E653C49DD?id=09000d5d80869c8b&template=with-video&confirm=true</a><br /><br />The 2012 Super Bowl will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. For Indianapolis, this is the biggest thing to happen to the city since the Colts moved here. The economic factor from this is going to change the city in almost every way.<br /><br />The Super Bowl Village that will be built will be one of the coolest things you can find in a metropolitan area. However, the biggest effect will happen outside of the downtown area.<br /><br />With this Super Bowl, the Near East Side is going to be rebuilt. The east side is the ghetto of Indianapolis, and it is not one of the proudest areas of the city. With the money the city got from the NFL and anonymous business donors, that will be changing as neighborhoods and the local high school, Tech High, will be built into an area that can be embraced by the city.<br /><br />The 2012 Super Bowl is going to be a huge event that should leave a lasting memory on the city of Indianapolis.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-81289541918702884092008-05-17T14:47:00.002-04:002008-05-17T15:07:25.013-04:00Marvin Reports And Other Minicamp NewsMarvin Harrison reported to minicamp. Not even a shooting he was indirectly involved in can't keep him away. Of course, he did not participate. He is recovering from his knee injury and his arthroscopic surgery on his other knee.<br /><br />Harrison will NEVER be charged in this case. He did not pull the trigger. He is not guilty of this crime. The conflicting reports automatically make this case ridiculous. I've lost track of them. The kid who got hurt was a boy, not a girl as previously stated, and was hit under the eye, not in the eye. There isn't this third victim who could identify Marvin as the shooter. Marvin was not under a hit because of his dad. His dad has been dead for decades. This case is closed. However, it did ruin his reputation in the eyes of idiots who want the Colts to sink to the level of other, less honorable teams.<br /><br />In other news,<br /><br />~Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney did not play because of their surgeries. Sanders had his yearly surgery, this time on his shoulder. Freeney is still recovering from the Lis Franc injury.<br /><br />~Marcus Howard is out. It was not disclosed as to why.<br /><br />~Ryan Lilja, Michael Coe, Gary Brackett, and TJ Rushing also missed. Brackett and Coe were undisclosed. Lilja has a knee injury, and Rushing has a pectoral injury. Rushing cannot miss too much time. He has a lot of competition for the kick return job.<br /><br />~Dominic Rhodes is wearing number 38. Melvin Bullitt wears his previous number 33 now. The picture of Rhodes with the 38 jersey looks really weird.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-51391581139076615562008-05-14T22:06:00.002-04:002008-05-14T22:18:46.055-04:00Gridiron News: May 14thI'm pretty bored right now, so I will just talk about the teams who aren't the Colts.<br /><br />~Spygate is coming to an end. Of course, Arlen Spector is trying his hardest to keep it alive. Way to go Pennsylvania. You couldn't elect a person who cared more about the government than football. I'm disappointed that there are no more punishments, and it really shows the weakness of Roger Goodell. They lose 1 million dollars and 1 first round pick for taping one game, but then when dozens more come including offensive signals and a playoff game, nothing more happens. I would definitely take 3 Super Bowl rings for just a loss of a first rounder and a million dollars. Belichick and the Patriots will end up getting the Barry Bonds treatment with the acknowledgment that their Super Bowl championships are tainted.<br /><br />~Kenny Wright was cut by the Browns for his arrest last month. There was a disturbance and the police were called. When the cops came to confront Wright, he ran away. The police found an ounce of Mary Jane is his car as well. I don't think he would have been cut if he didn't run away like a wimp. Why would you do that? The police will catch you. This isn't the south in the 60s with moonshine. You can't get away. The NFL is gaining the thug league moniker the NBA has received from the fans and media.<br /><br />~Terrell Suggs and the Ravens have gotten into a dispute with his franchise tag. The Ravens tagged him as a linebacker, but he wanted the defensive end tag, which earns almost 1 million dollars more. Suggs is a hybird defensive end/outside linebacker. I think it may be time to make that its own position and give it its own tag. This is going to be a frustrating ordeal for the Ravens and Suggs.<br /><br />There you go. PCS's first Gridiron News.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-45698673727963679252008-05-09T20:12:00.008-04:002008-05-10T17:11:54.979-04:00A Look Forward to 2008: QuarterbacksQuarterback. It's been a position of no need for the Colts since 1998. There haven't been QB races in training camp or injuries to worry about. Peyton Manning's backups are seen as often as Ryan Leaf or Jeff George. However, Peyton does not have more than 10 years left, and that is being generous. If there would be a problem with Peyton, who would step up? Well, here is a rundown of the quarterback position for the Indianapolis Colts.<br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><div align="center"><strong>Peyton Manning</div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.calvinayrelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/060910_colts_giants_vlg9pwidec.jpg" border="0" /></strong><br />Peyton Manning is entering his 11th season in the NFL and on the Indianapolis Colts. Manning has never missed a start in his NFL career, and he has only missed one play because of injury. Over his career, Peyton has put up some of the top numbers of the decade, broken multiple records, and won multiple awards. Manning has been to 8 Pro Bowls, has been All-Pro 6 times, MVP twice, and the Pro Bowl MVP and Super Bowl MVP once.<br /><br />Peyton Manning is coming off of a great season when you look at whom he had. He was missing Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez for a large portion of the season, and Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, and Ben Utecht also missed games this year. Now, Peyton will have his full arsenal and is looking to lead the Colts offense back to the top of the NFL rankings.<br /><br />Last year, the Colts had 4 losses with Peyton playing 4 quarters in three of them. Those three games were against teams who have a 3-4 defense. In those games, Peyton threw 9 interceptions and had a 63% completion percentage. This season, the Colts play four teams who have some sort of a 3-4 defense: The Browns, Steelers, Patriots, and Chargers. Last year, the Browns defense was inept, and they didn't do much to change that. The Steelers with Mike Tomlin are transitioning to a 4-3 Tampa 2 defense, but they still have players who were drafted and signed for the 3-4 defense. The Patriots defense is still old, but they did draft multiple defensive players. The Chargers defense did not change at all this offseason.<br /><br />The Colts play 3 games against top 5 defenses (Steelers, Patriots, Chargers), 5 more games against defenses ranked 6-10 (Titans x2, Jaguars x2, Packers), 1 defense ranked 11-15 (Vikings), 1 ranked 16-20 (Bears), 5 against defenses ranked 21-25 (Texans x2, Browns, Ravens, Bengals), and 1 game against the league's worst defense (Lions). The Colts have a tough schedule, but the passing defenses for these teams are not as good, as only the Steelers, Patriots, and Titans have top 10 pass defenses. The Lions, Bengals, Vikings, Bears, Ravens, Browns, and Texans all have pass defenses ranked 20th or lower.<br /><strong>My Stat Prediction for Manning: </strong>66.4% completion percentage, 35 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, 17 sacks, 4305 passing yards, 104.5 passer Rating<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Jim Sorgi</strong><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/resources/2007/02/sorgimaytag.jpg" border="0" />Jim Sorgi has been the resident bench warmer for the Colts since 2004. However, his job is in jeopardy. The Colts are not happy about his performance last year in the Tennessee game. This year will be his first year in a while when his job is truly in jeopardy. As you can see by the picture above, he has even picked up a second job as a Maytag repairman just in case he gets cut.<br />Sorgi last year had a 68.3 passer rating in the Tennessee game. Previous to Sorgi coming in, Manning was tearing apart that defense. Sure, Sorgi was throwing to Devin Aromashodu and Craphonso Thorpe, but could he really keep this team in the playoff hunt if Manning got hurt? I didn't think so. The Colts are going to give Josh Betts and Adam Tafralis a chance, and they could try to sign or trade for someone else. Chris Simms could be a possible trade option. The only decent free agents left are Dante Culpepper and Kelly Holcomb. I think Sorgi will have to play very well this preseason to keep his job. Adam Tafralis could get the job, and Betts has as much experience in the system as Sorgi.<br /></div><div align="left"><strong>Chance of Keeping Job: </strong>50% </div><div align="left"><strong>Stats If He Does Keep Job: </strong>53.3% completion percentage, 0 touchdown passes, 1 interception, 2 sacks, 102 passing yards, 46.8 passer rating<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>Josh Betts </strong><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="206" alt="" src="http://www.footballcollectible.com/secure/images/products/JBetts-2006-209-150.gif" border="0" /></div><p>Betts has never played in a regular season NFL game. Not once. However, he has had that number 9 jersey since 2006, when he was first signed as an undrafted free agent and has been cut and signed to the practice squad twice. He has been a preseason player since he left Miami of Ohio, where he is second on the career list for pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. In the 2007 preseason, he had 3 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 356 passing yards, and a 60% completion percentage against the Cowboys, Bears, and Bengals.</p><p><strong>Chance of Making Roster: </strong>20%<br /><strong>Stats If He Does Make The Roster: </strong>46% completion percentage, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 142 passing yards, 0 sacks, 60.6 passer rating</p><p align="center"><strong>Adam Tafralis<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="181" alt="" src="http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/71774993.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193875DCB1DD8387ABB5026A7BFC86732C3A40A659CEC4C8CB6" border="0" /></strong></p><p><br />The Colts signed an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, and he has a great chance of making the roster. Adam Tafralis had a great junior and senior year for the Spartans. Last year, he threw 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The year before that he threw 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Lack of competition is the obvious concern, but last year he played great against Kansas State, and the year before that he destroyed the Washington defense. Tafralis also has pretty good legs and ran for 405 yards in the past two years. Tafralis has a quick delivery, but his lack of height is a problem. I think he should be Peyton's backup for 2008.</p><p><strong>Chance of Making Roster: </strong>20%<br /><strong>Stats If He Does Make Roster: </strong>60% completion percentage, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 180 yards, 74.3 passer rating</p><p>If I was Dungy, my QB roster would look like this</p><p><em>53 man<br /></em>#18 Peyton Manning<br />#15 Adam Tafralis</p><p><em>Practice Squad<br /></em>#12 Jim Sorgi</p>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-24724432894429757462008-05-07T17:02:00.004-04:002008-05-07T17:15:29.486-04:00Let's Make This OfficialDominic Rhodes has signed a contract with the Colts. 1 year, $605,000. That is cheap for someone who just a year earlier should have been the Super Bowl MVP. Things keep on looking worse and worse for Kenton Keith.<br /><br />Now, Roosevelt Colvin is the next big name that could be a Colt. He's expressed interest, and he owns a house in Geist.<br /><br />With the Rhodes addition, the Colts now have 5 players who have played a regular season game for another team: Adam Vinatieri, Keiwan Ratliff, Luke Lawton, and Clift Dawson are the others. With the chance that Ratliff, Lawton, and Dawson won't be with the Colts (which is very likely), the Colts will only have two, and one of them started their career in Indy. The Colts are the best home grown team in the league, and this proves that free agency is just for show.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-63532677438458576662008-05-06T22:35:00.004-04:002008-05-06T23:08:33.089-04:00Guess Who's BackAl Davis did the Colts a big favor by drafting Darren McFadden. Dominic Rhodes became the odd man out in Oakland behind McFadden, Justin Fargas, Lamont Jordan, and Michael Bush. Now, Rhodes is going to be wearing blue again.<br /><br />As reported by <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80830f42">Adam Schefter</a>, <a href="http://rotoworld.com/content/HeadLines.aspx?sport=NFL&hl=116052">Roto World</a> and <a href="http://www.stampedeblue.com/2008/5/6/481663/dominic-rhodes-possibly-co#comments">Stampede Blue</a>, the Indianapolis Colts are very close to a deal with Dominic Rhodes to be Joseph Addai's complement back.<br /><br />Here is what Rhodes did in his 5 healthy years in Indy:<br /><br />550 carries, 2,274 yards, 4.1 yards per carry, 649 receiving yards, 20 total touchdowns, 13 fumbles.<br /><br />The 20 total touchdowns is great for a player who was backup up Edgerrin James for three years. Rhodes will most likely be used in goal line situations where he can power his way through the line. Addai was pretty weak in the red zone last year, so Rhodes will be a great addition. Since the Colts don't have a Randy Moss-like receiver, a goal line back is the next best thing for redzone situations.<br /><br />Yes, the Colts did draft Mike Hart, but he will still get some carries, and most importantly, he will have two Super Bowl-winning running backs mentoring him along the way. Kenton Keith can pack up his stuff. He's out of here.<br /><br />This is what I think the carries will look like next year for the backs.<br /><br />Joseph Addai: 16 carries per game<br />Dominic Rhodes: 10 carries per game<br />Mike Hart: 4 carries per game<br /><br />Sure, this will most likely change depending on Mike Hart's progression or lack there of, but this could be one of the best backfields in the league. Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, the G-men, and Minnesota better watch out. The Colts are gaining on them.<br /><br />Colts Roster Update<br /><br />QB<br />Peyton Manning<br />Jim Sorgi<br /><br />RB<br />Joseph Addai<br />Dominic Rhodes<br />Mike Hart<br /><br />WR<br />Marvin Harrison<br />Reggie Wayne<br />Anthony Gonzalez<br />Roy Hall<br />Pierre Garcon<br /><br />TE<br />Dallas Clark<br />Jacob Tamme<br />Tom Santi<br /><br />LT<br />Tony Ugoh<br />Michael Toudouze<br /><br />LG<br />Ryan Lilja<br />Jamey Richard<br /><br />C<br />Jeff Saturday<br />Steve Justice<br /><br />RG<br />Mike Pollack<br />Charlie Johnson<br /><br />RT<br />Ryan Diem<br />Dan Federkiel<br /><br />DE<br />Dwight Freeney<br />Robert Mathis<br />Josh Thomas<br />Marcus Howard<br />Curtis Johnson<br /><br />DT<br />Ed Johnson<br />Raheem Brock<br />Quinn Pitcock<br />Darrell Reid<br />Keyunta Dawson<br />Colin Ferrell<br /><br />OLB<br />Tyjuan Hagler<br />Freddy Keiaho<br />Clint Session<br />Ramon Guzman<br /><br />MLB<br />Gary Brackett<br />Philip Wheeler<br /><br />CB<br />Marlin Jackson<br />Kelvin Hayden<br />Tim Jennings<br />Dante Hughes<br />Michael Coe<br /><br />FS<br />Antoine Bethea<br />Matt Giordano<br />Brandon Condren<br /><br />SS<br />Bob Sanders<br />Jamie Silva<br /><br />K<br />Adam Vinatieri<br /><br />P<br />Hunter Smith<br /><br />LS<br />Justin Snow<br /><br />Practice Squad<br />QB Josh Betts<br />RB Kenton Keith<br />WR Sam Giguere<br />OT Darren Marquez<br />DT Eric Foster<br />LB Brandon Foster<br />CB Melvin BullittC<br />B Brandon Foster<br /><br />On Stand-by<br />WR Devin Aromashodu<br />RB Luke Lawton<br />DE Jeff Charleston<br />LB Brandon Archer<br />CB Keiwan RatliffLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-21067172045426141602008-05-03T18:22:00.002-04:002008-05-03T22:46:25.128-04:00More Roster MovesAfter one day of rookie minicamp, Dungy must have seen great things out of Tom Santi, Jacob Tamme, Mike Pollack, Jamey Richard and Steve Justice. The Colts have cut two veterans to make room for these kids.<br /><br />Bryan Fletcher, a talented yet underperforming tight end, and Dylan Gandy, the former Jeff Saturday protege both were cut yesterday by the Colts.<br /><br />Dylan Gandy was supposed to compete for the starting right guard spot. Now, he will look to make another team's roster. Gandy was a strong backup, but I would never consider him a starter. I was surprised that we cut a lineman because of the lack of depth last year. Now, it looks like the right guard spot is Mike Pollack's to lose. Charlie Johnson is his only competition. Steve Justice will be the backup center, and Jamey Richard will be Ryan Lilja's backup at left guard. The Colts should have about 9 or 10 offensive linemen when you include Dan Federkiel and Michael Toudouze.<br /><br />Bryan Fletcher's release was not that surprising. There was no possible way that the Colts would have four tight ends on the roster. Jacob Tamme is an improved version of Bryan Fletcher, and Fletcher was never meant to be a blocker. He had a dropping problem, a condition that plagued almost all of the Colts receivers last year. I had never thought that Fletcher would make the 53 man roster. This comes as no surprise.<br /><br />This is not the end of their careers. There are many teams that would like the services of these two. I could see a team like Houston or Oakland going after Gandy. He could really help out a young, underperforming offensive line.<br /><br />Bryan Fletcher could make multiple rosters. Tennessee could be a suitor, but that's a given. Buffalo is another team that could use Fletcher. Miami could use a tight end like Fletcher.<br /><br />Both of these guys should be a contributor on an NFL team.<br /><br /><em>Updated Roster</em><br /><em></em><br />QB<br />Peyton Manning<br />Jim Sorgi<br /><br />RB<br />Joseph Addai<br />Mike Hart<br />Kenton Keith<br /><br />WR<br />Marvin Harrison<br />Reggie Wayne<br />Anthony Gonzalez<br />Roy Hall<br />Pierre Garcon<br /><br />TE<br />Dallas Clark<br />Jacob Tamme<br />Tom Santi<br /><br />LT<br />Tony Ugoh<br />Michael Toudouze<br /><br />LG<br />Ryan Lilja<br />Jamey Richard<br /><br />C<br />Jeff Saturday<br />Steve Justice<br /><br />RG<br />Mike Pollack<br />Charlie Johnson<br /><br />RT<br />Ryan Diem<br />Dan Federkiel<br /><br />DE<br />Dwight Freeney<br />Robert Mathis<br />Josh Thomas<br />Marcus Howard<br />Curtis Johnson<br /><br />DT<br />Ed Johnson<br />Raheem Brock<br />Quinn Pitcock<br />Darrell Reid<br />Keyunta Dawson<br />Colin Ferrell<br /><br />OLB<br />Tyjuan Hagler<br />Freddy Keiaho<br />Clint Session<br />Ramon Guzman<br /><br />MLB<br />Gary Brackett<br />Philip Wheeler<br /><br />CB<br />Marlin Jackson<br />Kelvin Hayden<br />Tim Jennings<br />Dante Hughes<br />Michael Coe<br /><br />FS<br />Antoine Bethea<br />Matt Giordano<br />Brandon Condren<br /><br />SS<br />Bob Sanders<br />Jamie Silva<br /><br />K<br />Adam Vinatieri<br /><br />P<br />Hunter Smith<br /><br />LS<br />Justin Snow<br /><br /><em>Practice Squad</em><br />QB Josh Betts<br />RB Luke Lawton<br />WR Sam Giguere<br />OT Darren Marquez<br />DT Eric Foster<br />LB Brandon Foster<br />CB Melvin Bullitt<br />CB Brandon Foster<br /><br /><em>On Stand-by<br /></em>WR Devin Aromashodu<br />RB Chad Simpson<br />TE Gijon Robinson<br />DE Jeff Charleston<br />CB Keiwan RatliffLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-22020891494170066552008-05-02T17:56:00.005-04:002008-05-02T18:29:40.519-04:00Remember, This Is ALLEGED<div>However, it still scares me.<br /><br />Marvin Harrison has been connected to a shooting outside of "Playmakers", his bar, in Philadelphia. A man came to the club at 5 PM and caused a disturbance. On his way out, the future Hall of Fame receiver followed him, and gunfire broke out. The man had his hand grazed by a bullet, and a bystander was hit by shattered glass.<br /><br />The police determined that it was Harrison's gun which fired the bullets found at the scene of the crime. It was found at his car wash.<br /><br />No one has been charged with a crime, and the one witness did not identify a shooter. However, there is another witness that is stepping forward to comment. Marvin has been interviewed by the Philadelphia police, and there are no current subjects.<br /><br />Of course, the fan reception is over the top. On ESPN's boards, which are notorious for being the gathering grounds of the world's biggest idiots, the grammar-deprived posters have compared him to Michael Vick, a dog-killer, and said he murdered someone. If you ever feel like a moron, just go on those boards to read some of the posts.<br /><br />Now, this is way over the top. Marvin will be charged with a misdemeanor for sure because of gun laws in Philly. As the shooting goes, I would not convict him yet. If it was Marvin, I would think that multiple witnesses would have stepped up. This was in a public place. Marvin isn't Pacman Jones, and he isn't Tank Johnson. Let's calm down on the accusations. There is still a lot of information that is still out there.<br /><br />What I expect is the more information that comes out, the less likely Marvin was a shooter in this incident.</div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://images.usatoday.com/sports/_photos/2007/01/30/harrison.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-89040247067096886492008-05-01T18:42:00.005-04:002008-05-03T12:26:13.869-04:00Looking Forward to 2008: Special TeamsIn 2007, special teams was one of the biggest problems for the Colts. It cost the Colts the first Chargers games, and it wasn't helpful in the 2007 Playoffs Super Bowl run. The Colts haven't had a great returner since Brad Pyatt, who had his career ended by injury. The kickoff coverage is mediocre outside of Darrell Reid. The punt coverage is better than the kickoff coverage because of the team speed, but it still is not where it should be. Well, this is a whole new year, and the Colts have drafted and signed players who could completely revamp the coverage and return games. The Colts may have been anemic in the return game and incompetent in coverage last year, but next year will be different.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Kickoff Coverage</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><br />The Colts had a bunch of stupid mistakes last year covering kickoffs. There were multiple offsides penalties and missed tackles. However, the Colts have made some moves with personnel that will make this team one of the premier coverage squads in the NFL.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This offseason, the Colts kept their current special teams stars and then drafted and signed some players with potential to be stars. Darrell Reid, the man who <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THu7VvAquho&feature=related">almost killed Chris Henry</a>, and Matt Giordano resigned with the Colts. With those two, the Colts have a great cornerstone for a strong special teams. However, the other 7 coverage men all were subpar. Here is the lineup I would use.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Michael Coe and Matt Giordano are the gunners. These are two of the fastest players on the team, and they should be able to keep the returner from making it to the outside.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Darrell Reid is the wedge breaker. He is big and normally one of the first defenders down the field. He is a Pro Bowl-caliber special teamer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The other two players on the outside are Jamie Silva and Roy Hall. I would like to keep Hall away from special teams after his shoulder injury, but he is too fast and too big to be on the sidelines on kickoffs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The five other defenders that I would send out would be Philip Wheeler, Colin Farrell, Brandon Archer, Curtis Johnson, and Ramon Guzman.<br /><br /><br /><br />With this setup, this is how the kickoff formation would look like:<br /><br /><br /><br />MC JS PW BA CF AV DR CJ RG RH MG<br /><br /><br /><br />With this lineup, the Colts will have two of the fastest players in the league in Coe and Giordano being able to shut down the outside. Darrell Reid could very easily be another Colts Pro Bowler this upcoming year. The big defenders are also giants, and the linebackers are solid tacklers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Kickoff Returns</strong><br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><br />Since Brad Pyatt's neck injury, there hasn't been a dynamic Colts returner in ages. In the sixth round, a Division III player became the next Colts returner.<br /><br /><br /><br />Pierre Garcon is the ideal returner for this team. First, he will not play a big role on Sundays when Peyton is on the field. At most he will be a fourth receiver if Marvin is suspended or still injured. Secondly, he is one of the most explosive returners I have seen highlights of. Most would think Joshua Cribbs got put in a Mount Union jersey and starting returning kicks on Pop Warner teams. That's how good he has looked. I don't think there is a question who will be returning punts this year.<br /><br /><br /><br />However, we have seen returners come and go. Brad Pyatt hurt his neck. Terrence Wilkins became too old. TJ Rushing is now expendable. To be safe in case of a freak injury, the Colts have backup returners. Sam Giguere is a probable practice squad player who could be a quality returner some day. Rudy Burgess and Charles Dillon both were returners in college, and they could be signed to the 53 man roster if Garcon and Giguere would be injured. Speed is never a concern for the Colts.<br /><br /><br /><br />Here is a Pierre Garcon kick return highlight for those who don't believe how good this kid can be.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvzTkNIVEj0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvzTkNIVEj0</a><br /><br /><br />Convinced? I think most Colts fans are, and more importantly, Bill Polian is.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Punt Coverage</strong><br /><br /><strong></strong><br />The punt coverage and kickoff coverage teams should look similar. Matt Giordano and Michael Coe will be gunners. Coe is not as solid of a tackler as one may want for gunner, but he is as fast as any player on this team. Giordano combines speed and tackling to make an unstoppable gunner. I would like to see the players I listed on my kickoff coverage being on there as well. Philip Wheeler, Curtis Johnson, and Brandon Archer are all solid tacklers who would not let big plays happen.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Punt Return</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />I think we all know that Garcon will be the returner, but who will be on the line? Last year, Michael Coe made a great block in the Baltimore game. I think he and Giordano should be on the outside to go for the blocks. On the inside, I would like to see big bodies like Quinn Pitcock, Ed Johnson, and Josh Thomas in the middle. Also, an offensive lineman like Jamey Richard wouldn't hurt either for blocking. To drop back and block, linebackers like Tyjuan Hagler and Philip Wheeler would help. With this, they could get some good returns. However, I think we do not have the best blockers for returns, which is why we have had minimal success returning punts.<br /><br />This is my preseason overview of the special teams. It's mostly guesses, because we don't even know the roster yet. But this is what I think it will look like.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-4941329298325772912008-05-01T10:53:00.004-04:002008-05-01T13:55:02.248-04:00Meet Your Undrafted Free AgentsThe Colts this week signed 13 undrafted free agents, and surprisingly Rudolph Hardie and Bernard Morris were missing from the list. However, the Colts did bring in some of the most highly touted UDFAs left. Here are the players that could be the next Dominic Rhodes or Gary Brackett.<br /><br />Rudy Burgess/WR/Arizona State-Burgess is a small wide receiver who was recruited by Arizona State to play cornerback. He runs a 4.49 40, and he is listed as a specialist by Colts.com. Burgess caught 34 passes for 467 yards and led the Sun Devils with a 23.1 average on kickoff returns. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>I'd give him a 20% chance, mostly because of his returning ability. However, Pierre Garcon was already drafted for that position. I wouldn't count on seeing number 3 in blue in September.<br /><br />Dan Davis/DT/Connecticut-Davis was a defensive end/defensive tackle hybrid at Connecticut, and it looks like he will play tackle in training camp for the Colts. His stats aren't amazing (36 tackles, 1 sack). <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>I say 0%. Keyunta Dawson and UDFA Eric Foster are better equipped for the pass rushing UT than Davis.<br /><br />Charles Dillon/WR/Washington State-Like Burgess, Dillon is a returner as well as a wide receiver. Dillon ran a faster 40 time than Burgess (4.96), but Dillon averaged almost 3 yards less returning than Burgess. Dillon had similar stats to Burgess, getting 37 passes for 407 yards. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>I say a 19.5% chance. I prefer the versatility of Burgess over Dillon.<br /><br />Colin Ferrell/DT/Kent State-Ferrell is my dark horse candidate for defensive tackle. He ran a 4.8 40 at his Pro Day. He's 293 pounds! He isn't just a Combine player either. He had 15 tackles for loss and 5 sacks last year. His downside is he is very overrated as an actor. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>I give him a 60% chance of making the roster. With no defensive tackle drafted, he has a good chance of replacing Dan Klecko.<br /><br />Brandon Foster/CB/Texas-Foster is a very small corner (5-7) similar to Jason David and Tim Jennings. Foster is extremely fast (4.28), and he set the Texas record for defensive touchdowns last year with 3. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>25%. He could be a great nickel back in the Cover 2.<br /><br />Eric Foster/DT/Rutgers-Eric Foster is very small for a defensive tackle (265 pounds), so he may need to bulk up about ten pounds. However, he had 7 sacks last year playing in the offensive-oriented Big East. He will contend for the under tackle position. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>40% chance. If he could get up to 275 pounds and not lose his speed, he would be a 95% chance.<br /><br />Samuel Giguere/WR/Sherbrooke (Canada)-Giguere is an unknown prospect because of his Canadian roots, but he has everything you want in a receiver. Giguere ran a 4.35 40, and he has a 40 inch vertical. He was second in Canada's NCAA called CIS in receiving. Competition is obviously the biggest issue with him, but a 4.35 40 and a 40 inch vertical is great for a giant wide receiver like him. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>15% chance. His competition level will hurt his chances, but if he can perform well on special teams, he could easily make the team.<br /><br />Curtis Johnson/DE/Clark Atlanta-Johnson is an undersized (239 pound) defensive end-outside linebacker hybrid who terrorized quarterbacks in the Southern conference. In 21 games for Clark, he got 18.5 tackles and 182 tackles. He was one of the best undrafted players, and he was one of the Colts first signings. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>60% chance. This guy is a freak of nature. He is extremely fast and has been compared to Joey Porter. He will be a steal.<br /><br />Darren Marquez/OT/Southern Illinois-Marquez is a big offensive tackle who helped the Salukis become one of the best teams in Division 1-AA. He is known as a pass protector and would likely play left tackle. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>30%. I like him, but with three offensive linemen drafted, he may end up being the oddman out.<br /><br />Jordan Senn/LB/Portland State-Senn is a small but quick linebacker who was 10th in tackles in Division 1-AA. He was a star track runner in high school, so he definitely has a good burst of speed. He played safety during his sophomore year. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>25% chance. It's too bad linebacker isn't a need. Senn could help a team out. Other Cover 2 teams should try to sign him if injuries occur.<br /><br />Jamie Silva/S/Boston College-As Mike Hart was the sexy pick during the draft, Silva was the sexy signing. Silva was the leader of the Boston College defense, and he was highly touted going into the draft. He had 8 interceptions last year, and he had some success returning punts. Out of all of the undrafted free agents, he is the most likely to make the team. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>75%. Bob Sanders needs a backup.<br /><br />Chad Simpson/RB/Morgan State-Simpson is the 4th leading runner in Morgan State history, but he only played 2 years there. His freshman and sophomore years were spent as a kick returner at South Florida. He ended up being a letterman in track at Morgan State as well. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>22.5%. He could be the returner the Colts are looking for.<br /><br />Adam Tafralis/QB/San Jose State-Tafralis is a somewhat fast quarterback with a 40 time under 4.7, but he threw a lot of interceptions (11) last year playing against weaker competition. <strong>Chance of Making 53 man roster: </strong>.5%. I highly doubt he will beat out Jim Sorgi.<br /><br />With the adding of the UDFAs, here is my projected roster for the Colts.<br /><br /><em>53 man roster</em><br />QB<br />Peyton Manning<br />Jim Sorgi<br /><br />RB<br />Joseph Addai<br />Mike Hart<br />Kenton Keith<br /><br />WR<br />Marvin Harrison<br />Reggie Wayne<br />Anthony Gonzalez<br />Roy Hall<br />Pierre Garcon<br /><br />TE<br />Dallas Clark<br />Tom Santi<br />Jacob Tamme<br /><br />LT<br />Tony Ugoh<br />Michael Toudouze<br /><br />LG<br />Ryan Lilja<br />Jamey Richards<br /><br />C<br />Jeff Saturday<br />Steve Justice<br /><br />RG<br />Mike Pollack<br />Dylan Gandy<br /><br />RT<br />Ryan Diem<br />Charlie Johnson<br /><br />DE<br />Dwight Freeney<br />Robert Mathis<br />Josh Thomas<br />Marcus Howard<br />Curtis Johnson<br /><br />DT<br />Ed Johnson<br />Raheem Brock<br />Quinn Pitcock<br />Darrell Reid<br />Keyunta Dawson<br />Colin Ferrell<br /><br />OLB<br />Tyjuan Hagler<br />Freddy Keiaho<br />Clint Session<br />Ramon Guzman<br /><br />MLB<br />Gary Brackett<br />Phillip Wheeler<br /><br />FS<br />Antoine Bethea<br />Matt Giordano<br />Brandon Condren<br /><br />SS<br />Bob Sanders<br />Jamie Silva<br /><br />CB<br />Marlin Jackson<br />Kelvin Hayden<br />Tim Jennings<br />Michael Coe<br />Dante Hughes<br /><br />K<br />Adam Vinatieri<br /><br />P<br />Hunter Smith<br /><br />LS<br />Justin Snow<br /><br /><em>Practice Squad</em><br />QB Josh Betts<br />WR Sam Giguere<br />OT Dan Federkiel<br />OT Darren Marquez<br />DT Eric Foster<br />LB Brandon Archer<br />CB Brandon Foster<br />TE Bryan Fletcher<br /><br /><em>Not Under Contract, But Will Be Signed If Injuries Occur</em><br />RB Luke Lawton<br />CB Melvin Bullitt<br />WR Devin Aromashodu<br />RB Clift Dawson<br />WR Sam BurgessLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-61064289319797845632008-04-27T20:30:00.003-04:002008-04-27T21:30:40.772-04:00Breaking Down the DraftThe Colts, again, had great draft. They always say Bill Polian does what no one suspects. This year, everyone thought that linebacker and guard were positions that, even though they lost players there, they wouldn't cover early. Well, the first two picks were Mike Pollack and Phillip Wheeler. The Colts covered all of the needs, and there are still some fantastic undrafted free agents that the Colts could and probably will sign. Here is the breakdown of the draft.<br /><br /><strong>2nd (59th)-</strong>Mike Pollak/C or G/Arizona State: At first glance, the Colts drafting a center is a little strange. Jeff Saturday is easily the best center in the NFL, and offensive line is definitely not a huge need. But then after really thinking about it, right guard is wide open for competition, and Jeff Saturday is not young as well. Pollak will be the leader for the right guard spot coming into training camp. Pollak's strength is his strong point, and his main weakness is his size, which allows him to be pushed around by nose tackles. Pollak will be a big contributor whether he is starting or giving Dylan Gandy or Charlie Johnson a break.<br /><br /><strong>3rd (93)-</strong>Philip Wheeler/LB/Georgia Tech: Wheeler is one of the fastest linebackers in this draft. With the loss of Rocky Boiman and possibly Rob Morris, the Colts need a little depth at linebacker. Wheeler was recruited by Georgia Tech as a defensive end, so he could be moved in pass rushing situations. Wheeler is versatile enough to play oustide linebacker, middle linebacker, and defensive end. If injuries become a problem again, he could be a key player at multiple positions. Wheeler's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his size.<br /><br /><strong>4th (127)-</strong>Jacob Tamme/TE/Kentucky: With the loss of Ben Utecht, Jacob Tamme could be a main target for Peyton Manning. Tamme played on the explosive Kentucky offense alongside Andre Woodson, Rafael Little, and Keenan Burton, so he is used to having great talent around him. It will be interesting to see his blocking ability, which could be helpful in short yardage situations, which the Colts struggled a bit in last year. Tamme's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his strength.<br /><br /><strong>5th (161)-</strong>Marcus Howard/DE/Georgia: I have no idea how Marcus Howard fell this far. Howard has the potential to be one of the premier pass rusher in the entire league. Luckily for the Colts, Howard was available here, and we picked him up. Howard will be used as a pass rushing specialist on third downs. With Howard, quarterbacks like Billy Volek will not be able to pass on us. Howard's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his size.<br /><br /><strong>6th (196)-</strong>Tom Santi/TE/Virginia: The Colts are definitely set at tight end for the future. They signed Dallas Clark long-term, and now they have 2 rookie tight ends. Santi will be used more as a blocking tight end, even though he can still catch. He led the Cavs in receiving yards and touchdowns per game. His strength is his blocking, and his weakness is his lack of speed.<br /><br /><strong>6th (201)-</strong>Steve Justice/C or G/Wake Forest: Out of the centers the Colts took today, Justice is the most likely to actually stay at center. Saturday will be his mentor, and he is expected to take over for him in the near future. Justice's strength is his football IQ, and his weakness is his lack of experience in a pro style blocking system.<br /><br /><strong>6th (202)-</strong>Mike Hart/RB/Michigan: This was the sexiest pick of the Colts draft. Hart is a superstar and former Heisman contender that fell in the draft because he is not a combine player. Hart will be a change of pace back for Addai and will help keep Addai healthy. Hart's strength is his aggressive running style, and his weakness is his durability.<br /><br /><strong>6th (205)-</strong>Pierre Garcon/WR/Mount Union: I'd never heard of Garcon before today. He went to Division III Mount Union, and he was never projected to be drafted. Garcon's strength is his quickness, and his weakness is his lack of competition in college.<br /><br /><strong>7th (236)-</strong>Jamey Richard/C or G/Buffalo: Richard is another interior lineman. Last year against San Diego, the Colts barely could field an offensive line because of injuries. Now, they have much better depth. Richard's strength is his footwork, and his weakness is his lack of athleticism.<br /><br />With these picks, here is what the Colts pre-UDFA 53 man roster.<br /><br />QB<br />Peyton Manning<br />Jim Sorgi<br /><br />RB<br />Joseph Addai<br />Mike Hart<br />Kenton Keith<br /><br />WR<br />Reggie Wayne<br />Marvin Harrison<br />Anthony Gonzalez<br />Roy Hall<br />Devin Aromashodu<br />Pierre Garcon<br /><br />TE<br />Dallas Clark<br />Bryan Fletcher<br />Jacob Tamme<br />Tom Santi<br /><br />LT<br />Tony Ugoh<br />Michael Toudouze<br /><br />LG<br />Ryan Lilja<br />Jamey Richard<br /><br />C<br />Jeff Saturday<br />Steve Justice<br /><br />RG<br />Mike Pollak<br />Dylan Gandy<br /><br />RT<br />Ryan Diem<br />Charlie Johnson<br /><br />DE<br />Dwight Freeney<br />Robert Mathis<br />Marcus Howard<br />Josh Thomas<br />Keyunta Dawson<br /><br />DT<br />Ed Johnson<br />Raheem Brock<br />Quinn Pitcock<br />Darrell Reid<br /><br />SLB<br />Tyjuan Hagler<br />Ramon Guzman<br /><br />MLB<br />Gary Brackett<br />Phillip Wheeler<br /><br />WLB<br />Freddie Keiaho<br />Clint Session<br /><br />CB<br />Marlin Jackson<br />Kelvin Hayden<br />Tim Jennings<br />Dante Hughes<br />Michael Coe<br />TJ Rushing<br /><br />FS<br />Antoine Bethea<br />Brannon Condren<br /><br />SS<br />Bob Sanders<br /><br />K<br />Adam Vinatieri<br /><br />P<br />Hunter Smith<br /><br />LS<br />Justin SnowLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-28078178901498561622008-04-25T19:18:00.016-04:002008-04-27T20:25:45.498-04:00It's Finally FinishedMy 7 round mock draft is finished. This took forever. I tried my hardest not to repeat players or accidently have a team take a player at the same position in 3 straight rounds. However, I'm tired of reading different people's rankings and mock drafts, and I just want this published.<br /><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">1. Miami Dolphins-Jake Long/OT/Michigan<br /></span><span style="color:#33cc00;">2. St. Louis Rams-Chris Long/DE/Virginia<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. Atlanta Falcons-Glenn Dorsey/DT/LSU</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">4. Oakland Raiders-Darren McFadden/RB/Arkansas</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">5. Kansas City Chiefs-Branden Albert/OG/Auburn<br /></span><span style="color:#33cc00;">6. New York Jets-Vernon Gholston/DE/Ohio State<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">7. New England Patriots from San Francisco-Keith Rivers/OLB/USC</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">8. Baltimore Ravens-Matt Ryan/QB/Boston College<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">9. Cincinnati Bengals-Sedrick Ellis/DT/USC</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">10. New Orleans Saints-Leodis McKelvin/CB/Troy<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">11. Buffalo Bills-Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie/CB/Tennessee State</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">12. Denver Broncos-Ryan Clady/OT/Boise State</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">13. Carolina Panthers-Chris Williams/OT/Vanderbilt</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">14. Chicago Bears-Jeff Otah/OT/Pittsburgh</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">15. Detroit Lions-Rashard Mendenhall/RB/Illinois</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">16. Arizona Cardinals-Mike Jenkins/CB/South Florida</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">17. Kansas City Chiefs from Minnesota-Derrick Harvey/DE/Florida</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">18. Houston Texans-Jonathan Stewart/RB/Oregon</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">19. Philadelphia Eagles-Devin Thomas/WR/Michigan State<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Phillip Merling/DE/Clemson<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">21. Washington Redskins-Limas Sweed/WR/Texas<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">22. Dallas Cowboys from Cleveland-DeSean Jackson/WR/Cal</span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">23. Pittsburgh Steelers-Gosder Cherlius/OT/Boston College</span><br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">24. Tennessee Titans-James Hardy/WR/Indiana</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">25. Seattle Seahawks-Kentwan Balmer/DT/North Carolina<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">26. Jacksonville Jaguars-Trevor Laws/DT/Notre Dame<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">27. San Diego Chargers-Kenny Phillips/S/Miami (Fla.)<br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">28. Dallas Cowboys-Aqib Talib/CB/Kansas</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">29. San Francisco 49ers from Indianapolis-Quentin Groves/OLB/Auburn</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">30. Green Bay Packers-Antoine Cason/CB/Arizona</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">31. New York Giants-Jerod Mayo/ILB/Tennessee</span><br /><br />Round 2<br />32. Miami Dolphins-Brian Brohm/QB/Louisville<br />33. St. Louis Rams-Carl Nicks/OT/Nebraska<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">34. Atlanta Falcons from Oakland-Joe Flacco/QB/Delaware</span><br />35. Kansas City Chiefs-Malcolm Kelly/WR/Oklahoma<br />36. New York Jets-Curtis Lofton/ILB/Oklahoma<br />37. Atlanta Falcons-Anthony Collins/OT/Kansas<br />38. Baltimore Ravens-Tracy Porter/CB/Indiana<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">39. San Francisco 49ers-Duane Brown/OT/Virginia Tech<br /></span>40. New Orleans Saints-Pat Sims/DT/Auburn<br />41. Buffalo Bills-Early Doucet/WR/LSU<br />42. Denver Broncos-Dre Moore/DT/Maryland<br />43. Carolina Panthers-Fred Davis/TE/USC<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">44. Chicago Bears-Felix Jones/RB/Arkansas</span><br />45. Detroit Lions-Dan Conner/ILB/Penn State<br />46. Cincinnati Bengals-Cliff Avril/DE/Purdue<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">47. Minnesota Vikings-Sam Baker/OT/USC</span><br />48. Atlanta Falcons from Houston-Charles Godfrey/CB/Iowa<br />49. Philadelphia Eagles-Patrick Lee/CB/Auburn<br />50. Arizona Cardinals-Jamaal Charles/RB/Texas<br />51. Washington Redskins-Calais Campbell/DE/Miami (Fla.)<br />52. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Justin King/CB/Penn State<br />53. Pittsburgh Steelers-Antwaun Molden/CB/Eastern Kentucky<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">54. Tennessee Titans-Dustin Keller/TE/Purdue</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">55. Seattle Seahawks-Lawrence Jackson/DE/USC<br /></span>56. Green Bay Packers from Cleveland-Xavier Adibi/OLB/Virginia Tech<br />57. Miami Dolphins from San Diego-Brandon Flowers/CB/Virginia Tech<br />58. Jacksonville Jaguars-Jason Jones/DE/Eastern Michigan<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">59. Indianapolis Colts-Chris Johnson/RB/Eastern Carolina<br /></span>60. Green Bay Packers-Martellus Bennett/TE/Texas A&M<br />61. Dallas Cowboys-Josh Barnett/S/Arizona State<br />62. New England Patriots-Chilo Rachal/OG/USC<br />63. New York Giants-Tyrell Johnson/S/Arkansas State<br /><br />Round 3<br />64. Miami Dolphins-Phillip Wheeler/ILB/Georgia Tech<br />65. St. Louis Rams-Marcus Howard/DE/Georgia<br />66. Kansas City Chiefs-Tony Hills/OT/Texas<br />67. Carolina Panthers from NYJ-Matt Forte/RB/Tulane<br />68. Atlanta Falcons-Jonathan Goff/ILB/Vanderbilt<br />69. New England Patriots from Oakland-Terrence Wheatley/CB/Colorado<br />70. Chicago Bears from San Francisco-Earl Bennett/WR/Vanderbilt<br />71. Jacksonville Jaguars from Baltimore via Buffalo-DaJuan Morgan/S/North Carolina State<br />72. Buffalo Bills-Jordy Nelson/WR/Kansas State<br />73. Kansas City Chiefs from Denver via Minnesota-Terrell Thomas/CB/USC<br />74. Carolina Panthers-Quintin Demps/S/UTEP<br />75. San Francisco 49ers from Chicago-Mario Manningham/WR/Michigan<br />76. Detroit Lions-Erin Henderson/OLB/Maryland<br />77. Cincinnati Bengals-Donnie Avery/WR/Houston<br />78. New Orleans Saints-DaJuan Morgan/S/North Carolina State<br />79. Houston Texans-Reggie Smith/CB/Oklahoma<br />80. Philadelphia Eagles-Marcus Harrison/DT/Arkansas<br />81. Arizona Cardinals-Eddie Royal/WR/Virginia Tech<br />82. Kansas City Chiefs from Minnesota-Mike Pollack/C/Arizona State<br />83. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Andre Caldwell/WR/Florida<br />84. Washington Redskins-Oniel Cousins/OT/UTEP<br />85. Tennessee Titans-Tyvon Branch/CB/UConn<br />86. Seattle Seahawks-William Franklin/WR/Missouri<br />87. Detroit Lions from Cleveland-Red Bryant/DT/Texas A&M<br />88. Pittsburgh Steelers-Kirk Barton/OT/Ohio State<br />89. Jacksonville Jaguars-Roy Schuening/OG/Oregon State<br />90. Chicago Bears from San Diego-Chad Henne/QB/Michigan<br />91. Green Bay Packers-John David Booty/QB/USC<br />92. Dallas Cowboys-Ray Rice/RB/Rutgers<br />93. Indianapolis Colts-John Greco/OT/Toledo<br />94. New England Patriots-Zach Bowman/CB/Nebraska<br />95. New York Giants-Drew Radovich/OG/USC<br />96. Washington Redskins-Tom Zbikowski/S/Notre Dame<br />97. Cincinnati Bengals-Tashard Choice/RB/Georgia Tech<br />98. Atlanta Falcons-John Carlson/TE/Notre Dame<br />99. Baltimore Ravens-Keenan Burton/WR/Kentucky<br /><br />Round 4<br />100. Miami Dolphins-Taveres Gooden/OLB/Miami (Fla.)<br />101. St. Louis Rams-Ezra Butler/OLB/Nevada<br />102. New York Jets-Kevin Smith/RB/UCF<br />103. Atlanta Falcons-Thomas DeCoud/S/Cal<br />104. Oakland Raiders-Ahtyba Rubin/DT/Iowa State<br />105. Kansas City Chiefs-Orlando Scandrick/CB/Boise State<br />106. Baltimore Ravens-Beau Bell/ILB/UNLV<br />107. San Francisco 49ers-Frank Morton/NT/Tulane<br />108. Denver Broncos-Shawn Crable/OLB/Michigan<br />109. Carolina Panthers-DeMario Pressley/DT/North Carolina State<br />110. Chicago Bears-Caleb Campbell/S/Army<br />111. Detroit Lions-Mike McGlynn/OG/Pitt<br />112. Cincinnati Bengals-Wes Woodyard/OLB/Kentucky<br />113. New York Jets from New Orleans-Jeremy Zuttah/OT/Rutgers<br />114. Buffalo Bills-Chris Ellis/DE/Virginia Tech<br />115. Philadelphia Eagles-Barry Richardson/OT/Clemson<br />116. Arizona Cardinals-Eric Young/OG/Tennessee<br />117. Minnesota Vikings-Craig Steltz/S/LSU<br />118. Houston Texans-Brad Cottam/TE/Tennessee<br />119. Denver Broncos from Washington-Brian Johnston/DE/Gardner-Webb<br />120. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Steve Johnson/WR/Kentucky<br />121. Seattle Seahawks-Jermichael Finley/TE/Texas<br />122. Cleveland Browns-Jack Williams/CB/Kent State<br />123. Pittsburgh Steelers-DJ Hall/WR/Alabama<br />124. Tennessee Titans-Chris Harrington/DE/Texas A&M<br />125. Jacksonville Jaguars-Steve Justice/C/Wake Forest<br />126. Tennessee Titans from Dallas-Dexter Jackson/WR/Appalachian State<br />127. Indianapolis Colts-Rudolph Hardie/DE/Howard<br />128. Green Bay Packers-Peyton Hillis/FB/Arkansas<br />129. New England Patriots-Chevis Jackson/CB/LSU<br />130. New York Giants-Dwight Lowery/CB/San Jose State<br />131. Philadelphia Eagles-Jamar Adams/S/Michigan<br />132. Buffalo Bills-John Sullivan/C/Notre Dame<br />133. Baltimore Ravens-Chad Rinehart/OG/Northern Iowa<br />134. Tennessee Titans-Steve Slaton/RB/West Virginia<br />135. Green Bay Packers-Trae Williams/CB/South Florida<br /><br />Round 5<br />136. Kansas City Chiefs from Miami-Lavelle Hawkins/WR/Cal<br />137. St. Louis Rams-Carlton Medder/OT/St. Louis Rams<br />138. Atlanta Falcons-Nick Hayden/DT/Wisconsin<br />139. Denver Broncos from Oakland-Darius Reynaud/WR/West Virginia<br />140. Kansas City Chiefs-Kendall Langford/DT/Hampton<br />141. Carolina Panthers from NYJ-Andre Woodson/QB/Kentucky<br />142. Chicago Bears from Carolina Panthers-Bobby Byrd/OT/Washington State<br />143. Jacksonville Jaguars from Chicago Bears-Harry Douglas/WR/Louisville<br />144. Detroit Lions-Jonathan Wilhite/CB/Auburn<br />145. Cincinnati Bengals-DeJuan Tribble/CB/Boston College<br />146. New Orleans Saints-Ali Highsmith/OLB/LSU<br />147. Buffalo Bills-Owen Schmitt/FB/West Virginia<br />148. Denver Broncos-David Roach/S/TCU<br />149. Arizona Cardinals-Stan Kelgar/OLB/Purdue<br />150. Minnesota Vikings-Martin Rucker/TE/Missouri<br />151. Houston Texans-Bruce Davis/OLB/UCLA<br />152. Philadelphia Eagles-Donald Thomas/OG/UConn<br />153. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Mike Hart/RB/Michigan<br />154. Washington Redskins-Jonathan Zenon/CB/LSU<br />155. Cleveland Browns-Jameel McClain/ILB/Syracuse<br />156. Pittsburgh Steelers-Ben Moffitt/LB/South Florida<br />157. Tennessee Titans-Jordon Dizon/OLB/Colorado<br />158. Jacksonville Jaguars from Seattle-Kenny Iwebema/DE/Iowa<br />159. Jacksonville Jaguars-Kellen Davis/TE/Michigan State<br />160. San Diego Chargers-Marcus Griffin/S/Texas<br />161. Indianapolis Colts-Arman Shields/WR/Richmond<br />162. Green Bay Packers-Darrell Robertson/DE/Georgia Tech<br />163. Dallas Cowboys-Shannon Boatman/OG/Florida State<br />164. New England Patriots-Josh Johnson/QB/San Diego<br />165. New York Giants-Jacob Tamme/TE/Kentucky<br />166. San Diego Chargers-Frank Okam/NT/Texas<br /><br />Round 6<br />167. Dallas Cowboys from Miami-Letroy Guion/DT/Florida State<br />168. St. Louis Rams-Kevin O’Connell/QB/San Diego State<br />169. Oakland Raiders-Trevor Scott/DE/Buffalo<br />170. Kansas City Chiefs-Johnny Dingle/DE/West Virginia<br />171. New York Jets-Pedro Sosa/OT/Rutgers<br />172. Atlanta Falcons-Doug Legursky/C/Marshall<br />173. Baltimore Ravens-Robert Felton/OG/Arkansas<br />174. San Francisco 49ers-Cody Wallace/C/Texas A&M<br />175. Chicago Bears-Vince Hall/ILB/Virginia Tech<br />176. Detroit Lions-Gary Guyton/OLB/Georgia Tech<br />177. Cincinnati Bengals-Adamm Oliver/DE/Georgia Tech<br />178. New Orleans Saints-Gary Barnidge/TE/Louisville<br />179. Buffalo Bills-Adam Kraus/OG/Michigan<br />180. St. Louis Rams from Denver-J Leman/ILB/Illinois<br />181. Carolina Panthers-Marcus Walker/CB/Oklahoma<br />182. Minnesota Vikings-Carlton Powell/DT/Virginia Tech<br />183. Denver Broncos from Houston-Alexis Serna/K/Oregon State<br />184. Philadelphia Eagles-Chris Hopkins/TE/Toledo<br />185. Arizona Cardinals-Franklin Dunbar/OT/Middle Tennessee State<br />186. Washington Redskins-Andre Fluellen/DT/Florida State<br />187. Kansas City Chiefs-Chauncey Washington/RB/USC<br />188. Pittsburgh Steelers-Simeon Castille/S/Alabama<br />189. Seattle Seahawks-Jalen Parmele/RB/Toledo<br />190. Cleveland Browns-Adrian Arrington/WR/Michigan<br />191. Philadelphia Eagles-Michael Grant/CB/Arkansas<br />192. San Diego Chargers-Ryan Torain/RB/Arizona State<br />193. Minnesota Vikings from Jacksonville-Spencer Larsen/ILB/Arizona<br />194. New York Giants from Green Bay-Barry Booker/DT/Virginia Tech<br />195. Miami Dolphins from Dallas-Jehuu Calcrick/FB/Michigan State<br />196. Indianapolis Colts-Joey Haynos/TE/Maryland<br />197. New England Patriots-Andy Studebaker/OLB/Wheaton<br />198. New York Giants-Justin Tryon/CB/Arizona State<br />199. New York Giants-Jamey Richard/C/Buffalo<br />200. Philadelphia Eagles-Chase Ortiz/DE/TCU<br />201. Indianapolis Colts-Titus Brown/DE/Mississippi State<br />202. Indianapolis Colts-Kory Lichtensteiger/C/Bowling Green<br />203. Philadelphia Eagles-Kirk Elder/OG/Texas A&M<br />204. Miami Dolphins-Durant Brooks/P/Georgia Tech<br />205. Indianapolis Colts-Corey Lynch/S/Appalachian State<br />206. Baltimore Ravens-Mark Bradford/WR/Stanford<br />207. Cincinnati Bengals-Jack Ikegwuonu/CB/Wisconsin<br /><br />Round 7<br />208. Miami Dolphins-Brian Stamper/OT/Vanderbilt<br />209. Minnesota Vikings from St. Louis-Jacob Hester/FB/LSU<br />210. Kansas City Chiefs-Brandon Coutu/K/Georgia<br />211. New York Jets-Erik Ainge/QB/Tennessee<br />212. Atlanta Falcons-Allen Patrick/RB/Oklahoma<br />213. Oakland Raiders-Ernie Wheelwright/WR/Minnesota<br />214. San Francisco 49ers-Wilrey Fontenot/CB/Arizona<br />215. Baltimore Ravens-Jonathan Hefney/S/Tennessee<br />216. Detroit Lions-Jordan Grimes/OG/Purdue<br />217. St. Louis Rams from Cincinnati-Thomas Brown/RB/Georgia<br />218. New Orleans Saints-Matt Spanos/C/USC<br />219. Buffalo Bills-Ryan O’Hara/QB/Central Oklahoma<br />220. Denver Broncos-Rodrick Johnson/OLB/Oklahoma State<br />221. Carolina Panthers-Dorien Bryant/WR/Purdue<br />222. Chicago Bears-Will Arnold/OG/LSU<br />223. Houston Texans-Adarius Bowman/WR/Oklahoma State<br />224. Buffalo Bills from Philadelphia-Bryan Smith/OLB/McNeese State<br />225. Arizona Cardinals-Mike Dragosavich/P/North Dakota State<br />226. Oakland Raiders from Minnesota-Tommy Blake/DE/TCU<br />227. Denver Broncos from Tampa Bay-Jimmie Kaylor/P/Colorado State<br />228. Washington Redskins-Jacob Hester/H-B/LSU<br />229. Tennessee Titans-Colt Brennan/QB/Hawaii<br />230. Philadelphia Eagles-Jeremy Geathers/DE/UNLV<br />231. Cleveland Browns-Bo Ruud/OLB/Nebraska<br />232. Atlanta Falcons-Taj Smith/WR/Syracuse<br />233. Seattle Seahawks from Jacksonville-Taylor Mehlhaff/K/Wisconsin<br />234. San Diego Chargers-Brandon Carr/CB/Grand Valley State<br />235. Dallas Cowboys-Matt Flynn/QB/LSU<br />236. Indianapolis Colts-Dennis Dixon/QB/Oregon<br />237. Green Bay Packers-Robbie Powell/C/Purdue<br />238. New England Patriots-Marcus Henry/WR/Kansas<br />239. Kansas City Chiefs-Maurice Purify/WR/Nebraska<br />240. Baltimore Ravens-Rafael Little/RB/Kentucky<br />241. Carolina Panthers-Rocky Schwartz/S/Houston<br />242. Washington Redskins-Bobbie Williams/S/Bethune-Cookman<br />243. Chicago Bears-Jamie Silva/S/Boston College<br />244. Cincinnati Bengals-Bernard Morris/QB/Marshall<br />245. Miami Dolphins-Ryan Grice-Mullen/WR/Hawaii<br />246. Cincinnati Bengals-Maurice Murray/DT/New Mexico State<br />247. Chicago Bears-Andrew Bain/OG/Miami<br />248. Chicago Bears-Geoff Schwartz/OT/Oregon<br />249. Washington Redskins-Adam Spieker/C/Missouri<br />250. Carolina Panthers-Joe Jon Finley/TE/Oklahoma<br />251. Buffalo Bills-Anthony Aldridge/RB/Houston<br />252. St. Louis Rams-Sammie Stroughter/WR/Oregon StateLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-1433940007562683472008-04-20T12:22:00.006-04:002008-04-20T13:07:54.134-04:00Colts Draft Board 1-50On April 26th, Tony Dungy, Bill Polian, Chris Polian, Tom Moore, Ron Meeks, Jim Irsay, Jim Caldwell, Pete Ward, and Bob Terpening will go to the Colts facilities, go into a conference room, and stay there for almost two days. That's draft day for you. Teams have to have a lot of prospects lined up. Here's what the Colts' draft board should look like next Saturday.<br /><br /><br />1. Chris Long/DE/Virginia<br />2. Vernon Gholston/DE/Ohio State<br />3. Sedrick Ellis/DT/USC<br />4. Glenn Dorsey/DT/LSU<br />5. Darren McFadden/RB/Arkansas<br />6. Brandon Albert/OG/Auburn<br />7. Jonathan Stewart/RB/Oregon<br />8. Derrick Harvey/DE/Florida<br />9. Jake Long/OT/Michigan<br />10. Keith Rivers/OLB/USC<br />11. Phillip Merling/DE/Clemson<br />12. Rashard Mendenhall/RB/Illinois<br />13. Ryan Clady/OT/Boise State<br />14. Devin Thomas/WR/Michigan State<br />15. Jeff Otah/OT/Pittsburgh<br />16. Chris Williams/OT/Vanderbilt<br />17. Limas Sweed/WR/Texas<br />18. Trevor Laws/DT/Notre Dame<br />19. Kentwan Balmer/DT/North Carolina<br />20. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie/CB/Tennessee State<br />21. DeSean Jackson/WR/Cal<br />22. Chris Johnson/RB/ECU<br />23. Jerod Mayo/ILB/Tennessee<br />24. Mike Jenkins/CB/South Florida<br />25. Quentin Groves/DE/Auburn<br />26. Felix Jones/RB/Arkansas<br />27. Aqib Talib/CB/Kansas<br />28. Lawrence Jackson/DE/USC<br />29. Anthony Collins/OT/Kansas<br />30. James Hardy/WR/Indiana<br />31. Tracy Porter/CB/Indiana<br />32. Matt Forte/RB/Tulane<br />33. Fred Davis/TE/USC<br />34. Dan Conner/MLB/Penn State<br />35. Mario Manningham/WR/Michigan<br />36. Marcus Howard/DE/Georgia<br />37. Antoine Cason/CB/Arizona<br />38. Malcolm Kelly/WR/Oklahoma<br />39. Early Doucet/WR/LSU<br />40. Carl Nicks/OT/Nebraska<br />41. Justin King/CB/Penn State<br />42. Calais Campbell/DT/Miami (Fla.)<br />43. Sam Baker/OT/USC<br />44. Brandon Flowers/CB/Virginia Tech<br />45. Gosder Cherlius/OT/Boston College<br />46. Andre Caldwell/WR/Florida<br />47. Cliff Avril/DE/Purdue<br />48. Xavier Adibi/OLB/Virginia Tech<br />49. Terrell Thomas/CB/USC<br />50. Martellus Bennett/TE/Texas A&MLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-67337824906763595402008-04-18T19:41:00.003-04:002008-04-18T20:05:31.798-04:00Early Colts Schedule OutlookThe schedules were released a few days ago, and I'm here to talk about the Colts' schedule. I can sum it up in one word: KILLER. It sucks when you are in a division with 3 other teams that actually can contend. It doesn't help that they are playing the AFC North, who has Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Good thing Favre retired, or else we could feasibly be playing 5 teams that could win Super Bowl XLIII. Here's the schedule*, and which games I think are guaranteed wins and what games the Colts will have to play their best to win.<br /><br />1<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=09%2D07%2D2008">9/7</a><br />CHICAGO BEARS<br />8:15 PM<br />NBC<br />2<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=09%2D14%2D2008">9/14</a><br />@ Minnesota Vikings<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />3<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=09%2D21%2D2008">9/21</a><br />JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS<br />4:15 PM<br />CBS<br />4<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=09%2D28%2D2008">9/28</a><br />BYE<br />-<br />none<br />5<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=10%2D05%2D2008">10/5</a><br />@ Houston Texans<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />6<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=10%2D12%2D2008">10/12</a><br />BALTIMORE RAVENS<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />7<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=10%2D19%2D2008">10/19</a><br />@ Green Bay Packers<br />4:15 PM<br />CBS<br />8<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=10%2D27%2D2008">10/27</a><br />@ Tennessee Titans<br />8:30 PM<br />ESPN<br />9<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=11%2D02%2D2008">11/2</a><br />NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS<br />8:15 PM<br />NBC<br />10<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=11%2D09%2D2008">11/9</a><br />@ Pittsburgh Steelers<br />4:15 PM<br />CBS<br />11<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=11%2D16%2D2008">11/16</a><br />HOUSTON TEXANS<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />12<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=11%2D23%2D2008">11/23</a><br />@ San Diego Chargers<br />8:15 PM<br />NBC<br />13<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=11%2D30%2D2008">11/30</a><br />@ Cleveland Browns<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />14<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=12%2D07%2D2008">12/7</a><br />CINCINNATI BENGALS<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br />15<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=12%2D14%2D2008">12/14</a><br />DETROIT LIONS<br />1:00 PM<br />FOX<br />16<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=12%2D18%2D2008">12/18</a><br />@ Jacksonville Jaguars<br />8:15 PM<br />NFL Network<br />17<br /><a href="http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&date=12%2D28%2D2008">12/28</a><br />TENNESSEE TITANS<br />1:00 PM<br />CBS<br /><br /><strong>Guaranteed Wins</strong><br />v. Chicago Bears, v. Houston Texans, v. Detroit Lions, v. Cincinnati Bengals, v. Baltimore Ravens, @ Houston Texans, @ Green Bay Packers<br /><br />The schedule is so tough, I can only find seven games right now that don't worry me at all. The Bears, Lions, Bengals, and Ravens are going to be cellar-dwellers in their divisions. The Packers are too one-dimensional, and the Texans can't beat the Colts.<br /><br /><strong>Probable Wins</strong><br />@ Minnesota Vikings, @ Tennessee Titans, v. Jacksonville Jaguars.<br /><br />The Colts are near unbeatable at home in the regular season, and it will be interesting to see if there will be any differences with the move to Lucas Oil Stadium or "The Lube" as it is called. That's why I think the Jags are NOT going to beat the Colts at home. The Titans and Vikings could beat the Colts, but I wouldn't bet on it.<br /><br /><strong>Will Be Close, but the Colts are going to be favored</strong><br />@ Pittsburgh Steelers, @ Cleveland Browns, v. Tennessee Titans.<br /><br />The Titans game is only up here is because of the chances that the starters won't be playing after the first quarter. The Browns and Steelers will be tough, but I don't see the games being blowouts either way.<br /><br /><strong>Bring Your A Game, Colts</strong><br />v. New England Patriots, @ Jacksonville Jaguars, @ San Diego Chargers.<br /><br />Versus the Chargers-REVENGE! Versus the Patriots-Sort of revenge, but I want to crush them regardless of previous outcomes. Versus the Jaguars-This. Is. Our. Division.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>My Prediction: </strong>13-3. I see the Colts beating every team on the schedule besides the road game against Jacksonville, the Titans home game, and the Browns game. The Browns are looking for revenge, the Jags are going to be great, and the Titans will be playing the scrubs. The Colts will be the number two seed in the AFC behind the Patriots. This year, however, they will go all the way.<br /><br />*Courtesy of Colts.comLocal Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-34690159295851201532008-04-17T22:30:00.003-04:002008-04-17T22:44:00.064-04:00Quick Colts Mock DraftThere is nothing really to explain. The Colts have 9 picks, and here's what I think they will do with them come draft weekend. I will not give us Chris Long, Darren McFadden, Keith Rivers, etc. This will be realistic.<br /><br />2nd-Chris Johnson/RB/ECU<br />3rd-John Greco/OT/Toledo<br />4th-Rudolph Hardie/DE/Howard<br />5th-Arman Shields/WR/Richmond<br />6th-Joey Haynos/TE/Maryland<br />6th-Titus Brown/DE/Mississippi State<br />6th-Kory Lichtensteiger/C/Bowling Green<br />7th-Bernard Morris/QB/Marshall<br /><br />All of these guys have been getting interest from the Colts. The only stretch on their is Lichtensteiger, who is projected as an early 6th rounder. I wish I could have fit in Jack Williams, but Hardie and Shields are too good to pass up right there. Corner isn't a huge need for now, depending on what we do with Hayden this offseason. With this draft, the big needs like running back, offensive line, and defensive end are covered. This may be the best possible draft.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-66644253873545066252008-02-27T18:30:00.004-05:002008-02-27T18:57:14.345-05:00What I Tell You???Didn't someone say Rob Morris and Booger McFarland <a href="http://coltshomer.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-and-out.html">would be cut</a>? I remember some great, intelligent blogger saying that Morris and McFarland wouldn't be back. Yep. I called it. Hopefully this luck carries over for March Madness. I would love to win some cash for my psychic ability. Too bad I will go with some homer pick like Notre Dame-Butler in the championship. It's just nature.<br /><br />Well, if you made it through my ramblings, here is the <a href="http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3267801">link</a> to the article. Just ignore the meaningless cuts below. I guess this didn't deserve a full article.<br /><br />I love this move. According to <a href="http://www.coltscap.net/salarycap.php">Colts Cap</a>, the Colts had about $2.58 million in cap, so this move should put them at about 10 million. What does that mean? Polian has some more leniency in the draft, free agency, and resigning. With $10 million, the Colts can resign Matt Giordano, Rocky Boiman, Derrell Reid, and Ben Utecht with enough cap space to sign all of our draft picks. This was a great move, Irsay and Polian. Cutting useless players, so we can improve our team with young players. Way to go. Now make my prediction of a Super Bowl XLIII win come true as well. I'm counting on you guys!Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-5122625448179315242008-02-22T15:48:00.003-05:002008-02-22T16:01:01.540-05:00Catching Up On A Busy WeekI haven't blogged about the Colts for a while, so I have to catch up on two big stories.<br /><br /><strong>Dallas Clark Gets the Franchise Tag and Signs Long-Term Almost Immediately: </strong>I wasn't surprised when Clark got the franchise tag. He is the best free agent the Colts had, and normally those players get the franchise tag even if they are expected to sign long term. What I didn't expect was him to sign so soon. It was less than a day after. Someone at Elias needs to see if that is a record. I thought it was a misprint on the ESPN Bottomline. He signed a 6 year contract. That's pretty long. He will be a Colt for the rest of Peyton's career and probably the rest of his.<br /><br /><strong>Ryan Lilja Also Signs: </strong>Lilja or Scott? Lilja or Scott? I didn't care who they signed. They are pretty much the same player. I can't say which one is better, and I couldn't tell them apart if they were in a police lineup. However, I can't complain with the money Lilja got. I thought he would get 5 million dollars, but he only got 4. That's a pretty good sign. Hopefully that will leave some cap.<br /><br /><strong>Current Cap Situation: </strong>According to <a href="http://www.coltscap.net/default.php">coltscap.net</a>, we have 2.5 million and change left. That's enough to resign Utecht or Giordano and Fletcher. With the imminent cuts, the Colts could get that number to between 10 and 14 million. That would be enough to resign all of the good free agents besides Scott, who everyone knows will leave with the Lilja signing. The Colts are in a good place with the cap. This offseason will be better than last year when the Colts lost everyone. Maybe we can put our sights on DeShaun Foster or Julius Jones. They should be pretty cheap. Hey, you never know...Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-71580128188021723072008-02-15T16:46:00.006-05:002008-02-15T19:30:14.472-05:00In and OutThe Colts are getting to the time of inevitable cuts. All teams want to free up cap space for free agency. The Colts have always been a team with a little less cap than the rest of the league. Mike Peterson, Cato June, Marcus Washington, Larry Triplett, David Thorton, Nick Harper, Jason David, and Edgerrin James are just a few of the names of Colts that were not resigned because of money issues. Well, now the Colts are going to have to cut some people. These 3 will be the most probable cuts.<br /><br /><strong>Booger McFarland-</strong>First of all, no one call him "Anthony". A nickname like Booger is far too awesome to be replaced with a dumb name like Anthony. Now, the reason he will get cut is because he is set to earn a boatload of cash this upcoming season. $6.85 million is just way too much for a defensive tackle coming off of a major knee injury. He's getting more money than Gary Brackett, Joseph Addai, and Marlin Jackson combined. He's gone. Ed Johnson is a better version of him for less money.<br /><br /><strong>Rob Morris-</strong>With the emergence of Tyjuan Hagler and the stacked draft class of linebackers this year, he is really just taking up a roster spot. He can't defend the pass, which is basically what Tampa 2 linebackers have to be able to do to keep their job. He would earn $1.4 million in 2008.<br /><br /><strong>Charlie Johnson-</strong>What can I say? Johnson is awful. He's one of the worst offensive linemen I've ever seen play for a Howard Mudd-coached Colts team. He cannot pick up the blitz, and he isn't strong enough to create lanes for running backs. He would earn $465,000 in 2008.<br /><br />These three are just extra weight for the Colts. With their contracts gone, they would gain about $8.3 million by not having to pay their base salaries. Add that onto the already open cap, and the Colts will have $18 million open. However, most of that would not go to free agency. They still have to resign free agents.<br /><br />If they resign Dallas Clark, Ryan Lilja, Jake Scott, Rocky Boiman, Ben Utecht, and Ed Johnson, they would have to pay around 17.6 for all of those guys using my contract guesstimations. Add that onto the draft money they would have to pay, and it would be over the salary cap. Last year, they paid around $3.18 million dollars on their draft picks besides Anthony Gonzalez. Since the Colts traded their first round pick this season for Tony Ugoh, I didn't add in the first rounder (props to shakennbaken.blogspot.com for first posting this info).<br /><br />What does this mean for the Colts? Either Ryan Lilja or Jake Scott will not return at least for the money they could earn. I believe they could get around $5 million on the market each. If you let one of the go, the Colts would have enough money to pick up some free agents off the market. Here are the top 5 players the Colts should look at in free agency.<br /><br /><strong>Derrick Ward/RB/New York Giants-</strong>It seems like the Giants have found their backs in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, making Derrick Ward a probable free agent even with his restriction. Derrick Ward broke his leg halfway through the year, but he was one of the best receiving running backs in the league prior to the injury. If the Colts can afford him, he would be a great addition to the team as a third down/change of pace back.<br /><br /><strong>Chris Clemons/DE/Oakland Raiders-</strong>The Colts had trouble getting pressure on Billy Volek and Phillip Rivers in the playoff loss, so a pass rusher wouldn't be a bad addition, especially for a cheap price. Josh Thomas should be gone, and the Colts need another defensive back to replace him as well.<br /><br /><strong>Ernest Wilford/WR/Jacksonville Jaguars-</strong>The Colts need a very tall wide receiver. They need a Randy Moss but for the price of a second day pick. Ernest Wilford could give the Colts a deep threat who doesn't have to be extremely talented. He averaged 11.5 yards per catch last year, and that was the worst year of his career! He could be a valuable asset in the Colts offense.<br /><br /><strong>Mike Doss/S/Minnesota Vikings-</strong>This idea has been brought up before, and I intend on keeping it alive. Doss was a very good player for the Colts, and if it weren't for his ACL tearing, the Colts secondary in 2006 would have been one of the deepest in recent NFL history. The Colts need another backup safety with experience. Doss fits that bill pretty well.<br /><br /><strong>Isaac Sopoaga/DT/San Francisco 49ers-</strong>The Colts don't have a giant defensive tackle on the roster. Quinn Pitcock and Edward Johnson are both around 300 pounds, but they don't have the powerful defensive tackle that Corey Simon gave the Colts. Sopoaga could be that tackle.<br /><br />These 5 players will all be inexpensive and should be good impact backups. None of them deserve to be starters, but they all could make a huge difference off of the bench.<br /><br />*Courtesy to Coltscap.net for all of the contract information.Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-40159003686245071472008-02-04T13:03:00.000-05:002008-12-08T17:56:29.874-05:00The Holy Trinity of EmbarrassmentEcstasy is the only word to describe the feeling any football fan outside of the Northeast felt. The 18-0 Patriots LOST. It felt like it would never happen. The team that was caught cheating, has a smug head coach, has numerous cheap players, and a thug as a star wide receiver LOST! If the 1999 Yankees were the Evil Empire, what are the Patriots? I would say that they are the Sith, led by Emperor Belichick himself.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163201296378508322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 290px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="214" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/R6dgOSZ6NCI/AAAAAAAAAFM/v23Tfeavzys/s320/palpatine.jpg" width="320" border="0" /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I</span>f you will not be turned, you will be destroyed!</span><br /><br /><br />So I mentioned the trilogy. Here it is. The Patriots never look ahead of everything. That's why they didn't make a book or patent anything. Oh wait. </p><p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/R6ddxCZ6NBI/AAAAAAAAAFE/cVxIDmcpwyM/s1600-h/1HAHAHAHA.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163198594844079122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/R6ddxCZ6NBI/AAAAAAAAAFE/cVxIDmcpwyM/s320/1HAHAHAHA.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Way to go Patriots. I see you took the one game at a time policy to heart. That's embarrassing. The father of all embarrassments.<br /><br />Well, it can't get worse. I mean, their star QB didn't laugh at the thought of them scoring 17 points? Oh wait.<br /><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJ2yK5C9Ae4">http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJ2yK5C9Ae4</a><br /><br />"We're only going to score 17 points? Hahahaha!" Hey Brady, you only scored 14 points. Hahahaha! Son of all embarrassments.<br /><br />Well, I mean, it's not like they were going to break a big record anyways. They were just a normal team. No shame in losing. Oh wait.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163203345077908546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K41Nv9uS5Dc/R6diFiZ6NEI/AAAAAAAAAFc/wtiUFXeX5Og/s200/18-1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />18-1. So they are the best team NOT to win the Super Bowl. The Sith were the worst team not to win the Rebel War (nerd!). 19-0 is just a dream. It will never be accomplished, and this just proved it. Perfection is impossible. The Patriots will be forgotten. They are just a ghost.</p><p>The trinity of embarrassment. In the name of the book, and of the laughing, and of the holy loss.</p><p>And I know I was rough on Belichick comparing him to Palpatine, so I already have your response in video form.<br /><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=UFfobQftP5k">http://youtube.com/watch?v=UFfobQftP5k</a><br /><br />18-1 </p>Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1416187260801416244.post-85772250666276027192008-02-03T12:01:00.000-05:002008-02-03T13:27:37.718-05:00Colts in Canton?Since the Hall of Fame committee decided who would get in (congrats to Art Monk, Darrell Green, Andre Tippett, Fred Dean, Emmitt Thomas, and Gary Zimmerman), it brought up discussion of who will get in later on in the future. The Colts are one of the most talented teams in the league, and it looks like they will have many future Hall of Famers. Eric Dickerson is the only Indianapolis Colt in the Hall of Fame, but he will be joined by many. Who will it be? Well, let's just see what my elaborate star system says.<br /><br />Here's the system. Six stars are locks. If they retired today, they would be in for sure. Five stars are a few improvements in a statistical categories, but they will definitely get in barring injuries or trouble with the law. Four stars have had a great career, but need to have very solid years for the rest of his career. Three stars have to step it up and become Pro Bowlers for the majority of the rest of his career. After I rank the veterans, I will do the rankings for the young players. I will just use "In" and "On the Bubble" to measure their chances.<br /><br /><strong>****** (6): </strong>Peyton Manning, Adam Vinatieri, Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy- Peyton Manning has played 10 years. He is averaging more than 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns a season. If he plays eight more years as he intends, he will definitely break every notable passing record. He's a lock even if he retires today. Adam Vinatieri has won 2 Super Bowls on his feet. He is the most clutch kicker in NFL history, and he has been a starter on 5 Super Bowl teams, an amazing stat. He'll get in without a doubt. <br /><br />Marvin Harrison may end his career coming close or breaking some of Jerry Rice's records. He's been very consistent over his long career, and he hasn't had many injuries until this past year. If his knee can recover, he will add onto his illustrious career. Dungy is the best regular season coach of the 21st century. He has led the Colts to 6 straight playoff births and 5 straight AFC South titles and 12 win seasons. Dungy added a Super Bowl ring to his resume, assuring him of being a Hall of Famer. Being the first black head coach to win a Super Bowl didn't hurt either.<br /><br /><strong>***** (5): </strong>Dwight Freeney & Reggie Wayne: Freeney and Wayne are two draft picks that make Bill Polian a genius. Many of the Colts starters have been drafted on the second day or even signed as an undrafted rookie, but these two first-rounders have lived up to their pick. Freeney gets consistent pressure on the QB, and he normally hurries the QB into bad throws. Reggie Wayne came on strong when Marvin Harrison got hurt, and he only needs three or four more good years (1000 yards & 8 touchdowns) to become a lock.<br /><br /><strong>**** (4): </strong>Bob Sanders, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark: Bob Sanders is the superstar, Clark is the X-factor on offense, and Jeff Saturday is the superstar offensive lineman. Sanders has had injury problems, but it is hard to deny that he does the most with less. He is under 6 feet, I tower over him, but he could kill me with one spear tackle. He won the Defensive Player of the Year last year, and if he can stay healthy, there's a good shot he can win it again. Jeff Saturday has made the All-Pro team 3 straight years, and he anchors the line. Dallas Clark had 11 touchdown catches this year, and when he doesn't drop balls, he is making big plays.<br /><br /><strong>*** (3): </strong>Gary Brackett, Robert Mathis, Anthony McFarland: Gary Brackett is the leader of the defense, and he has had 3 good years, but he needs to be a Pro Bowler and have 110 tackles and 2 interceptions for the rest of his career. Mathis is very good, but he has been living in the shadow of Dwight Freeney and does not get much recognition. Booger McFarland's injury hurt his chances, but he has been a solid lineman and has been on 2 Super Bowl-winning teams.<br /><br />Since the young players have not played enough to be considered, I will base it on the pace they have started at. These players have 2 or 3 years experience.<br /><br /><strong>In: </strong>Joseph Addai & Antoine Bethea-Addai has 2842 yards from scrimmage and 23 total touchdowns. He is definitely on a good pace. Bethea will play in his first Pro Bowl this year, and he is a great ball-hawking safety. He's compiled 5 interceptions and 12 batted balls over his two years.<br /><br /><strong>Bubble: </strong>Marlin Jackson & Kelvin Hayden-It's hard to separate the two. They both play the same style and have the same role in the defense. If one gets in, the other will. Right now, they will need to improve to become Pro Bowlers, but they have been very good, especially in big games.<br /><br />I may have overshot some of these, but it is very easy to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hopefully I can come back to this in 15 years and see that all of these guys are in the Hall of Fame. Probably not, but a man can dream can't he?Local Team Homerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11065989093150920327noreply@blogger.com0