SB Nation - Josh Thomas

Week 13: Wednesday Injury Report

shake n bake — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:01:12 -0000

10 players sat out practice and the Colts have once again listed some players who practiced fully on the report. Notably sitting was Freeney, Brackett, Don Brown and Charlie Johnson. Notable return from Kelvin Hayden.

Did Not Participate: Antoine Bethea (rested), Gary Brackett (foot), Donald Brown (chest), Keyunta Dawson (knee), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Dwight Freeney (abdomen), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Charlie Johnson (foot), Jim Sorgi (shoulder), Adam Vinatieri (knee)

Limited: Tom Santi (hand)

Full Participation (but injured enough for the report): Joseph Addai (knee), Kyle DeVan (shin), Kelvin Hayden (knee), Ramon Humber (calf), Tim Jennings (ankle), Peyton Manning (glute), Robert Mathis (neck), Jerraud Powers (knee), Jamey Richard (shoulder), Jeff Saturday (calf), Tony Ugoh (knee), Reggie Wayne (foot)

Colts.com link

The roster moves make some more sense now. Donald Brown has a new injury, causing the Mike Hart signing. Josh Thomas was replaced with another DE which means we know little about Freeney and Dawson's status and 2 O-linemen were added to the PS likely because 5 of the Colts 8 O-linemen appear on the report today.

Colts mull possible return of Dominic Rhodes

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:50:23 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

4 months ago: Buffalo Bills' Dominic Rhodes runs with the ball during NFL football training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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From Aaron Wilson at National Football Post:

The Indianapolis Colts auditioned former starting running back Dominic Rhodes today, according to a league source.
...

The Colts, who also tried out quarterback Shane Boyd today, have a couple of roster openings after cutting defensive end Josh Thomas and defensive back Anthony Madison earlier today.

Thomas getting cut (again) seems to signal that either Dwight Freeney or Keyunta Dawson are likely available for Sunday showdown with the resurgent Titans. But releasing Madison, who was a reserve defensive back and special teams contributor, is a bit puzzling. Though it likely (and hopefully) means that the reports are true that Kelvin Hayden will return to the starting cornerback spot after missing several weeks with injury, the big question is who will take Madison's spot on special teams. It certainly won't be Hayden.

These questions are the only reasons I can think of as to why the Colts would work out Dom Rhodes. I'm on record as saying Dom is one of my favorite all-time Colts. He is a wonderful NFL story, and the kind of player that really epitomizes what it means to be a member of this team. He was an undrafted player out of Midwestern State in 2001, and by 2006 he was working in tandem with then-rookie Joseph Addai, racking up 113 yards an a TD in Super Bowl 41. He is one of the best "diamond in the rough" players Bill Polian has ever found, and his career is a testiment to his hard work, dedication, and determination. Factor in that the guy is flat out LOVED by everyone in the locker room and in the organization, I am not surprised that Indy is giving him a look.

However, conventional thinking among Colts fans is that with Keiwan Ratliff (another former Colts player from last season and a solid DB and special teams contributor) sitting out there after his release from the Steelers a few weeks ago, Polian and company should sign him to bolster Indy's injured secondary. To date, no information has surfaced that the Colts are interesting in re-signing Ratliff.

Dom worked out yesterday, and since we have received no word on him getting signed, it's likely that the team just wanted to work him out in case anything happens to Addai, Donald Brown, or Chad Simpson. Still, with at least one roster spot open, you have to think someone is going to get signed soon.

Tip to LovinBlue

From Adam Shefter, the God of Twitter: Anthony Gonzalez does indeed go under the knife, and more Colts news

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:27:11 -0000

Adam Shefter is indeed the god of NFL Twitter updates:

Shefter's report backs up the story from Yahoo! Sports yesterday. The positive out of all this is Gonzo's season is not over. They discovered loose particles in his knee, and they are getting them cleaned out. With Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie playing well, I have no problem with Gonzo chilling out until December.

The distressing thing is that Bob Sanders is (sigh) once again friggin hurt. This time, it's an elbow and it's serious. Players do not go to see Dr. James Andrews unless it is serious. Bob had already visited the good doctor about his knee during the year. Now, it's the elbow. You can scratch Bob from the lineup this week folks, because if Bob visited Andrews, that means a trip down to Alabama.

Again, it is because of things like this that I do not consider Bob the starting strong safety for the Colts. Melvin Bullitt started most of the 2008 season at strong safety, and it seems he will do the same in 2009. I'm perfectly OK with this because, in my opinion, Melvin is now better than Bob Sanders. Talent and "playmaking ability" are all great things, but they are all secondary to durability.

If you cannot stay on the field, you are not "good."

Also, Josh Thomas was signed to the active roster. Josh had been sitting out all season after playing for Indy during the pre-season.

Tip to Z.Pain

Analysis of the 2009 Colts roster cuts: Part One

BigBlueShoe — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:42:14 -0000

by Michael Conroy - AP

Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, right, and team president Bill Polian. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

View full size photo »

We have the final roster cut-down list, written up by shake n bake.

Almost immediately, there was significant reaction. Granted, every year cuts happen and there is always those one or two cuts where people scream NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! only to get over it once the season starts. But, with players like Dante Hughes, Mike Hart, and (especially) Marcus Howard getting the boot, it should serve as a reminder that the Colts do indeed have a new coach. This new coach has new ideas; ideas that in some cases will differ from his predecessor. And as we have seen, the 2007 and 2008 drafts, which were very heavily influenced by what Tony Dungy likes in players, were not drafts that tickle the fancy of new Colts coach Jim Caldwell.
MasterRWayne discusses whether Bill Polian has lost his touch as a draft guru. Currently, only three players remain from the 2007 draft, and three significant players from the 2008 draft were recently let go.
John Oehser offers his roster analysis at Examiner.com.
18to88 chimes in.
My favorite reader comment on the roster cuts thus far comes from Cassieper:

Lance Ball: He wasn’t that good. We only considered keeping him because Hart was injured.

Guns: Always injured. Never was going to contribute.

John Gill: Who?

Mike Hart: Serious injury. The Colts can’t wait until midseason on him.

Brett McDermott: Once again, who?

Tom Pestock: Only played in garbage time, never showed anything.

Taj Smith: Talented, maybe one year away. Cut him to get him on the practice squad. Should have no trouble getting him through the waivers.

Mike T: Another guy who’s practice squad bound. Wasn’t quite good enough to deal with starting talent.

Terrance Taylor: A huge project. Cross your fingers and hope he makes it to the practice squad.

Jaimie Thomas: A huge disappointment so far. Hasn’t shown anything. Practice squad bound.

Josh Thomas: Only good against the run. Putting him at end would concede the pass. Dawson is as good as him against the run and better as a pass rusher.

Michael Toudouze: I like him, but he is nowhere near Ugoh and CJ in talent.

Key and Petrowski: Bad players and injured. Bad combination.

So there you go.

In just a 24-hour period, this site has over 1,000 comments from numerous readers about the cuts. I did my best to read as many varying opinions as possible. After reading the comments, the articles, and examining how other teams dealt with the roster cut-downs, I have finally posted my analysis after the jump.

First off, I understand that the immediate reaction to the cuts seems like a stinging indictment of Polian's job, particularly when you look at the 2007 and 2008 drafts. Now, important to note that in neither of those drafts did Polian "bust" his first round pick, like Jerry Angelo with the Chicago Bears has done pretty much since 2004 (Rex Grossman, Cedric Benson, Chris Williams, etc.) With 2007 and 2008, it is important to note that those drafts were made with Tony Dungy working with Polian. Dungy had a specific philosophy about players. He valued certain traits over others. Bill respected that philosophy and draft accordingly.

But Dungy's philosophy on players is not necessarily shared by Jim Caldwell.

Dungy valued speed over size. This is why Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson were so valued by Tony D. Clearly, Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell do not value speed over size as much. The Colts asked Cujo to add 15 pounds of muscle this off-season (which he did), but his efforts were not enough to supplant Keyunta Dawson. Dawson made the transition back to DE (his college position) during the off-season, and performed very well in camp and pre-season. Last season, Dawson was the starting defensive tackle, weighing in at 260 pounds. Now, he is more comfortable, and better suited, as a DE.

Thus, the smaller, quicker players like Howard and Cujo are expendable.

And I know some of you are screaming "WHAT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN 2007 WHEN FREENEY AND MATHIS GOT HURT!" Folks, if Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis get hurt again as they did in 2007, it is the equivalent of losing Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday. A player like Marcus Howard is not going to replace Dwight Freeney; not in this new defensive system. Indeed, one of the reasons Freeney and (especially) Mathis got hurt in 2007 was because the Colts relied too much on them for the pass rush. In a Tampa-2, the front four (not the front two) need to apply QB pressure. And now with Larry Coyer dialing up blitzes from Philip Wheeler (an excellent blitzer in college), Melvin Bullitt, and eventually Bob Sanders, the scheme should (in theory) create more rush without solely relying on Freeney and Mathis.

Also, I think Caldwell is just tired of seeing teams run the football at Indy's front, and having DEs weighting 245 pounds is not going to help you stop the run.

For Mike Hart, it is possible that he could be signed to the practice squad, but I think that's remote. Hart's knock coming out of college was he was "beaten up" after all the hits he took rushing for all those yards in the Big Ten. Last year, he blew out his knee and this pre-season he injured both his ankles. This is a bottom line business, folks. If you cannot stay healthy, you're not going to keep your job long.

And for all the Doom and Gloom folks who think that the cuts signal the "downfall" of the Colts, please take a moment to check out KFFL.com, or browse through the numerous SB Nation football sites. You will see all the cuts and roster moves other teams had to wrestle with. Many of these moves involved players many of us wanted the Colts to draft or sign in 2007 and 2008:

Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson was placed on the suspended list. We thought highly of him in 2007.
The Bengals cut safety Corey Lynch. We also thought highly of him in 2008.
The Patriots cut Kevin O'Connell, another player in the 2008 NFL Draft we liked.
Packers first round bust Justin Harrell was placed on IR. For all the screaming about getting a quality DT the last three years, it seems Harrell clearly was not the answer in 2007. I thought he was. Clearly, I was wrong. Green Bay had to suffer through a horrid 6-10 season to draft B.J. Raji, and none of us know if he will be any good. He also signed late.
Packers also cut Brian Brohm, the "insurance QB" in case Aaron Rodgers turned out to suck. Brohm had a prolific career at Louisville, and if he had come out after his junior season, he might have been a first round pick.
John David Booty was cut.
Kory Sheets was cut.
Mitch King was cut.
Dominic Rhodes was cut. Hell, Marshawn Lynch is suspended for three games, and Dom still got cut. The Bills are a complete mess, folks.
DeMario Pressley, a DT from 2008 some wanted the Colts to grab, was cut by the Saints. So was former Colts WR Courtney Roby.
Adam Carriker, who I wanted the Colts trade trade for last season, is now on IR.
Broncos cut Tim Crowder, their second round pick from 2007.
The Jaguars IRed their starting DT from last season, Rob Meier.

So, no offense, but to those who seem to second guess Bill Polian for the 2007 and 2008 drafts (like Paul Kuharsky at ESPN), kindly tell me who he was supposed to take. Many of the players we all wanted Polian to pick up then are now in the same boat as Mike Hart, Marcus Howard, and Dante Hughes. If you want to bash him for trading up to get Tony Ugoh in 2007 and, thus, preventing Indy from getting a player like Matt Forte in 2008, then fine. I think that's fair. But, from where I'm sitting, it looks like the 2007 and 2008 drafts just did not foster the kind of overall NFL talent we are used to seeing from the collegiate ranks.

It's also important to note that from the now dreaded 2007 draft, Polian managed to sign then-free agent rookie Melvin Bullitt. So, it's not like lunch meat came out of 2007. Clearly, taking Anthony Gonzalez worked out better than trading up to get someone like Justin Harrell.

All of us are so used to seeing Polian draft picks work out that, when they don't, we scratch our head and wonder if we haven't been transported into some netherworld, alternate reality. But if you look around the NFL right now, lots of "name" players from the 2007 and 2008 drafts are, indeed, now looking for work.

Part two of my roster evaluation will get posted later today while teams begin putting in waiver claims for many of the recently cut players.

The cutdown to 75 complete, now on to 53

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:05:42 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers (49) intercepts a pass intended for Detroit Lions wide receiver Bryant Johnson (80) during the second quarter of an exhibition NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Colts cut Marcus Paschal today to get their roster down to 75. After Thursday's pre-season finale against the Bengals, the Colts will have until Saturday to trim their roster to 53 active players. Without considering who will likely get re-signed to the practice squad, I've compiled a list of who will likely get cut on Saturday. Please note that I will cut more than the Colts need to as it is likely they will cut extra players so they can sign some people cut from other teams.

After the jump, you can check out the list. Keep in mind, the Colts have a lot of very good talent on this current 75 man roster. Several good, quality players will get let go. Some may even be high drafts picks from years past.

John Matthews (duh)

Ramon Humbler

The big cuts are Muir, Jennings, Hughes, Foster, and Ball. Based on Muir's poor showing last week against Detroit, and the impressive praise Caldwell has given to Adrian Grady, I think the Colts will want to keep Grady, work Terrance Taylor into the nose tackle rotation, and keep someone like Raheem Brock in reserve at under tackle in case of an injury. Foster falls in the same boat as Muir. Antonio Johnson, Ed Johnson, and Terrance Taylor can all play nose tackle. This makes Muir expendable. Ed Johnson, Adrian Grady, Raheem Brock, and Fili Moala can all play under tackle. This makes Foster expendable. Thus, both Foster and Muir are (sadly) cut.

Jerraud Powers has flat outplayed Tim Jennings and Dante Hughes. Caldwell has also been very pleased by the play of Jacob Lacey. T.J. Rushing is a decent corner who is vital to the return game. Thus, Hughes and Jennings are gone.

Finally, there is Lance Ball, who has (in my humble opinion) outplayed the injury-prone Mike Hart. But, I don't think the Colts are ready to give up on Hart just yet. Since they cannot PUP him, and since the Colts will probably keep three QBs, I think Lance will get cut.

Again, I'm likely wrong with these projected cuts, and we don't know what the injury situation will be until after the Cincy game. But, for right now, this is how I think it will shake out. Thoughts?

2009 Colts Training Camp: Keyunta Dawson moved to defensive end

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:15:52 -0000

Keyunta Dawson, a defensive tackle for the last two years, has moved to defensive end. Image: cache.daylife.com

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Last week, we posted an article discussing the competition at the three technique defensive tackle spot, or what is commonly called the "undertackle" 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 only 254, Dawson plays his position well by using excellent technique. When he has someone next to him who can occupy blockers, Dawson can attack his gap with excellent effectiveness and cause problems for offenses.

Unfortunately, this year I get the sense that Dawson will need a great camp just to make the team. With Moala drafted and Foster possibly switching to UT, Dawson is a bit expendable. But, Dawson is a hard worker who has risen to the challenge before. If he impresses at camp, maybe he sticks around.

With the Colts drafting Fili Moala and (seemingly) converting NT Eric Foster to a over-tackle, Dawson is not the kind of player Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer is looking for at DT. However, Dawson is not, by any means, a bad player. So, instead of having Dawson compete for a DT spot he likely will not win, the Colts have shifted Dawson from DT to defensive end. From Mike Chappell [emphasis mine]:

How deep and promising is the mix? Consider Keyunta Dawson, a 254-pounder who started 14 games last season, has been moved to end, and 265-pound Eric Foster, who started 11 games as a rookie, has his work cut out to avoid slipping down the depth chart.

It is possible that one of the reasons longtime defensive end Josh Thomas was not re-signed was because they anticipated Keyunta Dawson could move to DE. At 6'3, 255 pounds, Dawson could fill the role of a solid, run-stuffing DE. If he develops some pass-rushing moves (he's fast and has good quickness), Dawson could find a place at DE on this roster.

With Dawson now at DE, the Colts have him and Raheem Brock to relieve Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on first down.

Also, metal_militia posted a FanPost about this news as well.

Recap Week Thirteen: Colts 10-Browns 6

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:35:30 -0000

Peyton Manning needed the defense to bail him and the offense out... for a change

Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images

18 to 88 says something that I've heard mumbled for the last few weeks by many in the media:

Ultimately, the Colts are still and average team on the field that has some kind of special 'it quality'.

I've been pretty clear that I disagree with this assessment. "Average" teams do not walk into Pittsburgh, Minnesota, or San Deigo and beat those clubs. "Average" teams play hot and cold, losing to teams they shouldn't and beating teams they shouldn't due to fluke plays, bad officiating, or just dumb luck. Not to bash them or anything (because they have done some good things this year), but right now the Bears are a pretty "average" team. They are 6-6, having just lost to the Vikings in Minnesota. Again, with a skeleton crew of a team and a one-legged Peyton Manning, the Colts went into the Vikings fjord and came away with a win.

"Average" teams don't do that.

This is a very good football team that is starting to play as they should. Right now, this team is one of the best in football. Don't agree? Fine. Show me another team this year that has won five games in a row. The Giants and Titans come to mind. Last I checked, those were really good teams. Not "average" ones.

Against the Browns Sunday, the Colts offense slipped and slogged their way through a mistake-riddled game. From the first play (a Joseph Addai fumble), you knew this game was going to be a slog fest. Not a slug fest. Slog fest. Tack on a couple of Peyton Manning INTs, a dropped pass in the endzone by Reggie Wayne, and some awful short yardage blocking, and a game the Colts should have dominated turns into a boring, early-afternoon snore.

Then, the Colts defense showed up.

Despite three turnovers by the Colts offense in the first half, the Browns had only 6 points. Jamal Lewis and the Browns running game was held in check, and the Colts pass rush had Romeo Crennel coaching the game scared. But in the fourth quarter, when the Colts needed either their special teams or their defense to bail out the offense, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis came to the rescue. If one of these guys does not make the Pro Bowl, and some Roy Williams-like schmuck does, I might take hostages.

At about the 10 minute mark in the 4th quarter, Derek Anderson dropped back to complete a 3rd and long. Dwight Freeney bull rushed arguably the best LT in football (Joe Thomas) and stripped the ball from Anderson. Robert Mathis found the fumble, scooped it up, and ran 37 yards for a TD. After the extra point: Colts 10-Browns 6.

Game. Set. Match.

All game, the Browns played keep away. Their defense was a soft, Cover-2 shell that gave up everything underneath and allowed nothing deep. They generated zero pass rush and were not entirely stellar stopping the run (though, in the end the numbers looked good). On offense, it was run, run, pass. Nothing fancy. Nothing that took more than 3 steps to execute. It was the type of game plan that if they gave up the lead, especially a TD, they were done. When Mathis waltzed into the endzone, it seems Romeo Crennel took a walrus-sized dumb in his extra large sweat pants.

With the Colts special teams coverage units containing Josh Cribbs, Crennel knew he had to let Anderson throw the ball. The results were not good. With less than a minute to go on 2nd down, Anderson was sacked by Robert Mathis, who copied Freeney by bull rushing the RT this time. He knocked the tackle into Anderson, which resulted in a sack. Anderson injured his MCL on the play, and sadly his season is over. Back-up Ken Dorsey came in and promptly threw a pick to Antoine Bethea (keeping with the Melvin Bullitt and Bob Sanders tradition of safeties coming up with big INTs to win games this year).

Make no mistake, this was the kind of game I wanted to see from this defense. Despite injuries to Gary Brackett, Freddie Keiaho, Tyjuan Hagler, and playing yet another game without Bob Sanders, the Colts held Cleveland to zero TDs, an average gain of 3 yards per offensive play, 3.2 yards per rush, 64 net yards passing, and generated two HUGE turnovers. Some unsung heroes also emerged, such as DT Antonio Johnson (6 tackles) and DE Josh Thomas (several tough tackles on rushing downs). Announcer Randy Cross said it best: The Colts are the best tackling team in football, and they get after the ball carrier. For all the grief this defense has endured from us fans, the fact of the matter is they have allowed only 4 passing TDs all season thus far.

1, 2, 3, 4.

That is un-freakin-believably-good.

The modern NFL is a passing league, folks. If you can't throw, you suck and will lose a lot of games. If you can't stop the throw by pressuring the QB, you suck and will lose a lot of games. No need to look at Football Outsiders stats to know that. And despite continuing injuries, Ed Johnson smoking his blunts, Quinn Pitcock quitting, and the John McCargo fiasco, this team has managed to play dominate football.

"Average" teams do not allow only 4 passing TDs through 12 weeks.

We don't know what this season will bring. We don't know how the AFC playoff picture will shake out, or even if the Colts will make the playoffs. Yes, they are in the driver's seat and should make them, but take nothing for granted here, people. This team is accomplishing very special things this year. They are tough as nails and do not quit, and they can beat anyone, anywhere, in a variety of ways. This was a tough win against a team that has played our Colts tough historically. Hopefully, now some Cleveland Browns fans can now let go of the silly anger they have for Tony Dungy. The Browns have had some tough breaks this year, but they have good, young players to build themselves around (Thomas, Quinn, Cribbs, etc.).For more on the Browns, please check out Chris and the dogs at Dawgs By Nature.

With this win, the Colts have guaranteed their seventh consecutive non-losing season. As Jim Mora (the last coach to coach these Colts to a losing season) says, Never take winning for granted. This Colts team is starting to find themselves, and we should start noticing that they are far, far better than "average."

Go Colts!

Poll

Week Thirteen Game Balls

FS Antoine Bethea- 10 tackles, 1 INT

7 votes

DE Robert Mathis- 2 sacks, recovered fumble for TD

190 votes

DE Dwight Freeney- 1 sacks, 1 FF

30 votes

LB Freddie Keiaho- 7 tackles, had to play MLB when Brackett got hurt

5 votes

232 votes | Poll has closed