Colts Gab

“With the 27th pick of the NFL Draft…”—I was hoping for Evander Hood, a defensive tackle the Colts need deeply—”…the Indianapolis Colts select Donald Brown, running back from Connecticut.”

Yes! This was actually better than Evander Hood. But I never even thought of Donald Brown, the kid who led the college football world in rushing last year, going to the Colts! Thought they would get some running back like Chris Wells. But I know why they didn’t select “Beanie” Wells.

On Isaac Barrow’s Live Draft Blog on The Sports Guys, I was commenting that Donald Brown was a good pick. Then he replied, “Well the draft is about taking the best player available. They should have just taken Chris Wells.”

Then I thought…

No way! Remember when Joseph Addai was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 NFL Draft? There were so many better running backs available than him. But he fit with the Colts scheme. And guess what? He led all the rookies running backs in rushing yards, with 1,081. Now I won’t say Brown would have the same thing, but he will be close. Probably about 500 to 700 rushing yards at the least.

And that is why the Colts will have a very fearful rushing attack in 2009. Why? That is where I was just getting to, thank you very much.

The Colts had one of the best rushing attacks of Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes. It went on for a while, until after the 2005 NFL season, when James left to play for the Cardinals. Then it was just Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro, all by themselves. Rhodes can’t possibly do it by himself, although he did in 2001 when he filled in for Edgerrin James’ injury and ran for 1,000 rushing yards.

But who will help him? James Mungro? Hell no! They needed a much better one-two punch, and they selected Joseph Addai in the 2006 NFL Draft. Addai ran for 1,081 rushing yards, accompanied by Dominic Rhodes with his 641.

But then Rhodes was released in after the Colts Super Bowl win over the Bears. Why? Rhodes was arrested for DUI, two weeks after the Super Bowl. Now what were they going to do? Mungro retired with career-ending injury. All they had was…well, nobody.

Then the Colts acquired Kenton Keith, a stat from the Canadian Football League (otherwise known as the CFL), that year and he and Addai became a very good one-two punch. It went on greatly and the Colts finished with a record of 13-3 and was ranked 15th in rushing.

The Colts eventually lost to the Chargers in the playoffs, 28-24, with the solid trio of Darren Sproles and LaDainian Tomlinson. In the 2008 season, Keith went back to the CFL. He is currently the star running back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Meanwhile, Rhodes returned with a new number: 38.

The Colts became horrible in rushing, ranked the second-worst in the NFL. Thank God the Cardinals were dead last because of their three thousand-yard receivers. The Colts ended the season with a 12-4 record and lost to the Chargers again, getting pined by the trio of LT and Sproles.

Now we are here. It is Joseph Addai, Lance Ball, Chad Simpson, and Mike Hart. Now we have selected Donald Brown, the tremendous running back from Connecticut. He may be short, but his burst and pounding makes it infectious.

Now the Colts can have a dominant run force: Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Mike Hart, Chad Simpson, and Lance Ball. Now how will we use this handy-dandy trio? There will be a lot of “hoopla” but hey, it will be a fun thing to watch. They will have a dominant run force. Has their rushing attack finally formed. Yes!

How? Facts, do the job.

Joseph Addai

Everyone knows that Addai will be the leading man for the Colts in the rushing attack. He will mentor all of the four running backs that are behind him in the depth chart, most importantly, though, Donald Brown.

Gene Huey, the Colts running backs coach, will take a big part with all of these running backs. With all of his running backs he has coached, they have all ran for 1,000 rushing yards: Edgerrin James, Dominic Rhodes, Joseph Addai, and some others.

Addai will be the mentor, even though he will be turning 26 years old. He has rushed for 1,000 yards, twice (2006: 1,081, 2007: 1,072)! Although, he did have a disappointing year last year (544 rushing yards and a 3.5 yards per carry average), Addai will be much stronger because the o-line will get better and Addai has four backs behind his back.

Addai, you are the man.

Donald Brown

Ah, Donald Brown, the first ever player out of the University of Connecticut to ever be selected in the first round of the draft that is in the league called the National Football League, where dreams can really come true to an athlete.

A lot of Colts fans, like me, are in joy with the pick. Just ask Ryan Michael, his Bleacher Report account’s profile picture shows a picture of the fellow named Donald Brown.

Brown led the league in rushing, not the NFL but College Football, with his 2,083 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Dazzling!

He left for the NFL Draft with 3,800 career rushing yards and 33 touchdowns. And don’t forget the 5.4 yards per carry average! Brown looks to be the Dominic Rhodes of 2006. Brown will be able to rush from 200-800 rushing yards this year.

Joseph Addai will mentor him the most and Brown will contribute to the running game. You’ll be seeing a lot of stuff from Donald Brown. Brown will be sharing carries with Joseph Addai. Addai having 1,000 yards and Brown probably having 600.

Isaac Barrow predicts 500-550 rushing yards. We’ll see as time passes by. Right now, the one-two punch has been built. But there is a key player in the mix.

Mike Hart

To me, Hart will be the key to the Colts rushing attack success. Why? I heard some rumors of him being the third-down and goal-line running game.

Here’s my perspective: he will only be a goal-line running back. This kid is exceptionally tough. He is a pound-for-pound running back that changes the whole course of the game when he scores.

He had an injury last year and he just has to battle those injuries if he wants to be a successful football player. And you never know, sometime in his career, he has to be an all-down running back. If the Colts are down at the one-yard-line, you know where to go.

Chad Simpson and Lance Ball

These two guys will be another key to the rushing attack in the pre-season and at the end of the season.

Remember who Chad Simpson did when Addai was out. He and Dominic Rhodes pounded out the Lions in the 31-21 victory.

But that was just the Lions, and overall, they sucked that year. Probably this year they are better with the additions of Matthew Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew. But skip that!

Simpson has been pretty dominant. Just a few more years and he can be a solid backup or a starter with a future team. I see him as fourth-string or third-string running back. He probably is the guy who will be getting the most carries at the end of the season.

Now to Lance Ball. This kid was just great. In College, he averaged 82 rushing yards per game. He was third in his conference in rushing. And by playing for Maryland, he played with the speedy Darrius Heyward-Bey, who, surprisingly, got drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Lance Ball only started one game last year with the Colts: the 23-0 flop over the Tennessee Titans. Ball had 83 rushing yards, including a stellar 6.4 yards per carry average. Ball might make the practice squad at best. Or, like Chad Simpson, he will be getting the carries at the end of the season.

Conclusion

Five running backs isn’t so bad. But one of these guys will be lost, and I really think it might be Chad Simpson. I think Lance Ball will perform well, do his thing, and can make it. Just wait and see. Just you wait and see.

But without Chad Simpson, the Colts rushing attack will still be rolling. So it wouldn’t really matter, not at all!

Here is your rushing attack:

Joseph Addai: The Mentor
Donald Brown: The Quickness
Mike Hart: The Pound-for-Pound
Chad Simpson: The End-of-the-Year Boost
Lance Ball: The Small But Mighty
Now Peyton Manning is like, “Finally, a rest!”

And that’s the best!

The Colts have more cap room, this after Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne agreed to a restructured contract. Wayne’s agent, Joby Branion, confirmed the deal was completed but did not provide details about how much Indianapolis would save.

Players frequently restructure contracts by accepting bonuses after agreeing to lower their annual salaries. The bonuses are then prorated over the remaining length of the deal, in Wayne’s case three years, to lower the team’s salary cap number in the first year.

Wayne has been the Colts’ primary receiver the past two seasons and is expected to play a more prominent role this year after Marvin Harrison, the franchise’s career receiving leader, was released in February.

In 2007, Wayne had a career-high 104 receptions for a league-leading 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season, Wayne caught 84 passes for 1,145 yards with six TDs.

He ranks third all-time on the Colts’ career list for receptions (576), yards receiving (8,129) and touchdown receptions (53), trailing only Harrison and Hall of Famer Raymond Berry in each category. Only Harrison has more 100-yard games in franchise history than Wayne’s 26, and Wayne has played in the last three Pro Bowls.

The 2009 Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for another great season and would like you to join them as they watch the NFL Draft and see where the hottest college players will end up.

The Colts will host a Draft Day Party at the Ram Restaurant and Brewery, downtown, on Saturday, April 25^th, from 1:00-5:00pm*. Fans will be able to get autographs from current Colts players and the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders, shop at the Colts Retail Express, and enter to win great prizes from the Colts and the Ram.  Fans will be able to view this year’s draft on many of the Ram’s big screen TV’s.

We are also encouraging fans to “Help a Hoosier” and bring non-perishable items to donate to Gleaners Food Drive.For more ways to “Help a Hoosier” go to www.colts.com/help.

Colts Draft Day Party
Saturday, April 26
1:00-5:00pm

The Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Downtown

• Remote Broadcast by hosts Joe Staysniak, Tom Zupancic & Jeffrey Gorman
• Colts Give-a-Ways
• Register to Win great prizes from the Ram and the Indianapolis Colts (including game tickets)
• Colts Cheerleader Autographs (1:00–3:00pm ONLY)
• Colts Player Autographs (3:00–5:00pm ONLY)
• Colts Merchandise Available

Get ready Colts fans, the season starts now!!!

*The NFL draft will begin at 4:00pm. The Indianapolis Colts will have their first draft choice in the first round. (27^th pick overall)

Today’s Indy Star is reporting that starting corner Marlin Jackson is ahead of schedule on his comeback from knee surgery. “I’m pretty far ahead of schedule,” he said this week. “Originally, the things (doctors) were telling me were devastating to hear. Now, I know I’ll be ready for training camp. No doubt.” He tore two ligaments in his right knee during practice back last October, but looks good and would give the Colts D a big lift should he be able to get on the field come training camp in July.

The Jim Caldwell era begins at Lucas Oil Field with a contest against division opponent Jacksonville in Week 1. An early home loss in the division to a Jaguars team that finished last in 2008 wouldn’t get Caldwell off to a good start.

Last season marked the first time since 2002 that the Colts didn’t win the AFC South. They will have to go through Tennessee, last year’s division champion, if they hope to reclaim the division title, and they receive their first crack at the Titans on the road in Week 5.

One of the best, if not the best, rivalries this decade has been Patriots-Colts. While the Colts lost seven of the first eight meetings this decade, including two playoff matchups, they have won four of the past five, including the 2006 AFC Championship Game. The teams meet again in Week 10 in Indianapolis.

Pro Football Weekly reports that the Colts may look to the draft in two weeks to fill the backup QB spot:

There are rumblings coming out of Indianapolis that this finally could be the year in which the Colts draft a quarterback in one of the earlier rounds. For years, the Colts have shied away from picking up insurance for Peyton Manning, noting the future Hall of Famer’s astounding ability to stay healthy as evidence that they don’t need to waste a pick on a No. 2 passer but the way we hear it, Manning’s age and the scare he put into the team a year ago with his preseason knee injury has them pondering Manning’s mortality more than they have in years prior. They also have seen what happened to the Patriots last year, and how New England remained a playoff-caliber team largely because it had legitimate talent waiting in the wings, in Matt Cassel and word is they could be tempted into taking a passer in Round Two or Three in April.

The Colts have re-signed linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, leaving the team with five unrestricted free agents.
Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

Hagler spent his first four NFL seasons with the Colts, starting seven games in 2007 when he had career-highs in tackles (60), solo tackles (34) and sacks (one). He also forced one fumble and recorded another. But he injured his pectoral muscle last summer and missed the first seven games. He wound up starting three games and finishing with 21 tackles and one forced fumble.

The Colts earlier signed linebacker Adam Seward, a five-year veteran who also was an unrestricted free agent. The others still unsigned are S Matt Giordano, CB Keiwan Ratliff, RB Dominic Rhodes, P Hunter Smith and DE Josh Thomas.

After being released by the Giants, where the hell will Plaxico Burress go now? I got an answer, the Indianapolis Colts. Yes, I know. A lot people might be thinking, “J.D., are you serious? Plaxico Burress in a COLTS UNIFORM!”

But I do have a few reasons why Plax should be a Colt. And here they are:

Could he be the replacement for Marivn Harrison? Can he possibly be better than Marvin Harrison? Now that I really don’t see Marvin coming back to the Colts, or going to any other team, what should the Colts decide to do? If they don’t get a receiver at all in the off-season, it will be tough.

Marvin has been so productive but now that he is aging, his productivness is fading away. Now the Colts need a new receiver. How can you deny the size? At 6′5″ and 232 pounds, he is also fast and can catch.

If the Colts get Burress, then they don’t have to waste a draft pick on a wide receiver. Then the Colts can get James Laurinaitis in the NFL draft. That would be swell. Peyton can also have another good target to help out Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez.

The Colts have a huge shot of getting Plaxico. They have gotten a gift. Now use it. If they got him, it would be just like last year. I was hoping the Colts would get Mike Hart, and they did. They just got lucky. And now they can get lucky once more.

The Colts could be a dominant team with Plaxico. He will be the tallest receiver for the team, and that is a good thing. With the same height as Peyton Manning, Manning will find another new target. Better than Marvin and Reggie.

You’ll be seeing more dazzling numbers. The Colts receivers aren’t that tall. Right now, their tallest one is Roy Hall at 6′3″. But he may be cut from the team this year. Roy Hall isn’t even ready to play, I bet.

The Colts have so many receivers to choose from, but now they have the right one: Plaxico Burress.

If they get Plax, the Colts’ Super Bowl run is back!

The Indianapolis Colts understand and are concerned about the current CIB funding shortfall as well as the financial difficulties faced by our friends at the Indiana Pacers. We understand all too well the current economic atmosphere has made operating in this climate very difficult as we have had to make cuts ourselves.

We know the work of the Indiana General Assembly is always difficult and solving problems like the shortfall facing the CIB will be made more difficult because of the current economic climate. The Indianapolis Colts will remain engaged with Senator Kenley and the leadership of all four of the House and
Senate caucuses in seeking to find an appropriate solution to this situation.

Nevertheless, the work can only be effective if people are dealing with accurate information. Thus, we feel it is critical that several misperceptions and inaccuracies about our contract with the CIB be dispelled.

Contrary to reports in today’s Indianapolis Star, the Indianapolis Colts have a significant financial investment of more than $100 million in the building of Lucas Oil Stadium, together with annual lease payments to the CIB of $250,000.00, and expense reimbursements to the CIB (which are currently in the neighborhood of $800,000 to $1,000,000 per year) throughout the life of our current contract with the City. We pay those substantial sums for the right to use Lucas Oil Stadium no more than 19 days a year. There are many other significant financial sacrifices and commitments the team has made and will continue to make as we try every season to field a championship caliber team worthy of our fans, while living within the means dictated by our smaller market. In short, contrary to the Star’s inaccurate report, we’ve already contributed a tremendous amount of money to the construction and operation of Lucas Oil Stadium and we’re contractually obligated to continue to do so for at least the next 26 years.

We remain optimistic that when all the facts and possible avenues to resolution are on the table, and considered in context, good people working together in good faith will be able to fashion a solution that’s fair and effective. We remain willing to continue our dialogue with the leaders of the General Assembly, within our own operational constraints and consistent with our principal commitment to field the best team possible—a team this City and this State can continue to be proud of both on and off the field.