SB Nation - Freddy Keiaho

Monday "Practice Estimation"

shake n bake — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:20:19 -0000

Thursday night game means that to comply with the leagues requirement of 3 injury reports teams need to give a "Practice Estimation" on Monday, reporting which players they'd expect to hold out of practice if they were conducting a practice today. As you'd expect for the day after a game, the lists are long. Really it's more telling to look at who isn't listed. In the Colts case that list is actually shorter and we'll start with that.

Players Not Listed (count on them playing)

Curtis Painter, Mike Hart, Jacob Tamme, Gijon Robinson, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Hank Baskett, Micheal Toudoze, Mike Pollak, Jeff Saturday, Ryan Lilja, Antonio Johnson, Fili Moala, Erwin Baldwin, Philip Wheeler, Freddy Keiaho, Ramon Humber, Cody Glenn, T.J. Rushing, Jaime Silva, Devon Hall, Justin Snow, Pat McAfee, Matt Stover

Players that would've rested (likely playing)

Dwight Freeney, Antoine Bethea

The Injured (who knows?)

Joseph Addai (knee), Gary Brackett (foot), Raheem Brock (back), Donald Brown (chest), Melvin Bullitt (shoulder), Keyunta Dawson (knee), Kyle DeVan (shin), Ryan Diem (hamstring), Eric Foster (back), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Pierre Garçon (knee), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Kelvin Hayden (knee), Tim Jennings (ankle), Charlie Johnson (foot), Jacob Lacey (Biceps), Peyton Manning (glute), Robert Mathis (quad), Daniel Muir (hamstring), Jerraud Powers (Hamstring), Jamey Richard (Shoulder), Tom Santi (hand), Clint Session (calf), Chad Simpson (back), Tony Ugoh (hip), Adam Vinatieri (knee), Reggie Wayne (foot).

Colts.com link

Week 7: Friday Injury Report

shake n bake — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:01:33 -0000

The Hurt: Anthony Gonzalez, Marlin Jackson and Adam Vinatieri were ruled out. Bob Sanders practiced fully.

The Sick: Chad Simpson back from an illness that sat him out of yesterday's practice. Both Jamey Richard and Tim Jennings missed a 3rd practice battling illness, and Freddy Keiaho joined the injury report sitting out sick today.

FInal Status

OUT: Gonzalez, Jackson, and Vinateiri

Questionable: Sanders, Simpson, Richard, Jennings and Keiaho.

All kinds of roster and practice activity for the Colts

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:02:16 -0000

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

Indianapolis Colts' Melvin Bullitt (33) argues about a penalty call during second half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 21, 2009, in Miami. The Colts won 27-23. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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We mentioned the release of Jordan Senn last night and the re-signing of Chad Simpson. The Colts have also added Terrail Lambert, a rookie free corner agent out of Notre Dame, to the practice squad (Tip to tim55). The squad now includes John Gill (DT), Taj Smith (WR), Tom Santi (TE), Devon Hall (DB), Glenn Cody (LB), John Matthews (WR), Jaimie Thomas (OG), and Lambert.

But all these moves fall by the wayside when they are compared with the news that both Gary Brackett and Bob Sanders returned to practice yesterday (Tip to metal_militia).

Brackett, who has been out of the line-up since Week Two against the Dolphins, will push Freddy Keiaho back to the bench despite Keiaho playing some of the best football of his career the last few weeks. Keiaho was once the starting weakside backer for the Colts, but lost his job to Clint Session. Freddy now seems to have found a home as a reserve middle linebacker.

For Bob Sanders, what else needs be said?

Bob has missed just about every meaningful practice since January. It is an encouraging step forward to see him practice, but let's not get all happy and tingly under the skin just yet, especially when we read what kind of practicing he is doing. From Mike Chappell:

Coach Jim Caldwell said Sanders participated in the team’s light workout Monday, has steadily "ramped up’’ his rehabilitation regimen and anticipates Sanders practicing in a limited capacity this afternoon. The NFL’s 2007 Defensive Player of the Year has been inactive for the first four games of the season.
Asked if there is a chance Sanders could be available for Sunday night’s game in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans, Caldwell replied, "At this point, I would not be able to tell you that in earnest.’’

Bob has not been in contact drills, or played contact anything, since there was snow on the ground. I understand the importance of practice, and seeing him on that field makes me feel better about Indy not placing him on PUP to start the season (a player cannot practice while on PUP until Week Six). But, I'm not getting caught up in the often silly "Will Bob play?" game.

As I said yesterday, I honestly do not care if he does or not.

Obviously, I'd prefer if he did play. I mean, who wouldn't? But, I think Melvin Bullitt has earned the starting strong safety job. The Colts can use Bob the way they used Melvin when Bob started. And if Bob plays well enough to beat out Melvin for the starting job by December, that's great! But, for me, Melvin Bullitt is a better safety right now than Bob Sanders because Melvin stays on the field.

No updates yet on the status of Kelvin Hayden, who is still fighting a hamstring problem.

Ray Willis Excels in Secret

John Morgan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:17:38 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Not pictured: Holding

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The New England schoolmarms thought I was retarded. The complete silence the prosecutor, the failing grade and desk stuffed with September lunches the evidence. That's the word they would use too -- retawrded. Bad enough the school board had taken their paddles, they wouldn't lose the right to call a retard a retawrd. My defense was not..cogent. I picked my nose. Till it bled. A nervous wreck dead-wringer for Macauly Culkin, hunched over his spilled desk, balled toilet paper pressed to his nose, stammering nonsense and a little too interested in the greening brown paper bags at his feet, I was neither sympathetic nor promising. If not for second grade CATs*, I would have been sequestered to the second portable from the dumpster: A place of paste eating, high spirits and dim futures.

So I've a bit of a soft spot for late bloomers. I also a bit of soft spot for being right. I said Ray Willis struggles against edge rushers, so little wonder Robert Mathis, all teeth and claws and quarterback sacks, would run around him and sack Seneca Wallace's exquisitely manicured eyebrows. Except I'm-a half in and no havoc do I see. My biased heart is torn. Do I want Willis to succeed, for his good and the future of the team? Or would I rather be right? I fabricated enough evidence about Brian Russell to tip the scales. I still get a little high reminiscing about his release, but this season has presented so few players for me to destroy. My thwarted ambitions and projected self-loathing have an itchy trigger finger, y'know. We need an enemy. Could Russell's release really be the end of me?

Diagram 1

Big Man is not going to keep up with amoebae like Mathis, but Big Man has geometry on his side. An edge rushing end and a shadowing tackle make two sloppy, but near concentric half-circles (Diagram 1). Willis does not need to be as fast as Mathis to protect the quarterback. He must meet Mathis at a critical point in his edge rush: where his feet are out from under him. There he can wash out or pancake the rusher, nullifying the end or creating sufficient time for his quarterback. That is what Willis was attempting to do when Wallace's panic cost him a hold. For posterity, I did not see Willis hold Mathis even after Seneca's mistake. But it was Wallace's decision to scramble back and to the right of Willis that caused Willis to fall on top of Mathis. Had Wallace stepped into the pocket, the above photo would evidence Willis' dominance rather than his penalty.

Diagram 2

When Wallace escapes the pocket, his line must freelance. That leads to penalties and sacks. Wallace undercuts his line another way too. Consider those circles again for a second. Willis' shorter path compensates for his lesser quickness and agility. The less circular the path an end takes, the more flat his angle, the less advantage the tackle has (Diagram 2). On a Wallace 11-step drop, the pass rusher runs an oval instead of a half moon. The comparative lengths of the paths become closer, and speed a greater advantage.

So it's with a clenched teeth I admit, Willis had an excellent second quarter. He played in 22 offensive plays. The final ended in a Mathis sack. He had two holding penalties. One was Wallace's fault and the other I could not see and do not understand. Here is all 22 with notations.

1. 1-10-SEA 38 (14:51) (Run formation) 15-S.Wallace pass incomplete deep right to 11-D.Butler.

Seattle runs a hard play-action. The line blocks run. Willis pulls into the second level and cut blocks Freddy Keiaho.

2. 2-10-SEA 38 (14:44) 32-E.James right tackle to SEA 43 for 5 yards (92-E.Johnson, 23-T.Jennings).

Willis sinks and contains Mathis. Edgerrin James runs to the left of him for five yards.

3. 3-5-SEA 43 (14:00) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh pushed ob at IND 49 for 8 yards (23-T.Jennings).

Willis turns a Mathis inside move into a bash block into the defensive tackle. "Bash block" is not recognized football jargon, so I'll define it thus: a block that bashes one defender into another.

4. 1-10-IND 49 (13:42) 32-E.James up the middle to IND 45 for 4 yards (33-M.Bullitt).

Willis moves out Raheem Brock.

5. 2-6-IND 45 (13:13) (Run formation) 32-E.James right tackle to IND 40 for 5 yards (79-R.Brock).

Mathis separates from Willis with a spin move, but the move puts Mathis behind James. He catches up and contributes to the tackle.

6. 3-1-IND 40 (12:30) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to IND 37 for 3 yards (25-J.Powers).

Willis teams with Max Unger to contain Mathis. Quick throw.

7. 1-10-IND 37 (11:49) (Run formation) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 89-J.Carlson ran ob at IND 21 for 16 yards. PENALTY on SEA-74-R.Willis, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at IND 37 - No Play.

Willis shadows Mathis, but a Wallace infinity drop undercuts Willis' position. He falls on Mathis attempting to pancake him -- effectively pancaking him. An official five yards away doesn't call a penalty. An official somewhere off screen does. Zebras confer; Willis takes the fall. Fox shows the replay, Charles Davis struggles to remember the name "Robert Mathis". No explanation is given.

8. 1-20-IND 47 (11:24) 32-E.James up the middle to IND 45 for 2 yards (68-E.Foster).

Mathis moves out of position on a run play.

9. 2-18-IND 45 (10:45) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 89-J.Carlson to IND 34 for 11 yards (28-M.Jackson, 33-M.Bullitt).

Wallace infinity drops into a screen pass.

10. 3-7-IND 34 (10:02) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace scrambles right end to IND 34 for no gain. PENALTY on SEA-15-S.Wallace, Illegal Forward Pass, 5 yards, enforced at IND 34.

Mathis attempts an inside move. Willis bash blocks him into the right defensive tackle. Wallace fucks up royally.

(Next Drive)

1. 1-10-SEA 22 (5:23) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 83-D.Branch to SEA 21 for -1 yards (28-M.Jackson).

Willis executes a great cut block. Wallace throws the ball at Deion Branch's ankles.

2. 2-11-SEA 21 (4:48) (Run formation) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 81-N.Burleson to SEA 25 for 4 yards (25-J.Powers, 98-R.Mathis).

Willis blocks Brock.

3. 3-7-SEA 25 (4:06) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 81-N.Burleson to SEA 34 for 9 yards (23-T.Jennings).

Willis shades his man and shoves him out.

4. 1-10-SEA 34 (3:34) (Run formation) 22-J.Jones up the middle to SEA 41 for 7 yards (56-T.Hagler, 41-A.Bethea).

Willis moves Mathis out and away from the run.

5. 2-3-SEA 41 (2:57) (Run formation) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to IND 39 for 20 yards (23-T.Jennings).

Mathis shuffles in pre-snap. Willis contains him.

6. 1-10-IND 39 (2:21) (Run formation) 22-J.Jones up the middle to IND 36 for 3 yards (41-A.Bethea, 55-C.Session).

Willis reach-blocks the left defensive tackle and then pulls into the second level. He gets a hit on the middle linebacker and then blocks the left outside linebacker.

7. 2-7-IND 36 (2:00) (Run formation) 15-S.Wallace pass incomplete short right to 35-O.Schmitt (23-T.Jennings). PENALTY on IND-23-T.Jennings, Defensive Holding, 5 yards, enforced at IND 36 - No Play.

Willis pancakes Mathis. Wallace fingerpaints with my vomit.

8. 1-10-IND 31 (1:52) 15-S.Wallace pass deep right to 83-D.Branch pushed ob at IND 9 for 22 yards (41-A.Bethea).

Willis holds the middle. Branch puts a slick move on Jennings to get free.

9. 1-9-IND 9 (1:47) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass incomplete short right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh.

Wallace runs a naked bootleg to the right. Willis does not factor.

10. 2-9-IND 9 (1:43) 22-J.Jones right end pushed ob at IND 2 for 7 yards (23-T.Jennings, 41-A.Bethea). PENALTY on SEA-74-R.Willis, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at IND 9 - No Play.

This one is weird. Indianapolis sets in a 3-4, with Mathis standing over right end, showing blitz. Seattle has two wide receivers left, a wide receiver right, a tight end right, Julius Jones offset slightly left and Wallace under center. Indy is running a kind of blitz, and Mathis edge rushes right end at the snap. That takes him out of the play. Seattle is stretching right, and Willis is responsible to kick out and take out Mathis, but because Indy is blitzing, Willis runs after Mathis after Mathis has run past Jones. Mathis virtually cannot impact this play. The left defensive end cuts in and John Carlson seals the interior. Jones runs directly at where Mathis has vacated. Everything about this play screams good play-call and good execution, but then there is the flag that I never see thrown. Holding: Number 74.

11. 2-19-IND 19 (1:38) 15-S.Wallace pass short left to 22-J.Jones pushed ob at IND 16 for 3 yards (28-M.Jackson).

No one enters Willis' zone and he does not factor nor block anyone.

12. 3-16-IND 16 (1:31) 15-S.Wallace sacked at IND 21 for -5 yards (98-R.Mathis). WATCH HIGHLIGHT

Might as well click the link and not take my word for it, but Seattle stacks two tight ends left and runs max protect. It's a wonder then that Willis is able to shade, shove out and nearly shove down Mathis, but that John Carlson, John Owens and Brandon Frye cannot contain Dwight Freeney. He sends Wallace a skitterin and skatin towards getting sacked by a stunting Brock and a recovering Mathis. Willis doesn't own his man, but he damn nearly does.

So what to say? What to say. One half in the books, an eye trained on Willis and a notebook full of scribblings, I see little proof Willis struggled. I see Ray Willis knocking around an elite** defensive end.

**Not elite.

*I was later accused of cheating on other standardized tests, including the WASL. This was the administration's way of saying, as my chum Stephen once put it, "you don't look smart."

Ray Willis Plays Strong against Raheem Brock

John Morgan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:10:39 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

The guy inside the frame play opposite Willis for much of the first quarter. The celebratory half-self of Robert Mathis would attack Willis once Peyton established a big lead.

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Greg Knapp and Larry Coyer must have missed all the talk about the epic matchup between Seattle's young, promising offensive tackles and Indianapolis' hyper-elite defensive ends. Coyer forgot to play Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. Daniel Muir saw time at end, a good weekend for Muirs, and Ray Willis matched mostly against Raheem Brock. He did a very good job.

He got good push against line, but was more often matching against linebackers. Seattle tied a tight end to his hip. Failing that, Knapp employed less orthodox methods to protect Willis. To starts it second drive, Seattle started in an "I", and when the play went pass, both backs in the "I" ran right and lent Willis a chip block. Knapp game planned to protect Willis, but Coyer was a step ahead. He invited Seattle to rush, knowing Peyton Manning could put his team up and force Seattle to pass before all was said and done.

Willis didn't have any big moments, but he had quite a few good moments.

1. 1-10-SEA 41 (13:08) (Run formation) 22-J.Jones right tackle to SEA 42 for 1 yard (56-T.Hagler)

Willis drives out and seals the right edge, but Julius Jones cuts inside and into the unblocked linebacker. This is where we talk about Jones not seeing holes.

2. 2-1-SEA 45 (5:30) 22-J.Jones up the middle to SEA 47 for 2 yards (98-R.Mathis)

Willis moves left and blocks out the right defensive tackle. The play is moving away from left defensive end Mathis, but Mathis catches up and tackles Jones after the first. Seattle's tight ends struggle run blocking.

3. 3-3-IND 46 (3:25) 15-S.Wallace scrambles right end pushed ob at IND 43 for 3 yards (79-R.Brock)

Willis creates enough of an edge for Wallace to tip-toe across the line.

4. 1-10-IND 43 (3:03) (Run formation) 22-J.Jones left end to IND 47 for -4 yards (68-E.Foster)

Willis pulls clear across the line and falls on middle linebacker Freddy Keiaho. Not a graceful display, but it was a long run for Willis and he was able to impact Keiaho though Keiaho was moving the opposite direction. Max Unger was ripped through by Eric Foster and Foster felled Jones in the backfield.

5. 2-14-IND 47 (2:25) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass short right to 83-D.Branch to 50 for -3 yards (33-M.Bullitt)

Willis cut blocks Brock and succeeds. T.J. Houshmandzadeh cut blocks Tim Jennings and succeeds. Deion Branch missed that. He cuts across field and attempts a play Barry Sanders couldn't make in college and predictably is dropped behind the line of scrimmage. Had he trusted Housh, the too aggressive Jennings left a column of space up the right sideline.

6. 3-17- (1:39) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace sacked at SEA 45 for -5 yards (54-F.Keiaho). Wallace pushed out of bounds by Keiaho. WATCH HIGHLIGHT

This play is a good example of Willis' ability and how much the coaches trust him. Wallace runs a designed rollout right with only Willis pulling out right to defend him. It's third and seventeen, so the Colts drop a billion and evidently no one was open, because Wallace sacked himself in shame.

Willis only had one bad play, but it was against Mathis.

3-8-SEA 43 (12:00) (Shotgun) 15-S.Wallace pass incomplete short right to 81-N.Burleson [98-R.Mathis].

Freeney schooled Frye with an inside spin move, but it was Mathis firing around edge that forced the throwaway towards Burleson. Willis allowed the kind of instant pressure that deactivates a pass game.

One quarter in, and Willis was doing his part against the Colts rotational ends. Mathis made a brief appearance and effortlessly ran past Willis. Knapp game-planned to protect Willis and establish the run, but Coyer ignored Willis and game-planned to stop the run. Execution critiques aside, and Branch and Jones deserve criticism, Coyer picked right. Coyer anticipated Knapp's game plan and moved to counter it.

A Tribute to Edgerrin James

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:41:34 -0000

Edgerrin James will always be a Colt. Image: www.azcentral.com

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Edgerrin James is a Hall of Fame running back.

There. I said it.

Don't believe me? OK, before you call me names and say I'm biased for all past, present, and future Colts greats, look at the numbers.

12, 164 rushing yards - 80 rushing TDs - career rushing average of 4.1 a carry - 430 receptions - 3,345 receiving yards - 11 receiving TDs

He is currently ranked #11 all-time on the career rushing list. Very soon, he will pass Marcus Allen for #10 all-time. Marcus Allen is in the Hall of Fame, and it took him 15 seasons to rush for 12,243 yards. Edgerrin James has rushed for 12,164 yards in 11 seasons.

Edgerrin is ahead of Franco Harris (Hall of Famer), Thurman Thomas (Hall of Famer), John Riggins (Hall of Famer), and O.J. Simpson (Hall of Famer) on the all-time list.

By the time this 2009 season is over, it is very likely that Edgerrin James will pass Marshall Faulk, Jim Brown, and Tony Dorsett, ranking him 7th overall. In the top ten rushers of all time, currently only three backs (Curtis Martin, ranked #4; Jerome Bettis, ranked #5; Faulk, ranked #9) are not in the Hall of Fame. Faulk is Hall of Fame eilligible in 2011, Martin in 2012, and Bettis in 2013. All are locks to get in on the first ballot. If not, well then sorry, but the Hall of Fame would become a sham and not reflect what it was intended to honor: True football greatness.

Factoring all that information in, and it is pretty much a lock that Edgerrin James will have his bust enshrined in Canton. Not bad for for a kid who grew up in modest Immokalee, Florida.

In the lead-up to this Sunday's game between the Seahawks and the Colts, we are seeing many articles about the "Return of Edgerrin James" to Indianapolis, and rightly so. Edgerrin James is one of the greatest running backs this league has ever seen. But more than that, Edgerrin James will always be a Colt, and we Colts fans will always treat him as one of our own.

The best of the "Return of Edge" articles comes, not surprisingly, from Mike Chappell, who profiles Edgerrin, the family man. Since the tragic death of Edgerrin's longtime girlfriend, Andia Denise Wilson (mother to his four children), the man they call "Edge" has made it a point to adopt one of the key principles often emphasized by Edge's former coach in Indianapolis, Tony Dungy: Family first, then football.

Edge's family live some 3,000 miles away from his home stadium in Seattle, but as Mike Chappell makes clear, Edge does not let mileage interfere with his primary job as a dad:

"I'm on the phone with them nonstop," James said during a phone interview from Seattle ahead of Sunday's visit to Lucas Oil Stadium to face his former team. "We have a sweet setup at the house. I know they're well taken care of.
"I'm going to be hands on. I don't want to blow it as a parent."

The article goes on to quote current Colts running backs coach Gene Huey, who was Edge's position coach from 1999-2005.

"He follows the beat of his own drum, which is a good beat.
"He's done it the right way, on and off the field."

Edge's accomplishments as a player and as a father rank him as one of the true "great" players we have in this league. I'll admit that for us bloggers, it is hard to accept "good people" at face value, mainly because we spend so much time making fun of the Randy Moss-like players this league has often placed front and center. As fans, we focus on highlight plays, loud behavior, and and the celebration of idol worship. For all the claims that Terrell Owens is an individual, or that Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) is unique, both of them have the personalities of slugs when compared to Edgerrin James.

Edge is the ultimate individual in this league, and unlike many, many other players, he does not crave the attention many of these fools go out of their way to get.

When Owens raises four kids by himself, call me. Then, you can call him "unique." When Ochocinco becomes as selfless and team-oriented as Edge has been all throughout his career, call me. Then, you can call him "special."

There is nothing special or unique about attention-grabbing douchebags like Owens and Ochocinco. Dime a dozen, any street corner. Edgerrin James is the kind of person and player everyone in the league should look up to. There are not many like him.

Isn't that the very definition of "unique."

Edgerrin James celebrates after the 2008 NFC Championship Game

Image:nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com

Often forgotten when discussing Edge is his before-mentioned selflessness. John Oehser offers a peak into Edge, the mentor. Following the 2005 season, the Colts chose not to re-sign Edgerrin James. He went on to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, one in a series of moves that transformed the perennial losing franchise into a contender. The story was one of the first stories I ever blogged about here (yep, I'm old now, thank you for reminding me).

Edgerrin was replaced in Indy by a rookie first round pick in 2006: Joseph Addai. Unlike former-Colts running back Marshall Faulk, a brooding malcontent who seemed to resent the Colts for trading him in 1999 and replacing him with a then-rookie first rounder named Edgerrin James, one of the best mentors Addai had while he transitioned from college life to the pros was the man he replaced: Edge.

One reason for the [Colts'] affectionate attitude toward James was the class and honesty with with James carried himself off the field, and it was that side of James Addai said he saw shortly upon being selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
This was a little more than two months following James' departure, and Addai said James immediately took a mentoring role on the field and off.

"That speaks a lot about him," Addai said. "I still talk to him to this day. Having somebody like him who had been doing it well -- that means a lot."

Addai said he and James talked multiple times after he was drafted, then the two spent time together the following February as the Colts prepared to play the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in James' native South Florida.

Addai recalls James saying during that time:

"Joe, if you're going to make a decision, run it across me first."

"Just little stuff like that -- not always about football . . . life," Addai said. "You have someone you can always go to -- it's good."

Edge's mentoring of players who would one day replace him did not stop with Addai. Around the middle part of last season, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt benched Edgerrin James in favor of rookie running back Tim Hightower. Following the promotion, Hightower rushed for 109 yards on 22 attempts, including a 30 yard TD run, in a victory over the St. Louis Rams. After the game, Hightower took the game ball, attached a personal note to it, and presented it to Edgerrin James.

Why did Hightower do this for a man he just replaced?

"He deserves it," Hightower said. "He's done so much for me."

Despite being benched, Edge did not sulk or brood on the sidelines, creating a distraction that undermined the team, like Joe Montana often did with the 49ers and Steve Young, or Terrell Owens has done with every team he has played for. Instead, Edge took Hightower under his wing, taught him how to run better with the ball, protecting his body and the football from bone-jarring hits. More importantly, when asked by reporters about Hightower replacing him, Edge did what Edge always does; he spoke the truth about Hightower's abilities:

"I'm not surprised," James said. "I don't fit the 'yes-man' mold. . . . They can sit me down for the rest of the year. I'll still come and go to work.
"I'm happy for Tim. I'm supportive of Tim. I knew he was going to have a big day. But this was personal."

Edgerrin James, dragging defenders

Image: abritishman.files.wordpress.com

Later on in the 2008 season, Whisenhunt changed his mind again after several poor performances by the team. He sat Hightower and once again started Edgerrin James. The result was a memorable push through the 2008 post-season, culminating in an appearance in Super Bowl 43. Edgerrin James was the starting running back for the Cardinals in that game. In the first half, James' running and receiving helped keep Cardinal drives alive... until Kurt Warner threw a game-killing INT on the goal-line prior to halftime.

Following the Super Bowl, it seemed obvious Edgerrin wanted out of Arizona. Despite getting benched, tutoring Hightower, getting un-benched, and helping lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, the front office felt Edge wasn't worth keeping around. Yet, despite everyone and their mother knowing that the Cardinals did not want Edge, they held onto him until after the 2009 NFL Draft. All throughout this process, Edge was dealing with Andia's illness, which took her life nine days before the Cardinals finally released him.

Way to keep it classy, Cardinals.

Arizona drafted Edge's replacement, another first round pick: Beanie Wells out of Ohio State. However, unlike Addai or Hightower, Wells does not seem to be benefiting from his status as Edge's replacement. Wells has rushed for only 73 yards in three game, and has fumbled the ball twice.

Now, Edge has signed with the Seahawks, and following Indy's 31-10 smashing of the Cardinals last Sunday night, he took the time to text his old friend Reggie Wayne about the game:

"Way to go get em for me buddy.''

This Sunday, Edge will return to his second home. He won't be in the friendly confines of the old RCA Dome. That building is gone, along with the blue face guards that once adorned Colts helmets the year Edge was drafted. Also gone is Tony Dungy, his friend and life mentor. But, Peyton Manning is still there. So is Reggie, Dwight Freeney, Gene Huey, Jeff Saturday, and Ryan Diem. Some players, like Freddy Keiaho, Donald Brown, and Pierre Garcon, have near played on the Colts with Edge. That's how long he has been gone. But while the new stadium may seem foreign to Edge, the people in the stands will most certainly look familiar. And while written tributes and profiles like this are nice, the best gratitude any Colts fan can give ole Edge is this:

When Edge gets the ball, we should cheer for him.

Obviously, we don't want our team to lose. But, rarely (if ever) does the opposing team's player get cheered when he performs on the field. This Sunday, we should change that.

This Sunday, cheer for this man please

Image: seattletimes.nwsource.com

This Sunday... hell, any Sunday... it is a-okay to cheer for the Hall off Fame lock that is Edgerrin James, no matter what uniform he wears.

Go Edge!

Go Colts!

Thursday Injury Report

shake n bake — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:43:12 -0000

Not only is it bad news, it's boring. No new (injury) additions and none of the 7 that sat out yesterday were back. Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Gary Brackett, Kelvin Hayden, Anthony Gonzalez, Keyunta Dawson and Chad Simpson all missed a second day of practice this week. Tim Jennings, Tony Ugoh and Adam Vinatieri were given the day off.

I don't expect any of the 7 guys sitting to play with only a day or less of practice, which would mean a DE rotation of Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, Eric Foster and Philip Wheeler (a bit concerning). Freddy Keiaho and Jennings would get starts again (quite concerning). T.J. Rushing would be returning kickoffs (not at all concerning).

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Colts v. Cardinals Game Review: Putting the Pieces Together

Colts Homer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:09:14 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

2 months ago: After making a catch, Indianapolis Colts' Pierre Garcon, left, tangles with Arizona Cardinals' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. Both received penalties on the play. The Colts defeated the Cardinals 31-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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This was a fun game. My favorite games are the ones when you know that your team is going to win throughout the entire game, and it makes it even better since I didn't think that the Colts would be able to beat the Cardinals with all of the things stacked up against them (No Brackett, Hayden, Gonzalez or Sanders, short week, tired defense, etc.). The Colts had a lot of adversity for this game. They even made the Colts underdogs. That's unbelievable. Obviously, the Vegas people aren't going to make that mistake again. Right now the Colts are probably going to be favored by double digits for the Seahawks game. I'm very happy that they're back playing on Sunday afternoons. I know that it is better for the Colts fans outside of the Midwest, but I'm a greedy person and I enjoy sleeping. The analysis is below.

QBs-Peyton Manning is unbelievable. He has lost two of his top three receivers from 2008, and he is better than ever. Besides Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, his other top receivers are a second-year player out of D3 Mount Union and a rookie out of BYU. Most QBs wouldn't be able to make that work. Peyton does. The Brady v. Manning debate is on hold. We are seeing what Peyton does with only two top targets and a bad right side of the line. Peyton is second in the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards. If we are going to be making early predictions, I'll say that number 4 is not out of the stretch of the imagination. After the Saints start to look human, Manning will emerge past the Brees hoopla. Bursa sacs were holding Manning back.

The rest is after the jump.

RBs-This was a huge concern of us all after the Chargers loss. It was clear that Addai-Rhodes was not going to cut it. Rhodes was a decent back but nothing special and Addai was always banged up. Fast forward 8 and a half months, and the running attack is lethal. Addai is amazingly consistent. On first down he seems to always get 5 or 6 yards at least. Joseph Addai has come back with a vengeance. He is proving haters wrong and he is looking like the Addai of old. And then there's Donald. Donald Brown looks like a future star. There is no questioning this draft pick now. Brown is very explosive when he gets in the open field. That 70 yard reception was brilliant! He breaks tackles which honestly surprised me as I thought that wasn't going to be a part of his game. For people wondering why he isn't starting right now, look at the differences pre-snap with him in the game. On multiple occasions Sunday night Brown had to be moved around by Peyton to get into position. Once Brown gets a hold of the playbook he will be the main back.

WRs/TEs-This is why Polian is a future Hall of Famer. Somehow he found Pierre Garcon out of Mount Union. Mount Union plays in a nearly century old football stadium that seats 5,000. Mount Union is a dynasty, but the fact that Polian found this diamond in the rough just shows his genius. Garcon is emerging as a great third receiver. He's very explosive, and to say he is a big play threat is an understatement. My guess is that once Anthony Gonzalez returns they will continue to give Garcon playing time on the outside with Gonzalez in the slot. That's why he didn't take Hakeem Nicks or Kenny Britt. Austin Collie has become a nice receiver. He's not the Stokley big play threat yet, but he has good hands and can get the first down. On third down, going to Collie is a great idea. He plays smart and he knows where the first down line is. Garcon is the better receiver right now, but Collie definitely has a future on this team. Reggie Wayne is also pretty good I've heard. He's leading the league in receiving yards right now and he makes the most ridiculous plays. He's working his way onto the All-Pro team. Speaking of All-Pros, Dallas Clark is the best tight end in the league. He's left John Carlson, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez in the dust. Clark is reaching his prime, and I would not be surprised to see a nice 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown season out of him. Once Gonzalez gets back, Clark is going to be even tougher to guard. Peyton has the weapons to win yet another MVP.

OL-Left side good, right side bad. That's the best way to describe this line. You could use better grammar, but that is as simple as it gets. Charlie Johnson has been a pleasant surprise and has proven doubters like me wrong. He's a good run blocker and so far he hasn't given up a sack this season. Ryan Lilja is reminding us on why he got that contract instead of Jake Scott. Lilja is a great run blocker. Running to the left side is better than ever with Lilja back. He's a sleeper for the Pro Bowl this year. Saturday is Saturday. He's been great this year and he did well last night. No one is doubting him. The right side is getting ugly. Whenever a former 2nd round pick is rotating with a former center that most recently was seen with the Boise Burn of af2, it's a bad sign for that former first day pick. When that former 2nd round pick is in his second year, it's embarrassing. Kyle DeVan is a good player and there is a reason why he is still with the team, but Pollak was a second round pick. He's not good at all. His play resulted in the interception, and he is clueless on the stretch play. Pollak is a liability, and Diem isn't much better. Running to the right is a death sentence for the drive. There is absolutely no blocking at all. This is the biggest need going into the 2010 draft. I'm perfectly content with Charlie Johnson starting at left tackle down the line, but I do not want Ryan Diem. I would support them moving Ugoh to the right tackle position and grooming him into a future starting job.

DL-Talk about a nice recovery. Against Miami the defensive line was pretty bad. Obviously Dwight Freeney played well in Miami, but no one else really did. Ed Johnson looked lost (and high), and Antonio Johnson was always getting pushed off the line. On Sunday night, I was almost sure that Big Ed was starting in the backfield. How a man that big can get off the line that fast is beyond me. Eric Foster is also becoming a nice rotation player. He played some defensive end as well as defensive tackle last night, and he did great at both positions. He is probably the best at batting down balls on the defensive line, and of course he is great at stopping the run. Antonio Johnson was not as impressive as Foster or Ed, but he didn't do anything to hurt the Colts, which is better than what we could say about the defensive tackles from 2007 and 2008. Without Dwight Freeney for the next two to three weeks, the defensive end position will be very different. As we saw Sunday night, Freeney is superhuman. On almost all 51 passes he hit Warner. He embarrassed Mike Gandy out there. With Freeney out, we will see more of Raheem Brock. Robert Mathis will take over for Freeney in the "Embarrassing Offensive Tackles" department, but there will have to be a rotation. Philip Wheeler played some defensive end Sunday night, and I have always thought that he would be a nice fit at defensive end. Throw in Keyunta Dawson and I can go two games without Freeney.

LBs-Freddy Keiaho didn't suck last night? I know, surprising. He didn't do anything terrible. I am still stunned. Everything I've seen from him would suggest that Kurt Warner would have torn him apart. Keiaho still should not be playing, but it does make Gary Brackett's injury less scary. On the outside, I am very content with Tyjuan Hagler and Clint Session. There is a reason why Hagler is starting over Wheeler, and Session has continued to play well. They are doing very well in stopping the running game. Obviously right now they are no David Thornton or Marcus Washington, but I feel fine with them back there. Jordan Senn did not impress me at all last night. If they have to play a backup linebacker, I would prefer to see Ramon Humber.

DBs-Once Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders get back, this will be the best secondary in the league. Jerraud Powers didn't play as well last night as he did against Jacksonville, but he is still the future of the cornerback position along with Hayden. Marlin Jackson did well as the nickelback last night. Is he worth re-signing? I'm not sure. Without a salary cap next year, I say go ahead. It pains me to say this, but Jennings did not suck last night. I still do not want him out on the field since we've all seen what happens when he is sucking. With Hayden hopefully coming back, it won't be a problem. Jacob Lacey is becoming one of my favorite rookies. He was very clutch Sunday night. His stop at the one yard line was HUGE. The next play was the Bethea interception. If Lacey can keep it up, he will work his way into the 4th spot above Tim Jennings. At safety, Antoine Bethea has played well this year. He still isn't the Pro Bowler from his second season, but he is a very good player and a quality starter. Melvin Bullitt has always played well in place of Bobzilla, but he isn't Bob Sanders. Once this team gets Sanders back, it will be even better in pass and run defense. Hopefully Bob will practice this week.

STs-Adam Vinatieri may be losing it. He is very, very close to being 2-5 this year, and he doesn't even kick off anymore. I think that this is the last year for Vinatieri. Next year Andrus will be the kicker. Vinatieri has not looked good this year. In fact, the whole field goal unit has looked bad. The blocking is weak and Vinatieri has been weak. On the other hand, McAfee is still great. On 11 kickoffs, he has 3 touchbacks. McAfee is still punting well. He's averaging about 45 yards per kick and he has 2 kicks inside the 20 on 9 punts. The return game is as expected. Simpson cannot return kicks and Rushing is a decent punt returner.

Top 5 players from the Colts-Cardinals Game

5. Pierre Garcon: Garcon is definitely stepping up when he has to. With Marvin Harrison and Gonzalez gone, he needed to become an acceptable target for Peyton. He's gone above and beyond that. Garcon had his great touchdown where he burnt the corner, and he played well for the rest of the game too. Garcon will end up getting more targets as the year goes on.

4. Reggie Wayne: Wayne is leading the league in receiving yards at this point, and last night he made one of the best catches of his career for a touchdown. He is a big target, and he has shown that he can get it done without Marvin on the other side of the field.

3. Joseph Addai: On 13 carries he got 63 yards and he made two big catches. One was the touchdown screen and the other was when he had to extend his body to come down with a pass that easily could have been a pick. Addai is getting back into 2006 form.

2. Peyton Manning: Manning is the best QB in the league. He is a favorite for the MVP again this year, and he is on pace to throw over 35 touchdowns and 4900 yards. He's pretty good, and Sunday night was his best game so far. He is doing this without Anthony Gonzalez. WOW.

1. Dwight Freeney: Even though Peyton was phenomenal, holding a very good offense to 10 points is a great feat, and Freeney was the main reason. His constant pressure got Warner to make bad throws and it got some sacks too.

Next up, Seattle Seahawks.

Jim Caldwell press conference highlights: Week Three wrap-up

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:09:09 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell watches the action as his team takes on the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Colts defeated the Cardinals 31-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Jim Caldwell held his regular afternoon press conference today following the Colts 31-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Here are some of the key notes:

There is no update on Dwight Freeney's injury other than he had an MRI this morning and results are expected later today.
Kyle DeVan and Mike Pollak are now in a rotation at RG mainly because DeVan has practiced so well of late. That does not sound like a ringing endorsement of Pollak, who was beat on a play early in the game which resulted in a Manning INT.
Caldwell raved about Freddy Keiaho, saying he played very well as the QB of the defense last night.
Run game is improved, and it was noticeable in practice prior to the game.
Caldwell praised the young receivers, especially Pierre Garcon.
No update as yet on the playing status for Kelvin Hayden, Gary Brackett, or Bob Sanders for next week.

Week Three: Colts v. Cardinals Preview

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:23:40 -0000

More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) hands off to running back Donald Brown. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

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The last time the Indianapolis Colts ventured down to Wyatt Earp country was way back in the day when George W. Bush's father was president, Jeff George had upside, and Macaulay Culkin was beating out the late-Patrick Swayze in the box office wars. Yep, 1990 was when the Colts last played the Arizona Cardinals in the state of Arizona. They were called the Phoenix Cardinals back then, and their bird logo was much less "ferocious" than it is now.

Aside from changing their logo, getting a beautiful new stadium, and inviting the entire state of Arizona to be the "home" of their team (as opposed to just Phoenix), what the Cardinals have managed to do recently is become relevant. For much of their existence in the desert (after moving from St. Louis back in 1988), they were the doormat of both the NFC East (the old division) and the NFC West (their current, geographically correct one). But, with a rejuvenated quarterback in Kurt Warner, a smart head coach, and arguably the most under-rated safety in football (Adrian Wilson), the Cards are no longer an easy team to laugh off and dismiss on your team's schedule.

As we work to do every week, we'll breakdown match-ups and bring in some insight from opposing team's fans for the game. Unlike last week's contest, which featured the Miami Dolphins trying to keep Peyton Manning off the field, the Cardinals will likely attempt to utilize their potent offense to score points early, allowing their pass rushers to tee-off on Manning in order to throw off his timing.

For the Colts, the task of attacking the Cardinals offense poses more problems than anything the "Wild Cat" threw throw at Indy Monday night.

Pretty much from here on out, the Colts defense against the run is going to be a key going into any game. A club cannot give up over 200 rushing yards and expect future opponents to ignore that. Defensive coordinator Larry Coyer was brought in specifically to improve the run defense and get the Colts defenders off the field on the third down. He was successful in Week One against the woeful Jaguars. In Week Two, he failed utterly and completely. With the Cardinals this week, Larry Coyer must rebuild his reputation with fans, who are now skeptical that his addition to the club changed anything from the defense we all suffered through last year.

To attack the Cardinals, a defense must attack Kurt Warner. His story is amazing and inspiring, and while he can often be deadly accurate with the football, the fact is the man is a walking turnover waiting to happen. He is horrible at protecting the football both in how he receives the snap and how he holds the ball in the pocket. Also, his decision making is sometimes suspect. Many bash Brett Favre for his "gunslinger" mentality. Warner is just as bad. Look no further than the Super Bowl to witness Warner throwing a bad, game-killing INT at a crucial moment. And even though Warner has played in this league for many years, he has never had to face Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. He last faced the Colts in 2001, the year before they drafted Freeney and two years before they drafted Robert Mathis.

If you read what Cardinals fans are writing about the game, the match-up of Freeney and Mathis with Zona's offensive line is not one that seems to favor the red birds:

Bezekira: I shutter to think what Freeney and that wicked spin move would do to [Mike] Gandy or God-forbid [Levi] Brown if we try to leave those guys on an island. I sure hope that Whiz sticks a TE over there or leaves a back in to chip him because he’ll absolutely kill Warner if it’s a one on one situation.

On offense, the Colts must continue to improve running the ball. Indy averaged 5.5 yards a carry against the Dolphins, but that was only on 11 carries. The Cardinals sport a tough run D, which is allowing only 56.5 yards per game. Despite this stout run defense, the Colts must get Joseph Addai and Donald Brown going. They must sustain a few long drives and give their defense some rest. Indy must use the run to set-up the pass, which matches up well with Zona's seemingly mediocre pass defense.

The conventional thought is that this game will be a "shoot out." For me, that's unlikely. Any team trying to win a shootout with the Colts will lose, even an opponent sporting talented WRs like Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. The Colts offense is too efficient and too well-coached. They rarely make mistakes, and if teams are trying to throw on Indy, they are playing to Indy's strength. Indy sports (arguably) the best secondary in football, and their pass rushers can generate pressure with just the front four.

My feeling is Arizona will try to run the ball more. They like Beanie Wells (even though they likely would have drafted Donald Brown ahead of him if Indy hadn't snatched him up) and Tim Hightower, and will look to use Indy's run defense to get their running game going. The Colts must counter this by simply playing better. There are no more excuses with this run defense. Players like Ed Johnson, Antonio Johnson, Daniel Muir, and Eric Foster are a talented bunch. Safeties Melvin Bullitt and Antoine Bethea are excellent. So, the issues are not "size" or "talent" or anything like that. The key to Indy's run defense is the interior players must start dominating. We know they can. They know they can. Now, we need to see them do it. The Cardinals sported the worst rushing attack in the league last year. This year, after two weeks, they are still hovering near the bottom.

This is a match-up the Colts should take advantage of.

They are capable to controlling Arizona's running game, and if the Cards get behind and start throwing it more than they want to, that favors Indy and the Freeney Express.

Out for the game are Anthony Gonzalez and Bob Sanders. Likely out is Gary Brackett, who is day-to-day with a sore knee. Freddy Keiaho (ugh!) will probably start at MIKE. Kelvin Hayden said he expected to play, but he was held out of Thursday's practice with a sore hamstring. If Hayden and Jerraud Powers play, it makes me feel better about covering Arizona's deadly receivers. However, if one or both are hurt, it means more Tim Jennings. Double ugh! However, it seems likely that one or both of the Powers and Hayden combo will play, which is very good news.

As always, the fine work at Revenge Of The Birds (who sport the best blog logo in the network, btw) makes the lead-up to this exciting game all the more enjoyable. Check out Hawkwind interviwing me prior to the game along with shake n bake answering questions from Cardinals fans.

Go Colts!

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