Colts Gab

One would think that with the promotion of Jim Caldwell to the head coaching position that there would be a seamless transition and very little turnover in the personnel department; if you thought that, then you thought incorrectly.

Actually, there have been some coaching changes, both for real and some that are rumored; Ron Meeks, who used to run the Colts’ defense since 2002, resigned and took the same job with the Carolina Panthers. Russ Purnell, who had been in charge of the Colts’ special teams, went to Jacksonville and is now their special teams coach.

Meanwhile, wide receivers coach Clyde Christensen is rumored to be going to the San Francisco 49ers as their offensive coordinator. In a sense, I can understand why the Colts let go of Purnell; punt and kickoff coverage has been a decided weakness of the Colts for several seasons, as evidenced by their stats.

They allowed a whopping 24.3 yards on kickoff returns and 9.2 yards per punt return (ranked 24th and 15th respectively). In addition, they averaged 20.8 yards per kickoff return and 6 yards per punt return (ranked 28th and 32nd respectively), not to mention that they ranked 30th in the NFL in kickoff return differential and 27th in punt return differential. So you can see why the special teams coaching change was not a complete surprise – after all, numbers do not lie.

Here’s one of the few chances to see the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders outside of the confines of Lucas Oil Stadium; they will make their presence known as they will be in attendance at the World Of Wheels Hot Rod Show on Sunday, February 15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds from 2:00-4:00 PM (EST).

Today’s Indy Star talks about what seems to be a growing problem in the NFL – teams laying off employees. Here’s the tidbit in today’s edition:

Approximately 25 positions in various departments will be eliminated as the Indianapolis Colts deal with an internal restructuring and a shaky economy. A formal announcement could be made today, but most, if not all, of the affected people have been informed of the layoffs.

From: Pro Football Talk.com

Per WISH-TV, Larry Coyer will be the Colts’ new defensive coordinator.

Coyer served in 2007 and 2008 as assistant head coach of the Buccaneers. Prior to that, he was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator. The majority of his coaching experience has come at the college level.

We’ve also heard rumors that Chiefs coach Herm Edwards could join the Colts if/when he’s fired in Kansas City.

That might be bad news for defensive backs coach Alan Williams, who like Meeks and former Colts special teams coordinator Russ Purnell joined the team with Tony Dungy seven years ago.

It’s that time again to start talking about free agency, and we’ll spend some time breaking down positions, and today we are going to start with maybe the most important position on the field – quarterback. Here are our rankings of Free Agent QB’s, and what we think will be the end result for some of these players.

1. Kurt Warner – Cardinals: The Super Bowl QB is going to be a free man, but expect the Cardinals to make a more than fair offer to keep Kurt around, win or lose the big game a week from Sunday. Kurt could have been the MVP this season without a doubt, and while a couple other teams will likely flirt with the idea of grabbing him, I can’t see him anywhere else but in the desert.

2. Matt Cassel – Patriots: Look for Cassel to be franchised, meaning he’s not going anywhere in 2009. The Pats need to protect themselves just in case Tom Brady is not going to be ready to go at the start of the season. Again, he’ll get plenty of interest in the open market, but don’t expect him to make it there unless teams are willing to give up two #1 picks.

3. Jeff Garcia – Buccaneers: Even at 39, Garcia can be a stop gap for some team on the steps of being a possible playoff or Super Bowl contender. With the coaching changes in Tampa Bay, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Garcia take his game elsewhere, but there is always the chance he may retire.

4. Kerry Collins – Titans: The Titans had a great season with Collins, but even as the #1 seed in the AFC were not able to get by the Ravens. Collins played tough when the team needed it, beating the Steelers late and Ravens early in the year. He’s the perfect QB for the Titans system, and giving him two years at $10 mil per year would not be out of the question.

5. Rex Grossman – Bears: Rex in effect should get a fresh start and bail from the situation that is the Bears. The team appears to have made a commitment to Kyle Orton as their QB of the future, and if Grossman wants to be a starter, he’ll likely have to go somewhere as a backup and then hope for poor play or an injury to be in the starting lineup.

6. Luke McCown – Buccaneers: McCown is still young enough to where he could be a decent player in this league, as he’s shown flashes but has never fully taken it to the next level. Look for him to go somewhere and be a backup with the hopes of being a starter down the road.

7. Kyle Boller – Ravens: This may be a shot in the dark, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Boller somewhere else with a fresh start. He wasn’t ever able to live up to the level of the pick the Ravens used on him, and with Joe Flacco taking them to the AFC Title Game, there is no question who the long term starter will be in Baltimore.

8. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Bengals: The former Harvard QB started the year awful, but by the end was playing much better, but won’t have that shot again with the Bengals as Carson Palmer will be back under center in 2009. Wouldn’t doubt if another team or even the Bengals locked him up as their back-up. He’d be smart to stay in Cincy if the offer is there.

9. J.P. Losman – Bills: Not a big fan of Losman, but someone will give him a job as a 2nd QB on their roster. I wouldn’t doubt if he’s in camp with a team that has an unstable QB situation come July.

10. Byron Leftwich – Steelers: The former starter with the Jags has found a nice home with the Steelers, and has played well when called upon. With that, he’d be well served to stay in the Steel City, but with the desire to compete, my guess is he moves on to another squad.

Other Free Agent QB’s:

David Carr – NY Giants
Brett Ratliff – NY Jets
Brock Berlin – St.Louis
Charlie Batch – Pittsburgh
Dan Orlovsky – Detroit
Chris Simms – Tennessee
Joey Harrington – New Orleans
Brian St.Pierre – Arizona
Brooks Bollinger – Dallas
Gibran Hamdan (RFA) – Buffalo
Jared Lorenzen – Indianapolis
Tim Rattay – Arizona
J.T. O’Sullivan – San Francisco
Charlie Frye – Seattle
Patrick Ramsey – Denver
Craig Nall – Houston
Marques Tuiasosopo – Oakland
Lester Ricard – Carolina
Bret Basanez – Carolina
Todd Bouman – Baltimore
Jamie Martin – San Francisco
Anthony Morelli – Arizona

Jim Caldwell will have a new defensive coordinator in his first season with the club, as it was announced today that Ron Meeks has stepped down after seven seasons on the job. Meeks started coaching in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys in 1991 and has coached for the Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams, before joining the Colts in 2002.

There were rumors that Meeks was going to not be brought back by Caldwell, and he may have seen the writing on the wall and decided to simply step away instead of being fired. Look for Caldwell to make a move quickly and have someone already in mind for the position.

From: Pro Football Talk.com

A source with knowledge of the Colts’ organization has given us an intriguing tip.

Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks apparently has been fired by new coach Jim Caldwell.

We’re not reporting it as hard news yet, and we apologize to the various writers who’ll now be dispatched by their editors to chase this one.

We’ve got no reason to doubt our source, however.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen suggested on Sunday that changes could be coming to the defensive coaching staff. The departure of Meeks would be a fairly significant one.

Earlier this month, Meeks was interviewed by the Jets for the head-coaching position that officially was filled today by former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Meeks, like former Colts special teams coordinator Russ Purnell, joined the team with former head coach Tony Dungy in 2002.

Mortensen also reported on Sunday that owner Jim Irsay had to persuade offensive coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd not to retire.

Bottom line? The transition from Dungy to new coach Jim Caldwell has hardly been seamless or smooth.

From: Indy Star

Colts GM Bill Polian said the team’s main objective in the draft is finding a quality receiver. “Marvin Harrison’s not going to play forever,” Polian said. “We’ve got to be thinking about what’s the future at that critical position. How do you replace a Hall of Famer?”

Colts made the transition of power official on Tuesday, formally introducing Jim Caldwell as the club’s new head coach. Caldwell was named Tony Dungy’s eventual successor last January and took over the reins on Tuesday, a day after Dungy announced his retirement.

“From this day forward I’ll thrive in the quality environment Jim Irsay, Bill Polian and Tony Dungy have created,” Caldwell stated. “I want to thank each one of them for the confidence they have placed in me and what a privilege it is to direct one of the great organizations in the National Football League.”

Caldwell had been a member of Dungy’s staff for each of the past eight years, starting in 2001 with Tampa Bay and for each of the last seven years with the Colts. He served as quarterbacks coach for the first three seasons with Indianapolis before earning the title of assistant head coach before the 2005 campaign.

“I want to thank Tony for what he has done for me over the years,” Caldwell added. “He set a great example for all of us in this profession.”

Caldwell’s lone head-coaching experience came on the collegiate level with Wake Forest from 1993-2000, guiding the Demon Deacons to a record of 26-63 with one winning season and one bowl appearance. He was also a college assistant at Iowa, Southern Illinois, Northwestern, Colorado, Louisville and Penn State.