Saddle Sage: Blitzing in a Tampa 2 scheme
Stampede Blue — ... , Booger McFarland, and Ed Johnson. Consistently, since 2005, the Colts have had a top tier pass defense. Key to understanding pas defense is not to look at stats. too often, simpletons look at blitz percentage, compare it to sacks totals, and draw conclusions from that. A better indicator is yards allowed per pass play. ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Special Teams
Stampede Blue — ... runaway truck, and he is likely the fastest player on the team. Guys who need to prove they can play special teams in order to stay on the active roster are Samuel Giguere, Roy Hall, Adrian Grady, and Pat Kuntz. Grady and Kuntz are two who REALLY need to prove they can play ST coverage. Both are DTs, but both are under tackles known for their speed (just as Reid was for Indy). Since Indy likely will retain Fili Moala, Terrance Taylor, Antonio Johnson, and Ed Johnson as the DTs who will play the most snaps, guys like Eric ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Defense
Stampede Blue — ... The final move the Colts made to shore up the DT spot is the re-signing of Ed Johnson, a player they had kicked off their team back in September 2008. Big Ed's second go-around with the Colts could see him doing what he did before: Playing over tackle, and playing it well. In 2007, Ed Johnson started every game at DT, replacing Booger McFarland, who worked with Ed dissecting game film while he tried to rehab his knee. The Colts run defense was outstanding when Big Ed played DT. With his head seemingly screwed on straight, Big Ed could return to being a ...

Ron Meeks Rewind: What Panthers Fans Can Expect from the Defense in 2009
Cat Scratch Reader — ... game long. No blitzes were called. None. If some where, they were either few and far between, or so poorly executed they went unnoticed by San Diego's o-line. Bob Sanders was hardly used as a weapon to engineer a pass rush, much like he did against the Titans in Week Two. With Dwight Freeney IRed and Robert Mathis still not 100% (he was used as a situational pass rusher and not a starter), the Colts relied on Darrell Reid, Josh Thomas, Ed Johnson, and Raheem Brock for their pass rush. Dumb. Dumb. ...

Colts Camp Battles: What positions will have the fiercest competition?
Stampede Blue — ... ) for the starting safety spot. The result was a dramatic improvement in Indy's safety play. In 2007, we saw an undrafted rookie (Ed Johnson) beat out several established veterans for the starting NT spot. In 2008, we saw a 7th round lineman ( ...

Post Minicamp Roster Prediction
Stampede Blue — ... LT 67 Tony Ugoh 74 Charlie Johnson LG 65 Ryan Lilja 61 Jamey Richard C 63 Jeff Saturday 53 Steve Justice RG 78 Mike Pollak 64 Cornelius Lewis RT 71 Ryan Diem 76 Dan Federkeil LE 93 Dwight Freeney 92 Marcus Howard 94 Curtis Johnson UT 95 Fili Moala 68 Eric Foster 64 Adrian Grady NT 66 Ed Johnson 62 Terrance Taylor 99 Antonio Johnson RE ...

Jim Caldwell: What to expect?
Stampede Blue — ... in a row, the Colts have been decimated by critical injuries. They were able to overcome several key injuries in 2006 because of some big front office moves (the Booger McFarland trade for one). In 2007, the injuries to Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis killed their season. Last year, there were so many injuries I almost lost count. Indy lost Marlin Jackson, Bob Sanders, Gary Brackett, Joseph Addai, Ryan Lilja, and (though not injury related) Ed Johnson. Peyton Manning played on one knee most of the year, and ...

Colts Training Camp 2009: Battles
Stampede Blue — ... camp battles. Obviously, these battles can change die to injuries, new player signings, and other variables. But, for now, these are the ones I see: Third wide receiver in the "kings" WR set. This is either slot receiver, or a receiver who will lineup right while Anthony Gonzalez shifts to the slot when Indy goes 3 wide. Players: Pierre Garcon, Roy Hall, Austin Collie, Sam Giguere Starting nose tackle. Players: Ed Johnson, Antonio Johnson, Terrance Taylor, Daniel ...

Ranking the Colts Positional Units
Stampede Blue — ... ", and I decided to rank the units of the team right now.  Last year, defensive tackle would have obviously been the last one, but I don't think I can put them there now with Ed Johnson back and the drafting of ...

Luke Links: The "Deep At DT" Edition
Stampede Blue — ... at guards, and Ed Johnson & Mookie Johnson as the starting DTs going forward. The last one made me lift an eyebrow because (I assume) most people think ...

Know Your Colts History: Character in Numbers (34-66)
Stampede Blue — ... pick to come out on top in a Colts battle royale. #62 Terrence Taylor - Let's hope he's a better pick than UM hoops man Robert Traylor #63 Jeff Saturday - Jeff Saturday will knock you out on your back, you little punk. #64 Adrian Grady - Went to Coffee High School before heading to Louisville. Really. #65 Ryan Lilja - If L's were N's we'd have the coolest lineman in the NFL, by far. #66 Ed Johnson - [[Insert your favorite 66 characher marijuana-related ...

Good reader quote regarding the mindless analysis at NFL Network
Stampede Blue — ... in this thread about NFL Network's segment on the 2009 Indianapolis Colts: [NFL Network] strikes again with their terrible analysis. That’s what you get though, when you get a group of no brain meatheads with a collective IQ of around 80 to give their "expert" opinions. We don’t invest in defensive "bodies"? I understand, I guess, since we didn’t trade up to take Fili Moala, draft Terrence Taylor and Jerraud Powers, re-sign Ed Johnson, sign Adam Seward, and didn’t draft young guys ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Starting Nose Tackle
Stampede Blue — ... Coming into the 2008 season, the Colts looked very deep at the position. The Colts had two young, potentially Pro Bowl caliber NTs returning in Ed Johnson and ...

Pro Football Weekly hearts Bill Polian in 2009
Stampede Blue — ... should go a long way to making Indy's offense even more explosive. Re-signing Ed Johnson was another shrewd move. Johnson has Pro Bowl potential, and is the kind of guy that can thrive in a structured environment. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Starting Three Technique DT
Stampede Blue — ... As we stated last week, the "over tackle," or nose tackle, in a Tampa-2 is usually a player weighing at or around 300 pounds. This player needs to have power at the point of attack and able to engage multiple blockers. Players on the Colts who fit this mold are Ed Johnson, ...

What to Expect: Defensive Line
Stampede Blue — ... focused on the defensive tackles.  They took Fili Moala out of USC who could play UT and NT depending on the situation.  Two rounds later in the fourth they took huge NT Terrance Taylor out of Michigan.  Over the past two years, it's gone from being horrendously shallow to very deep. 1. Over/under on combined sacks between Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney: 23.75 2. Who do you expect to be the starting defensive tackles for Week 2 after Ed Johnson's suspension is over? 3. Over/under on Marcus Howard ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Early Thoughts
Stampede Blue — ... practice to conclude, I've looked through some emails folks have sent, blogs, and Twitter updates to come up with these quick thoughts about the first few practices. Now, obviously, after three practices, we still have no idea who will start, what the team's tendencies will be, etc. These are just quick notes I've jotted down as I've watched, read, and listened to many camp reports: The first string defensive line is Dwight Freeney (RDE), Daniel Muir (NT), Ed Johnson (DT), and Raheem Brock (LDE). It looks as if Ed is ...

Training Camp, Pre-preseason Roster Prediction
Stampede Blue — ... Ugoh 74 Charlie Johnson LG 65 Ryan Lilja 61 Jamey Richard C 63 Jeff Saturday 53 Steve Justice RG 78 Mike Pollak 76 Dan Federkeil RT 71 Ryan Diem LE 79 Raheem Brock 98 Robert Mathis 92 Marcus Howard UT 95 Fili Moala 68 Eric Foster 64 Adrian Grady NT 91 Ed Johnson 99 Antonio Johnson 62 Terrance Taylor ...

The changes on defense at training camp
Stampede Blue — ... So, what do you think of Dwight Freeney as a stand-up pass rusher? How about a five defensive linemen front? How about, as the offense is setting, we see Dwight and Robert suddenly flip ends? What about seeing Ed Johnson at undertackle? How about a linebacker blitz while ...

Training Camp Yappin': "A little more of an active thud."
Stampede Blue — ... is doing well. We have a good rotation. Ed Johnson is not a rookie, he’s been around, and he’s doing a nice job on the interior. We’ve got a pretty good rotation, a little experience and we’re doing well. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes (and Tweets) from 8/7/09 Morning Practice
Stampede Blue — ... their collective noses (and middle fingers) at Bill Parcells (and the North Korean-like regime that runs the Miami Dolphins) by Tweeting live from training camp in Terre Haute. Here is a summary of Eric's chirping from Rose Hulman: It's another walk-through-like practice, focusing on specific situations. today, they are working on goal-line offense and defense. Goal-line defensive line seems to be Raheem Brock, Daniel Muir, Ed Johnson, and Keyunta Dawson. On offense, they used both ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes from 8/7/09 Afternoon Practice
Stampede Blue — ... - Muir looked really good out there and he and Ed Johnson took most plays on the first team DL along with Dawson and Brock ...

First Depth Chart Released: Here's Some Analysis
Stampede Blue — ... Taylor Adrian Grady This shocked me to be honest.  I thought Mookie was in trouble with his injury, but now he is a starter.  He earned it after last season, but with the way Muir has been playing and the drafting of Taylor I thought he may have been the odd man out.  Besides AJ, nothing surprises me.  Muir has almost guaranteed himself a roster spot now, and things aren't looking good for Grady. Under Tackle Ed Johnson Fili Moala Eric Foster I don't know how Ed ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: News and notes from 8/12/09 morning practice
Stampede Blue — ... This morning the Colts were in shorts and helmets again, performing a glorified walk-through. As always, the immortal Eric Hartz is tweeting a storm from Rose Hulman. Here are some notes from his tweets: Ed Johnson and Antonio Johnson are the starting DTs. Ryan Diem was not at practice was there but did not practice. Charlie Johnson played LT, Tony Ugoh played RT.  Diem did not have a brace or wrap on his back. Roy Hall sat out the walk ...

Colts v. Vikings Game Review: Offensive Struggles, Defensive Standouts
Stampede Blue — ... and Matt Giordano starting safety duo would be top 10 in the league.  Matt Giordano is the most sure tackler I've seen play for the Colts.  While players like Philip Wheeler and Ed Johnson missed some tackles, Giordano shut down anyone who got near him.  There are too many good safeties on the team.  Silva played well too.  I'm hoping all five make the roster. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Colts break camp, ready for Eagles
Stampede Blue — ... Switching to defense, we know are defensive line is indeed stronger. Even after watching the Minnesota pre-season game, it's obvious. This is a much better d-line. Ed Johnson is playing under tackle, ...

2009 Pre-season Preview: Eagles at Colts
Stampede Blue — ... , who is the starter beside Ed Johnson, was out last week and he practiced several times this week, but with or without him, the Colts no doubt want to see the interior hold the line a bit better against the Eagles. ...

Colts v. Vikings Preseason Game Review: There is the yearly preseason win
Stampede Blue — ... Gonzalez Austin Collie (KR) Pierre Garcon TE Dallas Clark Tom Santi LT Tony Ugoh Charlie Johnson LG Ryan Lilja Jamey Richard C Jeff Saturday Steve Justice RG Mike Pollak RT Ryan Diem LE Robert Mathis Keyunta Dawson NT Antonio Johnson Daniel Muir Terrance Taylor UT Ed Johnson Fili Moala Eric Foster RE Dwight ...

The big Tony Ugoh v. Charlie Johnson debate
Stampede Blue — ... and Ed Johnson stuffing the run on third and short. I love Dwight Freeney spinning like Fred Astaire on crack. I love Peyton Manning looking like he is ready to eat your young. ...

2009 Position Battles: Where do people stand after second pre-season game
Stampede Blue — ... and Ed Johnson have started at DT for the last week, and both played very well in last night's game against the ...

Big Happy and Big Worry for the Indianapolis Colts... so far
Stampede Blue — ... . The defensive tackle position has looked very strong in camp and in pre-season. Bringing back Ed Johnson was a major coup that few people will talk about, but his presence will have a major impact on the AFC. Teaming him on the line with ...

2009 NFL Pre-Season: Lions 18-Colts 17
Stampede Blue — ... Unlike third pre-season games of the past, this one is much harder to analyze. Even though players like Ed Johnson and ...

Colts v. Lions Preseason Review: Odd Flashbacks
Stampede Blue — ... ~Ed Johnson dressed but didn't play.  I firmly believe that it was to prepare for the Jacksonville game.  He's suspended for it, so why play him?  It's obvious that the Colts couldn't give a crap about preseason.  Muir and ...

Is Ed Johnson really that big of a difference maker?
Stampede Blue — ... coach Jim Caldwell scratched DT Ed Johnson from the game even though he had practiced all week and was healthy enough to play. Mike Chappell ...

Ryan Lilja's impact on the run game
Stampede Blue — ... at this point. And unlike Pollak (second round pick in 2008, and first pick overall for the Colts), Richard and DeVan are not highly touted draft picks. Richard was a 7th round pick, and DeVan is a free agent.  With Lilja, the offensive line is more physical, able to attack defenses and utilize technique and scheme to overpower opponents. Without him, Colts running backs are stuffed at the line of scrimmage by the "immortal" defensive line of the Lions. Just as Ed Johnson seems key for success on the d-line, Ryan Lilja is almost ...

The cutdown to 75 complete, now on to 53
Stampede Blue — ... , Ed Johnson, and Terrance Taylor can all play nose tackle. This makes Muir expendable. Ed Johnson, Adrian Grady, Raheem Brock, and ...

Colts v. Bengals Preseason Review: It's Over!
Stampede Blue — ... Clark Jacob Tamme LT Charlie Johnson Tony Ugoh LG Ryan Lilja Jamey Richard C Jeff Saturday Kyle DeVan RG Mike Pollak Dan Federkeil RT Ryan Diem LE Robert Mathis Keyunta Dawson Marcus Howard UT Ed Johnson Fili Moala Eric Foster NT Anthony ...

2009 Pre-Season for the Colts is finito
Stampede Blue — ... Before diving in, please note that I personally don't put much stock in the fourth pre-season game. Most of the guys who play in the fourth game do not make the final roster. Only two starters on defense played (Ed Johnson and ...

Colts v. Jaguars Recap: One Week In, Already On Top
Stampede Blue — ... Garrard.  Freeney had one sack and a bunch of hits on Garrard.  Mathis got pressure on Garrard on the final drive.  The defensive tackles also did well.  They stuffed the two point conversion that ended up being the difference.  Eric Foster and Antonio Johnson did a great job of clogging up the middle.  All of the big MJD runs were outside runs.  He didn't get anything up the middle.  Think of how good the line will be with Fili Moala and Ed Johnson back next week.  I'm excited to see Ronnie Brown ...

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... .  They opened a lot of holes for Maurice Jones-Drew, and anchored very well in the passing game.  I only saw one very impressive defensive play by a Colts interior player, and that was a pursuit play by Ed Johnson.  I was more impressed with his effort in hustling for 25 yards than anything, really. ...

Recap: Colts 27-Dolphins 23
Stampede Blue — ... The Wild Cat offense gave the Colts fits all game long. Despite practicing all week for it, the Colts looked lost, confused, and frustrated by it. Tackling was piss poor, and both Ed Johnson and ...

1st Quarter Tape Notes
Stampede Blue — DTs vs the Run: At least through the first quarter it was the same story over and over. The Dolphins 3 interior linemen repeatedly blew away the Colts DTs. Double team on Mookie, driven back 4 yards, Ed sealed by other guard. Double team on Big Ed, driven back 4 yards, Mookie sealed by other guard. Ed Johnson stunts away from Point Of Attack, Mookie sealed off from filling the hole left behind. Ronnie Brown TD. Double team on Mookie, driven back 3 yards, Ed sealed by other guard. Mookie ...

Week Three: Colts v. Cardinals Preview
Stampede Blue — ... , and will look to use Indy's run defense to get their running game going. The Colts must counter this by simply playing better. There are no more excuses with this run defense. Players like Ed Johnson, ...

Colts v. Cardinals Game Review: Putting the Pieces Together
Stampede Blue — ... This is the biggest need going into the 2010 draft.  I'm perfectly content with Charlie Johnson starting at left tackle down the line, but I do not want Ryan Diem.  I would support them moving Ugoh to the right tackle position and grooming him into a future starting job. DL-Talk about a nice recovery.  Against Miami the defensive line was pretty bad.  Obviously Dwight Freeney played well in Miami, but no one else really did.  Ed Johnson looked lost (and high), and Antonio Johnson was always ...

Welcome to Schmuckville; Population: Ed Johnson
Stampede Blue — ... as they’ve run out to a 5-0 record. But ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton is reporting the team has parted ways with a key contributor, cutting defensive tackle Ed Johnson. ...

Stampede Blue Radio: Week Five- Open Thread
Stampede Blue — ... , which will begin at 8pm Eastern to discuss how much of an idiot Ed Johnson is for getting cut one again by the ...

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri out six weeks, per ESPN's Adam Shefter
Stampede Blue — ... With the Colts releasing Ed Johnson yesterday, the Stover signing does not prompt the release of another player from the 53-man roster. It seems the Colts will leave Vinatieri inactive for roughly six weeks. With rookie ...

Why was Ed Johnson cut? Simple, because he stinks
Stampede Blue — ... Head Coach Jim Caldwell on the release Wednesday of DT Ed Johnson: "It was production. It was a lack thereof." ...

Luke Links: The "Yep, Denver is for real" Edition
Stampede Blue — Trade deadline is about six hours away. Bill Polian says "NO!" to any possibility of a trade. Um, yeah. He kind of says that every year, and for two of the last three years, the Colts have made a significant trade just prior to the deadline. That said, here be the linkage: One more time folks- The Colts let Ed Johnson go because he is fat and lazy. This time, Bill Polian himself confirms it (via John Oehser). Ed was confronted twice from Week One to Week Five about his ...

Bills work out DT Johnson, five other linemen
Buffalo Rumblings — ... Per Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com (with a tip of the hat to Kurupt), the Buffalo Bills on Monday worked out six defensive linemen, including former Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Ed Johnson. Normally, routine Monday player workouts don't interest me.  Johnson is an interesting case, however.  Buffalo currently has the NFL's worst run defense, and even though the predominant opinion is that the Bills' run-stopping woes have much more to do with linebacker play than line play, Johnson is something ...

Recap Week Seven: Colts 42-Rams 6
Stampede Blue — ... is a better DT than Ed Johnson, and I can see why Ed was cut. Muir had 7 tackles and a sack today replacing Johnson as the starting under tackle. ...

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... cut Ed Johnson a couple weeks ago.  They're very vulnerable to the inside running game without him.  The Colts brass said the release was performance-related, but I don't buy that for a second.  Johnson was definitely their best DT. ...

Armaggedon 2009 (or, the War of 18 and 12) : Just how evenly matched at the Patriots and Colts
Stampede Blue — ... you will run into a team that will stall your offense. When that happens, your defense must have the talent and the coaching to win the game for your team. For the Pats and Colts, they seem to have the kind of defensive talent to stop opposing teams, which is incredible considering the Pats are without Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, and Richard Seymour this year. Meanwhile, the Colts are without Bob Sanders, Marlin Jackson, Ed Johnson, and Tyjuan Hagler. Yet, they still shut people down. ...

Bengals worked out Joey Galloway, Ed Johnson and Mike Doss Tuesday
Cincy Jungle — While the signing of Larry Johnson, and to smaller degree the release of Ben Utecht, were Tuesday's primary headlines, the Bengals weren't through, just yet. On Tuesday, the Bengals worked out three other players; wide receiver Joey Galloway, safety Mike Doss and defensive lineman Ed Johnson. He was released by the Indianapolis in October because he lacked production. In Joey Galloway's case, he just never caught on with the Patriots. Mike Doss, who played for Cincinnati at the end of last year, was ...

Colts run defense ranked in top half of the league
Stampede Blue — ... and Ed Johnson. We have sung Larry Coyer's prasies here since Week One. It's about time some other media take notice of the outstanding job he is doing. ...