SB Nation - Rudolph Hardie

Colts roster moves: Three players injured-waived, TE Colin Cloherty cut

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:37:12 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Indianapolis Colts receiver John Matthews was (shockingly) not cut today (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tomorrow, the Colts must trim their roster down to 75 players. Today, they took the first steps to doing so, placing Michael Coe, Curtis Johnson, and Rudolph Hardie on the injured-waived list. This is the same list the Colts placed Roy Hall on. Basically, when the players clear waivers, another team can pick them up. If a team doesn't, the Colts will then place them on the Injured Reserve (IR) list, effectively ending their season.

Again, just like with Roy Hall, it seems Coe, Hardie, and Johnson will not play for the Colts in 2009.

Indianapolis also cut Colin Cloherty. By my count, they need to make one more roster move to get to 75. One possibility is cutting kicker Shane Andrus and bringing Adam Vinatieri off the PUP list.

Cutting Coe was something many of us saw coming. I don't think he's played in a single pre-season game. Likely, he is still recovering from last season's knee injury during training camp, which is very unfortunate. Hardie was injured in the Lions pre-season game on Saturday, and apparently that injury was serious enough to get him waived-injured. Curtis Johnson is a bit of a shocker. Some of us (aka me!) thought he'd make the final roster. Not sure what his injury is.

Also, Kelvin Hayden, Matt Giordano, Raheem Brock, and Jacob Lacey returned to practice today, according to IFR. Held out of practice were Mike Hart, Mike Pollak, Sam Giguere, Clint Session, and Tom Santi. The Colts seem to be listing Santi's injury from the Lions game as an ankle injury, and, as Phil B of the Indy Star fears, it could be serious.

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

Colts essentially cut WR Roy Hall, sign several new players

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:58:58 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Roy Hall makes a catch during the NFL football team's minicamp in Indianapolis, Friday, June 5, 2009. Hall was placed on the injured-waived list today. His career in Indy is likely over. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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As the discussion in the FanPost comments suggests, this move was a bit of a surprise for some folks. Roy Hall, a prospect at WR since the Colts drafted him in 2007, has been placed on the injured-waved list. This means that Roy can sign with another team. If he can't sign, he's then placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list. Either way, his career with the Colts is over. This is now the third straight year Hall's season with the Colts was cut short because of injury. Hell, we still don't even know what his current injury is.

Roy developed as a player, but could never stay healthy to showcase any talent on the field. We wish him the best and hope he can get healthy enough to make a difference in this league. Also released was OG Tom Pestock.

After the roster spots for Hall and Pestock were cleared, the Colts re-activated Samuel Giguere from the PUP list and signed two additional players: Walter Mendenhall (a rookie out of Illinois State and older brother of Steelers back Rashard Mendenhall) and Rudolph Hardie, a DE drafted two years ago from Howard University.

You might remember Rudolph Hardie from our draft profile of him in 2008. We thought the Colts would draft or potentially sign Hardie because he seemed to fit the kind of player the Colts love. We wrote:

Despite these weakness, there is a reason Hardie keeps popping up on people's sleeper draft pick lists: He has the tools to become a very good pass rusher, and team looking for DE depth could find a gem in Hardie. Look for a Cover-2 style team, such as the Colts, Vikes, or Bucs, to draft Hardie.

It's always kind of cool to see a player you thought the team would be interested in eventually sign. We saw the Colts do this with Buster Davis and Rufus Alexander recently. We stated (waaaaay back in the day) that Alexander and Davis were good fits for the Colts. Hopefully, Hardie will find a way to stick around on the Colts roster, unlike Davis and Alexander.

Like Hardie in 2008, Walter Mendenhall is viewed by some as a possible "sleeper" player that went undrafted because he played at a small school:

Older brother to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashad Mendenhall, the Illinois State product is just as big and strong carrying the ball. His game film is outstanding as Walter shows power on the inside, speed in the open field and the ability to slip tackles then create yardage.

Mike Hart has been ruled out for tomorrow night's pre-season game against the Vikings. with Joseph Addai likely not to see much action, and with Donald Brown being a high priced rookie, signing Mendenhall feels more like a "warm body" roster move. However, as we have seen in the past, if you show you can play, the Colts will keep you.

Lions Sign Pettigrew to 5-Year Deal

Sean Yuille — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:53:55 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

7 months ago: Detroit Lions running back Antone Smith, left, and tight end Brandon Pettigrew stretch out during drills at football minicamp at the team's practice facility in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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The Lions have announced the signing of first-round pick Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew's deal is for five years, and he becomes the final Lions rookie to sign a deal with the team. That means that all rookies were able to report to Allen Park on time, and more importantly, all rookies will be in practice tomorrow.

Also announced was that the Lions have released linebacker Spenser Smith (rookie free agent out of Eastern Michigan). Defensive end Eric Hicks, cornerback Antonio Smith, and defensive backs Tra Battle and James William were also released earlier this week. It was never confirmed or announced by the team, but defensive end Rudolph Hardie and running back Antone Smith were also reportedly released earlier this week. Neither are on the Lions' roster, so it appears they are not on the team. It's just a bit strange that nothing was ever confirmed or announced.

Lions Sign Will James and Lydon Murtha, Release Three

Sean Yuille — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:47:16 -0000

As preparation for training camp continues, the Lions made quite a few changes to their roster today, headlined by the signing of free agent cornerback William James. The Lions also confirmed that they have signed draft picks DeAndre Levy and Lydon Murtha. To make room on the roster for the three players, running back Antone Smith, defensive end Rudolph Hardie, and safety Tra Battle were released.

Will James, who actually played for the University of Michigan for two years (then as Will Peterson), was a member of the Jaguars, so I'm guessing James Harris is behind this move. Jacksonville released James in June, and the Lions brought him in for a workout yesterday. 24 hours or so later, he became a Lion.

James is entering his ninth season in the NFL, and the Lions are his fifth team. He started out as a New York Giant in 2001 and joined the Eagles in 2006. James spent only two seasons in Philadelphia, as he became a Bill during the offseason a year ago. After being released during the final round of roster cuts, he joined the Jaguars, where he played in 8 games. On average, he has only played in around 9.5 games a season. That is mainly due to him playing in only 10 games combined in 2003, 2005, and 2006, but the last two years he has played in 22 total games.

On top of signing James, the two draft picks, and releasing three players, the Lions also brought in quarterbacks Cleo Lemon, Brooks Bollinger, and Craig Nall for a workout. Before training camp begins, the Lions obviously want to make sure that there isn't a free agent backup QB they have missed out on. I expect them to stick with Drew Stanton as the third-string QB, but the Lions may very well see a need to add a player to the competition.

Lions Place Alex Lewis on IR, Sign Darnell Bing

Sean Yuille — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:53:37 -0000

The Lions placed linebacker Alex Lewis on the injured reserve earlier this week, ending his season. Lewis suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Buccaneers when he attempted to tackle Cadillac Williams. Though the injury didn't look good, Lewis hoped to come back for the final games of the season. Instead he is headed to the IR.

To fill the void at linebacker, the Lions signed Darnell Bing from the practice squad. Bing is in his third season out of USC, where he played safety. The Oakland Raiders drafted him and converted him to linebacker, although they switched him back to safety prior to the 2007 season. Bing went on the IR himself before the 2006 season due to a neck injury and was released by the Raiders in July of 2007. After his release, he went on to play for the 49ers and Jets before coming to Detroit this past August.

In another roster move, the Lions signed defensive end Rudolph Hardie to the practice squad. Hardie was with the team up until the final round of roster cuts this past summer. After the Lions cut him, he was on the practice roster of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders for two days. Following that short stint, he was signed to the Packers' practice squad before being released twelve days later.

Lions Release 20, Place 2 on IR to Trim Roster to 53 Players

Sean Yuille — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:39:01 -0000

The Lions announced their 53-man roster today after releasing 20 players and placing 2 on the injured reserve. The two players placed on the IR were running backs Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason. With both Calhoun and Cason done for the year, you would have thought that Artose Pinner would make the team, but he didn't. That means the Lions will carry only two running backs going into the regular season.

Here is the full list of the players released today by Detroit:

QB Drew Henson
RB Artose Pinner
WR Ron Bellamy
WR Devale Ellis
WR Brandon Middleton
WR Kenneth Moore
WR John Standeford
TE Clark Harris
OT Jonathan Scott
OG Frank Davis
OG Corey Hulsey
DE Victor DeGrate
DE Rudolph Hardie
LB Darnell Bing
LB Buster Davis
LB Leon Joe
CB Dovonte Edwards
CB Kiwaukee Thomas
S Greg Blue
S LaMarcus Hicks

I'll post a full analysis of what all of this means tomorrow.