Colts Gab

    Josh Thomas said it doesn’t occur to him to complain.  Not about playing time, his role, or about what some might see as a difficult circumstance.  Thomas, a fourth-year defensive end for the Colts, has improved steadily in his three NFL seasons, and has been a valuable member of the team’s defensive line rotation.  Yet, he plays behind Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney.

So, while Thomas – who played collegiately at Syracuse University – has developed into a solid pass rusher and an equally valuable run defender, he has started just two of 37 NFL games.  And last season, when the Colts won the Super Bowl, he played as a reserve in 14 regular season games and four in the postseason.  And you know what?, Thomas told Colts.com. That’s OK.  “That’s my role,” Thomas said during the Colts’ recent summer-school session, which concluded last week at the Colts’ training facility.  “If I can be productive with 25-to-30 plays a game in this defensive situation, I’m doing my job.  That’s the way I look at it.  I think that’s how I was last year.”

Thomas, who signed with the Colts shortly after the 2004 NFL Draft, has been productive with his time since making the team in his rookie training camp.  In 2004, he played 11 games with one sack before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.  In 2005, after rehabilitating throughout the offseason, he started two games and finished the season with three sacks.  Thomas – who on occasion lined up at tackle in some situations – finished last season with a career-high 35 tackles, and played extensively in running situations.  He also tied for fourth on the team with nine quarterback pressures.

The ability to be ready on short notice is something Thomas said he developed very quickly upon joining the Colts.  “I don’t know if it’s anything I really worked on except for all of a sudden, when I got to the league, I had to be on point whenever they asked me to be,” Thomas said.  “I didn’t have the luxury like I did in college where I could play and weather the hot periods and the cold periods.  I think it happened during camp when I realized what I had to do.  I knew in order to make the team I had to be 100 percent every play, so when the season started, I was used to performing that way.”

Already, Thomas has been around longer than many have expected when he left Syracuse.  He was not selected in the 2004 draft, but he impressed Colts coaches and personnel officials immediately.  Now, entering his fourth season, he is among the veterans on an improving defense.  “It’s real hard to believe,” Thomas said.  “I see some of the rookies now and it doesn’t seem like too long ago that I came in and was kind of lost and had to get caught up on everything.  But it goes by quickly.

“Your rookie year, it’s just kind of getting reps here and there.  Every year, it kind of slips by you.  Now, I kind of know my role.  I’m a solid role player.  I contribute.  Each year, I get better and that’s really my role.  “To be the third defensive end behind two Pro Bowl-caliber defensive ends – I’m all right with that.”  Thomas said he has learned from both DE’s Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and said he has seen improvements in his own game during the same span.  And if he has to keep it going behind two quality players, Thomas said that’s something with which he can live – and a situation in which he said he can continue to prosper under. 

Dwight Freeney will become the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL if and when he and the Indianapolis Colts settle on a new contract.  In the obvious best interests of both, it should be sooner rather than later.  Freeney is the team’s best defensive performer, and the Colts aren’t interested in losing him.  That’s why they made him their franchise player, a designation that will pay $9.43 million this season and $11.3 million, or 120 percent of this year’s salary, in 2008.

That’s a ton of guaranteed money the next two years.  So why not spare Freeney and the Colts unnecessary anguish and headaches and just get this thing over with now?   The Colts have until July 15 to complete a long-term deal, and my guess is they beat the deadline.  Firstly, look at their history.  The last time they dealt with a contract of this magnitude they took the clock down to the end before signing quarterback Peyton Manning to a seven-year, $98 million deal.  Second, it makes perfect sense. They’re already on the hook to Freeney for $20 million the next two seasons, or the same amount of guaranteed money New Orleans paid its franchise player, defensive end Charles Grant, this spring.

Grant and Freeney were first-round draft picks in 2002, but that’s where the similarities end.  Freeney is much more of an impact player, with a club-record 56 1/2 sacks, which means he will command more money than Grant.  But the question is: How much more?  That’s the dilemna, with the two sides apart on their estimations of Freeney’s worth.  But that’s OK – they still have three weeks. But also keep this in mind: If the Colts and Freeney don’t resolve this – if they fail to complete a long-term deal – we’ll be having this same conversation about this time next summer.  The only difference being that it’ll cost more to retain him.

Freeney’s not your run-of-the-mill DE – no way.  Dwight Freeney is a long-term investment and it’s not as if he’s near the end of his career. He’s only 27, a three-time Pro Bowler and is durable — missing one game in five years because of injury.  And he’s not a dispensable part. He’s the Peyton Manning of the Colts’ defense.  He’s also one of the top three defensive ends in the business.  And he figures prominently in the Colts’ long-term future.  It makes perfect sense for everyone involved to settle this immediately.  Because if it’s not, you know what’s going to happen: Freeney will be a no-show at training camp and probably not sign the one-year tender until just before the start of the regular season.  And that’s no way to defend a Super Bowl title.

I know it’s easy for us to advise others on money when you’re not the one spending $30 million or so in cash.  But the Colts are in to Freeney for $20 million the next two seasons, anyway, so what’s the big deal?  Not only that, but some people will ask (if they have not done so already): Because the Colts let star running back Edgerrin James walk after a year as their franchise player, why couldn’t they do the same with Freeney?  Well, they could, but it’s not very likely. In fact, it’s virtually unfathomable.

Consider that the shelf life of a RB is less than that of a DE.  Also keep in mind that it’s easier to replace a running back than it is a franchise pass rusher, and no one knows this better than Colts president Bill Polian.  Another thing – and this is not a knock to Bob Sanders who’s pretty special in his own right – but Freeney is the most important player the Colts have on defense. Until last season he produced double-digit sacks in every year, including a league-high 16 in 2004, and he regularly draws double and triple-team attention by opponents.

So what if Freeney didn’t have a great season in 2006.  Big whoop.  He’s still the most disruptive force on the Colts’ defense — with his team-high 33 quarterback pressures last year an indication.  Those of you who watched last year’s Super Bowl have to acknowledge that the Colts defense won the game for them, not their offense.  So in my opinion – for the long-term success of the team – Polian and Co. need to lock up Freeney, Sanders and others on the defensive side long-term.  The offense is set for years; now please concentrate on the defense for once.  And naturally, Freeney is your first order of business.  Take care of it ASAP.

     The Colts last season were the story of the NFL season, winning their first Super Bowl in 36 years.  Not surprisingly, they’re one of the big stories at the ESPYs as well.  The Colts, who beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17, in Super Bowl XLI in early February, have been nominated this year for six ESPY awards, the most of any sports team in this year’s ceremony.  The 15th annual ESPYs, co-presented by HUMMER and Under Armour, will be held July 11 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and televised July 15 at 9 p.m. on ESPN.  If you include an award for which Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy was co-nominated, the Colts are up for seven ESPYs.

The Colts are nominated this year in the following categories:

• Best Male Athlete. Manning was nominated along with Roger Federer (tennis), LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball), LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers (football) and Tiger Woods (golf).

• Best Team. The Colts were nominated along with Florida men’s basketball (college basketball), Florida football (college football), the San Antonio Spurs (basketball), St. Louis Cardinals (baseball) and Tennessee women’s basketball (college basketball).

• Best Coach/Manager. Dungy was nominated along with Florida coach Billy Donovan (college basketball), Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland (baseball), San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich (basketball) and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt (college basketball).

• Best Championship Performance. Manning was nominated for his performance in the Super Bowl along with James for his performance in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, Serena Williams (tennis) for her performance in the Australian Open and Jimmie Johnson (auto racing) for his performance in the 2006 Nextel Cup.

• Best Moment. Dungy and Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith were co-nominated for being the first African-American coaches in the Super Bowl.  Also nominated were Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher (basketball) for making an NBA playoff game after flying in from his daughter’s eye cancer surgery, the New Orleans Saints for their return home to beat the Atlanta Falcons and Woods tearing up after winning the British Open.

• Best NFL Player. Manning was nominated along with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Tomlinson and Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

• Best Game. The Colts’ 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game was nominated along with the Boise State football team’s overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and the Oklahoma State basketball team’s 105-103 triple-overtime victory over Texas.

For the fourth consecutive year, fans will determine the winners in all categories.  Voting will be held through 11:59 p.m. ET, July 7, 2007 at www.espys.tv.  The ESPYs include 19 “Best in Sport” categories pitting athletes from different sports against each other, along with 17 individual sport categories and two sponsored awards.   The ESPYs are committed to the advancement of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, established by ESPN with the late Jim Valvano and announced at the inaugural ESPYs back in 1993.

His approach is simple, even if it’s not always easy.  Dylan Gandy will wait.  And he will work.  As was the case last year, if he is called upon, he will be ready.  Gandy, an offensive guard/center entering his third season with the Colts, said his is not the ideal situation. Ideally, he would be starting, but he also said he knows his job, his role, and it’s one in which he said he can excel.”You play through it,” Gandy said to the team’s website during the Colts’ recent summer-school session, which ended in mid-June at the team’s training facility in Indianapolis.  “It’s one of those deals where nobody likes to watch.  Everybody likes to play and it was a lot of fun playing last year.  But I’ve just got to wait and sit tight and be ready.  “It’s a long season.  I just want to be able to help the team out wherever I can.”

Gandy, a fourth-round selection by the Colts in the 2005 NFL Draft, played his role in top-notch fashion last season, starting 11 games at left guard in place of starter Ryan Lilja, who missed much of the regular season with two knee injuries.  It was, as Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said, an ideal example of the Colts’ approach along the offensive line.  Gandy, who played collegiately at Texas Tech, can play center or guard. 

When Lilja could not play in the preseason last season, Gandy focused on guard.  And when Lilja couldn’t play in the regular season, Gandy spent much of the season there.  The pattern continued in the postseason.  The Colts’ philosophy on the line?  Next man in, meaning no matter what the players’ experience, the backup must go in and perform.   Gandy said he realizes the importance of the role, and said the way he played it last season is what’s expected around the Colts.

“(Offensive line coach) Howard (Mudd) and those guys, they expect a lot from their players,” Gandy said.  “That’s what we’re called on to do and we’re called on to know every position.  We’re expected to go in and we’re expected to do a good job.  “That’s how this team works.  You have to be ready.  My job is to make sure that I’m ready and not go in there and just do OK, but go in there and do a good job.  That’s what I try to prepare to do.”

What Gandy said he wants to accomplish this season is to continue to improve, and to continue to show coaches he is worthy of playing time.  That, he said, can be difficult in his situation.  “I’m not starting and I’m not a rookie, so I can get lost in the shuffle,” he said. “What I’m trying to focus on is just honing in on the little things, and honing in on the skills and trying to get everything better.”  And while Gandy said his situation is not ideal, he said he continues to believe that given the opportunity, his approach is one that will be effective – for him and for the Colts.

The call came early this off-season.  And if it wasn’t a life-changing event for Colts offensive guard Ryan Lilja, he said it certainly was a perspective-changing one.  The call was from Colts’ offensive line coach Howard Mudd.  The message? You’re a good player. A really, really good player.  Not that Lilja didn’t already think he was good. He had played in the NFL three seasons, and started for a Super Bowl champion, but to hear it from Mudd – one of the league’s most-respected line coaches – meant something special.  And it gave him a confidence he said can extend into the future.

“That was huge,” Lilja said to the team website recently during the team’s summer-school sessions, which concluded last week at the team’s training facility in Indianapolis.  “It goes back to the whole confidence thing.  He just wanted to let me know how good a player he thought I was.  There was no other motive than that.  That really sank in a lot.  “After last year, the up-and-down season for me personally, it was really good to hear that.  That left a good taste in my mouth going into this off-season.  “I think just him being confident in me has helped me be confident in myself.”

The change in Lilja this off-season is noticeable and significant, Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy said.  And an off-season conversation with his position coach isn’t the only reason.  Now, Dungy said, where once there was a player with talent, and a player important to the team’s offensive line, there now is a player who believes in his talent.  “I think even when he was playing well for us, when we felt like he was a difference-maker in the lineup, he didn’t necessarily feel that way, Dungy said. “Being out of the lineup a few times last year, then coming in and being able to play at that high level – playing against Baltimore, New England and Chicago; three really good defenses – he was able to say, ‘I played pretty well.’ ”

Lilja, who played collegiately at Kansas State, originally was signed by the Chiefs as a free agent after the 2004 NFL Draft.  He was released by the Chiefs shortly before the 2004 season, after which the Colts signed him off waivers.  Lilja started six of seven games for the Colts that season, then started all 16 games in 2005.  Then came 2006. He entered training camp as the starter, but missed preseason with a knee injury. He missed the first four games of the season, starting five games in late November and December before sustaining an injury to the other knee that kept him out of the regular-season finale and playoff opener against Kansas City.  Although the injuries cost Lilja time, he said the time wasn’t a total loss.

“When I was out, I really got to study everything in depth,” he said.  “I couldn’t play.  I couldn’t practice.  But I could watch every rep (repetition) and I could study every rep.  I felt like that was a huge boost for me mentally, just being able to watch those practices and being able to study game tape.  “I wasn’t physically exhausted, because I was just doing physical rehab on the knee, so I wasn’t out there practicing like these guys. I could just run and watch tapes and watch practices.  “I do think that helped me gain a complete grasp on the offensive system in general.”

Injuries weren’t the only thing that hurt his confidence in recent seasons, Lilja said.  The Colts’ offense is one of the most complex systems in the league, with quarterback Peyton Manning routinely making adjustments at the line of scrimmage.  Those adjustments mean changes in the blocking schemes, too, something Lilja said made for a difficult transition from college to the NFL.  “There’s a learning curve.  Some guys pick it up quicker than others.  It so happened it took me a few years to really get comfortable with it, but I feel like this is a good time to be clicking on all cylinders.”  Lilja said that’s because the offensive line has a chance to be as deep – and as effective – as it has been in several seasons.

“It’s an exciting time,” Lilja said.  “We’ve played good as a unit.  We just get better, I think, every year.  We’re all looking forward to getting better next year.  Having that continuity on the line really helps.”  And for the first time, Lilja said he is very confident that he can be a reason the Colts’ offensive line can continue to be one of the league’s best.  “I feel the confidence is starting to come more than it ever has since I’ve been here,” Lilja said. “That’s confidence that I know the offense, that I know the defenses we’re facing, that I know what techniques and how to block somebody, how Howard wants them blocked.  “It only took three years to figure all that out,” he added, laughing, “but it’s definitely comforting to know I can do those things.”

According to Colts.com, the team on Thursday made a move to add experience to their special teams, signing a player with a significant return background.  Antonio Perkins, a three-year veteran cornerback who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, was acquired by the Colts on Thursday after being waived by the Browns on June 14. 

Perkins (5-11, 194), a fourth-round selection by the Browns in the 2005 NFL Draft from the University of Oklahoma, played in six games the past two seasons, recording two tackles.  He also returned three kickoffs for a 27.3-yard average as a rookie in 2005.  Perkins, a consensus All-America selection at Oklahoma, had a standout collegiate career, particularly as a returner, setting school, Big 12 and NCAA records.

Perkins started 30 of 47 games at Oklahoma, finishing his career with 125 tackles and 11 interceptions, setting school career records with 113 punt returns for 1,441 yards and eight touchdowns.  He was waived by the Browns in October of 2006, then re-signed to their practice squad on November 1. He signed with the Browns as a free agent on January 10, 2007.

  Ben Utecht figures that it’s possible.  In the NFL, Utecht said, there is always a need for a prototypical tight end – mainly, he said, because they’re very difficult to find.  A player who can run, catch and block.  A player first and foremost, who can do all of the above with almost-equal effectiveness.  Utecht, who is entering his fourth NFL season – all of them with the Colts – said such a player is invaluable to an NFL team.  He doesn’t really consider himself such a player. Not yet.  But he said he might be and he that it might happen relatively soon.

“I really think I have the potential to be that,” Utecht said recently to the team’s website during the team’s summer-school sessions, which concluded June 14 at the Colts’ Training Facility.  Utecht, who originally signed with the Colts as a free agent shortly after the 2004 NFL Draft, said he proved he possessed at least part of the equation last season.   In his first full season as a starter, Utecht caught 37 passes for 377 yards and no touchdowns. 

“I grew up being a receiver,” said Utecht, who caught 83 passes for 1,211 yards and 15 touchdowns at Minnesota. “I went to college as a receiver.  That always has been something I feel very comfortable doing – catching the ball.”  But he also said he wants to be more.  “I really want to become a better blocker,” Utecht said.  “I want to become a better point-of-attack guy so that I know they have the confidence in every situation to run the ball to my side, because not only can I get out and catch the ball but I can also be a dominant blocker.  “Blocking is a very important part of being a tight end in the NFL, and it’s something I definitely need to solidify myself in.”

Utecht said he has a confidence entering this season he hasn’t really had in three previous NFL seasons.  It’s a confidence, he says, that comes from experience.  After signing with the Colts in 2004, missed the entire 2004 season with a sports hernia injury.  He then sustained a rib injury in Week 2 of the 2005 season, an injury he said cost him momentum.  He played 12 games in 2005, starting twice, but catching just three passes for 59 yards.  Last season, he missed just one of a possible 20 games for the Super Bowl XLI champions, which he said is why entering the 2007 season he feels “really comfortable in the offense.”

“This will be my first year with a full year of experience – and what a great year of experience.  I really think it’s going to just be a different year for me – hopefully it will be even more of a breakout year for me.  It was such a blessing to be a starter on that team last year, to be put in a lot of positions to make plays.  Throughout my entire college career, I never had a chance to catch 40 balls.  “To do that here, with one of the greatest quarterbacks (Peyton Manning) to have played, is a privilege.” 

  The veteran took little for granted this off-season.  He didn’t approach drills casually.  Not that he ever did.  But for Rob Morris, his seventh off-season in the NFL had unusual importance for an experienced veteran.  Because in one sense, he’s not so experienced at all.  “There are a lot of things I have to learn,” Morris said to John Oehser of Colts.com during the Colts’ recent four-week summer-school program, which concluded this past Wednesday at the team’s Training Facility in Indianapolis.

A learning curve for an eight-year veteran?   Although Morris, the Colts’ first-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, is one of the most familiar names and faces on the roster, and although he has started 74 NFL regular- and postseason games, he is in a very real sense, a second-year player.  At his new position, anyway.  Morris, after spending his entire career as a middle linebacker, moved late last season to the strong side, where he will enter training camp as the Colts’ starter.

“Really, for me, it’s not so much the meeting time and the walkthroughs, although those are good,” Morris said.  “For me, it’s being out there out on the field practicing full speed.  “That really helps me the most.”  But Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy and President Bill Polian each said after the season Morris’ play was, too.  “He really typifies what you preach as a coach,” Dungy said.  “You preach to give your best and be ready whenever the opportunity arises and really be a team player. Rob has done that.  Whatever job he has had, he’s done it very well and really led by example.  You can preach that as a coach, but to see it, that means more to the players when you can point and say, ‘This is what it’s all about.’ ”

Counting the seven games he played there last season, how many games has Morris played on the strong side?  Seven, he said with a laugh.  “Never played until last season,” said Morris, the second-most experienced player on the Colts’ defense behind defensive tackle Anthony “Booger” McFarland. “This is really my first time really practicing at this position.  “There are a lot of things I have to learn.  There are some things I’m pretty good at.  This is a good time to work on those things.”

Just how much Morris said he will still have to learn when the season begins, he said he’s not completely sure.  On the one hand, it’s a new position.  On the other hand, he said, he did play seven games there last season.  That approach, Morris said, helped him the past two seasons, which were at times difficult ones.  After starting four seasons, he moved into a backup role in 2005, developing into one of the team’s top special teams players.  It was a role he continued to play last season.  During those two seasons, Morris – who averaged 114 tackles from 2001-2004 – had a total of 63 tackles on defense.

Now, he is not only still with the Colts, with the off-season departure of cornerback Nick Harper, he became the only defensive player to predate the 2002 arrival of Dungy.  As for whether that’s a good or bad thing, Morris said he’s not sure, and neither is it something he goes around discussing much. But I would venture to say that it is a very good thing.

As far as Colts President Bill Polian is concerned, there was much to like about the off-season.  Injuries stayed at a minimum, the draft class performed to expectations, and perhaps most importantly, Polian said the team has shown no negative aftereffects of February’s Super Bowl Championship.   “It’s been business as usual,” Polian said Friday to Colts.com. “But that’s the way we’ve always been.  It hasn’t changed an iota from what it was a year ago.” 

Polian, who is entering his 10th season as the Colts’ President, today discussed the team’s recently completed summer-school session, along with several topics concerning the organization’s first off-season as Super Bowl champions in 36 years.  Overall, Polian said, he is “very pleased.”  “I think we did a good job working with our young people, getting them up to speed,” Polian said of the 13 days of organized team activities that concluded with a practice Wednesday at the Colts’ training facility.  Polian said while rookie cornerback Antonio Smith has a collarbone injury, veterans such as recently-acquired tight Mike Seidman, 2005 Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders and 2004-2006 Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney should be ready for training camp.  The Colts are scheduled to report to training camp at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute on July 29.  “There will be some guys who will be on one-a-day programs, but that’s just precautionary,” Polian said.  “Other than that, we’ll be ready to go.”

Polian also said the top priorities are reaching a long-term agreement with Freeney, and establishing the groundwork to sign the team’s nine selections in this past April’s 2007 NFL Draft.   “That becomes the immediate focus right now,” Polian said of Freeney, who is currently designated the team’s “franchise player”.  Polian said there may be several roster moves before training camp and said one could involve running back James Mungro, who played with the Colts from 2002-2006. He missed much of last season with a knee injury and has not yet been re-signed.  “The question is how do we structure the roster and that’s related to how we shore up the positions where we’re going to need people to take reps in training camp and the preseason,” Polian said.  “We have a number of one (practice)-a-day guys at those positions.  It’s not quite as easy as saying, ‘We’re going to re-sign James.’”

Running back, Polian said, could become a key position during camp.  Second-year veteran Joseph Addai, the leading rusher among NFL rookies last season, is expected to enter camp as the starter, with second-year veteran DeDe Dorsey, Canadian Football League veteran Kenton Keith and rookie free agent Clifton Dawson among the reserves.  Addai last season shared time at running back with veteran Dominic Rhodes, one of several veterans who signed elsewhere in the off-season as free agents.  Rhodes signed with the Oakland Raiders, with linebacker Cato June signing with Tampa Bay, cornerback Nick Harper signing with Tennessee and cornerback Jason David signing with New  Orleans.  Such departures – while unpleasant – were an expected part of the off-season, Polian said.

Many of the team’s draft selections have been participating in the team’s off-season conditioning program, and many practiced in the summer-school sessions.  Polian said while it is too early to know exactly what roles the rookies will play, they have shown early that “athletically, they are what we expected them to be.”  Polian said Friday the Colts won’t approach the 2007 as a team trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions.  Last year, he said, is over and every season is its own entity.  Colts players, Polian said, already have shown the correct approach to the coming season, dealing professionally with the slew of potential distractions.  Polian said he was “shocked – totally shocked” by the aftermath of the Super Bowl, but said the off-season approach has been steady and normal.  “(Colts Head Coach) Tony (Dungy), and to a lesser extent myself, have preached to them almost from Day One about perception and reality,” Polian said.  “I think they’ve bought into it.  They understand what is perception and what is reality.  “I think you see that reflected in how they prepare and how they go about their business.”

Summer school ended early for the Indianapolis Colts, and for a very good reason.  Head Coach Tony Dungy decided to cancel Thursday’s 14th and final voluntary organized team activity (OTA), well aware that the players might have a difficult time concentrating under a searing sun.  They received their Super Bowl rings in an emotional private ceremony the previous evening.  As Dungy told Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star on Thursday, “It was the right thing to do.  Practice would have been anticlimactic.”  The conclusion of summer school signals the beginning of an extended vacation for Dungy and his staff — they report back to the team complex July 23 — and more casual conditioning for the players in preparation for the start of training camp July 29.  The team’s offseason conditioning program runs through the third week of July.  Here are some very important issues you may want to follow (at least until training camp opens):

Dwight Freeney

Look for (and expect) the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end to become the highest-paid defensive player in league history.  Preliminary talks have begun between the team and Gary Wichard, Freeney’s agent.  The key date in all of this is July 15, the deadline for a long-term contract to be reached.  If talks fail, Freeney must play under the one-year, $9.43 million “franchise” tag for ‘07. Should that happen, he figures to be a no-show throughout the preseason.  The absolute earliest Freeney would sign the one-year tender is probably the week before the start of the regular season.

As you, I and GM Bill Polian know, a long-term deal is in the best interest of both sides.  It will afford the Colts room under the salary cap and allow them to lock up one of the NFL’s most disruptive players (on the field) for the foreseeable future. It also would also give Freeney long-term security.  The problem could hinge on finding middle ground on guaranteed money. For perspective, consider New Orleans “franchised” defensive end Charles Grant, then signed him to a seven-year, $63 million contract that includes $20 million in guaranteed money.  Grant and Freeney were first-round draft picks in 2002. But in 79 regular-season games, Freeney has a club-record 561/2 sacks and 27 forced fumbles while Grant has 36 sacks and 15 forced fumbles in 80 games.  So as you can see, Freeney has had by far the better overall body of work over that period of time. 

Corey Simon

This, at least in my opinion, should be the easiest part of the Colts’ puzzle to solve.  Expect the veteran defensive tackle to get his walking papers, perhaps after a final grievance with the Colts is resolved involving $1.9 million in ‘06 base salary. A sure sign that Simon has played his final game for the Colts?  He wasn’t invited to Wednesday night’s ring ceremony.  Nice to have known ya, Corey.

2007 Draft picks

There has been very little dialogue between the Colts and agents for their nine draft picks. But not to worry – the team traditionally waits until after July 4 to get the ball rolling, and usually gets everyone under wraps in a timely fashion.  Last summer, first-round pick Joseph Addai and five other draft picks were on hand for the first training camp practice.  So expect the same this season.

Colts fans, just remember that it is still very early and as a price of doing business, these things take some time to take place.  Again, I do expect Freeney to get signed to a long-term contract, a free agent RB will be either signed or one will be chosen in-house to complement Joseph Addai in the Colts’ running game, and hopefully the team will sign a FA defensive tackle relatively soon.  Regardless, exercise some patience – I am certain that you and I will be rewarded for our efforts.