SB Nation - Lance Ball

Horse Tracks 11/5/09 - McBean, J. Williams, Bruton miss practice; Clark unlikely to play for Steelers

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:01:18 -0000

Thanks for all of your votes and input yesterday, folks! I think it provided enough feedback/encouragement to help make Horse Tracks a tighter ship, and I truly appreciate it. But just to be clear, I'm not looking to make Tracks easier/faster for myself. I'm just trying to cut the fat so I can add back in some commentary/snark where it's called for (ironically, not much today).

DB - Week 9 - Wed: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DPP - Briefs: Broncos a big zero on opening drives this season - Lindsay Jones
OT Ryan Harris (out w/two dislocated toes), DE Ryan McBean (MCL), CB Jack Williams (unkown) and S David Bruton (ankle) missed practice.

CSG - Broncos notes: Altitude likely to sideline Steelers' Clark - Frank Schwab

DB - Déjà Vu All Over Again? - Gray Caldwell

DB - Ecstatic To Enter The Locker Room - Chris Gentilviso
Carlton Powell is thrilled to be back with the Broncos, while Lance Ball found a couple of familiar faces in Denver.

CBS - Rating big trade winners, losers at midseason - Clark Judge
"The move was supposed to say more about McDaniels than Cutler, and maybe it did. Maybe it said he knew what he was doing." My, how things have changed...

DB - Week 9 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 9 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

CSG - Broncos prepare for physical Steelers on Monday night - Frank Schwab

CSG - Nothing wasted on young coaches Tomlin, McDaniels - Frank Schwab

DPP - Krieger: Broncos pit their new physicality against the masters

DPP - Broncos brace for black-and-gold invasion by Steelers fans - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Analysis: Broncos' running game vital against Pittsburgh - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Q&A: Broncos short-sighted in passing game - Jeff Legwold

DP - Orton expects Broncos to rebound against Steelers - Mike Chambers

KDVR - Broncos vs. Steelers Preview: Gadget plays may be a factor

DP - Woody's Mailbag: Can hurry-up help?

AP - Staggered Broncos Out To Avoid Losing Streak - Arnie Stapleton

DB - When Overtime Became Reality - Jim Saccomano
Sacco recalls the NFL's first OT game, which happened to be Broncos/Steelers at Mile High.

CBS4 - Broncos To Honor Vets, Active Duty Military Monday

Steelers News

PPG - On the Steelers: Injured Kirschke unlikely to play - Ed Bouchette
Old friend (barely) Nick Eason will be starting at LDE in place of the injured Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke.

Y! - Another Clark episode not worth the risk - Charles Robinson

FH - Hines Ward's the NFL's Dirtiest Player? - J.J. Cooper

SI - Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL's dirtiest player, peers say - Richard Deitsch
Troy Polamalu also made the list; BMarsh received one vote from the 296 players polled

SN - Knock on Troy Polamalu: huge hitter but not a textbook tackler - Dennis Dillon

BCT - Steelers' Starks can make 2009 even better - Mike Bires

AFC West News

FH - NFL Oddly Quiet About Larry Johnson, Tom Cable and Personal Conduct - Nancy Gay

ESPN - Dangerous Player: Darren Sproles, Chargers RB - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Rivers, Manning forever linked by draft - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Hardwick practices; Sunday return possible - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - Chambers sought legal help vs. ex-girlfriend - Brent Schrotenboer

SFC - Cable's job appears safe, at least for now - David White

SFC - Gwen Knapp: Davis needs to hear out allegations

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Satele wins job - David White

OT - Monte Poole: Oakland Raiders -- Weird is the new normal

KCS - Chiefs believe Chambers can help them - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs notebook: Page placed on injured reserve - Kent Babb

KCS - Messages from team and fans directed at Larry Johnson - Kent Babb

NFL News

NFL - Wednesday Injury Reports

Y! - Thomas shoots down strike talk rumors - Jason Cole

NFL Opinion

SN - Confluence of influence: NFL coaches praise mentors - Dennis Dillon
McD on Belichick, Kubes on Shanny

FOX - Not all injury absences are created equal - Alex Marvez
Marvez thinks the injuries to Nick Hardwick and Jamal Williams (although big) are why the Dolts have had a slow start (NORV). Right (NORV). And why did they have a slow start last year (NORV)? Just as a reminder, Marty was fired after going 14-2. Hmm. What could it be? (NORV)

NFL - Saints and Colts are 7-0, but is quest for perfection realistic? - Pat Kirwan

NFL - It's time to wonder: Are these teams who we thought they were? - Steve Wyche

ESPN - NFL: Division races lack usual sizzle - John Clayton

FH - Zebra Report: 'Instant' Replays No More - Matt Snyder

SI - Dallas Cowboys rising in Week 9 NFL Power Rankings - Don Banks

FOX - Week 9 Cheat Sheet: NFL picks and predictions - Peter Schrager
"The Pick: Steelers 28, Broncos 13"

NYT - Week 9 Game Probabilities, and a Forecast for Giants-Chargers - Brian Burke

NFP - Tavern talk: Giants struggle to solve problems - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Defensive failures at root of Giants' three-game losing streak - Bucky Brooks

NFP - Scheme Session: the big play Eagles - Matt Bowen

NFP - Darren Sharper for MVP? - Matt Bowen

Special "What's Wrong in Cleveland" Section

FH - Dirty Dozen: What Have They Done With The Browns? - Dave Goldberg

PFW - Browns fumbling away another season - Tom Danyluk

NFP - Wednesday whys: Will Kokinis get paid by the Browns? - Andrew Brandt

NFP - The mess in Cleveland gets worse - Robert Boland

NFP - A lesson learned in Cleveland - Jack Bechta
More excellent insight here

Broncos add Lance Ball, Carlton Powell to Practice Squad

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:01:15 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

In this Aug. 29, 2009 photo, Indianapolis Colts running back Lance Ball rushes for a touchdown as Detroit Lions safety LaMarcus Hicks dives during the fourth quarter of a exhibition NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

The Broncos made two pairs of moves with their practice squad roster today, as RB Lance Ball and DT Carlton Powell replaced RB Darius Walker and DE Everette Pedescleaux.

Walker was waived, while Pedescleaux was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

Ball is a second-year player who appeared in one game in 2008 for Indianapolis. In the Colts' regular-season finale, Ball took 13 carries for 83 yards, adding 5 yards on 1 reception. He fumbled once (recovered by the Colts). During the 2009 preseason (for the Colts), Ball rushed 35 times for 86 yards (2.5 YPA) and caught 3 passes for 32 yards with zero touchdowns and 1 fumble (recovered by Indianapolis). In addition to his time with Indianapolis, the former Maryland Terp has been a practice-squad member of the Rams and Titans.

Powell was originally drafted by Denver in 2008 (5th Round, #148 overall) but missed the entire season due to an injury to his Achilles tendon. A teammate of Eddie Royal's at Virginia Tech, Powell was waived by the Broncos in September before spending two weeks on the Browns' practice squad.

Tennessee Titans Add RB Lance Ball to the Practice Squad

Jimmy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:07:12 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Browse more photos »

After bringing in 4 running backs this morning for tryouts, the Titans signed Lance Ball to the practice squad. Ball played college at Maryland and spent time with the Indianapolis Colts last season where he had 13 carries for 83 yards.

Lance Ball

Running Back

Height: 5-9

Weight: 220

Born: Jun 19, 1985

College:Maryland

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.

John Oesher gets some good info from Bill Polian after the Bengals pre-season game

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:54:26 -0000

by Al Behrman - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jim Sorgi (12) hands off to Indianapolis Colts running back Chad Simpson (35) in the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

View full size photo »

In his recent Coffee With the Colts article for examiner.com, John Oehser provides us with some very interesting quotes from the big redhead himself, Colts President Bill Polian. Polian's words provide lots of insight and intrigue into how the final roster will shake out on Saturday as the Colts cut down to 53 active players.

First and foremost, if you think the Colts don't care about pre-season overall, then know that they care even less about the final pre-season. Indeed, when you read Polian's quotes about the fourth pre-season game, it's clear that they could care less about the outcome of the fourth game:

"I have never taken any stock in the fourth preseason game other than to try to judge players, and to put players in positions where they absolutely have to perform against a team like the Bengals, who played their people two series and their seconds virtually the whole ballgame. You're looking for standard of performance and if you get it, great. If you don't, then move on."

...

"The fans should not be down about tonight's performance. Frankly, we expected it."

Evaluating players, in particular young players, is essential before finally making the key decisions that eventually shape the final roster. With that final roster, Polian made a strong suggestion that we might see some Colts drafted in past years get cut:

"We're not going to keep anybody because they were a draft choice," he said. "We're going to keep the guys who we think can win in the National Football League. That's the sole criteria. If you can't, then we'll figure out what to do from there. . . .

For me, that's a not-so-subtle suggestion that players like Dante Hughes, Steve Justice, and Freddy Keiaho might soon be unemployed. When you factor in Polian and Caldwell's recent comments complimenting players like Jacob Lacey and Kyle DeVan, it tends to suggest that players who were drafted in years past might not make the final roster. Also, a player like Jaimie Thomas might get cut as well, but eventually scooped up onto the practice squad.

The main point from Oehser's article and Polian's quotes is that the team president seems happy with the choices he has to make. This is a far cry from the volcanic Bill Polian we saw last year prior to cutdown day. We also know that the Colts will likely keep eight offensive linemen, eight defensive linemen, and five corners. Other highlights:

Polian thinks the team is solid at corner
There are some tough decisions regarding who will play safety
Bob Sanders' health is a big question mark
Polian loves Jim Sorgi and Curtis Painter
Funny quote from Polian about John Matthews:
(Rookie WR John Matthews) has not yet learned he's not playing at the Division III level. He's not playing Azula Pacific, so the ball gets knocked out and things like that happen. But there are some positive things, too, there. He gets open and catches the ball. He never has played against anybody ay good as (Bengals CB) Morgan Trent and he got open.That's a plus.
Colts will keep three running backs
Polian gives Lance Ball high praise
The Colts are watching the waiver wire closely Sunday, as all teams will do. Indy is way down on the waiver claim list. So, getting someone they might want to claim will be difficult. We may see a trade.

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)

Browse more photos »

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.

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)

Browse more photos »

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?

Colts v. Lions: Players to Look For

Colts Homer — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:53:12 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

This better not happen today, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. The Eagles recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

It's the starters' preseason game. 5 starters are out (Brock, Lilja, Sanders, Vinatieri and Hayden), but we will see Peyton, Wayne, Gonzalez, Charlie Johnson, Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney and all of those guys playing in the second quarter. After seeing what happened to Tom Brady against the Redskins, I am much more nervous for this game than I should be. All it takes is a right defensive end getting to Peyton, hitting him on his blindside and hurting his shoulder like what they did to Brady. Good thing the Colts are starting their most talented left tackle...Oh wait.

Charlie Johnson

This is Johnson's game. He has to keep Peyton standing up or else we will see Ugoh at left tackle in Week One. Ugoh has outplayed Johnson in the preseason so far, and if it happens again, Mudd and Caldwell can't justify starting Johnson. The most important thing about the offense is to keep Peyton Manning on his feet so he can throw a few touchdowns a game. If that doesn't happen, someone needs to go. In this case, it is Johnson. If a right end nails Manning I will be very upset with Caldwell and Mudd for not starting the better left tackle.

The rest are after the jump.

Jim Sorgi

Sorgi is back! Get happy, everyone. Sorgi will be able to play so the "Out with the old, in with the new" fallacy will go away now. We will see that Sorgi is better than Painter and people can be quiet about that. He won't throw off his back foot in the redzone directly to a defender. He won't scramble out at any kind of pressure and throw on the run instead of stepping up in the pocket. I think once people see Sorgi on the field again they will realize how much of a better player he is than Curtis Painter.

Pierre Garcon

Garcon really needs to play well if he is going to see the field this year. He's dropping too many passes. I'm not Peyton Manning and I don't know how he thinks, but dropping a Peyton Manning pass would probably be the equivalent of dropping someone's baby. That's not going to fly in the regular season. Austin Collie is really good as we have seen. Caldwell and Co. aren't going to send out players just because. Garcon has to earn his spot on the field. So far he hasn't done that. If he drops some passes today it will be hard to justify him actually playing.

Fili Moala

I want to see him do something. I want to see him get to Matt Stafford and punish him for coming out early. Moala has been rather quiet this preseason. I was expecting him to make some more noise. Today is his chance. The defensive tackle position is very crowded. He needs to live up to expectations pretty quickly if he wants to see the field early and often. With the Johnsons appearing to be the starters for Week Two, Moala needs to make a case that he is starter material for Week One.

Ramon Humber

Humber has to keep on playing like he has. Adam Seward is gone, so he now has a great chance on making the roster. He is in a big competition with Freddie Keiaho and Jordan Senn for a roster spot, and he is definitely the least experienced being a UDFA. The fact that Keiaho has a job in this league shows how much experience matters to the Colts. Humber has been really good, and he has a great chance of actually making the final cut, but he will have to prove to be better than Keiaho and Senn.

Freddy Keiaho

Like I was saying above, Keiaho is definitely not guaranteed to make the roster. Hell, the only reason he is with the team is that they weren't comfortable with the backup linebackers. I'm sure if they front office and Caldwell knew how good Senn and Humber would turn out to be they wouldn't have signed him. Keiaho has to earn a spot like every other backup linebacker. Seward getting cut shows that no backups are locks to be on the final roster. Keiaho is not one of the top 6 Colts linebackers right now, and he has to step it up if he wants to make the 53 man squad.

Tim Jennings

He is just not that good. Jennings is not as good as Jerraud Powers, and it has shown this preseason. Jacob Lacey has even played much better. It's not just keeping the nickel back spot. It's keeping a roster spot. Jennings has not had the career a second round pick should have. Jennings has to justify that he is better than Jerraud Powers who has been a nice surprise.

This is the best preseason game for looking at the starters. For the most part people put way too much stock into the preseason. I feel bad for the people who use the preseason to draft for fantasy. It's obvious that teams don't really care how good players do in the preseason. That's why Lance Ball is a Colt and not a Ram. Ball was phenomenal in his rookie year's preseason with the Rams, but he didn't make the final roster. This third game is different. It is now just two long weeks until the season starts. For this game we will see a lot of the starters. If Mike Pollak struggles it will be something of concern unlike the first two preseason games. The same goes with all of the question mark starters. If you really want to put stock into a preseason game, today is your day.

Caldwell looking to boost special teams by adding more players

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:21:34 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell is looking to shake things up on special teams. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

Saw a very interesting note in a recent article from Matt Dollinger at Colts.com:

The Colts plan to insert some new players on special teams to bolster their return game, Caldwell said. In addition to defensive back T.J. Rushing, Caldwell said he anticipates wide receivers Austin Collie and Taj Smith and safety Jamie Silva may return some kicks and punts on Thursday against the Lions.

Barring any kind of setback with T.J. Rushing regarding his knee injury from last year, the man has won the punt returning duties. We saw it last week against the Eagles (who played last night; anyone watch?). Rushing could also return kicks, but it seems Caldwell wants to split those duties, or at least try to. It's also clear that Caldwell is not happy with the players who have been returning kicks of late.

Collie practiced punt returning during mini-camps and training camp this season. I have not seen him practice returning kick-offs. I'd be shocked if Jamie Silva could return a punt or a kick. He seems more of a gunner or up-man on kick coverage.

If Taj Smith can prove he can return kicks, then that is a huge boost for him. He is on the bubble, along with Sam Giguere. While I like Giguere, he looked horrible returning kicks last week; no moves or speed as he rushed forward. If Taj shows he can do the job, it wil be Taj in, Giggy out.

One player who I'm about 95% sure is out is Chad Simpson. Simpson's sole reason for being on this roster is special teams. He returned several kicks last year, and he was horrible doing so. He's had multiple chances this off-season and training camp to prove he can do the job, and he hasn't. It doesn't bode well for Chad that Caldwell is "adding more players" to a position and job Simpson pretty much did exclusively. Chad's also been out-played at running back by Lance Ball, who might win the job as the third back if Mike Hart starts the season on PUP.

Other news for the upcoming game against the Lions: Ryan Lilja is out with a bruised shoulder, and it's unlikely we will see Captain Pre-Season himself, Jim Sorgi.

Colts cut Adam Seward, Chris Crane, re-sign Mendenhall (the other one)

BigBlueShoe — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:41:55 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts running back Lance Ball now has a golden opportunity to supplant Mike Hart as the #3 running back for the Colts. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

And here you thought your Saturday was going to be uneventful. It seems that the lone "big name" free agent the Colts snagged this off-season simply didn't work out. The Colts have cut veteran MLBer Adam Seward, according to John Oehser at IFR. Cutting Seward opened up a roster spot for the Colts to re-sign RB Walter Mendenhall, who they cut last week after Corey Hilliard was jettisoned. Walter is the older brother to Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers.

With Seward gone, it looks like Freddie Keiaho has locked up the back-up MLBer spot.

But wait! We're not done!

Captain Pre-Season is now back! Jim Sorgi has returned to practice after sitting out several weeks with a hamstring injury. This meant bye-bye to Chris Crane, who was cut. With Crane's release, the open roster spot went to safety Marcus Paschal. Paschal has played for both the Eagles and Falcons.

So, why all this flurry of activity?

Well, it seems Mike Hart's ankle injury will, essentially, end his pre-season. He's out for two weeks. As Cassieper so accurately puts it:

The stage is now set for Lance Ball to take the 3rd running back spot. It will be interesting to see if he can get it.

Indeed, if Ball wants a spot on the starting roster, now is the time. Mike Hart is developing as rep as an injury-prone back. I like Hart and think he is a good back, but if you cannot stay healthy in this league, you're garbage. Harsh, but that's the man's league.

So, to quickly recap:

Gone: Adam Seward (MLB), Chris Crane (QB)

Re-signed: Walter Mendenhall (RB)

Signed: Marcus Paschal (S)

Out with injury: Mike Hart