Luke Links: Ed Johnson 2.0
Stampede Blue — ... video and Freeney talks about golfing with MJ. Speaking of basketball, did you all see LeBron James act like a punk Saturday night? After getting eliminated from the playoffs, LeBron exited the floor without shaking hands with the opponent. He then got dressed and left the stadium without fielding any questions from reporters. Could you imagine the kind of venom someone like Peyton Manning would get from media and fans if he did something like that following a Colts playoff loss? Yet, many in the blogosphere and mainstream ...

5 Major Sleepers for the 2009 Indianapolis Colts Season
Stampede Blue — ... As you all know, I am a huge fan of the draft, and through this unhealthy obsession I get to familiarize myself with the Colts prospects.  Through this obsession I have found five players on the Colts that I would consider sleepers.  Don't fool yourself.  This is the most biased thing I've ever written.  I am a huge fan of all five of these guys, and I want to see them become contributors on the Colts.  These five guys had minimal effects on the team if any, but this year I can see them doing huge things.  These five guys range ...

Finding the Winning Factors - 3rd/4th Down Conversions
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts have taken back the throne of being #1 in this stat, converting at 47.7%.  This is a full 3.6% better than #2 ( ...

1994: A Measure in Futility- 4th & 27
Buc 'Em — 1994.  Sam Wyche. Orange Pants. You remember! The Yucks, Bucco Bruce, the not so glory days. John  Lynch was there. So was Hardy Nickerson. So was...Craig Erickson. ...and Willy Green! The scene is game 3 of the 1994 season, the Bucs lost on the road to the Bears (what else was new) but pasted the Colts at home in game 2. Now in came the 0-2 Saints. The Saints TRIED to give the game away, they really did. But the Bucs just kept saying "no thanks". Never before has it been ...

A big question mark is getting answered: Ryan Lilja appears healthy
Stampede Blue — ... A major story of the Indianapolis Colts’ 2009 offseason took a step forward Tuesday morning, with veteran offensive guard Ryan Lilja participating in the no-pads, no-contact practice at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. ...

What if the 49ers were to move...?
Niners Nation — ... I know this is a ridiculous premise; the Niners have a fantastic fan base in the Bay area, but so did the Colts in Baltimore. So did the ...

Saddle Sage: Blitzing in a Tampa 2 scheme
Stampede Blue — ... , who ran a Tampa 2-style defense those years with now-current Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer calling their defense. That team still has nightmares of ...

Phillip Wheeler, Marcus Washington 2.0?
Stampede Blue — ... and a comment from tim55 got me wondering on who was the last Indy linebacker to have success rushing the passer. It's no exaggeration to say that the Colts don't use their back 7 for pressure. In the 7 years under Dungy only 4 non-linemen have recorded multiple sacks in a season (two did it twice), only one of those 6 seasons totaled over 4 sacks. ...

The Arrowhead Pride Power Rankings; OTA Edition
Arrowhead Pride — ... The Baltimore Ravens are a solid team that may challenge the Steelers for the division but will have there work cut out for them after losing linebacker Bart Scott to the Jets and cutting Chris McCallister. The Ravens offense should continue to improve after adding Michael Oher and the above par play by the second year Qb Joe Flacco. The Ravens are also being helped out with the strength of schedule being ranked at 28th.   5.  Indianapolis Colts The Colts have established themselves as one ...

NightLink: Tony Dungy's Not-So-Nice Words On Bears, Cutler
Windy City Gridiron — As you have probably heard by now, former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, along with former Patriot Rodney Harrison, has taken a gig with NBC's NFL Studio Show. During a teleconference today to announce the move, Coach Dungy was asked about Jay Cutler (I have no idea why).  Dungy was not exactly singing the praises of the Bears or of Cutler. "I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final ...

Luke Links: Tony Dungy body slams Jay Cutler
Stampede Blue — ... Dungy will likely prove a fine commentator, his presence is not enough to cancel out Roid Rage Rodney and his silly pal, Chris Bunglesworth. But, like Rodney, Coach Dungy is stirring up the pot. This time, instead of making stupid comments about Peyton Manning (as Rodney did), Dungy takes aim at Jay Cutler. Bears fans are, of course, annoyed. Pierre Garcon is impressing at OTAs. Kelvin Hayden talks about how the Colts secondary is one of the best in football. Gary ...

Know Your Colts History: Life as a Colt, One Tweet at a Time
Stampede Blue — ... .  As of yet, there's no Colts currently on the Twitter bandwagon, which is probably a good thing, since entire blog posts would be dedicated to each tweet as they came in with a fanbase as passionate as this one. ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Offense
Stampede Blue — ... up for camp. Here, we will talk offense first, because contrary to what many think and say, you win first in this league with offense. Defense helps you in the playoffs. Offense gets you to the playoffs.   Quarterback Maybe you've heard of the reigning NFL MVP. His name is Peyton Manning. If your favorite team resides in the AFC South, New England, Chicago, or Baltimore, you are likely sick about hearing of #18. The Colts sport the best QB in football. Yes, better than Tom Brady, ...

Colts fans get their yearly "Who's hurt now?" notice: Adam Vinatieri has hip surgery
Stampede Blue — ... . The surgery, and the recovery time after wards, hurt Indy's chances to win games early in the 2008 season. The Colts started 4-4. When Manning got better, they finished 8-0. ...

Colts bring in former Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff for a tryout
Stampede Blue — While Adam Vinatieri is on the mend from hip surgery, the Colts have quietly brought in former-Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff for a tryout. Cundiff, who wasn’t immediately available for comment, is currently an NFL free agent and isn’t quite ready to hang up his helmet. He auditioned for the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago and is trying out today for the Colts with hopes of securing a spot on the roster. Prior to the tryouts, Billy Cundiff was working for a venture ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Special Teams
Stampede Blue — ... We've made our opinions on former-Colts special teams coach Russ Purnell no secret: He was horrible. He now gets to destroy the special teams for a division rival, the ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Defense
Stampede Blue — ... Just like the special teams, the Colts are working with a new coordinator as we move forward into the Jim Caldwell era. Gone is longtime coordinator Ron Meeks, who is now coaching for the ...

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: News and Notes
Stampede Blue — ... looked impressive to many spectators. There doesn't seem to be any consensus on who the third WR is, but the Colts seem to like Collie and Garcon. Indeed, ESPN's "blogger" ...

Colts To Place Ad on Their Practice Jersey: View From a Soccer Fan
Stampede Blue — This isn't really big news that will affect the team, but I was drawn to it immediately.  The Colts are adding an ad on their practice jersey.  Personally, I applaud this decision. Sports teams should always look to increase ad revenue.  Most other businesses don't sell merchandise and don't get thousands from people wanting to see them work.  Sports are the ultimate money maker, and the biggest sports league in the world based on attendance can take the most advantage because of that.  However, the blank jersey ...

Polian-Era Colts Draft History: First Round Picks
Stampede Blue — ... BBS' line about Mike Pollak possibly being a bust got me thinking of draft history in relation to position, round, etc.  I was struggling for a while to think what to write about, and that gave me an idea.  I'm going to go through all of the Colts draft picks in a certain round, analyze, and rank.  I'll start with the first round, which is a round we can all be happy with.  Polian has taken five Pro Bowlers and one player who should have gotten in last year.  This is the most successful round for Polian, and he had some tough ...

What's Going On In Baltimore?
Baltimore Beatdown — ... much to talk about. But as many of us have been debating who some of the greatest all-time Ravens are or the most exciting player in the NFL, there have been some rather important news flowing right under our noses. Here are a few of the more interesting events that have unfolded recently. Sporting News has recently come out with a list of the top 20 offensive coordinators in the NFL. When I first saw the headline for this story, I expected to see the Colts', Patriots', Saints', etc. offensive coordinators in ...

Horse Tracks 6/8/09
The Mile High Report — ... Bowl to have since passed. Unreal. KCS - Chiefs’ secondary has gone through its growing pains KCS - Todd Haley recaps Chiefs minicamp (Video) NFL - Report: Favre had surgery on throwing shoulder, still considering return Here we go; the next chapter in the Favre drama is here! (puke) ESPN - Ex-Indianapolis Colts coaches to start as consultants Aug. 1 Howard Mudd and Tom Moore will be "involved big time," according to Colts owner Jim Irsay. SI - A USO guest list for the ages, ...

Luke Links: Wrapping up the Colts 2009 Mini-Camp
Stampede Blue — ... Since we had so much coverage over the weekend for mini-camp, I thought a little afternoon Luke Links update was in order. The Colts concluded mini-camp yesterday. Most of the players will stick around as OTAs continue, but others (like ...

2008 Season Retrospective: Justin Forsett
Field Gulls — ... with the 233rd selection of the 2008 NFL Draft. In the second week of the preseason, he ran for 136 yards on 15 carries. He ended the preseason with 248 yards on 46 attempts, but two fumbles. Forsett made the 53 man roster but was inactive in week 1. He was waived before week 2, signed by the Colts, played three games for Indianapolis as a punt returner, was waived again and re-signed with Seattle. He played in the next 11 games as a punt returner. ...

Ron Meeks Rewind: What Panthers Fans Can Expect from the Defense in 2009
Cat Scratch Reader — ... defense in 2009, some very positive and some not expecting any changes at all. Will there be significant changes or not? I'm a firm believer that the past can many times predict the future so I thought I would dig around a little to see what was being said about Meeks before he left the Colts, things from seasons past that might give us a clearer picture. I began by sorting through old posts on ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: World's Most Dangerous Fist Pump Edition
Music City Miracles — ... "Actually, I partially tore my rotator cuff on Monday Night Football against the Colts doing one of these" fist pumps, he said. "It's a funny way to hurt yourself, fist-pumping." ...

Colts Camp Battles: What positions will have the fiercest competition?
Stampede Blue — ... , is entitled to a roster spot. You must earn it, each and every year. There is a reason Peyton is the #1 QB in football: He comes into camp and works harder than any rookie free agent trying to win a roster spot. The Colts have never been known to be a "lazy" team in the 12 years Bill Polian has run the front office. Coaches Mora and Dungy instilled strong work ethics in the rosters they coached, and now coach Caldwell seems to be doing the same. 99.9% of the roster is participating in OTAs in Indianapolis. Effort in mini-camp was very high. People ...

Another Former Coach Weighs in On Cutler: Ditka Speaks
Windy City Gridiron — Last week, we heard the comments made by former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy about Jay Cutler... some of us cared, and some of us didn't.  This week, we have another former coach doing the talking- Ditka. "People ask me one question: Is he a good quarterback?" he said in a telephone interview. "Well, he's got a great arm. He had great receivers up in Denver, they had an offense that threw the football a lot, so it highlighted his strengths. If he's in an offense that doesn't ...

Colts players really like new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer
Stampede Blue — ... in January 2007, days after he was surprised by a call from then-Denver Broncos President and Head Football Coach Mike Shanahan informing Coyer he had been fired. Today, Mike Shanahan is mercifully unemployed, fired from his duties as head man in Denver after years of bad head football coaching and even worse personnel moves. Meanwhile, Larry Coyer has found a home in Indy, and his new players seem to very much like the change this old career coach has brought to the Colts. To understand Coyer, look to further than his resume. It's ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 43: SS Henry Jones
Buffalo Rumblings — ... for the 1992 season after Smith's career was derailed by a staph infection in his knee.  He quickly erased the memories of Smith out there, having by far his best season as a pro in his first year as a starter.  For the year, he finished with 8 interceptions, tied for most in the NFL that year, and earned his first and only Pro Bowl appearance.  His 263 interception return yards also led the NFL that year.  In an early season game against the Colts, he intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns.  ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: A Celebrity Roast That Involves Neither Celebrities Nor Cooking... Discuss Edition
Music City Miracles — ... though Schommer is expected to make an impact for us on special teams.  Ryan Dembinsky of the AOL Fanhaus ranks LenDale White as the third most underrated fantasy RB in the NFL.  Who knew 15 TDs was valuable in fantasy leagues?  Want to see how the King of the Boom lives?  KVB's house is on the market because his young twin boys need a bigger yard to play in...  Are the Colts nervous about Adam Vinatieri's hip surgery? ...

Did Colts owner Jim Irsay call out OT Tony Ugoh?
Stampede Blue — ... Very rarely does Colts owner Jim Irsay comment negatively about a player. If you have get the chance to meet Jim (I've met him several times and many different functions), you will find him to be one of the more positive minded people you'll ever meet. He always talks about possibility, not negativity. And he is also very mindful of how his presence affects the authority of the people who work for him. Even recently, with the Howard Mudd and Tom Moore status, Jim Irsay ...

The Future of Bob Sanders
Stampede Blue — ... , as you could probably guess by my avatar, hometown and college, but that doesn't mean that looking into the implications his contract has for his long term future with the team is too painful for me. Bob has played 45 regular season games in his career, he's missed 35 regular season games due to injury (though the only postseason game, of 11, he's ever missed is the 2007 Pro Bowl). He doesn't stay healthy very well. The Colts showed they were willing to pay him as much as the league's top safeties to play an average of 9 games+playoffs a year, with a 5 ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 42: LB Bryce Paup
Buffalo Rumblings — ... and immense during the 1995 season.  Following a down year in which the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1987, they needed a jolt from the defense.  Paup more than provided it that year, helping the defense move from No. 17 overall to No. 13, while nearly doubling the team sack total from 25 to 49.  He had a sack in the season opener against Denver, and didn't look back.  In Week 3, Paup sacked Colts QB Jim Harbaugh three times, added 14 tackles and forced a pair of fumbles on his way to his first of two AFC Defensive ...

The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever: Review
Big Blue View — ... and Colts, you'd probably think it was a classic well-played battle between two teams who stood toe-to-toe at the 50-yard line and slugged it out. ...

Atlanta Falcons News And Notes, June 11 Edition
The Falcoholic — ... are rolling with Ron Meeks, he of Indianapolis Colts fame (?). If the lessons of the past teach us anything--and judging by the way I live my life, they don't--it's that ...

Luke Links: 2009 OTAs conclude
Stampede Blue — ... Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, long one of the highest-paid pitchmen in pro football, is lending his adman skills to Indianapolis -- for free. ...

Baltimore Ravens Mini-Camp (OTA/Passing Camp) Notes
Baltimore Beatdown — ... and health.   To give you an example of the whirlwind of action I witnessed, here is an timeline of my first forty minutes on the sidelines: 10:20am: Dawan Landry looks HUGE! 10:30am: Le’Ron McClain looks big and stocky. 10:40am: After Sam Koch, Graham Gano took his turn punting on punt return drills. 10:44am: Saw Baltimore Colts great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore observing ...

Colts picture gallery for mini-camp and OTAs
Stampede Blue — ... Click the picture on the left to view the gallery of images from the Colts OTAs and mini-camp at Franklin College (Franklin, IN). ...

Know Your Colts History: Digging for Treasure Online
Stampede Blue — Ebay is an amazing site, but it's also an amazingly weird site.  You can find just about anything up for auction, which can be both a good and a bad thing.  If you're looking for that rare Peyton Manning rooke card, you can probably find it.  If you're looking for that rare Peyton Manning game-used jock strap, you can probably find that too. After the jump, we'll take a look at just some of the Colts-related items that you can find at auction. Apparently when ...

The fallacy of blaming single players and a reminder that football is still a team sport
Cincy Jungle — ... and Ravens -- the Bengals went into their historic nose-dive. If they win any of the final three games of the season, they make the playoffs for the second year in a row. If they don't, they meet a collapse that will be talked about in 2009. The Bengals had no shot against the Colts. Our defense turns into practice squad fodder every time we play them. Against the ...

Shake's All-AFC South Team
Stampede Blue — ... I'll be running a Colts style offense and defense, because that's what I like and it should give plausible cover for any homer picks. ...

The Valley Ranch Review: Debating Jason Garrett; Nick Folk's Surgery "Common"
Blogging The Boys — ... and Tashard Choice, the Cowboys have the ability to be a top-5 rushing attack. But Dallas needs Roy Williams to flourish on the flank and Anthony Spencer in the pass rush. Final '08 ranking: 15 More VRR after the jump. Nick Folk told Mickey Spagnola that the hip surgery he had is a rather common one for kickers. In fact, not only did Folk’s brother have a similar surgery, so did Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri last week. Vinatieri’s surgery ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #8
Arrowhead Pride — ... the Raiders in 1992 and Steelers in 1994, and also kicked the game-winning points in all 3 Pro Bowls in 1982, 1991 and 1993. 2007 NFL Hall of Fame nominee In hindsight what is now the dumbest move perhaps all time by the Chiefs' franchise, the team released Lowery in 1993 to make more room under the salary cap. His replacement - *** ****** - would haunt the franchise for years. Do you think Nick Lowery misses three field goals against the Colts in that 1996 playoff game? QB Billy Joe Toliver (1997) ...

Jim Caldwell: What to expect?
Stampede Blue — ... SI.com’s John Mullin posted an article claiming that new Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell is in a "no-win situation." Mullin, who is does not seem to write this in order to stir up any silly "controversy" or anything, seems to genuinely think that Caldwell is ...

Lets just get this cleared up: Tony Ugoh is not lazy
Stampede Blue — ... Jim Irsay called out LT Tony Ugoh two weeks ago. Yes, he did. Jim Irsay could deny it. Tony Ugoh could deny it. The Colts as a team could deny it. Doesn't matter. Jim Irsay called out Tony Ugoh. In other ventures into the obvious: Water is wet; sky is blue; Tom Brady likes goats. Now, while Irsay was calling out Ugoh for his inconsistent play, he was not making a point to say that Ugoh did not have the talent to succeed. Far from it. Irsay's comments suggested that he expected big things from Ugoh in ...

AP Interview: Chiefs RB Christian Okoye (Part Two)
Arrowhead Pride — ... Christian: Of course, I'm a Chiefs fan and so I root for them before I root for anybody else. The only time I can root for anybody else is when I can root for the Colts when Tony Dungy was there and the ...

Get those dirty Brandon Marshall thought out of your head
Stampede Blue — ... While the dealing of Marshall will most certaily put Denver's passing attack into the stone age, from a character standpoint it makes sense. Marshall has always been an over-rated idiot of a receiver. We all remember him for his trash-talking during a 2007 regular season game, where he was caught on camera calling the then0defending Super Bowl champion Colts "soft." After the Colts thrashed the Broncos 38-20, Marshall was seen throwing a tamper tantrum on the sidelines. ...

Around the NFL; Tony Ugoh, Donte Stallworth, Christian Okoye, and the NFL Draft
Acme Packing Company — The Colts owner, Jim Irsay, thinks his young LT Tony Ugoh is lazy? Irsay is quickly becoming one of my least favorite owners. Back in April he decided to stick it to the city of Indianapolis (see here and here) when the cost projection on the new Lucas Oil Stadium came up $5 million short. Cleveland WR Donte Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail for manslaughter. That might sound light, but I trust the judge and prosecutor knew this was the right thing to do. On the field, he was a bust in ...

Who needs a QB?
Buc 'Em — ... . But anyways, do we really feel compelled to gripe about the QB situation the way we have forever? There is no way McCown or Leftwhich or Ryan Leaf or either Josh for that matter are so inept that they couldn't atleast lead this team to a .500 season. And maybe our defense is too green and won't be great, but that didn't stop the Colts. Just had to rant because I can't wait to watch the most potent offense the bucs have ever fielded. How many share my enthusiasm.....thoughts???? ...

Polian-Era Colts Draft History: Second Round Picks
Stampede Blue — ... Draft: The Colts had already taken the QB of the future for the team, so they then looked for talent to surround him with.  The team already had a solid receiver in ...

Finding the Winning Factors - 3 & Outs
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts have by far the least number of 3 & Outs, with 336 (or 2.63 / Game).  The difference between the Colts and #2 ( ...

Luke Links: ESPN's "blogger" finally links to us!
Stampede Blue — ... is a classless turd. Always has been. But don't take my word for it. Take Bulluck's teammate Cortland Finnegan's word, because he seems to agree with me. However, it seems Keith is trying to atone for his past douchebaggery. He recently tried to make up for his 2008 regular season immaturity by saying the Steelers are the team to beat in 2009. These are, of course, the same Steelers Bulluck insulted on live TV last December.  Unlike Keith Bulluck, Colts RB Mike Hart is not a classless jerk. And he is still very ...

Projected Panthers 2009 Depth Chart: Linebackers
Cat Scratch Reader — ... , a backup MLB who played exclusively on special teams in an injury-riddled '08 season, signed a one-year deal with the Colts and is currently listed as their top backup at MLB.  Donte' Curry, a special teams ace who found a roster spot after Dan Connor's season-ending knee injury, was second on the team in special teams tackles in just 13 games, but was not resigned by the Panthers and is currently a free agent. ...

Know Your Colts History: The Most Interesting Video on the Internet
Stampede Blue — ... - As you can see on the graphic that followed his touchdown, that was Turner's 2nd TD catch in his playoff career, tying him with Raymond Berry, John Mackey and Jimmy Orr for the most touchdown catches in Colts postseason history.  Welcome to life in the pre-Manning era.  Just in case you were wondering, ...

Around the AFC East, Week 5: The Phinsider
Gang Green Nation — ... I’m not one of those who want to run Chad Pennington off the field so quickly, either.  So don’t get me wrong here.  But if the season does go down the tubes for whatever reason, getting Chad Henne some late-season starts would be a great way to salvage the year. The great franchises in the NFL are built for the long term. The goal is not to win the Super Bowl once. It is to be in the mix every single year like the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, and Eagles are. The Dolphins are trying to ...

Are We Kidding Ourselves That the Redskins Offensive Line Is OK?
Hogs Haven — ...   # of O-lineman on roster as of 6/19/2009 (TEs not included): Patriots: 17 Giants: 16 Colts: 16 Cardinals: 15 Eagles: 15 Cowboys: 15 The Skins recently cut Jon Jansen to get to 14. In 2008, the Redskins carried 10 offensive lineman on their 53-man roster. The 6 shoe-ins are Heyer, Samuels, Dockery, Thomas, Rabach and Rinehart. So, that leaves approximately 4 spots for 8 guys. So let's break down the competition among the 8 guys and assess the talent. I ...

Closing the Book on Gruden
Buc 'Em — ... Now Gruden gets boatloads of credit for winning Super Bowl XXXVII, and don’t tell me he did it with Tony Dungy’s team. The only reason Dungy DIDN’T win was because he was fiercely loyal to Clyde Christianson and refused to fire him in favor of a real offensive coordinator (side note: guess who is offensive coordinator for the Colts this season? Yep! Smilin’ Clyde. I don’t think there has been a figurehead position like his this side of the Queen Elizabeth). So in my house, Gruden got a pass, for a bit anyhow. But one afternoon, ...

J.P. Losman, two other ex-Bills moving on to UFL
Buffalo Rumblings — ... of the Colts - a player with experience in said scheme.  Tripplett spent two years in Buffalo, picking up 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in 32 games.  He was released prior to the 2008 season and eventually replaced by ...

UFL Orlando drafts 3 former Colts
Stampede Blue — The UFL draft was held on Friday, June 19, 2009, and a few former Colts were taken (first posted by Endo).  Bo Schobel, Larry Tripplett, and Mike Doss were all taken by the Orlando franchise, which still does not have a nickname.  Here's some more info on these players and their Colts careers.  Mike Doss, safety I've already said what I can say about Doss, so here is a recap on him from my last post. Doss is not with the ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 39: RB Joe Cribbs
Buffalo Rumblings — ... .  Although his final numbers were pretty good, Cribbs was somewhat inconsistent throughout the season.  He finished the regular season having rushed for more than 70 yards in a game just five times.  However, he had a couple of monster games that really proved his versatility.  Against the Colts in Week 5, Cribbs finished with 159 yards rushing.  The following week he added a 65 yard touchdown reception in a win over the hated Dolphins. His biggest game statistically came in Week 9 at home against Cleveland.  Cribbs rushed for ...

Luke Links: The Marlin Jackson will "rap" for your kids edition
Stampede Blue — ... I who do not have kids (and thus, have actual money that I can spend on things other than diapers and poop wipes) spent Father's Day having brunch with my fiance and obsessing over wedding invitations. Real quick FYI: I am getting married the Saturday before the Colts open the 2009 season. Here's the the Colts hopefully giving me a nice wedding present. Now, onto the links that call The Luke their home (or something like that): ...

Chiefs One of Ten Teams That Haven't Signed a Draft Pick
Arrowhead Pride — ... that's the story on the Chiefs only imminent signing. Click through for a run down of a list of the nine other teams that haven't signed a draft pick along with a(nother) look at when the Chiefs might sign their draft picks. The Chiefs aren't alone.  Nine other teams have not signed a draft pick either (Number of draft picks in parentheses):  Buffalo Bills (8), Carolina Panthers (7), Cleveland Browns (8), Dallas Cowboys (12), Indianapolis Colts (8), Jacksonville Jaguars(9), New Orleans ...

Overrated/Underrated: Chiefs Edition
Arrowhead Pride — ... The Colts are still the class of the South until proven otherwise.  Winning at least 12 games in six consecutive seasons will get the attention even though the ...

The Broken Record: ESPN has a lot of stupid people working for them
Stampede Blue — ... off the roster. Such decisions go beyond polite disagreement. You start to question whether they were smoking something when they tallied the votes. I don't say this as a Colts fan and blogger, though I realize I'll get marginalized because my loyalty is to the Colts. I say this as a football fan. You really have to be batsh*t crazy, or so mind-blowingly high you are having a detailed conversation about you love life with your pet goldfish, to think that Tom Brady is the NFL's best QB this decade. ...

NightLink: Freeney Endorses Dent
Windy City Gridiron — ... great Richard Dent has been bypassed several times for enshrinement into the NFL Hall of Fame.  Dent recently got endorsed from another defensive powerhouse, Indianapolis Colts' ...

What They're Saying About the Chiefs Signing Mike Brown
Arrowhead Pride — ... He has an uncanny knack for being around loose balls.  If a ball is stripped or tripped, there is a very good chance he will be around to collect it.  He is very good playing up on the line of scrimmage and plays the run very well.  If not for the injuries I have no doubt that he would be talked about like Bob Sanders is for the Colts.  ...

Like the Hatfields and McCoys, Brady vs. Manning debate continues
Pats Pulpit — ... Brady choked the 2006 AFCCG and SB XLII - This one is ESPECIALLY easy to debunk: how can Brady be a system QB yet be solely  responsible for these losses?  Either Brady gets the accolades when they win and the jeers when the lose, or the team gets the win and the team is responsible for the loss.  Which is it, sports fans?  And for the record, Brady led his offense to 34 points in the 2006 AFCCG and wasn't on the field when the defense allowed the Colts to march down the field in the final minutes.  As for SB XLII, blaming ...

Why hasn't Indy signed veteran LBer Derrick Brooks
Stampede Blue — ... I got an email today (one of the few non-hate emails) asking me why the Indianapolis Colts have not made an offer to former- ...

A look at past Jim Johnson proteges
Bleeding Green Nation — ... and one year later the team was 3rd in the NFL in takeaways. He went on to be named defensive backs coach of the Colts in 2005 and in one year the Colts' pass defense improved 15th in the NFL to 2nd. The Colts won the superbowl in 2007, largely on the back of their defense. Noticing a theme here? Frazier was then hired as the Vikings' defensive coordinator and has developed that unit into one of the best in the NFC. ...

Report: Vikings may sign Marvin Harrison
Stampede Blue — John Oehser talks about a rumor swirling via TwinCities.com: There’s buzz that the Vikings might sign ex-Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, 36, who is near the end of his career and has tender knees, to a one-year, low-end deal to provide competition for Sidney Rice. Minnesota is likely going to bring Brett Favre out of retirement, which means Favre will have Bernard Berrian, Marvin Harrison, and Sydney Rice has his WRs... to go along with Adrian Peterson and ...

Horse Buckett: Do you like who the Pacers drafted last night?
Stampede Blue — ... At first glance, it seems the Pacers are continuing their rebuild with strong, active, high character players (following a model the Colts use when they draft). However, unlike the NFL, NBA teams are not built through the draft. Free agency and trades built NBA champions, and unless you have a top 3 pick the NBA draft can be pretty meaningless sometimes. ...

Colts players and Twitter
Stampede Blue — I know of two Colts players who Twitter: Dallas Clark and Pierre Garcon. Anyone know any other real Colts player Twitter pages?

49ers Year-by-Year: 1989
Niners Nation — ... Score: Record: Opponent's Record: Sept. 10 @ Indianapolis Colts W: 30-24 1-0 0-1 ...

ESPN's All-Decade Special Teams
Windy City Gridiron — ... how will Hester develop as a wide receiver?  Will Jay Cutler be able to maximize Hester's potential to punish opposing teams?  Only time will tell, but I certainly hope that this is the case.  I'd really hate to see Hester used as trade bait in the future. Rounding out the remainder of the All-Decade Special Teams unit: Punter:  Mike Scifres, Chargers Kicker:  Adam Vinatieri, Colts Long-snapper:  David Binn, Chargers ...

Horse Tracks 6/29/09 - No news is definitely good news.
The Mile High Report — ... Outsiders breaks down the 25 most underrated players of the past decade, including Matt Lepsis and Al Wilson. ESPN Insider - Michael Vick and DeShaun Foster are among the most overrated NFL players of the decade Football Outsiders ranks the 25 most overrated players of the past decade, which includes the Broncos' punters, Travis Henry and Simeon Rice. PFW - What can Brown do for Indianapolis? Dan Waters profiles Colts rookie RB Donald Brown, drafted in the first round out of UConn. ...

Luke Links: Trent Green pwns Jim Sorgi edition
Stampede Blue — ... v. Colts pre-season game at The Luke on August 14th. Hmmmm... Favre in purple v. Manning. I'm thinking maybe that game will get the national spotlight. Our own Cassieper has ...

Colts Training Camp 2009: Battles
Stampede Blue — ... Training Camp opens for the Colts in 33 days. Between now and then, we will need to identify the training camp battles that could define this team heading into the 2009 season. As many of you know, I'm a big proponent of camp competition. Regardless of a player's salary, reputation, or name, he must always earn his job in camp. Example: ...

Hogs Haven chats with Redskins LB Robert Henson
Hogs Haven — ... guy Ethan Albright and how the Redskins are improving. When we first sat down, we learned that Robert was three hours away from receiving his degree at TCU in criminal justice. So congratulations to Robert. I of course mentioned that the Bengals could certainly use his knowledge once his playing days are over. The first topic we touched on was draft day. Robert told us that only a few teams had really spoken to him seriously leading up to the draft (Texans, Colts, Chargers). Sugar: How did you come to be ...

Chiefs Paying $14 Million Per Win
Arrowhead Pride — ... 45  $12 4 3. Redskins   $547.37 38  $14.4 1 4. Colts   $532.77 63  $8.5 5 ...

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... the football year, where nothing is going on.  Today, we'll talk about the other teams the Broncos play this season, including AFC second place teams and the AFC West, and time permitting, I kind of feel like beating up on some MSM writing.  We shall see how far I am able to get, and for now, I am going to get right to it.  Ready.... BEGIN!!! 1.  As promised, let's continue the around-the-league offseason evaluations, a.  Indianapolis Colts  (2008 Record  12-4, Lost in Wild Card Round ...

Patriots Links 6/30/09 - Players Serve Up Fun at Youth Camps and Clinics
Pats Pulpit — ... , a Holy Cross product who's heading back to Indiana in August to take part in the Colts' training camp.  He promises not to ask for a peek at the playbook. ...

Stampede Blue Radio Returns [again]!
Stampede Blue — ... , our podcast for this blog to discuss Indianapolis Colts football. Because of timing, we'll have to start tonight at 6pm Eastern. Blog Talk Radio's page for the podcast offers all the details you need to listen in and participate. ...

Lions Announce Creation of New Season-Ticket Packages
Pride Of Detroit — ... and two preseason games. Per game pricing discounts compared to other season ticket plans and individual game tickets. Priority to purchase existing seat locations for any playoff game. Half-Season Plans Half-Season Plan A: Atlanta Falcons (8/15), Minnesota Vikings (9/20), Pittsburgh Steelers (10/11), Cleveland Browns (11/22), Arizona Cardinals (12/20). Half-Season Plan B: Indianapolis Colts (8/29), Washington Redskins (9/27), St. Louis ...

Revelations! John and I track the trajectory of the NFL
Big Cat Country — ... thought comes to you, follow the thread". I sipped the tea, relaxed, my eyes closed and I began to drift away into time and space. Whatever thought came to me I was to follow it, and the first thought was NFL October, 1958. Why? I don't know, but off I went. The thought image took me to every NFL stadium during game time. Some stadiums were packed with excitement. The LA Rams had 83,600 people, San Francisco had 52,500, the Cleveland Browns 61,500, Baltimore Colts 53,500, Detroit Lions 53,600 and the Chicago Bears had ...

WR stats, best 8 year totals
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts duo top the list, but not far back at all is Derrick Mason. None of Mason's past 8 seasons have had a catch% below 60.7% (57.1% is the average), and his AirYards per Reception over the last 8 years is only a tenth of a yard below league average. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Third Running Back
Stampede Blue — ... ). Bethea beat out Doss for one of the starting safety positions, and was a big part of the Colts winning the Super Bowl that year. ...

Finding the Winning Factors - Drive Success Rate
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts blow away the competition in this, with a DSR of 77.3%.  The usual suspects are also high up there ( ...

Luke Links: The annoyance with another Colts blog edition
Stampede Blue — ... and their horrid coverage of the Colts. Apparently, it is "classless" on our part to demand the Star (a major metropolitan newspaper) provide the same coverage of the Colts (12-4 last year, best QB in football) that the Green Bay Press-Gazzette (smaller city, smaller paper) provides to the ...

Top 10 Players in 2009: #7 - WR Donald Driver
Acme Packing Company — ... At age 34, his career is mostly behind him. And with this list I'm looking ahead. The list of receivers who stayed great after age 35 is a short one. And anyone who's fantasy team got killed by the sudden decline of the Colts' WR Marvin Harrison in 2007 knows how quick it can happen. ...

Safeties: Yes, They're Important
Canal Street Chronicles — ... , of the Indianapolis Colts:  Much is made of Bob’s impact on the Colts, such as when he famously reversed the fortunes of the worst run defense in the league upon returning for their Super Bowl-winning 2006 postseason.  Bob is certainly not the only factor enabling a successful Colts defense, but he’s probably the most important one.  The Colts’ Tampa-2 scheme employs both Bob and his counterpart at free safety, ...

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Top 5 Edition
Battle Red Blog — ... Surprisingly, Dominique Barber managed to find a home at number three on the list of top five safeties. I'm kidding... or am I? The Texans website compiled a list of what they believe are the top five gutsiest plays in Texans history. In chronological order, they have Billy Miller's touchdown catch (the first in Texans history), David Carr's touchdown dive against the Jaguars in 2003, Kris Brown's game winner against the Colts in 2006, 'Dre's miraculous fourth and ten catch against the ...

Sam Wyche ranked as one the of motivational coaches in history; reactions to hard knocks shows pointless "expert opinion"
Cincy Jungle — ... get any money from “Hard Knocks.” However, with 30 million HBO subscribers in 50 states, the team is bound to win some fans eager to cough up cash for tickets. Remember: Team owner and president Mike Brown is a very smart businessman. Speaking of Ludwig, he remembers when Akili Smith didn't know who he was. Andrew Crummey got in 25 snaps last season, including 11 plays at center and a snap at tight end against Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. James Hasty said on ...

Ranking the Colts Positional Units
Stampede Blue — ... Don't read this wrong.  This is not an indictment of this unit.  It just shows how good this team is.  A former Pro Bowler is the starter and a first round pick is the backup, but it is only the 8th best unit on the team.  This is partially because Brown, Hart and Ball are so inexperienced and Addai had a down year, but this is a great team.  I know we say it every year, but this is the most talented Colts team since 1984.  I am amazed by this team all the time.  I feel bad ranking them so low, but this team is too damn ...

Historical Perspective VI - 1973
The Phinsider — ... for a 1974 7th Round Pick).  Miami's final trade for 1974 came during the season, when on 2 October, the team sent RB Hubert Ginn to the Colts for FB Don Nottingham and a 1974 6th round pick. ...

Terrible: Former Titans QB Steve McNair murdered in Nashville
Stampede Blue — ... of July festivities, but this is just a terrible, terrible tragedy within the NFL family: Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in downtown Nashville. An unidentified female was also found dead at the scene. The police are calling it a homicide. We all remember Steve McNair as a rival for Peyton Manning and the Colts when he played for both the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore ...

History of the Bills: 1984-1988
Buffalo Rumblings — ... a game during the winless stretch.  On the season the team averaged 15.6 points a game, fourth-worst in the league, while allowing opponents to score over 28 points a game, second worst in the NFL.  Both the defense and offense were in the bottom five in yardage.  In week 5 Joe Ferguson's streak of consecutive starts ended at 107.  Ferguson missed five games.  The last home game of the season saw the smallest crown in Rich Stadium history welcome the relocated Indianapolis Colts.  The Bills were 1-12 at the time but scored 21 ...

How do the Kansas City Chiefs Compare to the Rest of the NFL in Drafting Starters?
Arrowhead Pride — ... Scott Pioli's hiring and to an extent Todd Haley's hiring (with a personnel background). You draft well.  You win. Pretty simple, right?  Well, the idea is simple.  The implementation certainly is not. Senior analyst Pat Kirwan of NFL.com recently penned an item titled "Smart teams find their starters in the draft."  He takes a look at the teams that are the best at drafting starters for their squads... Top five: Indianapolis Colts 17, Baltimore Ravens 16, Green Bay Packers ...

Patriots Links 7/06/09 - Larry Izzo Praises Belichick, Looks Ahead to Life as a Jet
Pats Pulpit — ... LOCAL SHOTS Globe 10.0: Could McGinest help the Patriots?  Tony Massarotti and Kevin Paul Dupont debate whether Belichick should bring Willie to training camp. Chris Gasper catches up with ex-Patriot Larry Izzo to talk about his transition to the Jets, offers a Q & A with Pro Bowl kicker Stephen Gostkowski, and more NFL news and bits. Mark Farinella was finally granted permission by the Colts organization to interview Brett McDermott, the former Mansfield ...

Pro Football Reference good; ESPN, still crappy
Stampede Blue — ... But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a sneak peak at what the eventual team should look like. Unlike ESPN's series, this one is well researched, thoughtful, and intelligent. I don't agree with everything listed (Marvin Harrison is far and away a better WR than Terrell Owens, and anyone who knows football will tell you that), but the series offers an impressive point of view on who is the best from 2000-2009. For PFR, two Colts make the first team All-Decade: Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday ...

46 Part I
Dawgs By Nature — ... linemen, 3 linebackers, 2 safeties, and 2 cornerbacks. The 46 begins with a big shift of the defensive line to the "weakside" (non-TE side) of the field. Right End: The RE lines up way wide at what some coaches call the "9-technique".  This should be at least 1 yard wide (horizontally) of the weakside offensive tackle (here, the Left Tackle). Desired Skills: speed rushing, some coverage ability NFL ideal: Dwight Freeney, Colts Probable Brown playing the position: Kamerion ...

5 Players You'd like to Kick in the Nuts
Stampede Blue — ... And to make matters worse, the people at EA Sports orchestrate that into the Madden game! I cant get rid of it! I'm sorry Peyton, but if I met you in a dark alley....I would have to hit you in the face. While I'm sure the 6'5, 220 pound Peyton Manning would be able to hold his own against any Steelers fan, Steeler_'s post is very funny and offers an interesting glimpse into the players that truly annoy Steelers fans. Now the question is, Who annoys us Colts fans? Since we would never condone violence against any ...

Q & A With Paul Kuharsky
Big Cat Country — ... \Jags comment, rivalry is a big part of the game.  Knowing the history of the Jags\Titans that one too is entertaining.  Since 2002 the Jaguars are 4-10 against the Colts.  Of their 14 games only 3 have been decided by more than 8 points.   Throw out the 44-17 win and the average margin of victory for the Jags is just over 3 pts per game.  Throw out the 29-7 win for the Colts and the average margin of victory is just under 10 pts per game.   Does the lopsided record negate this ...

Pats Pulpit's list of 5 Most Overrated Players
Pats Pulpit — I must admit, I stole this idea...sort of.  Stampede Blue is running a story entitled, 5 Players You'd Like to Kick in the Nuts.  Rodney Harrison seems to top the list.  I'm SHOCKED!!  Colts fans hating on Rodney?  At any rate, Behind the Steel Curtain ran a similar fanpost entitled, Top 5 NFL players I'd like to punch in the face.  Well, I'd like to put a little spin on it, listing the the top 5 most overrated players in the NFL today. Peyton Manning - Stats, ...

Historical Perspective VII - 1974
The Phinsider — ... October 27, 1974 brought the Baltimore Colts to Miami, and another win for the Dolphins.  The Colts, entering the game with only one win on the season, lost to the home franchise 17-7. ...

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Praise Cushing Edition
Battle Red Blog — ... at the time the pick was made. I still firmly believe it's just the hair. Regardless, players, coaches, and analysts alike all believe they have seen enough from Cushing already to believe the Texans will finally have solidified the strongside linebacker position come the regular season. Paul Kuharsky is on board with the pick and believes he will be the "breakout player" of the AFC South division, over players such as Anthony Gonzalez of the Colts, new Titans receiver Nate Washington, and even our very own ...

Stampede Blue Radio: Remembering old rival Steve McNair
Stampede Blue — Stampede Blue Radio happens tonight at 8pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio. This evening we will be joined by Indy Football Report's John Oehser who will talk about the Colts upcoming training camp, position battles, and the passing of former-Titans and Ravens QB Steve McNair.  If we have time we will take callers. We will also create an open thread for the show here at Stampede Blue. Please tune in! Stampede Blue Radio 8pm Eastern

Pats Pulpit's list of 5 non-Patriots we want on our team
Pats Pulpit — ... , LB Colts - Love this guy, absolutely love this guy - except when he's playing us.  In our 2007 matchup, I remember Brady throwing a pass over the middle and Brackett making a one-handed circus catch for an interception.  While we seem to be getting strong at ILB, can you imagine Brackett and ...

Luke Links: David Garrard is feeling Dwight Freeney
Stampede Blue — ... on. Funny little side note: John called me right after the show to tell me he was unable to call in at all. So, the person who was trying to call at 8:10pm was NOT John Oehser. Special thanks to shake n bake and Elwood for calling in and offering opinions on air. You can listen to last night's podcast after the jump. ESPN's Paul Kuharsky lets us know that Jaguars QB David Garrard has a pathological fear of Dwight Freeney... sort of. Colts DE and sometime DT Raheem Brock apparently owes child support money to ...

Finding the Winning Factors - Net Punting Average
Stampede Blue — ... , let's take a look at a common, but rarely looked at:  Net Punting Average. This stat came about after the Colts playoff game back in January, for good reason.  ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Nickel corner
Stampede Blue — ... The nickel corner in a Tampa 2 is, essentially, another starting corner. The Colts play a lot of nickel, especially on third down. For years, ...

Know Your Colts History: Character in Numbers (1-33)
Stampede Blue — ... The point of this week's post is simple: Sum up the careers of every player on the Colts.  The trick is that I have to use the same number of characters as the player's roster number.  This will be a three week series taking a look at the Colts roster.  This week will focus on numbers 1-33, next week will be 34-66, and two weeks from now we'll look at numbers 67-99.   ...

Five players from other teams you'd like to see on the Colts
Stampede Blue — ... , we will usher you readers into the weekend with another list of players. This time, instead of kicking them in the nuts, it's players from other teams you'd like to see on the Colts. ...

I'm starting to think that Tom Brady is a bit of a jerk
Stampede Blue — ... It started in 2005. After the Colts demolished the Patriots in Foxboro 40-21, Tom Brady left the field, changed, and exited the stadium refusing to take questions from the press. I remember watching that and think, Huh, that was sort of an immature and dickish thing to do. I mean, how many times (up until then) had Peyton Manning stood up in front of the firing squad national press and answered stupid question after stupid question following a Colts loss to the Pats? Two years later, I saw Brady re-enter a ...

ESPN's Fantasy Football Preview Belongs in the Humor Section
Stampede Blue — ... Personally, I think that the ESPN Fantasy Football Preview Magazine is a well edited and indepth magazine, but somethings in it are just too funny to pass up.  I think that the writers may know that what they are writing is just insane, but they need to fill up a magazine where they have to analyze the fantasy potential of backup QBs and running backs who will never see the field.  Almost everything in the magazine is hilarious, and some of it is Colts-related.  Let's look at some of the funnier parts of the player rankings. ...

Brady vs. Manning - The debate rages on
Pats Pulpit — ... Back to Brady vs. Manning.  When chatting with a fellow AFC East blogger, he brought up the point that the Patriots vs. Colts is largely an illogical rivalry.  Wouldn't a Patriots vs. ...

Football Outsiders gives us predictions about 2009
Stampede Blue — ... see the need in buying the Almanac. I mean, I already have, but when I have this kind of detail available to me via a blog (because the only reason I get the Almanac is to read what they think of the Colts, and to try to keep up with shake n bake when he talks to me about de-yarrrrrr!), it seems a waste to buy the book. Anyway, 18to88 reports "sunny weather" for the Colts in 2009, according to Football Outsiders. Here are the projections for the 2009 Indianapolis Colts: 2009: New staff + same Peyton ...

T-Minus 18 Days to Training Camp
Stampede Blue — ... In roughly two weeks, several NFL teams will start opening their training camps. For the Colts, camp is a little later than usual this year mainly because the team does not open pre-season in the Hall of Fame game this year, and it will not open the regular season on a Thursday night. It's my hope that this little bit of extra time will go a long way to helping this team stay healthy. ...

Arizona Cardinals Pre-Training Camp Roster Projections: Center
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... Pat Ross: Ross is front runner to win the backup job considering that he won the job last year. The 26 year old has never appeared in an NFL game since being undrafted in 2006 despite spending time with the Colts, ...

What Will Kevin Jones Bring To 2009?
Windy City Gridiron — ... I hope Jones can be productive.  Running back tandems are the norm in today's NFL.  More teams are looking for that guy to split carries with, the Smash to the Dash, the Lightning and the Thunder, or the Earth to play off the Wind and Fire.  In the Bears 2006 Super Bowl season Thomas Jones split carries (about 65% - 35%) with Cedric Benson.  In that same year the Super Bowl Champion Colts had a 55% - 45% split between Joseph Addai and ...

The Importance of a Foundation
Arrowhead Pride — ... Most should be familiar with the plight of Peyton Manning and his knee surgery leading into training camp. The result was a missed pre-season and rattled first several games as the Colts dropped four of the their first seven. I love this quote not because I happen to live in the middle of Colts country nor because I'm particularly fond of the iconic QB. Rather it's the middle statement that I wanted to grab ahold of and believe to be invaluable in its insight as we understand the current ...

Luke Links: There is no summer vacation in football
Stampede Blue — ... I'm not taking a summer vacation this year because I'm getting married in September. But I'm sure many of you are (hopefully) getting away for some much needed R & R. Between the economy, the election, and all the stuff that affected the Colts from 2008 to now, it's been a long, rough year. Take some time to recharge your batteries. I personally never like going to the beach, except to look at girls (sorry honey, you look cute too!). But, swimming in the ocean, laying out on the beach, building sand castles... just not my thing. I've always been a ...

The Falcons and their expectations
Sports Page Atlanta — ... and the Colts. Both teams are not the most explosive air out offenses but they get it done. Jenkins reminds me of ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Finally, A Petition Hippies AND Gramsey Can Agree On Edition
Music City Miracles — ... Want to see the Bedazzlers and Colts look a little dumber?  Don't worry baby birdies, I'll feed you after the jump... ...

Colts sell ad space on practice jersies
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts, a playoff team the last seven seasons and the Super Bowl XLI champions following the 2006 season, finalized a deal this week to sell a corporate patch on players' practice jerseys, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported Tuesday afternoon. The deal was made with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. ...

Stampede Blue Radio: What's facing the Colts starters?
Stampede Blue — ... on. We'll talk about key issues facing several of the Colts' starters, and how the rest of the AFC looks heading into 2009. ...

Stampede Blue Radio: July 15th, 2009-- Open Thread
Stampede Blue — ... Go Colts!

Top Ten Regular Season Games of Ben Roethlisberger's Career: #8 - Week 6, 2006 - Pittsburgh 45, Kansas City 7
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... Steelers would have made it to the playoffs in 2006 had they won just one more game - like that game in Oakland where the Steelers defense limited the Raiders to fewer than 100 yards of total offense but managed to still lose thanks to four Roethlisberger interceptions. The Chiefs somehow snuck in to the #6 and final seed in the AFC Playoffs that year by finishing 9-7. Denver choked and the Chiefs snuck in the back door only to be dusted by Peyton Manning and the Colts in the opening round. Anyway, the afternoon started out ...

Luke Links: The "Deep At DT" Edition
Stampede Blue — ... Jennings at nickelback, Mike Pollak and Ryan Lilja 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 Fili Moala will start at over-tackle. Regardless, I agree with John that this team is now very deep at a position that was very thin last year. Hopefully, it isn't decimated by injuries (and marijuana) like last year. Speaking of Colts DTs, Colts.com has a very nice article on Daniel Muir. I'm ...

2009 Denver Broncos -- Breaking Down The Roster -- Cornerbacks
The Mile High Report — ... .  Of course, that has never really fully been the case.  Bailey struggled somewhat in that 2004 season, and his accompaniment at the position was terrible.  I am sure we all remember the complete coverage debacle against the Colts in the January 2005 playoffs.  In 2005, to make up for the shortcoming, the Broncos drafted ...

ESPN makes case for (and against) Tony Ugoh
Stampede Blue — ... This is a big year for Colts left tackle Tony Ugoh, and he knows it. And like all players who have showed flashes of promise but have not (as yet) totally lived up to expectations, Ugoh has his proponents and his detractors. ESPN's Paul Kuharsky decided to ask a few key NFL people to weigh in on Ugoh. What he got was a mixed bag of opinions. Here's some from the seemingly anti-Ugoh crowd: An unnamed "AFC personnel man" He does have some trouble with his anchor. People can get under his pads and ...

Greco vs Bell (2nd SF game review)
Turf Show Times — ... But, being ‘weak’ at guard, well that is a big  problem…unless you work for the Colts or Mike Martz (semi joke,there) ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #19
Arrowhead Pride — ... Drafted out of Baylor by the Baltimore Colts in 1954 with the fifth overall selection, Davidson became a Chief (Dallas Texan actually) in 1960. He went 12-13 in his career in KC, completing 46% of his passes and finishing with a 32:39 TO to INT ratio. ...

Stop Dreaming: Boldin Nor Marshall Not Coming To Ravens
Baltimore Beatdown — ... However, the thought of having a top notch defense AND a top notch offense just won't be happening in Baltimore anytime soon, much less in any NFL city. Based on the salary cap restrictions, it is a rarity to have both. So Baltimore, which do you want- a dominant defense like the one we have or a great offense like the Colts, ...

Niners Nation talks Colts
Stampede Blue — ... ) is doing a series which breaks down all the opponents the 49ers will face during the 2009 regular season. One of those opponents is the Colts, and Fooch does a pretty good job ...

Know Your Colts History: Character in Numbers (34-66)
Stampede Blue — ... , I'm out to describe every player on the Colts roster using the same number of characters as their jersey number.  This week we focus on players 34-66. ...

NFL Network studio analysis still sucks; BigBlueShoe on Indianapolis radio
Stampede Blue — ... I enjoy NFL Network. I like Rich Eisen. I enjoy their NFL Combine coverage. I enjoy their NFL Draft coverage. All in all, it's a good network. But for the love of God, their in studio "analysts" are as dumb and clueless as a sack of hammers. NFL Network series 32 in 32, which profiles 32 teams in 32 days, lists the Colts as the #4 franchise in the NFL (behind the Patriots, Giants, and Steelers). Why the Colts are listed behind the Patriots (who they beat last year and have defeated 4 of the last 5 times) I don't ...

Good reader quote regarding the mindless analysis at NFL Network
Stampede Blue — ... From npb1985 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 ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 33: QB Joe Ferguson
Buffalo Rumblings — ... the UofA Sports Hall of Honor in 1993 and named a SEC Football Legend in 1995. He later coached quarterbacks at the school from 1997-2000. After his storied career at Arkansas, the Bills selected Ferguson with a third-round pick in the 1973 NFL Draft (No. 57 overall).  He went on to have a long career with the Bills, before playing three season with the Detroit Lions (1985-1987), two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988-1989), and one game with the Indianapolis Colts in 1990.  He would later join the San Antonio ...

New England Patriots: Questions for 2009, Part I
Pats Pulpit — ... will kill them when he's out as he was for four games in 2008.  The Colts ranked an abysmal 31st.  To the contrary, the Patriots have used a backfield-by-committee approach and it works.  The question should actually be, "Do we NEED a workhorse running back?" ...

NFL anti-trust case before the U.S. Supreme Court could alter the sports landscape.
Stampede Blue — ... before the owners even recognized the NFL Players Association as legitimate. Former Colts TE John Mackey successfully ...

Luke Links: The Peyton Manning wrote "Womanizer" Edition (Peyton Manning skit at the ESPY Awards)
Stampede Blue — ... back an enjoy the wit, the humor... nay, the comic genius of one Peyton Manning. After the jump, see Peyton Manning admit to a national TV audience that he wrote Britney Spears' hit song Womanizer. And the big guy says it with a straight face. Here are the links: Robert Mathis heads back to his Alma Mater, Texas A&M. John Oehser sounds just about flabbergasted that NFL Network's Rod Woodson picked the Colts not to make the playoffs. Like we wrote about over the weekend ...

Battle of the Boots: Matt Bryant vs. Mike Nugent
Buc 'Em — ... the NFL, dismissed as a part of the team and seen by fans as either great (when they convert an attempt) or the worst (when they miss).  Everyone points to the kicker’s "one job" that they have to do; put an oddly shaped ball through two posts anywhere from 20 to 50 yards away.  That’s it, that’s all they have to do. Matt Bryant has been with the Bucs for 4 seasons after two one-year stints with the Colts and Dolphins.  He spent his first two ...

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Camp Approaches Edition
Battle Red Blog — ... The Texans can always bar him from leaving for just another offensive coordinator job as a head coaching position is the only one that a team cannot block. Paul Kuharsky at ESPN gave a breakdown of rookie signings throughout the AFC South.  Every GM and every team approaches rookie signings differently as evidenced by our division.  The Titans have almost all of their selection signed, the Colts have literally none of theirs, and the Texans and the Jaguars both have ...

Bruce Smith (2009 Hall of Fame inductee) believes Dwight Freeney will one day be in the hall
Stampede Blue — ... I'll come up with two. Michael Strahan will obviously be there. I think Dwight Freeney from the Colts also has a great shot. ...

Ten Days to Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp
Arrowhead Pride — ... Chiefs fans should keep in mind that if the tables were turned, Houston fans wouldn't be all that excited to have to buy a ticket to watch their team either - if it was required add-on to a single game ticket purchase for the Colts or ...

Dwight Dixon, the man who claimed (without any evidence) that Marvin Harrison shot him last year has been shot again
Stampede Blue — ... A Philadelphia man who says he was shot by Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison last year has been shot again. ...

Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 32: OT Will Wolford
Buffalo Rumblings — ... made Wolford the No. 20 overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft; he would spend the next seven seasons as the team's starting left tackle. He played in the team's first three Super Bowl appearances before leaving for Indianapolis in free agency.  Wolford spent three seasons with the Colts and another three with the ...

Eric Foster and Colts defensive players have "fallen in love" with Larry Coyer
Stampede Blue — ... One story I am looking forward to seeing is how the Colts defense will respond to new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. We've blogged about it all off-season, pretty much since the first day we knew Coyer would get the job. Since then, we've seen several Colts players offer their opinions on Coyer, and the theme has been consistent: Very knowledgeable coach, high energy, brings a "new energy" to meetings. ...

The Linc - J.R. Reed update, the Andy Reid era, & Stewart Bradley
Bleeding Green Nation — ... and Tom Heckert is the top coach-GM combination in the league, writes John Clayton. NFL - CBSSports.com Football Stewart Bradley didn't make Pete Prisco's list of the top 10 MLBs in the NFL, but he did make some other guys... More after the jump, including the Ben Roethlisberger story... ESPN continues it own wonderful brand of selective "journalism": No mention of Ben Roethlisberger harassment case - Stampede Blue A Colts blogger asks why ESPN has not covered the Ben Roethislberger case. ...

Patriots Links 7/23/09 - Jarvis Green Wants To Retire as a Patriot
Pats Pulpit — ... England Patriots Team Report and Insider Slant. Tim Graham (ESPN) AFC East Training Camp preview. Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) AFC East Training Camp battles. Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Have we seen the end of New England's dynasty?  A whole lot of "ifs" instead of "facts" here. Adrian Hasenmayer (Fox Sports) Pre-Camp Power Rankings.  Pats 2nd behind Steelers.  (Colts 10th, ouch!). Matt Bowen (NFP) A ...

Luke Links: The ESPN Gets a Little Testy Edition
Stampede Blue — ... from his summer-long vacation to update his "blog" on the Colts. As I always say, I like Chappell and I think he does a great job. It's the overall Colts coverage from the Indy Star's coverage that sucks, especially when compared to other (sometimes smaller) ...

Arizona Cardinals Pre-Training Camp Roster Projections: Wide Recievers
Arizona Cardinals Community Blog - Fanster.com - Voice of the Cardinals — ... kickoffs during camp and given the lack of proven players in that competition he might have a better shot than Long to make the final squad. Pure, straight line speed is something that can't be taught and Garvin, a former world class sprinter, has wheels that are second to none. Again he's a long shot but if he's impressive on kick returns, he has just as good a chance as any. Ornea Jones: Jones was undrafted in 2007 and has spent time on the practice squads of the Colts, Packers and Cardinals. He has good speed and decent size but ...

Peyton Manning: "My goal is to be a better player this year than I was the year before."
Stampede Blue — ... down with the new receivers and tight ends and backs. "You better be getting better, because these defensive players are working hard to get better." It's important to note that Peyton Manning was the MVP of the league last year. He played half of last season on one leg, behind a (as Bill Polian calls it) "patchwork quilt of an offensive line." Yet, despite all this, he helped his team to 12 wins. Now, he wants to get better. If you are a Colts opponent, be scared... Tip to peytonsthebest

Jack Del Rio On Trial
Big Cat Country — ... all agree the four teams that are at the top of the AFC's hierarchy are Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, and San Diego. What is Jack Del Rio's record against those four teams as head coach? 2003: 2-2 2004:1-3 2005: 1-3 2006: 2-2 2007: 3-3 2008: 1-2 Career Record: 10-15 Del Rio has a Career winning percentage of .400 against the Cream of the AFC Crop. If I take away the Steelers and only factor the Chargers, Colts, and Patriots it plummets to 2003: 2-2 ...

Know Your Colts History: Character in Numbers (67-99)
Stampede Blue — ... , I'm out to describe every player on the Colts roster using the same number of characters as their jersey number.  This week we wrap up our series by focusing on players 67-99. ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #24
Arrowhead Pride — ... A special teams start during his tenure in Kansas City, the only stats Belser registered while in KC were a couple of punt returns he picked up. His son Jason played two seasons for the Chiefs from 2001 to 2002 after a long career with the Colts. ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #24
Arrowhead Pride — ... A special teams start during his tenure in Kansas City, the only stats Belser registered while in KC were a couple of punt returns he picked up. His son Jason played two seasons for the Chiefs from 2001 to 2002 after a long career with the Colts. ...

Scouting Brandon McDonald: can he produce at cornerback for the Cleveland Browns?
Dawgs By Nature — ... think he can be an above average starter in the NFL.  Who is correct? Here, I look at some film of Brandon McDonald and highlight some of his strengths and weaknesses. Strengths Ball Skills McDonald played some wide receiver in college for the Memphis Tigers--and it shows.  The man can simply make plays on the ball when it is in the air.  McDonald's skills were on display against Peyton Manning and the passing attack of the Indianapolis Colts during week 13 of the 2008 season. On this play, ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Starting Nose Tackle
Stampede Blue — ... NTs for the Colts are usually at or slightly under 300 pounds. They are not the 340-350 pound space-eaters other teams use. Quickness, speed, and power are all traits a Tampa-2 NT must possess. The prototype for a Tampa-2 NT was ...

Video Time: Classic Marino
The Phinsider — ... into Indianapolis to face the Colts.  And entering the fourth quarter, the Dolphins trailed 17-9.  But with only eight minutes left, the Dolphins trailed Indy 31-22.  But all hope was not lost - thanks to Dan Marino.  A field goal and a safety brought the Dolphins within four points with 1:54 remaining in the game.  And that is where this video begins. ...

What To Expect: Running Backs
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts have star power at running back.  Donald Brown and Mike Hart were stars in college.  Joseph Addai is a newsworthy player around here, but it's not always for good reason.  Chad Simpson and Lance Ball, well they aren't stars in the NFL, but Simpson was a pretty good track runner.  It is hard to limit this group to just ten questions.  There are 5 running backs, and I could get ten for each one if I tried.  This should be fun.  These guys do get people talking on Stampede ...

Howard Mudd and Tom Moore given OK from NFL to return to their regular, full-time duties
Stampede Blue — ... In a move that was pretty much expected, the NFL has informed Howard Mudd and Tom Moore that there are no limitations on the roles they can perform as "consultants" for the Indianapolis Colts. How do I know this? Well, let's just say I'm willing to ...

Camps around the NFL beginning to open for the 2009 season
Stampede Blue — ... from our network bloggers. We are also getting news regarding rookie holdouts. Currently, very few round picks are signed. This means that, baring some kind of last minute negotiation by many teams, teams like the Eagles and Chargers could start camp without their top rookies. We do know that Ziggy Hood just signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The contract is for five years with 6 million in guaranteed money. This is significant for the Colts because their first round pick, Donald Brown, was drafted two ...

History of the Bills: 1999-2003
Buffalo Rumblings — ... On the first play of the year Thurman Thomas suffered an internal injury and was lost for the first ten games of the year.  After losing the opening game to the division rival Colts and ...

Bengals Training Camp: Pressure on the quarterback has to be the focus for the defense
Cincy Jungle — ... St. Louis Rams 31.3 4.9 Cincinnati Bengals 30.6 3.9 Indianapolis Colts 29.5 4.2 ...

New England Patriots Links 7/27/09 - Patrick Chung at Training Camp
Pats Pulpit — ... rookie reporting date. Chung's reporting to training camp today means that he and the Patriots have been able to agree to terms on a contract. Shalise Manza Young Patriots vs. Steelers: The real rivalry As the Patriots have risen to prominence in the NFL over the last nine-plus years, guided by the triumvirate of Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, their primary rival has been considered the Indianapolis Colts and elite quarterback Peyton Manning. The ...

Pro Football Weekly hearts Bill Polian in 2009
Stampede Blue — ... In many ways, the unsung "super star" of the Indianapolis Colts is President Bill Polian. While Peyton Manning is the band leader, with Dwight Freeney on guitar, Jeff Saturday on drums, Adam Vinatieri bouncing' on bass, and Reggie Wayne working the saxophone, the quiet band manager standing in the back of the auditorium (sunglasses on, working the cellphone for the next big venue) is Bill Polian. Just as the Beatles would not have existed in our collective cultural consciousness without late-manager Brian Epstein, ...

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Chris's Boy Edition
Battle Red Blog — ... I have a guy I work with who is an obnoxious Colts fan.  Last night ESPN posted their power rankings which had the Colts at 5 and the Texans at 16, and I heard all about it first thing this morning.  Paul Kuharsky is soliciting ...

Michael Vick reinstated; Tony Dungy suggests the Colts as a good team for him
Stampede Blue — ... is not signing with the Indianapolis Colts. It has about as much chance of happening as ESPN signing me as their new AFC South "blogger." But, because former-Colts coach Tony Dungy is mentoring Vick as he reintegrates into non-prison life, the eventual question of "What about the Colts?" had to come up. Dungy answered that question on Dan Patrick's Radio Show (via ...

Weekly Raider Issue #8
Silver And Black Pride — ... 1. Colts (13-3)- The Colts are going to be an amazing team this year. Though Harrison's gone, Gonzales now gets his chance to shine, and shine he will. Their D-Line looks much improved with Moala and a highly acclaimed run stopping DT in ...

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Michael Vick In Black & Gold Edition
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... have the best record in the NFL, Ben finishes fifth in the MVP balloting and many players perform at a high level according to the article.  The bad news is the Steelers lose to the Colts in the divisional round with Payton Manning making a clutch drive to move onto to face the ...

Jim Johnson, former Eagles and Colts defensive coordinator, has passed away
Stampede Blue — ... defense and before that coached the defense for our Colts, lost his long battle with melanoma cancer today. He was 68. ...

Estimating the rookie contracts-Jerraud Powers
Stampede Blue — ... The wave of Colts draft pick signings has begun, but the first contract details have yet to be released. What kind of cash will the rookies be pulling down and what kind of cap situation will the Colts enter camp in? ...

Estimating the rookie contracts- Collie, Taylor
Stampede Blue — ... Recapping, the Colts have been allotted just over 4mil for signing rookes of 7.5 to 8 million in cap room. They are unlikely to need very much of that space to sign the rookies. The biggest reason being that every rookie signed bumps a minimum salary player out of the top 51 of the roster, meaning that 310K comes off the cap at the same time as the signed rookie's hit goes on. ...

Bengals Training Camp: The vastly improved Bengals linebackers will be fun to watch this year
Cincy Jungle — ... just won their first preseason game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 14-6 to end with a 1-3 preseason record. It was time to participate in National Layoff Day in which several professional football players lose their jobs so teams can get underneath the required 53-man roster limit. Running back Clinton Dawson made the roster -- as did ...

Colts cut seven players, including DT Pat Kuntz and S Brandon Condren
Stampede Blue — The Colts waived seven players yesterday, according to a league source who spoke with Scouts.com. Included in the cuts was Notre Dame rookie DT Pat Kuntz, a fan favorite for his personality and ties to the state of Indiana. Also cut were S Brannon Condren, QB Chris Crane, CB Brandon Foster, CB Brandon Harrison, G Cornelius Lewis, and LB Tyrell Sales. This is the second time the Colts have cut Brandon Condren, and the oddity about cutting him now was the Colts.com website posted an article on Condren just two days ago. The ...

ESPN confused as to which black man is running the Indianapolis Colts
Stampede Blue — ... Please ESPN, stop screwing up! I'm getting really tired of writing about how much you truly and deeply suck at your job, especially when it pertains to covering the Indianapolis Colts. You've already failed as a journalistic media entity. Now you're failing as an entertainment one.  ...

Colts sign rookie punter Pat McAfee
Stampede Blue — ... . The video of his fake tampons endorsement was taken down by the no fun Nazis, but trust us when we say that Pat McAfee will certainly add some much needed humor to the Colts locker room. ...

Colts sign QB Curtis Painter and OG Jaimie Thomas
Stampede Blue — GoHorse88 has been on it today! I think it's fair to say that Indy cutting seven players yesterday was to make room for a rush of rookie signings. Via the Indy Star, the Colts signed 6th rounder Curtis Painter (QB, Purdue) and 7th rounder Jaimie Thomas (OG, Maryland) today. Terms of the deals are not as yet released, but shake n bake has speculated on what the deals could be. Donald Brown (1st round), Fili Moala (2nd round), Austin Collie (4th round), and Terrance Taylor ...

Touring the Nation: Favre ... again!
Big Blue View — ... future. Big Cat Country wonders who will end up behind center for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buc 'Em wonders if a quarterback competition will help or hurt the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The answer is simple -- unsettled quarterback situations ALWAYS hurt a team. If it isn't clear who the No. 1 guy is, then you really don't have a quarterback. Finally, a couple of non-quarterback related stories. The Indianapolis Colts made the 'Stretch Play' famous. Stampede Blue ...

Bengals sell practice jersey space in a deal with SpongeTech Delivery Systems
Cincy Jungle — ... jersey deal with SpongeTech Delivery Systems". SpongeTech Delivery Systems "is a company which designs, produces, and markets unique lines of reusable cleaning products for Car Care, Child Care, Home Care and Pet Care usages." The Bengals are far from the only team signing sponsorship deals on practice jerseys. This year, the NFL started allowing teams to sell sponsorship patches, which can't be larger than 3 1/2 by 4 1/2. Teams like the Colts, Jets, Bears, Giants, Rams and ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Starting Three Technique DT
Stampede Blue — ... on the Colts who fit this mold are Ed Johnson, Antonio Johnson, and possibly newly signed rookie Terrance Taylor. By engaging the offensive line and "engulfing" multiple blockers, this frees up the defensive ends to shoot gaps and work angles to get after the QB. It also enables the under tackle DT to do the same thing: Line up over and attack gaps in the offensive line rather than engage linemen and hope to overpower them. In the nine years the Indianapolis Colts have run Tampa-2, they have never had a dominant under ...

What to Expect: Offensive Line
Stampede Blue — ... of the offensive line.  Hopefully Ugoh and Lilja can stay healthy and Pollak and Diem can improve and prove me wrong.  10 questions this time. 1. Do you expect Jeff Saturday to be a Hall of Famer? 2. Do you expect Tony Ugoh to be the starting left tackle in 2010? 3. Do you expect Ryan Lilja to start in Week One against Jacksonvile? 4. Do you expect Mike Pollak to be significantly improved this year? 5. Do you expect Ryan Diem to be on the Colts in 2010? 6. Do you expect Jaimie Thomas to make the ...

Luke Links: The TWO DAYS TO CAMP! Edition
Stampede Blue — ... Two more days until Training Camp 2009 officially begins for the Indianapolis Colts! We did not do a Luke Links earlier this week because we were too busy bashing ESPN senselessly for their shameful ethics when it comes to sports reporting. Yet, despite our wicked beatdown of the Worldwide Leader, ESPN's own Paul Kuharsky did not take it personally. He was kind enough to ...

Highlights from Jim Caldwell Pre-2009 Training Camp Press Conference
Stampede Blue — ... On Friday afternoon, new Colts head coach Jim Caldwell held a pre-training camp press conference to sort of set the tone heading into camp and to update the media on certain Colts-related topics: Colts just completed a three day "workout" with their rookies. Longtime assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd have indeed returned. They are doing the same jobs they did before. Their titles are Senior Offensive Coordinator and Senior Offensive Line Coach. The "senior" portion of their title enables them to have more ...

A Look at the Bengals Running Backs
Cincy Jungle — ... DeDe Dorsey has been with the Bengals twice in his career after sighing as a college free agent in 2006.  He played in all four preseason games averaging 7.5 yards per rush and caught 3 passes for 80 yards.  He was cut by the Bengals just before the season started and landed on the Indianapolis Colts the next day.  He spent the season and post season playing on special teams, but he did gain a prized possession in a Super Bowl ring for that season.  The same ironic fate befell him for the 2007 season playing in all four Colts preseason ...

Training Camp 7/31
Baltimore Beatdown — ... Today was the first day that all veterans and rookies had to participate in training camp. Held in Westminster, MD and McDaniel College which it has been since the days of the Baltimore Colts, it was a mad house today of fans and fun. 98 Rock was there early to have a pre-game show complete with a free breakfast and even ice cold beer served at 7:45 in the morning! ...

Colts sign rookies Austin Collie (WR, BYU) and Fili Moala (DT, USC)
Stampede Blue — ... The Indianapolis Colts continued to secure contracts with the 2009 NFL Draft class Saturday, coming to an agreement with DT ...

When to See the Vikings' Pre-Season Games on NFL Network
Daily Norseman — ... decided by that point, but hey. . .we take what we can get, right? As we've always done here at DN, we'll have two different "open threads" for the other three pre-season games. . .one for when the game is actually going on live, and one for when the game is shown on the NFL Network again.  So, with that, here's the schedule for the pre-season contests.  All times are in Central time because, hey, that's what we do here. Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts Game Time - Friday, 14 August, 6:30 PM NFL ...

History of the Bills: 2004-2008
Buffalo Rumblings — ... 24-10 but Losman was still sacked 5 times on just 20 pass attempts.  The 8-0 Colts hosted Buffalo the next week and Buffalo came within a points of pulling the upset, 17-16.  Anthony Thomas topped one hundred yards rushing in the start for Buffalo and Losman was again sacked on 25% of his drop backs going down 4 times in 16 attempts.  Against the Texans the next week, Buffalo's offensive line would hold it together.  Late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo's defense held the Texans offense allowing them to take only 33 seconds off the ...

Colts sign 2009 first round pick Donald Brown as camp opens
Stampede Blue — Just as the Colts players and coaches are rolling into Terre Haute for the start of their 2009 Training Camp, they received this very good news: The final piece fell into place when first-round draft pick Donald Brown agreed to his rookie contract. Details of the deal were not immediately available. "We should be ready to go," team president Bill Polian said. All the rookies are signed and in camp. Now, we get to see what they can do. Practices start tomorrow. Go Colts!

Reggie Wayne shows up to Colts camp in... a dump truck?
Stampede Blue — ... and the Colts offense. Many could successfully argue that Wayne is a top 5 WR; maybe top 3 if you value consistent production and playing well in the clutch. ...

Luke Links: The Opening of the 2009 Colts Training Camp Edition
Stampede Blue — ... Training camp has arrived! All of Indy's draft picks are signed and in camp as the Colts and their new head coach, Jim Caldwell, prepare to develop their roster in time for the 2009 NFL season. In the lead-up to camp, several articles and news items popped up on the "Internets" that we thought you might enjoy. ...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: A Chance For Vince Young To Start? Edition
Music City Miracles — ... camp from Sunday.  Jevon Kearse is looking to reignite the play that made him 'The Freak' back in 1999.  I don't see that happening, but at least his decade in the league has made him a much better run defender and well rounded player.  Javon Ringer is looking to do big things this year, even if it's as the third running back on a roster that's crowded with talent.  Colts writer Chris Steuber takes a look at the Titans' top 10 ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Player, coach, and Polian quotes as camp opens
Stampede Blue — ... starting a new destiny. Gary Brackett on recovering from his leg injury: I missed the last couple of games, so I’ve been out since November. Obviously, I’m anxious to get back out there on the field, playing with some of these younger guys, getting used to different schemes. It’s similar to what we’ve done, but there’s a little different terminology, so I just want to get back and caught up to speed. Colts President Bill Polian on the defensive tackle position: ...

What to Expect: Defensive Line
Stampede Blue — ... Over the past two years, this is the most improved unit on the team, no question about it.  In the 2008 draft, the Colts took pass rush specialist and ...

DT Kemo is out for the season.
Cat Scratch Reader — ... Corvey Irvin may or may not fill in the void that Kemo left in our defense, but we already knew that our DL wasn't going to be one of our strong positions this year. With our talented linebacker core and our elite backfield, we still have the potential to be a great defense. We have a new defensive coordinator from the Colts in Ron Meeks, whom has dealt with a lack of depth before at DT and dealt with it well with multiple playoff appearances.  ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #29
Arrowhead Pride — ... Coming out of Raytown, MO, Belser was an 8th round pick by the Colts in 1992. After a long career in Indy, Belser finished his final two NFL seasons in KC. He played in eight games and made one interception. ...

Community Projections : 2009 Season Record
Music City Miracles — ... Seattle Sun 10/04 12:00 PM CDT @ Jacksonville Sun 10/04 12:00 PM CDT Indianapolis Sun 10/11 7:20 PM CDT @ ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: News from 8/4/09
Stampede Blue — ... Not long ago, the Colts wrapped up their morning practice. Once again, the defense is getting the better of the Colts offense: ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Keyunta Dawson moved to defensive end
Stampede Blue — ... the competition at the three technique defensive tackle spot, or what is commonly called the "over-tackle" position. In the article, I discussed last year's starter at the position, Keyunta Dawson, and his chances of winning the job heading into this year's training camp: Dawson is one tough, durable SOB! At 254 pounds, he is a good 10-12 pounds lighter than Dwight Freeney. In fact, he is almost the exact same height and weight as Colts second year linebacker Philip Wheeler. Yet, despite playing at ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Early Thoughts
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts a very big on Daniel Muir. I've seen Polian praise him twice and Caldwell has praised him multiple times as well. ...

Season Preview: Weeks 1-4
Big Cat Country — ... The smell of football is officially in the air. The Jaguars will soon be putting the pads on, and that means it is officially time we can look at the schedule ahead and get a realistic idea of how this team will fair. This is the first of four articles looking into the Jaguars' 2009 schedule, and seeing how the team will fair in the upcoming season.   Week 1 Sunday, September 13th Indianapolis Colts 1pm, @ Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana The first game of the year provides for the ...

The changes on defense at training camp
Stampede Blue — ... . This defense was ideal at eliminating the big play, creating turnovers, and pressuring the opposing offense, especially when the Colts had the lead. This defense was also very good for young players. The terminology was simple. The formations were simple. A player is assigned a gap, or a zone, and they must be disciplined enough to go or stay there. This allows young players to "play fast." Their focus is on their technique, not what fancy or arcane alignment they are supposed to be in. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes from 8/5/09 Walkthrough
Stampede Blue — ... Tonight it the first evening practice for the Colts. It's a chance for fans to really see what the team is working on without having to take a day off or, worse, having to get up a 6am in order to  make the drive to Terre Haute. Therefore, because tonight is such a well attended practice, the Colts did what was essentially a walk through this morning. ...

From Faulk to Brown, consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security in the Colts running game
Stampede Blue — ... Here is the heart of "Caveman" football. A couple yards in a do or die situation. I'll use FO's Power success which counts 3rd and 4th downs with 2 or less yards to go, and all "goal to go" runs inside the 2. A fourth often overlooked aspect of running games is ball security. Fumbles hurt. Some backs fumble more often that others. Ignoring fumbles while looking at RBs makes about as much sense as ignoring INTs looking at QBs. Jump for the last 15 years of Colts running game in consistency, explosiveness and power Table ...

Training Camp Yappin': "A little more of an active thud."
Stampede Blue — ... Here are some quotes from various Colts players and coaches after this morning's walkthrough: Jim Caldwell on tonight's practice [emphasis mine]: We’ll be in full pads this evening and they are going to get an opportunity to see us mix it up a little bit more than we have. It’s not like were taking anybody to the ground, we never do that, but nevertheless, you’ll see a little bit more of an active thud. But we’re still trying to work on our basics, our fundamentals, improve our running game and our ...

Cowboys Should Stay Away From The Wildcat
Blogging The Boys — ... isn't Tom Brady, but if you have a top level quarterback, why would you want to take the ball out of his hands? The Miami Dolphins had to be creative because they had marginal talent at the quarterback position (and on the perimeter). Even in the midst of a Wildcat tidal wave last season, it seemed that the good and secure offenses denied temptation, and just continued to do what they do. We didn’t see any Wildcat from the Colts, Patriots, or ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes from 8/5/09 Night Practrice
Stampede Blue — ... Looks like lots and lots o' fans showed up for the Colts annual night practice at Rose Hulman. Some suggest it was a record, which is crazy because I've been to night practices before and it always seems the place is wall-to-wall fans. For MarkFive05, night practice allowed him to see some of the new wrinkles the Colts are using in their defense. First it was another great attendance by the fans. I wouldn’t be surprised if it set the record of most fans at a practice. With that out of the way I’ll do this in ...

Stampede Blue Radio: Training Camp Report for 8/6/2009
Stampede Blue — ... Stampede Blue Radio returns this evening after a three week absence. We have no guests scheduled tonight as we devote an entire hour to news and notes from the opening week of Colts training camp for the 2009 season. ...

Which running games were good at what? (2008)
Stampede Blue — ... Looking at the Colts running game through the last 15 years in terms of consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security interested me and went over well with all of you, so now I'm wondering about the whole league. Which teams were good in which areas. Do running games thought of as elite have weak points? Do some generally poor running games have redeeming features? ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes (and Tweets) from 8/7/09 Morning Practice
Stampede Blue — ... 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 Daniel Muir (312 pounds) and Eric Foster (275 pounds) as fullbacks in different packages. For a big guy, Muir moves very well. In one drill, foster caught a Dan Klecko style TD pass. Colts are using I-formation on goal-line. Tom Moore seems to want to do more ...

What to Expect: Linebackers
Stampede Blue — ... will be major impact guys on blitzing.  I am excited to see these linebackers blitz.  Session is a big man now, and Wheeler has always been big.  Some QBs are going to wish they stayed home.  Needless to say, I am very excited about the defense.  They are going to be the best Colts defense we have seen in a while. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes from 8/7/09 Afternoon Practice
Stampede Blue — ... the ball underhand with spin to simulate a snap. McAfee seemed to do fine.  - McAfee was bombing some long FGs too. I know it’s just practice, but he was making it from 50+ with ease.  - Donald Brown sat out afternoon practice which was a bummer because I wanted to see him vs. Addai. Addai looked good though. Big thanks to AceOfSpades for this write-up. A summary of Eric Hartz's Tweets are after the jump. Also, we have Coltsfanawalt's observations from camp, which were posted on 18to88 ...

Know Your Colts History: Nothing to Whisper About
Stampede Blue — ... Still, Clark's a really cool guy and I'm happy to say that he's a member of the Colts and I hope that he'll stay that way for a long time.  Recently,  ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Notes from Annual Blue and White Scrimmage
Stampede Blue — ... Every training camp, the Colts have held an annual Blue v. White Scrimmage (aka, a mock game). This pits starting and second string offenses v. the starting and second string defenses. During this mock game, both sides are given points for certain accomplishments, such as gaining first downs, big plays, forcing punts, touchdowns, sacks, INTs, etc. ...

What? What did you say? There's a FOOTBALL GAME on today?
Stampede Blue — ... The first week of training camp has wrapped up for the Colts, and while I site here typing out my observations on the first week, I was suddenly reminded that THERE IS A FOOTBALL GAME ON TODAY! ...

Bringing a veteran QB into camp
Stampede Blue — Last year with Peyton Manning on the PUP the Colts brought in a pair of veteran backups, Quinn Gray and Jared Lorenzen. Now with Jim Sorgi out 2-3 weeks they may bring an experienced QB in again. There are still a few Quarterbacks with NFL experience remaining unsigned. Free Agents Gus Frerotte Drew Henson Craig Nall Marques Tuiasosopo Cleo Lemon   UFL (I don't know if there is an arrangement for the NFL-UFL on ...

Finding the Winning Factors - Turnovers
Stampede Blue — ... , with an average of 1.406 Turnovers/Game, just barely edging out the 2nd best team, the Colts, who have an average of 1.414 Turnovers/Game.  It's actually just 1 less turnover over the past 8 years (180 to 181).  After Week 1, I hope the Colts have passed them up. ...

FOOTBALL'S BACK!!!!!!!!!! 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game- Open Thread
Stampede Blue — ...   The preseason is upon us. Actual NFL football will be played tonight. They'll keep score and hit people and everything. We'll get out first look at the 2009 Tennessee Titans and the "next black quarterback to win the Superbowl," the HOF bound Vince Young. The Titans will face the Buffalo Bills who also appear on the Colts 09 schedule. In addition to the open thread, make friendly with our division rivals at MCM or share your common hated of the Patriots over at Buffalo ...

Darrell Reid tweets Colts player nicknames to Raheem Brock (Is Manning "Frog?")
Stampede Blue — ... Once again, the power of Twitter connects fans with players, players with other players, and others players with fans. It also connects former-Colts with current Colts, and makes for some very humorous banter, especially around this time of year. ...

Get those ugly Michael Vick thoughts out of your heads, Colts fans
Stampede Blue — ... One popular rumor is that the Indianapolis Colts are interested in Vick, especially since their longtime back-up QB ( ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: New and notes from 8/10/09 Morning Practice (aka, Tony Ugoh not starting anymore)
Stampede Blue — ... Well, the first week of camp was pleasant, uneventful in terms of surprises, and all-in-all enjoyable. Murphy's Law says the second week would be the opposite. So far, Murphy knows all: Indianapolis Colts OL Charlie Johnson is now the starting left tackle, Colts Head Coach Jim Cadlwell said late Monday morning. Johnson, after missing the first week of training camp with a pectoral injury, returned to practice Monday morning. He worked at starting left tackle during the session. Tony Ugoh, a ...

Colts release first depth chart
Stampede Blue — ... . This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, considering most of us were very high on Mookie during the offseason to win the job. Whether it's Johnson, Muir, or even Taylor, I think the Colts are going to be very comfortable at the position this year. Also, we need to come up with a nickname for DT's now, providing they preform well. The ...

First Depth Chart Released: Here's Some Analysis
Stampede Blue — ... much like Mike Hart did for the Colts and ended up not making the roster, so it is hard to say that if Ball has a great preseason he will make the roster. ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Why benching Ugoh is really, REALLY stupid
Stampede Blue — ... getting hurt. The man literally would need a 24-hour armed guard throughout his remaining tenure as coach of the Colts. ...

D.A.
Windy City Gridiron — ... in 2006 out of Auburn.  Then waived by the Dolphins in September of '06, but caught on with the Colts a few days later and signed to their practice squad.  After the '06 season he was resigned to the Colts practice squad, but subsequently released in August of '07.  Then a few months later the ...

MHR University - Preseason Depth Chart Analysis and How to Watch Preseason Games
The Mile High Report — ... But I'm not worried about Reid and Crowder, or the LOLB position in general.  (In fact, a friend of mine who is in tight with the Colts organization tells me that Reid is a steal for us, and we can expect some special things). ...

What to Expect: Defensive Backs
Stampede Blue — ... 4. Do you expect Bob Sanders to play 13 or more games this season? 5. Who do you expect to be the nickelback this season? 6. Do you expect Jamie Silva to make the roster? 7. Do you expect Dante Hughes to make the roster? 8. Do you expect Melvin Bullitt to have an impact close to the one he had last year? 9. Do you expect Kelvin Hayden to be a Pro Bowler at some point in the next 3 years? 10. Do you expect a Colts defensive back to be in the Pro Bowl this season? 11. Over/under ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: News and notes from 8/11/09 afternoon practice
Stampede Blue — ... With Ugoh filling in for Diem, that is going to make it a tad difficult for him to "win back" his starting LT spot. Between Charlie playing LT (a position he stinks at) and Ugoh playing RT (a position he has never played... ever), the Colts o-line struggled. ...

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #33
Arrowhead Pride — ... Not much info to deliver to you about Billy Pricer. He played for the Baltimore Colts from 1957 to 1961. He had two receptions for the Texans as a fullback. ...

How does the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Offensive Line stack up?
Buc 'Em — ...  I'll do my best to translate here.  The Sack Rank percentage will give us the adjusted percentage as to how often a sack occurs.  To help better define this, let's look at an example.  We'll look at Team A who passes more than normal (think Colts) and Team B who runs more than normal (think ...

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 ...

Jim Caldwell is now "not certain" that Bob Sanders will start in the season opener against the Jaguars
Stampede Blue — ... knee fiascos the last two seasons, it's tough to have any faith. Also, Bob practically lives on the injury list. He has yet to play a full 16 game season in his entire career. While I love Bob and think he is a great player, if he cannot stay healthy, the Colts need to think about dumping him. ...

Chilly Still Deciding on Friday's Starter
Daily Norseman — ... of the controversy by not announcing the starter until the last minute so the week's opponent needs to prep for two quarterbacks. But wait a second.  This is just the preseason.  The games don't matter.  Why on earth hasn't Chilly made up his mind yet on the starting quarterback for this Friday's game in Indianapolis? Childress said he still hasn’t decided whether Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels will start against the Colts but that ideally both will get equal reps. Just ...

Interesting quote from Peter King regarding 2009 Colts
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts have a bit of an inferiority complex. For years Indy's been the king of the hill in the conference, along with New England. Now the ...

This is what makes the Panther Franchise Unique: The Big Cat
Cat Scratch Reader — ... owner Jerry Richardson (Big Cat) is not only a successful businessman but also a former NFL player having played from 1958 to 1961 for the Baltimore Colts. The Panthers are the only franchise with that distinction and before you think "What does it really matter" ...

Colts essentially cut WR Roy Hall, sign several new players
Stampede Blue — ... , a prospect at WR since the Colts drafted him in 2007, has been placed on the injured-waved list. This means that Roy can sign with another team. If he can't sign, he's then placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list. Either way, his career with the Colts is over. This is now the third straight year Hall's season with the Colts was cut short because of injury. Hell, we still don't even know what his current injury is. ...

A look at the New York Jets with Gang Green Nation
Turf Show Times — ... as defensive coordinator. Did you know he was also the defensive coordinator in the Jets' Super Bowl III upset of the Colts? ...

Austin Collie, workout maniac
Stampede Blue — ... say, "we haven’t done anything today to get better. Let’s go work out". It apparently wasn’t all talk, either, because when Collie reported to fall camp last year, he was diagnosed in the first couple of days with a stress fracture to his lower leg from overwork. He had done so many plants and cuts during the summer that he broke his own leg through a repetitive use injury. Anyway, good luck with your site. You seem to have a stranglehold on good Colts coverage. Yep, this guy is going to get the ...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Thoughts as we enter the first pre-season game
Stampede Blue — ... What to look for tonight as the Colts face the Vikings in the first pre-season game for both teams in 2009. Peyton Manning will play about ten plays, and that's it. Look for him to establish timing with Anthony Gonzalez. Charlie Johnson will start at LT, and Tony Ugoh will start at RT. Say a small prayer before the game, folks. This is a game where Lance Ball and Chad Simpson need to showcase some ability at running back. We should see a lot of Austin ...

A Tennessee Titans Specific Interview with Football Outsiders
Music City Miracles — ... that plays a rotation.  Do you have any data on platoon strategies vs. fixed first string approaches which hesitate more to use 2nd string players? Not comprehensively. Anecdotally, we findthat teams like the Redskins that build around a stars andscrubs approach tend to fail -- injuries are just too pervasive in the league to build that sort of team. If you look at the teams that have won the Super Bowl the past few years -- the Steelers, Colts, and Giants -- each rank among the best-drafting teams in the ...

The potential downside of Buffalo's no-huddle offense
Buffalo Rumblings — ... Here's the problem: the Bills play 11 of 16 games this coming season against teams that finished in the top half of the league in time of possession, including four games against three teams that finished in the Top 5 in the category (New England, No. 3; Tampa Bay, No. 4; Houston, No. 5).  Meanwhile, one team that you might expect to see in this list - the Indianapolis Colts - aren't one of those 11 games.  The Colts were No. 26 in the league in time of possession in 2008, running their no-huddle without much of a rushing attack. ...

Tonight's the Night the World Begins Again
Daily Norseman — ... will start tonight, but I'm not sure how much you can really read into this one because a) the Colts aren't playing a single member of their starting secondary this evening, and b) Indy hasn't given a rip about the pre-season in a very long time. ...

2009 NFL Pre-season: Minnesota Vikings v. Indianapolis Colts
Stampede Blue — ... Pre-season: Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts Location: Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, IN Kick-off Time: 7:30pm Eastern SB Nation Co-Blog: Daily Norseman Football is back... sort of. Tonight we get a first taste of live action football in a game that means absolutely nothing. As always, we hope for no injuries for either team, and that the game provide us with a marginal taste of entertainment. This is your ...

Preseason Opener- 2nd Half Open Thread
Stampede Blue — ... Pre-season: Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts Location: Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, IN Kick-off Time: 7:30pm Eastern SB Nation Co-Blog: Daily Norseman So the first half didn't look too good, but Peyton survived, Don Brown showed his explosiveness and Pat McAfee boomed some punts. This is your second half open thread. Enjoy.

Round One Goes to Rosenfels
Daily Norseman — ... Of course, the disclaimers: The Colts were playing without a single starter in the secondary, and they've never been a team terribly interested in winning preseason games.  As a result, saying that this game somehow ended the quarterback competition would be a mistake.  But Rosenfels nevertheless pulled ahead tonight. ...

Colts v. Vikings Game Review: Offensive Struggles, Defensive Standouts
Stampede Blue — ... This was the regular Colts preseason game.  In the stat sheet and scoreline, it looked very one-sided and like a game that would be hard to take positives from, but I noticed at the game a lot of positives, but of course a few negatives. ...

What others be sayin': Vikings 13-Colts 3
Stampede Blue — ... The Colts’ offensive linemen spent the offseason discussing the need for improvement after finishing 31st in the NFL in rushing offense last year. It was clear speaking to the members of the Colts’ offensive line that what happened at Lucas Oil Stadium Friday night in a 13-3 loss to the ...