Colts Gab

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com has come out with his annual list of the Top 50 NFL players, and the Colts have four players on the list, including the fist one overall - QB Peyton Manning. Here’s the Colts on the list.

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts: He won the MVP despite a slow start with knee troubles. He’s still at the top of his game and has five good years left — at least.

18. Dwight Freeney, DE, Colts: He’s a speed rusher who might be the most disruptive edge rusher when he’s healthy. He has an impact on the game even when he’s not getting sacks.

27. Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts: He has been the Colts’ go-to guy the past two seasons and with Marvin Harrison gone, there isn’t a doubt. He’s undervalued by most.

38. Bob Sanders, S, Colts: The only thing that has held him back has been the injuries. If he can stay healthy, he can be as good as any at this position.

Yeah, you read it. It’s another interview. Heck, I love interviews, don’t I.

After an interview with Scottie Cordier, the cornerback for Cal Poly, and then another one with Jerel Myers, a wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, this has to be one of the bests I think.

This is my interview with Indianapolis Colts wide receiver, Pierre Garcon.

I contacted Pierre in about April or May and I was wondering if he would ever respond back. I thought he never would. I contacted him at his website, PierreGarocnLive.com.

Then, on June 21, I went to the Email app of my cell phone and saw a name saying “Pierre Garcon.” I was like, “Could this be it? Is this actually Pierre Garcon?”

If he was, I thought he said he couldn’t do it because he was extremely busy. But I guess he wasn’t, he said this in these exact words:

Hey what’s up man, yeah we can do an interview.
–www.PierreGarconLive.com
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

It was tight, I know.

I just couldn’t believe I was going to have an interview with a player on the Indianapolis Colts. Garcon is truly a rising star in the NFL and I think he is probably going to be the starting punt/kick returner.

Here is my ultimate and spectacular interview with Pierre Garcon. And trust me, you’ll be satisfied.

Josh Dhani: What is it like being drafted by the Colts last year?

Pierre Garcon: It was the greatest feeling in the world. I couldn’t have come to a better team. [It was a] perfect situation and to learn from great future Hall-of-Famers.

JD: Is there competition going on between you, Roy Hall, and Austin Collie to play at slot receiver spot?

PG: There is completion going on everyday in the NFL. It wouldn’t be football without competition.

JD: What’s it going to feel like when you score your first ever NFL touchdown?

PG: I don’t know yet but I know it will be a great feeling and I will be very happy.

JD: Are you going to be the starting punt/kick returner this year?

PG: I hope so but I don’t know the team could have other plans for me. But I’m working as if I am the starter.

JD: Were you ever nervous coming into your first NFL game?

PG: Yes, I was very nervous but I knew what I had to do, so that made me feel more comfortable.

JD: How does it feel getting your first ever NFL catch from one of the bests: Peyton Manning?

PG: It was great. It’s an honor to play with him and all of the other great guys on the team.

JD: How do you feel about Colts drafting Donald Brown?

PG: Donald is a very good player and I’m glad he is here. He will help us out a lot.

JD: What are your goals for this season?

PG: To win the conference, have home field advantage in the playoffs, and win the Super Bowl!

I was so glad to have this interview with Pierre! He was a real nice guy to talk to and I wish him and the Colts all the luck this year! Watch out for this kid this year, he is going to be spectacular!

A key question about the Colts offense is what type of impact rookie RB Donald Brown will have this season. The back was the topic of a question during a chat with NFL.com’s Gil Brandt on Tuesday, and Brandt thinks that Brown will get his share of chances to have time running the ball with Joseph Addai this year:

Donald Brown had a fantastic senior year at Connecticut, not only as a runner but as a receiver out of the backfield. I don’t know if he’ll start ahead of Joseph Addai, but I do think he’ll see significant playing time. One thing to remember: RB is the easiest position to come in and learn the system and contribute as a rookie.

After reading from a popular blog called The Colts Corner, I read an article about the Colts questions and answers. One question asked by Bryan Brackney, the owner of the site, was who will be the surprise player for Indianapolis coming into the 2009-10 season?

Well, Bryan answered that the person who will be the surprise player is in the title above: Pierre Garcon. As Bryan observed, Garcon has been doing well at training camp and the Colts look to put him at punt/kick returner as well as the slot receiver.

That brought me to something; is Pierre Garcon the answer for the Colts at the slot position? This is what the Indianapolis Colts are apparently talking about.

Well, as of right now, I received an email on June 21. And I just couldn’t believe who it was: Pierre Garcon. I asked Pierre a couple of months ago if he and I can hook up for an interview as I contacted him at his website, and he said yes.

But just because I am going to interview him, that doesn’t mean I want him to be the guy to take over at the slot position. Sure, many people have been arguing that Roy Hall and Austin Collie should be the guys.

Some people are even considering Taj Smith as a canidate to fill the position, but I believe he’ll make the practice squad.

However, I do believe that Garcon is just the perfect choice. Colts fan have seen him play last year in the 2008-09 season and he was pretty good. He was capable of being a starting kick/punt returner but he wasn’t there in all of the games.

The Colts switched most of the time.

Last year, it was a mix between many players, mostly with Najeh Davenport and Garcon himself. But Garcon isn’t just the receiver for the kick/punt return, although I highly believe that Garcon will earn that spot.

So now that we know that Garcon is going to pursue the spot in the return, people are wondering if he can handle being the slot receiver. It’s going to be tough for Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez taking everything, yet, the Colts also have a key player in Dallas Clark.

But by saying that, Clark can’t handle it all the time as well and we have seen him in the slot position at times. But the Colts are opening up younger guys and that’s why there is an opportunity in the hands of Garcon.

In Week Three of the preseason last year against the Atlanta Falcons, a highlight was shown of Jared Lorenzen lobbing a 60-yard bomb to the left of the field where Pierre Garcon was being covered by what appeared to be two or three guys.

As I witnessed this, in what I call an underrated play, Garcon leaped over all of the defenders and caught the pigskin that landed right into his hands. It was one of the most exciting plays I have seen, especially from a receiver like Garcon.

In the 2008-09 season, Garcon only caught four passes for 23 yards.

Sure, it isn’t what is expected as very good, but hey, many fourth-string or lower receivers in the depth chart never really get the popular stats people think with the strong passing offense of the Colts.

I think Garcon can do something with the Colts this year. He told me he is long waiting for a touchdown and I believe if he wins this slot position this year, the fans won’t be disappointed.

Not one bit.

Third-year offensive tackle Tony Ugoh has heard the talk from people outside of the Colts organization, questioning his toughness and his ability to play through injuries. But heading into the 2009 season, Ugoh — who took over the hot seat position of left offensive tackle from retired veteran Tarik Glenn as a rookie — is prepared to show everybody that the team did not make a mistake in making him a second-round draft pick in 2007. “I’m expecting a pretty big jump,” Ugoh said recently. “The only thing I can do is just keep working every day, like I’ve been doing, trying to get better.”

After watching NFL Total Access and SportsCenter, and reading a few articles on Broncos’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall requesting a trade, many people have said that he will go to the Ravens, Bears, or even the Buccaneers.

Some said that he won’t be traded at all!

But you know what? He will be traded. If they can trade a wimpy Jay Cutler, how can they not trade a strong guy in Marshall? See what mess you have made now, Josh McDaniels? But I am glad you are making this happen.

Soon, all of you Eagles fans will be happy with Brian Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter returning, or not. And then Knowshon Moreno will be the only player left on the roster. Nah, just fooling with you.

I don’t want to disrespect the Broncos because one of my favorite writers, Sayre Bedinger, is a Broncos fan and he is cool. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. We’re cool, right?

But sadly, Marshall will be traded. I can surely guarantee that he will not stay with Denver, especially with McDaniels saying that, “We can’t wait to see Marshall in training camp.”

No, not going to happen.

These teams have a possible chance of pursuing Marshall: the Baltimore Ravens, the St. Louis Rams, the Chicago Bears, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But wait.

There is one dark horse that can get Brandon Marshall, and after you’ve seen the title and the picture of two players that I wish could be teammates, you know who it is. For those of you who might have lost their eyesight and can’t read well, I will just say it in big bold letters:

THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS.

That’s right, you heard me. The Colts—a team who struggled with their running game last year and  have now lost an important player in Marvin Harrison.

Now every time I saw the Colts lost Harrison, everyone says that it is not a big deal because he is turning 37 years old.

Well, who cares about age? There’s a 68-year-old who played 500 holes of golf for crying out loud! But that’s golf, so who cares.

But still, Vinny Testaverde played football until he was 44. Brett Favre can still throw those gunslingers at age 40. Have you seen Jeff Garcia?

Dang!

And what about Jerry Rice, Jimmy Smith, Joey Galloway, and all those other receivers who played when they were 36 years old or older?

Harrison made a huge difference with Indy and now that he is ogne, the Colts have a possible chance of struggling. And that’s not good at all.

Then, every time you will have people double-covering Wayne. But it’ll be hard for Gonzo (Anthony Gonzalez) to get the ball because the whole time he has been playing, he was a slot receiver. He’ll get moved up and it will be pretty tough for him in his first year to get promoted up.

The Colts do have a big chance of pursuing Brandon Marshall. Shut up about the salary cap, the Colts can do this. They will find a way to trade a player, and heck, maybe they’ll trade a future draft pick.

They’ll find ways to do it.

Some of you might then say that they don’t like Marshall’s character and the Colts aren’t that type of team that will welcome those kind of players. Sure, you may be right, but not entirely. There are some players on the Colts squad that have that type of character.

There is a guy on that team that has that.

And when you say Marshall won’t fit well, please take a look above. That picture says it all, and is why I put it up there so I can stop some of your guys’ yapping.

I can see Marshall in a Colts’ uniform with a number 16 or 14 (number 15 belongs to Pierre Garcon).

Just imagine what good could come out if Marshall was on the Indianapolis Colts. It’ll be heaven for Manning. Maybe Brandon Marshall will be the young Marvin Harrison for Manning. And then a new receiver tandem has emerged.

It’ll look exactly like the 2004 Colts. A rushing attack with two backs with Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes (now Joseph Addai and Donald Brown). Then a well quarterback in Peyton Manning. And then the three receivers who had ten touchdowns or more that are Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley (now Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, and Gonzo).

I can definitely see that happening.

That Manning-to-Marshall tandem will truly be exciting. Although, this may not happen, and I believe it won’t, it would be nice if this did happened. The great guys at Stampede Blue made it clear, so it probably won’t happen.

But hey, it’s a Colts fan can dream.

The Indy Star reports that the Colts are STILL not sure about what’s going on with the roles of Tom Moore and Howard Mudd…

The return of retired assistant coaches Tom Moore and Howard Mudd to the Indianapolis Colts no longer is in question, but first-year head coach Jim Caldwell isn’t prepared to elaborate on what their roles will be. Caldwell indicated it would be premature to talk about the roles of Moore and Mudd.

“(We) haven’t gotten there yet in terms of completion, only because of the fact we still think there is some due diligence to be done in terms of dealing with the lawyers,” Caldwell said. Team president Bill Polian, he added, has “talked to the lawyers a bit. “I’ve been a little bit more focused on what’s happening out here on the field. Once we complete our practice (Thursday) I’ll have an opportunity to sit down with Bill at some point in time — I’m not certain when that’s going to be — and see if we can narrow it down a little bit more.”

Receiver Anthony Gonzalez missed the team’s practice Sunday because of an injured right leg.

Coach Jim Caldwell didn’t give details about the injury, which occurred during Saturday’s mini-camp practice at Franklin College. Gonzalez stayed on the field after hurting his leg, but spent the rest of practice stretching it out.

Caldwell said Gonzalez, who’s expected to replace Marvin Harrison in the Colts’ lineup, could return to the field Tuesday or Wednesday when Indianapolis finishes its scheduled offseason workouts.

Gonzalez is yet another addition to Indy’s growing list of injured players. On Sunday, the Colts announced offensive lineman Steve Justice(notes) and receiver Sam Giguere are recovering from injuries, too.

Justice had back surgery this past week, while Giguere has been out since breaking a bone in his leg during practice last month.

The Colts didn’t say which leg Giguere hurt, but he’s expected to be ready for the start of training camp in August. He’s competing with Pierre Garcon, Roy Hall and Austin Collie to be Indy’s No. 3 receiver.

Colts Mr.Dependable, kicker Adam Vinatieri, had surgery on his right hip this week, but is expected to be ready for the regular season opener. Vinatieri was treated by the same doctor that operated on Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, Dr. Marc Phillipon.

The Colts have said little about a timetable for the kickers return, other than he should be ready to go on September 13th, opening day vs the Jaguars. “I kind of would fall back to Dr. Phillipon’s directions and he said he would be ready for the season,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “So we’ll follow his lead in that regard.”

The team said that Vinatieri had discomfort in his hip for more than a year and the pain had become more bothersome. Vinatieri made the winning kick in two of New England’s Super Bowl victories and made the tying and winning kick against Oakland in a blizzard during the Patriots’ first Super Bowl run. Vinatieri has four Super Bowl rings in 13 NFL seasons.