SB Nation - Jacob Tamme

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

Early speculation on who will not play against the Jaguars

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:56:58 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

6 days ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai (29) makes a catch during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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There are no injury updates from yesterday. So, don't even bother asking. We likely won't get any injury meaningful information until Bill Polian's radio show later this evening on HANK FM (a local Indianapolis radio station that, for some reason that defies logic, does not stream the show live on their website).

However, if I know the Colts, there are certain players who you just know will not play based on their recent history of injury, including the nixes and bumps certain players received yesterday against the Broncos.

Likely out:

Jerraud Powers (hamstring)
Jacob Lacey (hurt in Broncos game)
Charlie Johnson (foot)
Robert Mathis (quad)
Melvin Bullitt (shoulder)
Chad Simpson (hurt in Broncos game)
Dallas Clark (hurt in Broncos game)
Ryan Diem (hamstring)

With so many injuries incurred in the secondary, do not be surprised if Simpson, Tom Santi, or Jacob Tamme are cut to make room for another DB, perhaps even Keiwan Ratliff. Right now, only Antoine Bethea, Jamie Silva, Tim Jennings, Kelvin Hayden, and T.J. Rushing are healthy enough to play in the secondary. Aaron Francisco has sat out the last couple of games with an ankle injury, but he is more a special teams guy than a coverage safety.

If Santi, Simpson, Tamme, or anyone else is cut, don't fret too much. I don't think players signed now to shore up depleted areas will make the playoff roster.

The situation at offensive tackle is also a bit worrisome. Both Charlie and Ryan are hurt, and absolutely need rest to recover from these nagging issues. This means Tony Ugoh and newly re-signed Michael Toudouze might play extensive snaps against the Jaguars.

Regarding Dwight Freeney, look for him to get used on third down only. His snaps will be limited. Other than Peyton Manning, the Colts absolutely cannot afford to lose Dwight Freeney for any length of time.

And then, of course, there is the situations involving Adam Vinatieri and Anthony Gonzalez. Both have been out for extensive periods of time, and if both are in line to play in the post-season, we need to see them start working again in live games. Basicallly, we need them healthy, like, NOW!

Also, Donald Brown better be back and healthy this week. With Joseph Addai nearly decapitated on several big hits by the Broncos yesterday, I would not be surprised to see him limited against the Jaguars. Addai has cared this running game all season, and now is the time for Donald Brown to prove why he was drafted in the first round.

[UPDATE]: Jerraud Powers' Facebook page gives us an update as to his status (Tip to Z.Pain):

“Just a lil hamstring strain…nothing to be concerned about folks, but we definitely wanted to be safe than sorry. The trainers and staff here are already doing a great job getting me back to 1000%. All your support and words of encouragement certainly does help and I thank everyone of you for following me during this first rookie season.”

Also, for those of you looking to listen to the Bill Polian Show, but don't live in the Indy area, Indcolt18 offers some alternatives:

I have an iPhone and I have a couple of radio apps that I use to listen to stations in Indiana( I live in Florida). One is Wunder Radio and the other is “Pocket Tunes”. I like pocket tunes the best and I use it to listen to Hank FM. Also, PT has a record feature so that I can save the shows if I want to listen to them later.

Week 8: Friday Injury Report

shake n bake — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:21:08 -0000

The news is good as 5 injured/sick players returned to practice today. Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, Eric Foster, Jacob Tamme, and Ramon Humber were back practicing fully. Missing a 3rd practice this week were Donald Brown, Anthony Gonzalez, Marlin Jackson and Adam Vinatieri.

Bob Sanders was back at practice after a day off. Tony Ugoh got the day off and taking part of today off to rest was Peyton Manning, a quite rare sight.

OUT: Anthony Gonzalez, Marlin Jackson, Adam Vinatieri

DOUBTFUL: Donald Brown

QUESTIONABLE: Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, Eric Foster, Jacob Tamme

Week 8: Thursday Injury Report

shake n bake — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:43:30 -0000

Not a pretty injury report. None of the 7 that sat out yesterday returned to practice today. They were joined by a sick Ramon Humber, Jacob Tamme with a hamstring injury and a resting Bob Sanders. Recapping the 7 that missed a second day:

Donald Brown (shoulder), Eric Foster (shoulder), Dwight Freeney (Knee), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Marlin Jackson (knee), Reggie Wayne (groin), Adam Vinatieri (knee).

Brown, Gonzalez, Jackson and Vinatieri have been expected to sit. Foster, Freeney and Wayne's status remain up in the air. I'll be very interested in Friday's report to check on the status of those three.

Colts.com link

Colts v. Jaguars Recap: One Week In, Already On Top

Colts Homer — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:30:37 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai runs in the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Indianapolis. The Colts won 14-12. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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It is only Week One and the Colts have the lead in the AFC South. The Colts beat the Jaguars, the Titans lose in overtime to the defending champion Steelers and the Texans embarrass themselves against the Jets. The Colts have a game up on everyone which is a nice luxury. You can look at it as next week is the start of the season and the Colts were spotted a game. It is a very good thing that everyone else is 0-1.

The Colts had what appeared to be a normal first game of the season. Some places looked rusty but some looked very impressive. It was 14-12, but the Colts really did outplay the Jaguars by more than that. An interception at the goal line cost the Colts at least 3 points and a rare Addai fumble in Colts territory also cost the team some points. However, unless if there is some rule change that I am blissfully unaware of, there are no such thing as style points. The Colts weren't pretty, but they are 1-0, which I feel is more important.

What I Liked

The short yardage running game with Addai. There are 3 plays I look at when I analyze how Addai did in short yardage situations in this game. Two of his carries were on a third and short in Colts territory that he showed amazing speed on and got within the five. One of those runs was followed by the Manning interception, but the other was followed by an Addai touchdown. Addai had a good game in short yardage.

The decision to start Charlie Johnson over Tony Ugoh. I was tough on Johnson in the preseason, but he didn't play well in the preseason. Today he played great. He gave up no sacks. Most of the pressure from the Jaguars came from the right side of the line with Reggie Hayward. The biggest hit from Manning on the left side was on his touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Johnson also did well in the running game. Addai's good short yardage carries went to the left side. Johnson did a fantastic job in shutting down Derrick Harvey. Let's see how he does next week against Joey Porter next week. If he can keep Porter from getting a sack, I may have to believe that Johnson is an acceptable left tackle in the National Football League.

Larry Coyer. This may fall under love. Larry Coyer's spin on the Tampa-2 is a thing of beauty. The Colts held Maurice Jones-Drew to 97 rushing yards and they actually got off of the field. Believe it or not, the Colts won the possession battle today. It is amazing. Don't say it is because of the changes in players. Besides Jerraud Powers, all of the starters were starters on the team last year at some point. The starting defensive tackles were Antonio Johnson and Eric Foster, the two best defensive tackles from the team last season. The players were the same. It was the defensive coordinator that was the change. This great performance by the defense was because of the change of defensive coordinator. They went from a bad defensive coordinator who I believe never went to a practice and worked with a team to someone who is looking like the biggest addition to the team this offseason.

Click on the little link below this to read what I didn't like and a position-by-position breakdown of the game.

What I didn't like

Not winning the turnover battle. The Colts had 2 turnovers. The Jaguars had none. That won't work when they play New England or Baltimore. The Colts need to force turnovers. The only time the Colts were even close to a turnover was when Jerraud Powers levitated off of the ground and almost picked off a pass in the endzone which was one of the most impressive plays I've seen from a Colts cornerback. Next week they need to pressure Chad Pennington and force him into bad decisions.

The stretch play. It's not that I have a problem with the play itself, just the guys up front trying to block for it. I think Ryan Lilja might be a little rusty on it, but what is the excuse for Diem and Pollak? Running to the right side was an automatic loss of yards. The Jaguars front 7 is not that good. Donald Brown and Joseph Addai are good running backs who should be able to run all over this defense. There needs to be some changes on the offensive line, starting with the right side of it.

Special Teams. It is still a serious problem even with Coach R here. The wedge rule changes should have helped kick coverage, but the Jaguars still routinely got to the 30 yard line while Simpson only had one good return that was mostly due to great blocking by Ramon Humber.

Now here's a position-by-position breakdown of the team.

QBs

Peyton Manning started his 177th straight game and won his 118th game. Those 118 wins tie the team record with Johnny Unitas. Manning did it in 5 less starts. Folks, we are watching one of the greatest players in football history. Even if he didn't have his best game today, he did enough to win it. He made good throws and connected with Reggie Wayne. Let's see what he can do in a few weeks when Gonzalez is back. Peyton Manning had his 300 yards, but that interception hurt. He had some bad passes, but Peyton never plays well in Week One. He's healthy this year and next week we should see the real Peyton we all know and love.

RBs

Even though they only got 75 yards, they got me excited. Donald Brown is an animal. I honestly believe that he is going to be an elite running back in this league once he gets the offensive line he deserves. Addai is going to rejuvenate his career as a short yardage back if he keeps it up. I support starting Downtown Donald Brown but playing Addai on short yardage plays and in the goal line. That's where Addai does best. Brown does best with space. I want to see Brown have five catches a game. When he gets in the open field he is magic. He jumped over defenders, broke tackles and did whatever he could to get the first down. By Week 17 the Colts running game will finally be good again.

WRs/TEs

Anthony Gonzalez's injury is a bummer. He was ready for a breakout year but he will have to wait two to six weeks. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon did okay in his place. Collie had 2 catches for 15 yards and Garcon had 3 catches for 24 yards. However, neither of those guys are Anthony Gonzalez. I expect Taj Smith to be signed on Monday from the practice squad and hopefully Tim Jennings will be cut. He is useless. He doesn't contribute on special teams and with Jerraud Powers on the team he has no chance of getting time on defense. Jacob Lacey and TJ Rushing are better cornerbacks. Jennings wasn't good last year and he doesn't deserve a roster spot. With Taj Smith off the practice squad it would open a spot for Terrance Taylor. I would support that greatly. On the tight end side, Jacob Tamme got some action. On the only time he was thrown to he had a nice 6 yard reception. With Gonzalez out he may see more of the field in a slot receiver's role.

The pass blocking was fine. Peyton was only sacked once and he was never under a lot of pressure. The run blocking was horrendous though. It might have been worse than last year. The right side of the line is a mess. Mike Pollak is looking more and more like a bust. The stretch play to the right side is a death sentence. Any run to the right side is a death sentence. Almost every decent run was to the left side. Right tackle and right guard are the two biggest concerns on the team. There was no run blocking on the right side. Peyton got clobbered by a Jaguar coming from the right side of the line. I'm worried about the O-line.

Here's a line I am not worried about. The defensive line was phenomenal. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis got great pressure on Garrard. Freeney had one sack and a bunch of hits on Garrard. Mathis got pressure on Garrard on the final drive. The defensive tackles also did well. They stuffed the two point conversion that ended up being the difference. Eric Foster and Antonio Johnson did a great job of clogging up the middle. All of the big MJD runs were outside runs. He didn't get anything up the middle. Think of how good the line will be with Fili Moala and Ed Johnson back next week. I'm excited to see Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams stuffed multiple times eight days from now.

LBs

I wasn't thrilled by the linebackers but they weren't a problem. Sure they had a little bit of trouble stopping MJD at times, but Session and Hagler had some nice tackles while Gary Brackett did well blitzing on the final drive. I am much less worried about this unit than I was going into the game. As long as Freddie Keiaho doesn't have to see the field they will be fine. I'm looking forward to seeing Philip Wheeler get out there and blitz. He could absolutely dominate in Coyer's system. He will be starting soon.

DBs

Jerraud Powers is amazing. What a steal he was. I think he has earned a starting job over Marlin Jackson to be honest. He shut down the Jaguars' receivers. It is impossible to overstate how pleasant of a surprise he has been. He is a future star at cornerback. The third round curse is over, people. Kelvin Hayden also had a great game. There is a reason why the Colts only gave up 6 touchdown passes last season. It's because the Colts secondary is the best in the league. Melvin Bullitt and Antoine Bethea didn't do anything of note, but they didn't mess up anything either. Hopefully Bob Sanders will be back in the next few weeks or so. This defense will be one of the best in the league with a healthy Bob Sanders.

Special Teams

Stinks. The return game stinks. The kick coverage stinks. The punting was amazing though. Pat McAfee is thousands of times better than Hunter the Punter. Opponents are averaging starting at the five yard line with him punting. Obviously we can't expect that to continue, but we can expect no big returns off of McAfee punts. He is the best punter the Colts have ever had and I think he may be one of the best in the league.

Next week the Colts travel to Miami to take on the 0-1 Dolphins. The Dolphins didn't play well against the Falcons, but they have an extra day to prepare for it. That's right. It's a Monday night game. I'm not a fan, but it is nice for the out-of-town Colts fans on Stampede Blue. Everyone will be able to watch the game. Maybe we will surpass the 1600 comments we had today!

Good game today. Hopefully a good game next Monday.

Poll

Player of the Game?

Reggie Wayne

554 votes

Pat McAfee

65 votes

Peyton Manning

50 votes

Jerraud Powers

97 votes

Gary Brackett

16 votes

Dwight Freeney

64 votes

Other (please state in comments)

5 votes

851 votes | Poll has closed

Colts cut Dante Hughes, Steve Justice, and Nick Graham

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:32:03 -0000

Dante Hughes, right, never lived up to expectations after a stellar career at Cal. He was cut today as the Colts trim their roster down to 53 active players. Photo: cache.daylife.com

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Special thanks to jumunjis for posting the link to Mike Chappell's Indy Star report. The first cuts towards the 53-man roster have been made, and on the chopping block are 2007 third round pick Dante Hughes, 2008 sixth round pick Steve Justice, and Nick Graham. As jumunjis astutely points out, Hughes is yet another victim of the curse of the third round pick. Former Colts tackle Quinn Pitcock was the other third rounder the Colts took in 2007. Now, both he and Hughes are former-Colts after just two years.

When you look back at the 2007 draft for the Colts, it had so much promise. I even called it "one of the best drafts Bill Polian has ever presided over in Indianapolis." Shows you how much I know.

From that 2007 draft class, only Anthony Gonzalez, Clint Session, and Keyunta Dawson remain (and Dawson is in danger of cutting cut himself). Dante Hughes, Brandon Condren, Michael Coe, and Roy Hall were all drafted by Indy that year, and all of them were cut this off-season. DT Quinn Pitcock quit football last year prior to training camp. That's five picks from just two years ago that are gone. And to top it all off, Indy's second round pick in 2007, Tony Ugoh, was just recently benched. Indy traded a first rounder in 2008 for Ugoh, and now it looks like he is going the way of all the other trash drafted in 2007.

Yikes!

The 2008 Draft for Indy isn't shaping up to be much better. Mike Pollak, a center out of Arizona State who Indy has converted into a guard, isn't setting the world on fire, or anything. Jamey Richard, who played center at Buffalo, is a quality back-up, but that's about all we can ever really expect from Richard. And now, Steve Justice, the third center the Colts drafted last year, has been cut.

Now, before people freak out, it's important to know that many of the players we were hoping Indy would draft from previous years have also recently been cut. The Broncos cut Kory Lichtensteiger and Carlton Powell today, two players we thought the Colts should have drafted in 2008. Kevin O'Connell was also cut recently; another player we wanted Indy to take in 2008.

The draft isn't an exact science, folks. And even future Hall of Fame personnel people, like Bill Polian, are not perfect.

Still, Polian was able to find quality starters like Anthony Gonzalez and Clint Session in 2007, and players like Jacob Tamme and Marcus Howard offer a lot of promise from the 2008 draft. Also, in 2007, Polian found and signed Melvin Bullitt as a rookie free agent. So, it's not like 2007 didn't give the team anything. It just didn't give the team the kind of talent we are used to seeing.

The cutting of Steve Justice likely means free agent Kyle DeVan will remain on the active roster, but we'll see.

Colts v. Bengals Preseason Review: It's Over!

Colts Homer — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:54:51 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts receiver Taj Smith celebrates after scoring against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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Finally! The long preseason is over. Very soon we will see who gets cut and who makes the roster. If anyone watched the embarrassment of this game, they know how hard it is to try and find something good from this game. Obviously it needs to be said that almost all of the players that played today are in no way expected to contribute this season, but it was still ugly. It gave us a grim glimpse of life without Manning (and Addai, Brown, Wayne, Saturday, Freeney, Mathis, etc...). Now we know how Lions fans feel in the regular season. Here is a position-by-position rundown of today's "game".

QBs

~I thought both of them played well. Sorgi played the first half and Painter played the second. Both showed good accuracy and didn't make any big mistakes passing. A Sorgi interception got called back but that was mostly Tamme's fault for dropping the pass. Sorgi did lose a fumble. This game didn't show us anything knew. Sorgi is the second best QB on the roster and Painter is the future Sorgi.

RBs

~Simpson and Ball both played well to be honest for their situations. The guards didn't play very well today, but Ball was able to get 3.4 yards per carry (which would have been average on the team last year) and Simpson had 16 yards on 4 carries. Walter Mendenhall had one big run but did nothing to show he deserves to be close to a roster spot. This will be one of the most highly anticipated cuts. Will Hart or Ball make it? Will both of them be on the 53 man roster? I would guess when cut day comes that will be headline here at Stampede Blue.

WRs/TEs

~Taj Smith was pretty awesome today. His touchdown catch was a thing of beauty when he got the ball in tight coverage. He had 5 catches for 59 yards and was targeted an amazing 11 times. Jacob Tamme also got a lot of looks and did decent. His dropped pass which resulted in an interception was ugly though. John Matthews still sucks.

~Kyle DeVan and Tony Ugoh were good. Jaimie Thomas and Jamey Richard were bad. Ugoh was playing great at left tackle and had to compensate for the surprisingly awful performance by Richard. Richard looked like he didn't care and was very slow. Another reason why preseason is too damn long. DeVan should have clinched a roster spot tonight but Steve Justice could somehow keep a roster spot.

DL

~The way they handle the D-line shows that the Colts couldn't care less about the preseason. Honestly, the only way they could show how little they cared to an even further extent would be to not show up at all. They play 4 DTs and no defensive ends because the defensive end position is locked up. Adrian Grady proved to be a complete monster and I don't think he will get cut. I have a gut feeling that Daniel Muir could be on his way out. It depends on how the team would feel about cutting someone who was looking like he could be starting in Week One.

~This is the most confusing unit on the team. One week Mike Tauiliili looks like a star and the next he is a non-factor. Jordan Senn didn't play all that well tonight and Freddy Keiaho showed his uselessness with missing easy tackles. I think that Ramon Humber has to make the roster. I mean, there is no way they can keep someone like Keiaho over him, can they?

~For the corners, Jacob Lacey played well except on the first drive. He is practice squad bound, but he looks like a future Colt. He's great in man coverage.

~Jamie Silva played great. He led the team in tackles and had a sack. He was a stud today and I think he locked up a roster spot.

Special Teams

~Adam Vinatieri missed a field goal and Pat McAfee had a punt blocked and may or may not have been injured. Someone would need to clarify that for me. From a kicking standpoint, it was an ugly game.

~Jamie Silva is not a punt returner unless 5 yards a return sounds acceptable to you. Simpson wasn't as bad as usual at returning kicks, but he isn't making the roster because of it. That's for sure.

Roster prediction after the jump.

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi
Curtis Painter

RB
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
Lance Ball

H-B
Gijon Robinson
Tom Santi

WR
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie
Pierre Garcon

TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme

LT
Charlie Johnson
Tony Ugoh

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday
Kyle DeVan

RG
Mike Pollak
Dan Federkeil

RT
Ryan Diem

LE
Robert Mathis
Keyunta Dawson
Marcus Howard

UT
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster

NT
Antonio Johnson
Terrance Taylor
Adrian Grady

RE
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock

WILL
Clint Session
Ramon Humber

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Jordan Senn

SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler

CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Jerraud Powers
TJ Rushing

FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Jamie Silva

SS
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Pat McAfee

LS
Justin Snow

Practice Squad
RB Walter Mendenhall
WR Taj Smith
OL Jaimie Thomas
OL Tom Pestock
DL John Gill
LB Mike Tauiliili
DB Jacob Lacey

I like this roster and I really don't have very many problems with it. Usually I will be apprehensive about publishing a roster prediction because I just don't agree with all of it, but I like this one. Muir being booted is obviously the most controversial along with Jennings leaving, but if this team wants the 53 best players, this is probably the way to go.

2009 Colts Training Camp: News and notes from 8/17/09 morning and afternoon practice

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:47:51 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

4 months ago: Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell watches from the sidelines as his team plays the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Indianapolis, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Before we get to the notes about the morning practice, we'll recap a few roster moves that happened today:

OG Brandon Barnes, who was signed to a two-year deal this off-season, was cut.
Colts used the open roster spot to sign DT John Gill, 6'3, 302 pounds. Gill is an undrafted rookie out of Northwestern. Gill was recently cut by the Detroit Lions.
DT Raheem Brock is out for 3 weeks with a fractured hand. He is having surgery.

The Gill signing is to have a warm body in camp while Brock recovers. Cutting Barnes seems to indicate that the Colts are confident in Ryan Lilja's health. Signing Barnes this past off-season made little sense if Lilja was healthy, but since there were all kinds of questions about Lilja's surgically repaired knee the Colts needed someone if Lilja were done. So, while I wish Barnes all the best, his releasing might be a good sign. We shall see.

John Oehser at IFR provided some great notes today from the morning practice. Several Colts players returned to practice after sitting out some last week, or not playing in the Friday pre-season opener against the Vikings. Mike Hart, Anthony Gonzalez, Charlie Johnson, Sam Giguere, Dallas Clark, Jacob Tamme, Kelvin Hayden, Melvin Bullitt, Marlin Jackson, and Antonio Johnson all returned for the morning practice. Antoine Bethea returned for the afternoon one.

Again, as I said this past weekend, the Colts don't give a stinking crap about pre-season. It is my suspicion that all of these guys could have played. Why didn't they? Because the Colts don't give a crap. They know what each and every one of those guys can do.

Check after the jump for camp notes from 8/17/09.

In 7 on 7 drills, rookie CB Jerraud Powers intercepted a deflected ball intended for TE Jamie Petrowski. Powers strolled down the sideline for a TD.
Charlie Johnson is still the starting LT... for now. If Ugoh continues proving the obvious (that he is leaps and bounds more superior at LT than Charlie), then the coaches will continue to look like boobs for making this dumb and obnoxiously silly change.
Morning practice was in full pads.
Austin Collie continues to work solely in the slot. Pierre Garcon is working as an outside receiver.
Collie had a TD pass this morning in practice, as did Garcon in 7 on 7 drills.
Clint Session, looking like Kimbo Slice, is fully entrenched at WILL backer.
Gijon Robinson got hit hard in the morning practice. He did not return for the afternoon one. Don't know yet who hit him.

We'll have an article up tomorrow discussing Peter King's very interesting conversation with Peyton Manning while at training camp, but until then, check out this very tastey quote straight from Big P himself:

I'm gonna kind of whisper this because I don't like rookies to read anything I say. But I think [third-round BYU receiver] Austin Collie's got a chance. He can run. He can really run. He is working the slot only. We haven't had anyone since Brandon Stokley to work the slot only. That's all he practiced. He doesn't have to worry about anything but the slot.
"The other young guy, Pierre Garcon, can run, too. He's an outside receiver only. What we're doing a better job of with the young guys is we're saying, 'This is your position. You don't have to learn everything.' Garcon is like Marvin; after he takes five steps, he's so fast, you'd better let it go.

Very, VERY high praise for two young men from a guy who rarely, if ever, praises young, unproven players. Let's just lock it in stone now, because when Big P talks, it's pretty much law around Colts Land: Collie is the slot receiver; Garcon is Reggie Wayne's back-up.

Colts v. Vikings Game Review: Offensive Struggles, Defensive Standouts

Colts Homer — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:42:58 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

This man dominated the Vikings defense, getting 58 yards on just 5 carries, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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This was the regular Colts preseason game. In the stat sheet and scoreline, it looked very one-sided and like a game that would be hard to take positives from, but I noticed at the game a lot of positives, but of course a few negatives.

~Curtis Painter played horrible. It was a shame to see him come out and throw 17 passes, almost all of which were bad.

~The stretch play looked great with both Addai and Brown running it, and the running game was good overall.

~Brett McDermott made some nice grabs, and I think Austin Collie should move into the 3rd receiver position after a good game and an embarrassing Garcon drop.

~The "bend but don't break" defense was still in effect even with Coyer, and it worked pretty well after the first drive.

~The fact that no one turned the ball over was good for the offense but not good for the defense.

~It was very funny when the big screen showed the Rosenchoppa highlight. The Vikings QB situation sucks. All 3 of their QBs are pathetic.

~Philip Wheeler and a safety were the two positions that blitzed the most.

~Charlie Johnson did not play, so Ugoh played left tackle at the beginning and some right tackle and guard throughout the rest of the game.

~I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that the video board misspelled "Peyton". Embarrassing for whomever was running it.

~Daniel Muir played defensive end. That was pretty weird.

~The Colts have the most dreadlocked players in the league. Marcus Howard, Philip Wheeler, and Rudolph Hardie are sporting some long dreads while players like Addai have the short dreads. I'm looking forward to seeing Peyton Manning, Austin Collie and Justin Snow get their dreads.

~Pat McAfee punted full time for the first time in his career (he punted and kicked in college), and he averaged 50 yards net while punting on seven kicks. That's both outstanding kicking and outstanding coverage. --BBS

After the jump will be my top 5 Colts and an updated roster prediction.

5. Tony Ugoh, OT/OG: I know that we made a big deal about his demotion, and I think he took it personal because he played great. The first drive was pretty bad for everyone on the line, but the rest of the game Ugoh was near perfect. As a guard he opened up huge holes and created the running game. The pass protection from him was beautiful compared to Corey Hilliard's. This only reaffirms me that Ugoh will be a starter by Week One.

4. Adrian Grady, DT: It seemed like for a stretch in the third quarter, Grady was getting every tackle. He smashed running backs who dared to run up the middle. The defensive tackles were really unimpressive in this game, but Grady was the exception. He was a sure tackler which is what the defense needs right now, and he dominated the right guard for the Vikings.

3. Marcus Howard, DE: If you didn't watch the game and just looked at the stats sheet, Howard would seem like a weird pick for the third best Colt, but he was the best pass rusher in the game on both sides. Howard got consistent pressure on Jackson and tortured him. If the Colts were playing the Jaguars with slow David Garrard instead of the mobile Tarvaris Jackson, Howard would have had three sacks at least. I expect Howard to get a lot of playing time this season.

2. Matt Giordano, S: I now have no doubt that the Colts have the best defensive backs in the league. Even without the corners they are the best. A Melvin Bullitt and Matt Giordano starting safety duo would be top 10 in the league. Matt Giordano is the most sure tackler I've seen play for the Colts. While players like Philip Wheeler and Ed Johnson missed some tackles, Giordano shut down anyone who got near him. There are too many good safeties on the team. Silva played well too. I'm hoping all five make the roster.

1. Donald Brown, RB: Wow. That's all I can say. Brown was unbelievable. His long run was a thing of beauty, and he was consistent in his small amount of playing time. If he can be that explosive in the regular season, I have no doubt that he will be a ROY candidate and carry the rushing game to top 16 in the league. Compared to Addai, Brown took off like a rocket when he got the ball. Polian and Co. made a great pick taking Brown. This guy is going to be very special.

So here is my roster prediction. Can they give the Colts a 63 player roster because there are too many good players to cut.

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

RB
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart

H-B
Gijon Robinson
Tom Santi

WR
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie
Pierre Garcon

TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme

LT
Tony Ugoh

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday
Steve Justice

RG
Mike Pollak
Dan Federkeil

RT
Ryan Diem
Charlie Johnson

LE
Robert Mathis
Marcus Howard
Keyunta Dawson

UT
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster
Adrian Grady

NT
Antonio Johnson
Daniel Muir
Terrance Taylor

RE
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock

SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Adam Seward

WILL
Clint Session
Freddy Keiaho

CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Dante Hughes
Tim Jennings
Jerraud Powers

FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Jamie Silva

SS
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Pat McAfee

LS
Justin Snow

Practice Squad
QB Curtis Painter
RB Lance Ball
WR John Matthews
WR Taj Smith
OL Jaimie Thomas
DL Rudolph Hardie
LB Ramon Humber
DB Jacob Lacey

First Depth Chart Released: Here's Some Analysis

Colts Homer — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:43:01 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

4 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning makes a throw during the NFL team's football training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Browse more photos »

Tip to Aerostar and his hilarious avatar for first posting this.

The first depth chart of the year is released. Yes, we all know about Charlie Johnson being the starting left tackle over Ugoh, but I found other tidbits just as astounding and surprising. I need to remember that this isn't the final roster, but it does show Caldwell's impressions. We have been looking at tweets and reports and even first-hand accounts, but Caldwell is the man who makes the final decisions, and this gives us a peek into his thought process. This is also very telling of who will be cut and who will make the roster. Note that the PUP list players are listed at the bottom, so like Aerostar said, don't grab your pitchforks and torches and head out for Caldwell when you see Sanders listed as the #3 strong safety.

My position-by-position analysis is after the jump.

Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi
Curtis Painter
Chris Crane

No surprises there.

Running Back
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
Chad Simpson
Lance Ball

Coming into training camp, people would have said you were crazy if you had Chad Simpson, who was just plain bad last year over the promising Lance Ball, but now Simpson is above Ball. Everything I've heard out of training camp has Simpson being a phenomenal player. Ball does have practice squad eligibility left, so there is that. Last year Lance Ball dominated in preseason for the Rams much like Mike Hart did for the Colts and ended up not making the roster, so it is hard to say that if Ball has a great preseason he will make the roster.

H-Back
Gijon Robinson
Jacob Tamme

Again, we are seeing Tamme listed as an H-back while his skill sets fit more of the tight end/slot receiver role that Dallas Clark plays. That confused me.

Wide Receiver
Reggie Wayne
Pierre Garcon
Roy Hall
Austin Collie
John Matthews

Anthony Gonzalez
Brett McDermott
Taj Smith
Sam Giguere

A lot of things to note here. First, Austin Collie behind Pierre Garcon and Roy Hall? That surprised me. Collie has been practicing as the slot receiver while Garcon has been the fourth and Hall hasn't really been heard from. Second, who's this Brett McDermott? Taj Smith has supposedly been very impressive, but he is listed behind McDermott. That shocked me. Giguere is obviously listed last because he is on the PUP list.

Tight End
Dallas Clark
Gijon Robinson
Jacob Tamme
Tom Santi
Jamie Petrowski

So Santi is fourth. That disappoints me since I am such a Santi fan. Gijon Robinson holds onto the second receiver job for now. This could seriously change this preseason. Santi was out for training camp and preseason last year and has battled injuries for his career, so he could surprise the coaches who have seen very little from him so far.

Left Tackle
Charlie Johnson
Tony Ugoh
Michael Toudouze

These are some names that have been around for a while, but usually Ugoh would be above Johnson. That continues to shock me. The Colts gave up a first round pick for Ugoh in the most deep running back class I can remember. Some players that were left when the Niner picked were receivers Donny Avery and Eddie Royal, tight ends Dustin Keller and John Carlson, and running backs Matt Forte, Ray Rice and Kevin Smith. Keep that in mind when deciding whether Ugoh was a bust or not.

Left Guard
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard
Jaimie Thomas

It's nice to see Lilja in a depth chart again. That is the biggest addition of the offseason. They are getting back an outstanding offensive guard that will have a chip on his shoulder. I expect left guard to be the strongest position on the line other than center with Jamey Richard being the backup. Richard is going to be one of Polian's diamonds in the rough picks. It isn't looking great for Thomas to make the roster right now, but training camp could change that.

Center
Jeff Saturday
Steve Justice
Kyle DeVan

No surprise with Saturday at the top. Justice really needs to step it up because he was awful last season in both the preseason and regular season. The DeVan signing keeps looking weirder now that he isn't making any impact.

Right Guard
Mike Pollak
Dan Federkeil
Brandon Barnes

Pollak is another young offensive lineman who needs to step it up. This really is a huge question mark. Pollak was not good last year, but at least he will have a training camp to get ready for the season. Federkeil, straight outta Medicine Hat, has been a long time Colt and has played well when given the opportunity. Barnes was another weird signing who hasn't panned out.

Right Tackle
Ryan Diem
Corey Hilliard
Tom Pestock

Diem was the only healthy lineman last year, but he wasn't great. I would not be surprised to see Ugoh starting on the right side one day. Hilliard played well at the training camp I went to and he could make the roster. Pestock is in the same boat as Barnes and DeVan. All three will be in the UFL soon enough.

Left Defensive End
Robert Mathis
Keyunta Dawson
Marcus Howard

This surprised me a lot. Not only is Robert Mathis starting, but Raheem Brock isn't even listed as a left defensive end. Dawson's move to defensive end must be going well now that he is listed above Howard, someone who I think could make a huge impact. I do not want to see Mathis starting. He isn't great against the run, and he is much more effective as a pass rush specialist.

Nose Tackle
Anthony Johnson
Daniel Muir
Terrance Taylor
Adrian Grady

This shocked me to be honest. I thought Mookie was in trouble with his injury, but now he is a starter. He earned it after last season, but with the way Muir has been playing and the drafting of Taylor I thought he may have been the odd man out. Besides AJ, nothing surprises me. Muir has almost guaranteed himself a roster spot now, and things aren't looking good for Grady.

Under Tackle
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster

I don't know how Ed Johnson is an under tackle. He's a huge man. This doesn't seem right. I think the defense will be a little different next year, which is a good thing. There will be better run defense and hopefully the Johnsons could even get pressure on the QB. Fili Moala isn't starting, but he isn't a wasted pick. Let's see how he does with the preseason. Foster better make the roster.

Right Defensive End
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock
Curtis Johnson

Things aren't looking good for Johnson. He could very easily not make the roster after minimal playing time last year. He is a good pass rusher, but there are much better lineman, and I think he is the odd man out. Nothing surprising at RDE.

SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler

No surprises here.

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Adam Seward
Freddy Keiaho
Mike Tauiliili

This shocked me. Keiaho is listed as a middle linebacker, and he's third on the depth chart? He may not even make the roster. Special teams may save him. Besides that, no surprises.

WILL
Clint Session
Jordan Senn

Senn is the backup WILL right now. He was a special teams stud, so maybe he will make the roster. The 2008 UDFAs were a very special group. Maybe he will continue to be a part of it.

CB
Kelvin Hayden
Dante Hughes
TJ Rushing
Jacob Lacey

Marlin Jackson
Tim Jennings
Jerraud Powers
Michael Coe
Nick Graham

To me, this looks like Hughes may be winning the nickelback job, something that would please me. Hughes was built for the Tampa-2, and if he can stay healthy, he can be a very good player. He was another third round pick that was starting to look like a bust, but maybe he can end up breaking the curse. Rushing and Coe may be the odd men out when it comes to making the roster. Losing Rushing would disappoint me, and Coe could have been a great special teams player, but when a team has great depth, good players end up getting cut.

SS
Melvin Bullitt
Jamie Silva
Bob Sanders

This may be the most talented group on the team. Bullitt was an absolute stud filling in for Sanders last year, and Silva is a great special teams player. Sanders is obviously an amazing player, but he has to stay healthy. I'm not sure if I can take more of his injuries.

FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Travis Key

Bethea is in his contract year, so I expect him to really step it up. Giordano is a great gunner who has found his place on the roster. Key is a training camp player and nothing more. No surprises here.

P
Pat McAfee

Obviously.

K
Shane Andrus
Adam Vinatieri

PUP players are listed last, so that's why Andrus is the team's kicker. Vinatieri should be healthy by the Jaguars game, so this is what I expected. Keep Vinatieri off the field and let him rehab.

Holder
Pat McAfee
Jim Sorgi

How can you hold the ball AND the clipboard at the same time? Obviously Sorgi isn't going to win this job.

PR
TJ Rushing
Pierre Garcon
Jerraud Powers

This may be the way Rushing makes the roster. He is a great punt returner. I did not know that Powers was a returner, so that surprised me. Garcon is not a good returner so hopefully Rushing makes the roster or Powers beats him out for the job.

KR
Chad Simpson
TJ Rushing
Austin Collie

Simpson being named the starter shows how bad the kick return game is. Hopefully they draft someone like Perrish Cox next year so this isn't a problem anymore.

Long Snapper
Justin Snow
Jacob Tamme

Good old Justin Snow. He's been around forever, and I couldn't be happier. He has a great job.

I do not expect all of these to stand. Obviously Ed Johnson isn't starting Week One because of suspension, but there is no way AJ is going to be a regular starter. I also expect Ugoh to start Week One as well. Overall, this was a shocking depth chart. I can't wait to see these guys play on Friday.