SB Nation User Blog: BigBlueShoe

There is no blog war with 18to88

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:40:07 -0000

I decided to make this a FanPost because (as I have done in the past) this is more for our community; not necessarily an article that needs to be blasted all over Yahoo, CBS Sports, and Google.

Well, if you head to 18to88, you'll see that Deshawn Zombie doesn't like it when one of his loyal readers (namely, me) criticizes some of his editorial choices:

We are Colts centric, but I hate offseason blather. Personally, I don't find it that all that interesting.

So...We blog about other stuff. As much as possible. If BBS or anyone else doesn't like it, don't read it. I could care less what annoys BBS.

We write for us. We always have. I'm trying to entertain one person: my brother.

While this kind of response disappoints me, I'm not mad or pissed at them. My disappointment stems from my expectations. If you Google "Denver Broncos blog" or "Washington Redskins blog" you will see a massive list of sites. Folks, the Broncos and the Redskins have not been very successful football teams for almost a decade. Yet, their fan presence on the net and in the blogosphere is MASSIVE. Meanwhile, the Colts sport (arguably) the best team this decade, and we've only got only two serious Colts blogs: Stampede Blue and Indy Football Report.

That depresses the hell outta me.

When a blog like 18to88 basically tells me they hate covering the Colts during the off-season, they aren't a serious Colts blog anymore. Despite Deshawn's claim, they are most certainly not "Colts centric." When you don't think covering the team for 75% of the calendar year is interesting or important, your blog's content is not centered around that team. From January to September, 18to88 offers very little for Colts fans, and they've essentially told us that if we don't like it we can screw off.

Again, if that's the editorial decision of 18to88, that's fine. I don't "hate" them for that nor do I wish to start bashing them the way I do other media that disappoints me. There is no "blog war" here. But, as a one-time daily reader of 18to88, I'm upset that they have such disdain for off-season coverage. They also don't seem to enjoy reader criticism all that much. We Colts fans have such limited presence on the web when it comes to the number of sites. As someone who takes a lot of pride in being a Colts fan, this frustrates me.

Hopefully, more Colts blogs and dedicated sites will start popping up with dedicated writers who are willing to cover the team 365 a year. Right now, 18to88 is not such a site, and that's a shame. I beg them to re-consider. Perhaps they could bring on board a writer who is willing to cover the Colts during the off-season the way I brought shake n bake, mgrex03, ColtsHomer, and others on board.

As always, I encourage each of you to blog, blog, and BLOG some more. Make your own blogs. Create your own content. I receive roughly 10,000 hits a day during the off-season. That peaks to about 50,000 a day during the regular season. I try VERY hard to take those hits and push them to other great sites. I create weekly "Luke Link" lists that push you (the readers) to sites and stories that are cool. We are a community of fans. I do not "horde" my readers and I do not believe in blog competition. If you are thinking about making a blog, but are worried no one will care about it, don't worry. I am more than happy to link to your stuff.

All I ask in return is that you stick with it. Blogging is a passion, not a hobby. And we Colts fans need more passionate Colts blogs on the net.

For all of you sick of me talking about other blogs, relax. This is the last time I'll bring this subject up, for a while at least. Thanks, as always, for reading my ramblings.

I'm looking at every sack reel of inside guys around the whole league," Foster said. "I just want...

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:44 -0000

I'm looking at every sack reel of inside guys around the whole league," Foster said. "I just want to see what moves are more beneficial to the inside guys. I just really broke down film a lot."

Eric Foster, who has been modeling his game after former Vikings great John Randle. Colts d-line coach John Terrlick coached Randle in Minnesota.

Writer mgrex03 gets some love from Football Outsiders

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:51:12 -0000

Writer mgrex03 gets some love from Football Outsiders

Bill Barnwell, stat guru at the stat-tastic football Mecca that is Football Outsiders, gives our own mgrex03 some love. Of course, it's only natural that DVOA whore shake n bake is extremely jealous of the laurels FO has bestowed on mgrex03.

Luke Links: The annoyance with another Colts blog edition

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:52:06 -0000

I hope everyone enjoyed last night's little podcast, which (truth be told) was little more than a glorified test of Blog Talk Radio's features. I hadn't touched the site in over two years and needed a little test drive before I start making higher quality podcasts. And a special thank you to Indy Lori for the kind words about my radio voice. I must admit, i come in a distant second to JasonB, who has the best radio voice of anyone at SB Nation. Listen to his podcasts (which are the best of any SB Nation podcasts, period) and you'll know I'm speaking the truth.

Now, onto the good stuff (and today, it will truly gooooooood):

Second year DE Marcus Howard expects to make more of an impact in 2009. In limited play, Howard was impressive last year. Seeing as Indy only has five DEs on the roster, that indicates to me that Caldwell and Polian are very confident Howard and Curtis Johnson can step in should Dwight or Robert get hurt.
Speaking of Dwight Freeney, he has a rather impressive workout routine, which is a combination of martial arts and weight training. Note to self: Never get in a fight with Dwight Freeney.
Stayign with defense, lefpsydhas a FanPost up talking about a nice article on new starting LBer Philip Wheeler.
So, it seems 18 to 88 didn't like our bashing of the Indianapolis Star and their horrid coverage of the Colts. Apparently, it is "classless" on our part to demand the Star (a major metropolitan newspaper) provide the same coverage of the Colts (12-4 last year, best QB in football) that the Green Bay Press-Gazette (smaller city, smaller paper) provides to the Green Bay Packers (6-10 last year, no Brett Favre). At 18 to 88, such demands are "classless" and "unfair." Part of the reason 18 to 88 thinks this is because to them "off-season chatter" is not enjoyable. This is, of course, regrettable seeing as 18 to 88 is a (supposed) dedicated Colts blog and almost 75% of a team's calendar year is spent in the off-season. Maybe that's why almost half of 18 to 88's content has nothing to do with the Colts. No offense, but no one really cares what 18 to 88 thinks about racing, soccer, or the completely irrelevant Cincinnati Reds. They either need to re-brand the site as a general Indiana sports site, or stop wasting our time with content we don't care about. Love those dudes to death, but if they have this kind of negative attitude towards off-season coverage of the Colts, it sends a clear message to readers that for eight of the twelve months in a year people should ignore 18 to 88.
It's now been 20 days since the Star wrote an article on the Colts. The Green Bay Press-Gazette (Gannett-owned, just like the Star) posted a Packers article two days ago. They also did a live-chat with one of their writers recently; a weekly occurrence during the off-season. Yep, the Star pretty much still sucks.
Another Austin Collie article from out west. He's a popular guy out there, it seems.
Yahoo and National Football Post thinks Bob Sanders is the key impact player for the Colts in 2009. I agree, he is one of many key players, but not the key. Sadly, writer Matt Bowen doesn't know what he's talking about when he elaborates:
I’m picking Sanders for the Colts because when he isn’t on the field, their defense suffers.
...

If he plays an entire season, the Colts will compete for the division title.

Um, Bob Sanders hardly played at all last year, and the Colts still very much competed for their division. They would have won the division if Peyton Manning hadn't started the season playing on one leg. Matt Bowen would know this if Matt Bowen actually watched Colts football games. He'd know that Melvin Bullitt more than filled in for Bob last year.
Nice chat with DT Eric Foster, the Colts most under-rated player (and possibly the toughest). The kid was a rookie last season playing all his games as the starting nose tackle while weighing only 270 pounds. Tough, tough player out of Rutgers.
FOOTBALL IS BACK... in Canada. The CFL opened their season yesterday. The Saskatchewan Rough Riders (and their best running back, Kenton Keith) open their season tomorrow. Another CFL-Colts connection involves the CFL's champions last year: The Calgary Stampeders. The head coach of the Stampeders, John Hufnagel, used to be Indy's QB coach back in 2001. He was replaced by Jim Caldwell in 2002.

Now, before I close up the Luke Links for this week, let me state that I love 18 to 88 and I enjoy reading their stuff. My annoyance with their latest post and their choice of content stems from my desire (as a loyal 18 to 88 reader) to read more of their opinions about some of the very subjects they seem to loath covering; chief among those subjects is the Colts in the off-season. Supposed "hand-wringing" over the roster, analysis of players, opinions on this and that while games are not getting played... that is what NFL blogging is. One of the major reasons people reads blogs at all is because they are willing to talk about this kind of stuff while newspapers (like the Star) take two month vacations and sit on their hands.

If 18 to 88 truly dislikes off-season blogging, then what the hell are they doing covering the Colts? As stated earlier, 75% of a Colts blogger's job is writing about the off-season.

So, I'm not ranting here because I hate those guys, think they suck, or feel we Colts fans should ignore the site. Far from it. My annoyance is with their assumption that when supposedly "nothing" is happening, nothing should be covered.

Um, no. There is no real "off-season" in football anymore.

If fans aren't talking about the draft or free agency during the off-season, they're talking about who will win what job and how well they'll do at that job. They're talking scheme changes, coaching changes, and player changes. They're talking rookies, free agents, and veterans.

That is Colts blogging.

If that doesn't appeal to 18 to 88, then they really should blog about something else (general Indiana or Midwest sports, maybe). If not, their site title and description are misleading, and (as an avid 18 to 88 reader) it annoys me that one of the only reasons I'd ever go to 18 to 88 (analysis of the Colts during the off-season) is something the writers there say they don't like doing. I hope they change their mind and start re-focusing more on the central subject of their blog. They've lost their way a little bit, in this reader's opinion.

Stampede Blue Radio: Take Two-- Open Thread

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:48:44 -0000

Last night, we ran into a few snags. Tonight, we do this for real! Stampede Blue Radio begins at 6pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio. Please bare with me as I work through a few likely technical issues.

This is your open thread to ask questions and make comments about the show.

Listen to the podcast on the flip...

2009 Colts Training Camp: Third Running Back

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:50:40 -0000

We established the key training camp battles for 2009. Now, with nearly 30 days left until camp, we'll tackle two camp battle evaluations a week, giving insight and analysis on who is competing for the job, what they offer, and our estimation as to who will win.

As we always say around here, camp competition is one of the building blocks of making a championship caliber team. Regardless of contracts, singing bonuses, and all that garbage, players earn their starting spot in camp. If not, if they are just handed the job because they were drafted high or signed some kind of big contract, then you are cheating your football team. This is especially true if another player is better in camp, as was the case in 2006 when a ~~7th~~ 6th round rookie (Antoine Bethea) was better in camp than an established veteran that was well paid (Mike Doss). Bethea beat out Doss for one of the starting safety positions, and was a big part of the Colts winning the Super Bowl that year.

Yes, broken record on this point, I agree. But, it's what we believe in as bloggers, and it is a tried and true way to building a great team. Today, we focus on the players competing for the third running back spot on the roster.

Running backs currently on roster: Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Mike Hart, Lance Ball, Chad Simpson

Running back competing for third and final RB spot: Mike Hart, Lance Ball, Chad Simpson

Traditionally, the Colts carry three running backs on their active roster and keep another back on the practice squad. Last year's active roster RBs heading into Week One of the 2008 season were Joseph Addai, Dominic Rhodes, and then-rookie Mike Hart. But, injuries to Addai and Hart forced Indy to juggle several backs on and off the active roster. Two of those backs were practice squad players Chad Simpson and Lance Ball.

For 2009, veteran Joseph Addai and 2009 first round pick Donald Brown are locked into the #1 and #2 running back spots. In the past, the #3 back has been what Bill Polian has described as a James Mungro-type player, referencing former Colts back James Mungro, whose career was cut short after a knee injury in 2006's training camp. Back #3 is often a short yardage and goal line back who will also play heavily on special teams either as a gunner or a returner. The Colts value cutback runners due to their offensive scheme, and the ability to pass block and catch the football are also important.

Necessary attributes: Goal line and short yardage running; good pass blocking, strong receiving skills, special teams contributor (gunner or returner)

Mike Hart

Image: blog.syracuse.com

At A Glance
Position 1: RB	Height: 5-9
Position 2: Gunner	Weight: 206
Year: 2nd	Age: 23
Number: 32	Note: Recovering from injury

Analysis: The third running back spot is Mike Hart's unless he is unable to return 100% healthy from major knee surgery last year. Hart injured his knee during the October 13th clash with the Baltimore Ravens, ending his promising rookie season. Hart was drafted by the Colts in Round 6 after a legendary collegiate career at Michigan. Hart's 40 time at the Combine in 2008 was not that good (4.65), but as a rookie Hart showed good burst when running.

In pre-season last year, Hart looked very good, displaying strong cutback runs and good blocking technique on passing downs. He played in 5 games in the 2008 regular season, mostly on special teams as a gunner. In October of last year, the Colts started using Hart more in the regular offense, especially on short yardage. However, after just his second NFL carry, he hurt his knee and was done for '09.

The key for Hart in 2009 is proving he is healthy. According to Bill Polian, Hart will start training camp on the PUP, which could be problematic for Hart is players like Lance Ball look good in camp.

Lance Ball

Image: Colts.com

At A Glance
Position 1: RB	Height: 5-9
Position 2: Gunner	Weight: 232
Year: 2nd	Age: 23
Number: 27	Note: Recently re-signed with Colts

Analysis: I like Mike Hart and I have a ton of respect for him. However, there is just something about Lance Ball that makes you root for him. An undrafted kid out of Maryland, Ball landed with the St. Louis Rams early in 2008 only to eventually get picked up by the Colts. Not long after signing Ball, the Colts had him playing in the running back rotation. His biggest controbution came in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans, where Ball ran for 83 yards on 13 carries (6.4 a carry). He showed a comination of toughness and size (232 pounds!) that Colts fans have rarely seen. Ball showed impressive burst when the Colts ran off tackle out of an offset I formation.

It remains to be seen whether Ball can block well enough at the NFL level, or is he can offer much as a special teams gunner. His size and power make him an ideal short yardage runner, and if he can excel at this in camp and pre-season then he could push Mike Hart off Indy's active roster.

Chad Simpson

Image: cache.daylife.com

At A Glance
Position 1: RB	Height: 5-9
Position 2: Returner	Weight: 216
Year: 2nd	Age: 23
Number: 35	Note:

Analysis: Of all the candidates for the third back spot, 2nd year player Chad Simpson has seen the most extensive playing time. Simpson, a practice squad player elevated to the active roster, played in 11 games in 2008 as both a running back and a special teams returner on kick-offs. As a back, Simpson had 45 yards on 15 carries (3 yards a carry) and scored 1 TD. As a returner, he had 15 returns for 344 yards. His longest was for 46 yards.

To put it bluntly, Simpson's numbers are awful.

No one game exemplified his poor running skills than the Detroit Lions game last year. Against the Lions, who had a horrible rush defense, Simpson ran for only 17 yards on 7 carries. He also fumbled once.

In red zone situations, Simpson averages 1.4 yards a carry. Even though he is bigger than Mike Hart, Simpson does not seem to run with any power or burst. As a returner, he doesn't turn the ball over, but that is kind of expected when you evaluate kick returners. He doesn't have much break away speed, and is not skilled at making people miss.

Thoughts Prior to Camp: If Mike Hart is healthy, he gets the job. If he isn't, and Lance Ball continues to build on his strong showing last year, Hart is done as a Colt. I think it will take a miracle for Chad Simpson to make this team again in 2009. He's just not that good at anything. I would not be surprised seeing two of the three players profiled here cut by September with the Colts signing a rookie free agent to the practice squad after the final roster cut downs.

Right now, I think the money is on Lance Ball. Hart opening camp on the PUP is not good. Ball is making progress this off-season and should look good in pre-season if he stays healthy. If he looks good and Hart is still PUPed, Ball will win the job.

Stampede Blue radio postponed until 6pm Eastern tomorrow

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:59:10 -0000

Stampede Blue radio postponed until 6pm Eastern tomorrow

Well, it seems Blog Talk won't let me do two podcasts in one night (seeing as I missed my scheduled one). So, we'll try this again tomorrow night at 6pm Eastern.

Stampede Blue Radio Returns [again]!

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:35:38 -0000

This evening, I'll be using Blog Talk Radio to re-start Stampede Blue Radio, our podcast for this blog to discuss Indianapolis Colts football. Because of timing, we'll have to start tonight at 6pm Eastern. Blog Talk Radio's page for the podcast offers all the details you need to listen in and participate.

I'll also open a open thread here for the podcast. You can post ideas, comments, and questions there. The podcast likely won't have any intro music or cool sound FX. This is more me re-acquainting myself with Blog Talk (haven't used it in two years) and with podcasting in general. We may have a guest on to talk football with. I'll keep you posted.

The Indianapolis Star's coverage of the Colts is crap; pure and utter crap

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:44:31 -0000

Take a look at this picture:

That was the last time the Indianapolis Star (dated today), the state's largest newspaper, ran a story on the Indianapolis Colts, the state's biggest pro team. Yes, I know OTAs ended in early June. So what? Since early June, this blog has averaged 2-3 posts a day talking about all kinds of Colts-related news and analysis. I'm one guy with a volunteer staff of four. The Star is a major metropolitan newspaper with a sports columnist who likely makes six figures, a beat writer, and a "blogger." Between the three of them, they can't write one friggin story about the Colts in the last three weeks?

On Indy Football Report, another Colts blog who averages 2-3 posts a day, writer John Oehser addressed the Indy's Star's poor coverage in response to a reader email:

My thoughts are several-fold. One is that it’s unfair to judge a newspaper’s NFL coverage in late June, and another is that this is the classic case where often a newspaper’s writers get blamed for something that’s really out of their hands. The Star, like most major newspapers, is understaffed these days and because the NFL beat is pretty much 24-7 from August to mid-June, late June and July is pretty much the only time for extended vacation time. More and more these days, as newspapers cut staff, when beat writers take vacation I suspect you’ll see offseason periods where teams aren’t written about. I don’t know why the Star’s coverage seems to differ from other papers around the league right now, but I do know as an ex-writer who worked beats for many years I never blame a beat guy for taking vacation when it’s possible.

I understand the importance of vacations. We all work hard, and vacations are important to keep people fresh and focused for their work. We're flesh and blood, not machines. But Indy Star's sports writers haven't touched a Colts topic in over two weeks. Kravitz's last article was June 12. Mike Chappell's was June 11th. PhilB hasn't logged a blog entry about anything since June 1st.

Sorry, but that's one hell of a vacation. Wish I had those kinds of perks!

Like John, I'm sympathetic to people needing vacation time, and I understand that newsrooms are understaffed. But seriously, there is literally NOTHING going on right now. The NBA Draft is done (and, to be honest, it isn't anything as exciting as the NFL Draft). The Fever aren't playing. College football hasn't started. So, it's not like there is loads happening and there aren't enough people to cover everything. It also seems rather silly to have all your sports writers take such long vacations at the same time.

Colts coverage for the Star has gotten so bad that today's article, a profile of rookie Curtis Painter, was poached from the Lafayette Journal & Courier. I'll repeat that: The Lafayette Journal & Courier. Going out on a limb here... I'm thinking the Lafayette Journal & Courier has fewer employees (and fewer funds) than the Star. And hey look! A Colts article. In late-June! It's a miracle.

Also, compare the Indy Star's coverage with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams haven't made the playoffs since 2005. Yet, look at their team coverage: Numerous articles, blog entries, and other media. Notice how their "blogger's" last entry was June 23rd. That's not great, but it is a helluva lot more consistent than the Indy Star's "blogger." Also, check out the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

GREEN BAY people! Population: 102,000.

Their football coverage has new articles and blog entries that are interesting, fresh, and informative. Hell, they even have a scheduled live chat with Press-Gazette assistant sports editor Tom Pelissero. Again, it's late-June, and this paper (which likely has less staff and fewer resources) than the Star has a ton of content for their NFL team, which suffered through a 6-10 season last year and said goodbye to the team's idol (and biggest money-maker) Brett Favre.

So, unlike John, I'm not sympathetic to the Star, their sports writing staff, and their vacation schedules. Since readers clearly expect more Colts coverage this time of year, and since there are numerous Colts stories to discuss, there should be more coverage. Readers are the paper's paying customer. Makes sense to make them happy. And since other papers with similar (or fewer) resources provide more content for their readers, it tends to suggest that the Star's lack of coverage is not the result of budget cutbacks, a lack of resources, or vacation schedules.

It. just. plain. sucks.

I'm not sure if the issue stems from the mega-corporate octopus that owns the Star (Gannett) or the actual staff at the Star. I do know that Gannett is a company in deep financial trouble, and I know that some of the snooty, entitled staff at the Star will likely throw out the lame excuse that "There was no 'news' at that time to cover." Well, the Lafayette Journal & Courier found something to talk about. So did the Post-Dispatch and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Guys like John and I talk about two or three Colts topics a day. If we can, why can't the Star? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot.

They're all on vacation.

[UPDATE] Got an email from a reader and it seems the Green Bay paper I listed is actually named Green Bay Press-Gazette, and their Packer coverage is located at www.packersnews.com. They do a live chat with one of their writers once a week during the off-season. That's outstanding. What's stopping the Star from doing something this cool?

Also, did you know the Green Bay Press-Gazette is also owned by Gannett? Seems that the Star's lack of coverage isn't a Gannett thing.

Jim Irsay spends more money on the Colts than most owners do for their respective teams

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:47:41 -0000

Jim Irsay spends more money on the Colts than most owners do for their respective teams

It's no shock that known spending buffoons Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder top the list of owners who spend the most on their teams. Also in the top three is Microsoft gazillionaire Paul Allen. But did you know that the fourth most "committed cash" by an owner to his team (how much each team spent in actual dollars on player costs) is Colts owner Jim Irsay. How's that for a small market owner!