SB Nation - Daniel Federkeil

Quick Recap: Colts 31-Titans 9

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:34:43 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown (31) is chased by a group of Tennessee Titans defenders, including linebacker Stephen Tulloch (55), in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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The Colts started this game off rocky. They scored early on a Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne TD, but penalties, miscues, and turnovers allowed the Titans to get into ~~the red zone~~ Colts territory three times. However, in all three cases, the Titans were denied the endzone. The Titans settled for field goals, which were not enough to stop the juggernaut that is Peyton Manning and the Colts offense.

The games was, in many ways, a coming out party for rookie wide receiver Austin Collie. For the last two weeks, it's been Pierre Garçon with the big plays. Tonight, Collie got in on the action. His 39 yard TD reception just before halftime was a thing of beauty, fighting for the TD between Titans defenders. Collie caught 8 balls for 97 yards and 2 TDs, and his TD before the half with 17 seconds left from Manning really seemed to break the Titans back. The TD drive was done in 57 seconds and started at Indy's 7 yard line.

The game was also provided much maligned cornerback Tim Jennings with a bit of redemption. After committing a terrible mistake early in the game on a Colts punt return, bumping into T.J. Rushing and causing a costly fumble, Jennings (who was benched tonight in favor of Jacob Lacey) played inspired football. On the Titans first drive to open the third quarter, Jennings made an outstanding INT, outfighting Titans receiver ~~Justin Gage~~ Nate Washington for the football on a quick slant. Lacey also played a whale of a game, showcasing some impressive coverage skills.

The Colts offense took over and turned Jennings' INT into a touchdown, Manning's second of the night to Collie.

Defensively, Larry Coyer's unit shut down the Titans rushing attack, limiting them to just 90 yards. This is now the third week in a row the Colts have completely dominated another team's running game. In addition, the Colts pass defense held Titans quarterback Kerry Collins to just 164 yards passing.

Yes, there were some sore spots, namely Tony Ugoh, who played about as bad at left tackle as I've ever seen a tackle play. I don't know if it was his knee that hurt his game, or if he has become THAT bad. Daniel Federkeil eventually replaced Ugoh in the second half.

However, regardless of some these issues, the Colts are and they have looked dominant getting to this point. Peyton Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in five consecutive games. The defense has held yet another opponent under 20 points.

Now the team moves into the bye week, looking to get healthy and clean up some of these sore spots. 5-0 looks and feels good!

Go Colts!

Music City Miracles

Colts vs Titans coverage

Sending some love to Charlie Johnson

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:49:15 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Charlie Johnson. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Yep, I'm the schmuck who wrote this back in August:

NFL head coaches are supposed to coach, and since we all know that Tony Ugoh is better than Charlie Johnson, it is Jim Caldwell and Howard Mudd's job to coach Tony Ugoh, not play games with his head. Aggravating the situation even more is that Johnson hasn't even earned the right to start. He hasn't out-played Ugoh. He hasn't out-performed him in camp. If Caldwell thinks Johnson has, then Caldwell is a complete idiot.

It's a stupid, stupid move that undermines the credibility of Caldwell.

Statements like that are why Jim Caldwell is paid millions of dollars to coach, and I am paid fractions of pennies to write about his coaching.

The move to bench 2007 second round pick Tony Ugoh for 2006 6th round pick Charlie Johnson was not a popular move among fans. Whenever "C.J." had to step in and play left tackle in the past, the result was usually a QB pressure or sack. Fan collectively remember images of Rosevelt Colvin blasting through C.J. on the way to a Manning sack in the fourth quarter of the 2007 regular season match-up with the New England Patriots.

However, through the first four games of the 2009 season, Charlie Johnson is showing that people like me are idiots while people like Jim Caldwell have balls of solid rock. In four games, the Colts rank #1 in passing offense (1,321 yards, 9.8 yards a completion, 9 TDs), #4 in scoring offense (26 ppg), and #3 in touchdowns scored. They are also #1 in yards per game (414).

And to go with all this magnificent offensive production, they have surrendered only 2 sacks.

Part of the reason for allowing only two sacks is Peyton Manning. His pocket presence and timing is among the best ever to play. He gets rid of the ball quickly and makes smart decisions when he does so. But the other half of the equation is the much improved play of the offensive line, and in particular Charlie Johnson.

The most stressful position on the Indianapolis Colts has got to be left tackle. Defenses work very hard to isolate their best pass rushers in one-on-one situations so they can attack Manning and force turnovers. What the Colts have done to counter this is provide stable blocking assignments for their players and use the running backs to provide help, when needed. In addition, the individual effort given by all linemen has been top notch.

This expected level of effort is likely why Tony Ugoh has fallen so far on the depth chart. In Ugoh's case, it's a perceived lack thereof. This past Sunday, Ugoh was a healthy scratch from the game. The Colts dressed Daniel Federkeil over Ugoh.

Wow.

Back to C.J., when I have watched him in one-on-one battles, he has shown drive, toughness, and good technique. He's also protected the backside of his QB very well, not allowing Manning to take clean hits. Charlie has also proven to be a solid run blocker. It's no secret that runs left seem to work more effectively than runs to the right.

The verdict still is not in for Ugoh, but this much is certain: Charlie Johnson is better than him right now, and it was a good coaching decision to bench Ugoh back in August.

Interestingly, C.J. hurt his knee against the Seahawks, and we all anxiously await any news on his condition. Little did I expect that, in early October, I'd be hoping that C.J. is OK so he can start at left tacle next week against the Tennessee Titans.

The big Tony Ugoh v. Charlie Johnson debate

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell is big on accountability. Thus, if Charlie Johnson does not outplay Tony Ugoh this pre-season, Caldwell's judgment to bench Ugoh will be questioned. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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The one positive thing to come out of the benching of Tony Ugoh is that all the negative energy readers once directed at Joseph Addai is now firmly fixed on Ugoh, and by extension Charlie Johnson. You all know the story: Tony Ugoh has benched for Charlie Johnson one week into training camp after Johnson returned from the PUP after pectoral surgery. Many of us ranted and raved over the benching for the obvious reason that Johnson is not as good a player as Ugoh. Indeed, as pre-season has progressed, Ugoh has continued to look better, at least in my opinion.

Is he lighting the world on fire and making all of us go "OMG! He's a changed man!" No.

Is he playing better, overall, than Charlie Johnson? Yes.

It's for this reason that I've called Jim Caldwell's judgment into question. Please understand, I personally feel Caldwell has done a masterful job transitioning from QB Coach-Associate Head Coach to Head Coach, replacing the legend that is Tony Dungy. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and (most importantly) respected by the players. He is a little more vocal than Dungy, holds players and coaches more accountable than Dungy, and appears less stubborn than Dungy. Dungy was a unique coach with a brilliant method at focusing on details in order to win football games. He didn't out-scheme, out-wit, or out-plan his opponents. His teams played harder, tackled better, and executed better than his opponents. That's Dungy Ball. Caldwell seems to be using a similar method, and for that he deserves a ton of props. It's not easy taking over for a coaching god, and Caldwell is making it look so. That's impressive, indeed.

My questioning of Caldwell's decision stems from a personal belief that the guys who should be playing are better players than the guys sitting on the bench. If a 6th round pick (Antoine Bethea) practices and plays better than a 2nd round pick (Mike Doss), than the 6th rounder should play. And like the Bethea v. Doss camp battle of 2006, which helped mold both players into better safeties, my criticism of Caldwell stems from him naming the starter (Johnson) when Johnson clearly had not earned the job.

Before I elaborate, here are what John Oehser and 18to88 are saying about the Ugoh v. Johnson debate.

John Oehser:

Here's one to BigBlueShoe's thoughts on the game on Stampede Blue. As usual, the "Shoe" does a great job of breaking down the game and raising some intriguing questions. I will say this: while I love BigBlueShoe -- and while mentioning him so high in this post shows how highly I consider his views --Stampede Blue has done a lot of questioning of Caldwell's handling of the Tony Ugoh-Charlie Johnson situation at left tackle. I find the handling interesting, too, but while BigBlueShoe is questioning Caldwell's competence and saying he looks inept and ridiculous, I'm not quite ready to paint it like that. Johnson didn't look great against Houston Texans DE Jason Babin Thursday, but Ugoh really didn't, either. Typically around the Colts a major decision such as changing left offensive tackles isn't going to be made whimsically by one person in the organization. There are long discussions, meetings and evaluations each offseason, and from what Caldwell has said about the timing of the decision to start Johnson -- it was made well before OTAs starting in May -- the Ugoh-Johnson decision was made sometime around those meetings. The long and short of this entry is pretty simple and that's that clearly the decision to start Johnson is a hot-button issue, but if Johnson is still starting in early September, it doesn't mean Caldwell's incompetent.

18to88:

Charlie Johnson was an abject disaster. He gave up a big hit on Peyton on the first TD drive. Manning avoided a sack with his lightening release on a sweet pass to Addai. Then CJ followed it up on the next Colts possession by getting whipped again, leading to a sack fumble. In fairness, Pollack got beat on the play as well (not that this makes me feel any better).
Unfortunately, Ugoh didn't play well either. He picked up a couple of penalties (although the second was not a good call), blew some run blocks, and looked generally lost. Johnson left the door wide open (as we knew he would), but Ugoh didn't walk through it. Instead, he laid down on the welcome mat and took a little nap.

I'll respond to John's solid point by saying that the decision to bench Ugoh certainly was not done on a whim. If I conveyed that thought that in my earlier writings, that's my bad. However, the decision on who starts and who sits rests solely with Caldwell. If it doesn't, then we have a BIG problem. Since I'm certain the team I love is the Indianapolis Colts, and not the disaster in Oakland known as the Raiders, I'll state confidently that all decisions on who starts and who sits reside with Caldwell.

This means he is directly and solely responsible for benching Ugoh for Johnson.

Caldwell is big on accountability. It is something he has stressed since he first took the podium last January as head coach. And since Caldwell wants to hold players and assistants accountable for their actions and decisions, Caldwell himself must be held to the same standard. Thus, if benching Ugoh results in worse play at the left tackle position, Caldwell is responsible, and least partially. That's all I'm saying.

Regarding 18to88's take, I'm not as harsh of Ugoh's play last night as they are, but I can see their point. Charlie Johnson was awful last night. When a scrub like Jason Babin makes you look like a chump, you stink as a starting LT. I shudder to think what Mario Williams will do to Charlie. And yes, I realize Charlie is returning from injury, as John Oehser correctly reminds us.

So what?

If you are healthy to start and play, my assumption is you should be able to handle the Jason Babins of this league. If you are too injured, or too rusty, to do that, then what the hell are you doing out there in the first place? If the injury excuse was never good enough for Ugoh, Charlie shouldn't get the pass either.

This brings me to my biggest beef in this whole, stupid mess: The way Caldwell has handled it. I always seem to come back to one key question whenever I read blogs or comments from readers about this debate: Why was Charlie Johnson named the starter?

Certainly, Charlie did not "earn" the job. He's been injured all off-season, recovering from surgery. Why didn't Caldwell state that there is an open competition for the job, and may the best man win? Let Charlie, Tony, Daniel Federkeil, and Tom Pestock all compete for the starting LT job. Then, at the end of (perhaps) the third pre-season game, you name your starter. This way, it looks as if the guy who won the job actually earned it.

That is not how the situation currently looks.

Even factoring in last night's game, which was not a "light's out performance" by Ugoh, he is still clearly outplaying Johnson. He's better in pass protection, run blocking, and has more physical overall ability. Ugoh's also looked better in practice, handling Dwight Freeney much better than he did in the past. By all measures that we evaluate "camp competition," or competition in general, Ugoh is beating Johnson. Last night's game continued to reinforce that.

So, why is Johnson still the "named" starter? It's an unanswered question.

If there is one constant in all this, it is there is tremendous uneasiness about the LT spot. The coaching staff are visibly frustrated by the lack of consistency at both tackle spots, and we fans are scared as all hell at the fact that in two pre-season games, Peyton Manning has been sacked four times in about a quarter and a half's worth of work.

Barf.

It is very unlikely a left tackle will fall from the sky (a.k.a., a team will cut someone to get down to 53), which means the Colts are stuck with Charlie and Tony. In my not-so-humble opinion, this whole thing could have been handled better. The perception among some fans is Charlie simply has not earned the starting LT spot, and if things were this dicey going into camp, why didn't the Colts try and make a trade? Or, draft another left tackle?

What also makes this Ugoh v. Johnson issue stand out is it is the only truly negative thing we've experienced this pre-season (knock on wood). Injuries have occurred, but are not devastating like previous years (more wood knocking). Last night, both the offense, defense, and special teams overall looked damn impressive. I mean, if you think the Colts have issues at this point, kindly take a step back and look at the team Indy just played, Philadelphia Eagles. They had only one starter on their o-line last night. Everyone else is hurt, including Jason Peter, the LT they trade for from the Buffalo Bills. Their #1 pick, Jeremy Maclin, played terrible. Their defense, currently, is a shell of its former self. Stewart Bradley is gone for the year. Brian Dawkins is with the Broncos. Trent Cole is hurt. Jim Johnson has passed, and a new coordinator (Sean McDermott) is soldiering on with this unit. For a truthful perspective on the Eagles, look no further than Bob_Q at Bleeding Green Nation:

In one of the most disappointing performances the Eagles' faithful have seen in a while, the Birds fell tonight to the Indianapolis Colts 23-15. While excuses can can be made that many of our starters were sitting out with nagging injuries, the fact remains that both our offense and defense failed to fire on all cylinders.

Like all things, I hold out hope that the LT situation will shake itself out. This is a very good Colts team that is highly motivated to kick the snot out of people. Like most of you, I love the subtle "tweaks" and changes I am seeing. I love watching Antonio Johnson and Ed Johnson stuffing the run on third and short. I love Dwight Freeney spinning like Fred Astaire on crack. I love Peyton Manning looking like he is ready to eat your young.

I mean seriously, folks. This is our man before a PRE-SEASON game. Imagine him before games that actually count. I swear, lasers or something shoot out of his eyes.

I hope this LT shakes out. But, if it doesn't, then Jim Caldwell bares much of the responsibility. This is especially true if Charlie Johnson continues to struggle while Tony Ugoh continues to look better by comparison.

Eagles vs Colts coverage

2009 Colts Mini-Camp: The Offense

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:26:02 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

6 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning drops back to throw in front of teammates Jim Sorgi, left, and Anthony Gonzalez during NFL football mini-camp at Franklin College in Franklin, Ind., Saturday, June 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Other articles in this series:

Mini-Camp starts today, and we will look at the offense, defense, and special teams for this team as they enter this little team gathering, which is really nothing more than an excuse to get everyone together (which they are already) and work (which they are doing already). The line between Off-season Training Activities (OTAs) and a formal "camp" has become very blurred in recent years.

Over at Indianapolis Colts Examiner, John Oehser talks about the defense as Indy gears 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, whose absence in 2008 did little to hurt the Patriots overall. They won 11 games without him. The Colts, meanwhile, had a one-legged Peyton Manning to start the 2008 season, and through 8 games the team was 4-4. When Peyton got better, they went 8-0 and made the playoffs.

Best NFL QB argument ended right there.

Backing up Manning is a seemingly rejuvenated Jim Sorgi. Well, "rejuvenated" is a bit inaccurate. You have to have something to rejuvenate in the first place to be rejuvenated. Sorgi in 2008 looked as good as he has ever looked, which isn't saying much. Though, I will say his garbage time play in Week 17 against the Titans made skeptics like me take notice. Last year, he outplayed veterans Quinn Gray and Jared Lorenzen to hold onto the back-up's job. He has no such competition this year.

A wildcard at back-up QB is rookie Curtis Painter, who was drafted in the 6th round this year out of Purdue. Unlike Sorgi, Painter has a strong arm and can make many NFL throws.

One to Watch: Curtis Painter

On the Hot Seat: Jim Sorgi

Running Backs

Probably the most controversial player for Stampede Blue readers is Joseph Addai. People either love him or call him a bust. Very few navigate the middle ground. Regardless of how many feel, for two straight seasons Addai has battled numerous nagging injuries. When healthy, he is a strong, physical runner with excellent quickness. When unhealthy, he hesitates.

To help Addai, the Colts drafted UConn product Donald Brown, who has impressed at OTAs with his very strong work ethic. Brown is very similar to Addai in terms of rushing ability. At camp, they will likely begin to integrate more 2-Back sets, and implement more plays that work for both backs.

The third active roster spot at RB is up for grabs. This spot is usually reserved for a third down specialist. Second year player Mike Hart wins the job outright if he is healthy. He's coming off major knee surgery which cut short his 2008 season. Lance Ball, who we interviewed a few weeks ago, offers more size than Hart. Chad Simpson needs an amazing off-season to keep his job on the active roster. Unless he can prove he is a great goal-line or third down runner, or he shows dramatic improvement as a kick returner, he is likely to get cut in late-August.

One to Watch: Donald Brown

On the Hot Seat: Chad Simpson

Wide Receivers

With Marvin Harrison gone, there is now an open spot in the three-wide package. Since the only significant addition to the returning corps was the drafting of 4th rounder Austin Collie, this means the Colts feel that "Marvin's replacement" is likely already on the roster. As Peyton stated last month, Reggie Wayne will stay flanked at left while Anthony Gonzalez will take Marvin's spot on the right. When the Colts go three-wide, they will have many options.

Pierre Garcon is now the front-runner to either play the slot or move to the right side so that Gonzo can play the slot. After Garcon, it is a toss up. Austin Collie, Samuel Giguere, and Roy Hall are all unknown commodities. Collie was extremely productive in college, leading the nation in receiving yards. He also has the build of a typical Colts receiver (6', 180-ish). The Colts are high on Giguere, who was an undrafted rookie last season and spent all of 2008 on the practice squad. Hall has been a project since the Colts drafted him in 2007. At 6'3, 240, he is a BIG target. He is also excellent on special teams as a gunner. He's battled injuries his entire pro career and needs to stay healthy to remain on this team in 2009.

One to Watch: Samuel Giguere

On the Hot Seat: Roy Hall

Tight Ends

One could argue that the "third wide receiver" is TE Dallas Clark. Indeed, when the Colts go "three-wide" with Dallas Clark as the slot receiver, it gives teams that run a 3-4 absolute fits. I've long argued that Clark is the best TE in pro football, and I still stand by it. Few TEs display his big play ability. He runs like a WR, blocks solid, and is a threat to score anytime he gets the football in open field. You have to cover him with a corner or, at the very least, a Pro bowl caliber safety. That is not the case with players like Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, or Tony Gonzalez.

Gijon Robinson won the second tight end spot in camp last year, and played very well in several games. Second year players Tom Santi and Jacob Tamme had their 2008 seasons cut short due to injury. Both need to stand out this off-season if they want to unseat Robinson.

One to Watch: Gijon Robinson

On the Hot Seat: Jacob Tamme

Tackles

This is a make-or-break year for Tony Ugoh. When he is healthy, he is a top tier left tackle. Maybe even top 5. The key is "when he is healthy," which is often not very. Ugoh was thrust into the starting roll his rookie year after longtime stalwart Tarik Glenn retired. Ugoh played brilliantly under the conditions. Then, he got hurt. He started last season hurt and missed several games. When he got healthy, it correlated with Peyton getting healthy. The result was a 9-0 finish to the regular season. Ugoh needs to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. If not, he gets cut in 2010. A team cannot afford to have an injury-prone LT.

Utility player Charlie Johnson is the reserve LT. He can fill-in in a pinch, but he is not a starter. Depth at LT is a big weakness. The Colts cannot afford to lose Ugoh for an extended period of time.

The irony of 2008 was normal "iron men" like Jeff Saturday got hurt while noted "glass joes" like Ryan Diem played the entire season. Diem has been hurt, off and on, for many years. Yet, for some reason, he was the only o-lineman last season to start every game at his natural position: RT. Backing him up are Daniel Federkeil and Charlie Johnson. Federkeil, like Johnson, is more of a utility lineman, able to play multiple positions.

One to Watch: Tony Ugoh

On the Hot Seat: Tony Ugoh

Guards and Centers

I lump guards and centers together because, in many situations, players at one position have had to switch to a different interior linemen position. Even Jeff Saturday played guard in a playoff game back in 2003, dominating then-Broncos DT Trevor Pryce the entire game. Saturday was re-signed this past off-season, and I cannot tell you how HUGE re-signing him was. Other than Peyton, Bob, Dwight, and possibly Gary, Jeff Saturday is a lynch pin for this team to succeed.

Backing him up are Jamey Richard and Steve Justice. Richard established himself last year as a tough interior lineman who can play multiple position. Justice, so far, is a bit of a bust. He was drafted in the 5th round in 2008 to back-up and possibly replace Jeff Saturday, and he lost out to a 7th round selection out of Buffalo (Richard). Justice needs to prove something this off-season or he is toast.

Another potential bust is Mike Pollak, Indy first selection in the 2008 NFL Draft (2nd round). Pollak was a center in college and he struggled mightily to adjust to playing guard at the pro level. To put it bluntly, Pollak was awful in 2008; just awful. Injuries might have stunted his development, but those do not excuse he inability to execute. Rookie Jaimie Thomas offers tremendous size at guard (6'4, 330 pounds), and his selection in the draft this year is not necessarily a ringing endorsement for Mike Pollak.

The Colts also dabbled in free agency this off-season, picking up two players who can play guard: Kyle DeVan and Brandon Barnes. DeVan can play both guard and center while Barnes can play guard and one of the tackle spots.

The big wild card here is Ryan Lilja. Lilja, when healthy, is one of the best (but least known) guards in football. He missed the entire 2008 NFL season, and his absence was a big reason the Colts ranked 31st running the ball in '08. Lilja is now participating in OTAs, which is a very positive sign. If he can return healthy, the Colts o-line will be just fine. In fact, it will be better than fine. It will return to its normal, dominant form. In addition, if Lilja is healthy, Pollak will likely get relegated to a back-up role. Unless Pollak can prove he is a better player than Richard, Thomas, or a free agent like DeVan, he will prove a big bust for Bill Polian and the Colts. Pollak is definitely someone to keep an eye on in mini-camp, training camp, and pre-season. He is likely playing for his job, and he is only a second-year player.

One to Watch: Ryan Lilja

On the Hot Seat: Mike Pollak

Colts ink to more restricted free agents: Lance Ball and Buster Davis

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:14:59 -0000

Yesterday, the Colts inked the last of their restricted free agents. First it was Dan Federkeil. Now, RB Lance Ball and LB Buster Davis are re-signed.

Buster Davis played mostly on special teams in 2008. In Week 15, he was thrust into the starting lineup as a middle linebacker when Gary Brackett went down with a leg injury. The census here at Stampede Blue was he did not play well, and I believe he was benched during the final Jacksonville game. Still, despite seemingly poor play, the Colts seem to really like Buster. He will likely remain the primary back-up to Brackett in 2009.

Lance Ball was signed late in 2008 because the Colts just needed a warm body at the running back spot. With Jospeh Addai and Dom Rhodes limping, Chad Simpson out, and Mike Hart on IR, the Colts needed to have someone play RB in the final game against the Tennessee Titans. The Colts signed Lance Ball, inserted him into the Titans game, and he proceeded to run over, around, and through the Titans starting defense. At 233 pounds, Ball is heavier than most of the other backs on Indy's roster. His size is best suited for short yardage and power running. Signing Ball likely means Dominic Rhodes is not coming back to Indy, and that the RBs coming into camp will likely be Addai, Simpson, Ball, Hart, and rookies.

Here is some footage of Ball running in college at Maryland:

Tip to peytonsthebest in the comments here.

Colts re-sign OT Dan Federkeil

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:37:21 -0000

Colts sign-up a restricted free agent for, at least, another year:

The Indianapolis Colts have re-signed offensive lineman Dan Federkeil.
The 290-pound Federkeil has played in 22 games in three seasons with Indianapolis, including three starts last year at right guard. He also played as a reserve at right tackle and on special teams.

I'm actually very happy about this. Federkeil is a very nice utility player to have. He works hard, can play multiple o-line positions, and always does a solid job. But, if things go well, he will not be starting this year at all. If Mike Pollak does not out-and-out win the starting OG spot, he is a bust as a second round pick. That simple.

It should not take two years to learn guard in the NFL, and last season there were times Pollak looked horrendous. And if you are "good," you don't lose your starting job to the Dan Federkeils of this world. So, again, very happy Federkeil is back. Very nice back-up player. Now, we need to start seeing the starters play like starters on the o-line. I like Federkeil, but I'm tired of seeing him play so much.

2008 Playoffs: Freddie at MLB, Federkeil at RG, and more

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:35:33 -0000

With Thursday's injury report and some updates from folks like PhilB at the Indy Star, we now have a pretty good idea of who is playing Saturday night against the Chargers:

Gary Brackett is out for Saturday night.
Freddie Keiaho will start at MIKE. Buster Davis has been benched, though the Colts aren't saying it. He was sat down in the 4th quarter of the Jaguars game in Jacksonville two weeks ago, and since then the run defense has improved greatly.
Tyjuan Hagler will start at WILL. Clint Session is the starting SAM (Tip to BetterD).
Dan Federkeil will start at RG over Mike Pollak, who had his ankle rolled in the Titans game last week. Federkeil has practiced all week at RG. Looks like Pollak is a no-go.
Back-up center Jamey Richard is also hurt with a rolled ankle, and is likely out. Steve Justice is the only other reserve center behind Jeff Saturday.
It is unclear who will start on the defensive line, but likely it will be RE Dwight Freeney, UT Eric Foster, NT Antonio Johnson, and LE Raheem Brock. Look for LE Robert Mathis, UT Daniel Muir, and NT Keyunta Dawson to get rotated in consistently.
Bob Sanders will start.