I know its early, but I just can't help myself. We all know Mr. Polian and co. are not the biggest players in free agency. With the Colts cap situation, they simply do not have the luxury to throw away big money like other teams owners, Dan Syder *cough cough*.  So, I took  the initiative to look at a few affordable players in the upcoming free-agent market that could help the Colts, and since some  of these players will be resigned Im adding multiple players for each position of need.

Jovan Haye DT

Strengths- Haye comes from a similar defensive scheme in Tampa Bay. He led all NFL defensive lineman with 97 tackles in 2007 and has experience playing DE as well.

Weaknesses-He is a RFA (Bucs still havent made any push to resign him), may be slighty more than Polian is willing to shell out, and has a meager 285 playing weight.

Larry Tripplett DT

Strengths-Ok, we all remember this guy. He knows the system and was a very productive player during his final season in Indy.

Weaknesses-Hasn't shown much in his stops between Buffalo and Seattle.

Ryan Sims DT

Strengths/Weaknesses-Another player from the Bucs defense. Knows the system and has good size(6'4' 315). Not a great starter, but would provide some much needed depth.

LB's-After witnessing the sloppy tackling of lbers all season, any upgrade in this area couldn't hurt. However, after the Bart Scotts and Angelo Crowells of the world who are likely to command top dollar, there is a huge dropoff. A Clark Haggans type player might  contribute, but Polian might be better served building this need through the draft.

CB's-If Kelvin Hayden is resigned and Marlin comes back healthy than I don't see a need to change this position. However, if Hayden is not retained Dominique Foxworth and Jabari Greer would be decent options. Both are young and Greer plays in a Cover 2 designed system in Buffalo.

OG-Although the combination of Lilja's return and the improvement of Richards/Pollack should be enough to fix the OL, Polian should not depend on this. Injuries are commonplace in the NFL and there has to be a next man up. If they cannot perform than a veteran like Kynan Forney could bolster the line.

Devery Henderson WR

Strengths-After spending a few years in the Saints high-flying offense, Devery has proven to be a tremendous deep threat, something the Colts sorely lack.

Weaknesses-Sometimes has a case of the stone hands and drops easy passes.

Bryant Johnson WR

Strengths-Good height at 6'3' and proved to be a reliable reciever behind Boldin and Fitzgerald in Arizona and again in San Fransisco when catching passes from the likes of JT O'Sullivan and Shaun Hill.

Weaknesses-Not a player you would count on to replace a first-ballot hall of fame reciever, but a solid addition to an already promising wideout corps.

Terrelle Smith FB

Analysis-The Colts have never needed a fullback by trade, so why start now you may ask. Well, ever since Peyton's knee injury the Colts running attack has morphed from a timely stretch play based game into a more power based running game. For this transformation to work, a decent fullback is required to help open holes for the RB to burst through.

Darren Sproles RB

Don't know if this really needs explaining, and frankly I'd be shocked if San Diego or some other team didn't pick this guy up immediately, but as a RB and a KR, the man is simply an explosive gamechanger.

Thats all folks. Realistically Polian is not going to go through free agency with a bidding sign, but if he were to address a couple needs on this team with just one or two of these players,it would go a long way in bringing another championship to Indy. Any other players you would like to see in Colts blue, or just think they would add good depth to an already talented team, please feel free to add. Go Colts!

Play-by-play announcer Bryant Gumbel has stepped down from his duties of calling games for NFL Network. Many fans, like myself, think he is arrogant and never should have been calling games. Bryant would often stumble his speech(he called Tony Romo "Rick Romo") and has made racist comments in the past as well.

When speaking about the Winter Olympics Gumbel said,"Count me among those who don't care about them and won't watch them... So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the winter games look like a GOP convention."

Bye, Bryant. You will not be missed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3342289

Week one in the NFL is like no other sport. Headlines of all kinds are making the news(those dirty cheating Pats) after only a handful of games. These are some of the most intriguing ones.

-In an astonishing turn of events it seems Kevin Everett will someday be able to walk again. Everett has already recovered partial movement of his arms and legs. Just 48 hours ago doctors said that he may be paralyzed for the rest of his life. This is a miraculous recovery and a feel good story.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3014742

-Despite various reports claiming that Eli Manning would miss up to 4 weeks with an injury, he might be able to play this Sunday against the Packers. Eli reported to practice today, throwing lightly to refrain from aggravating his shoulder. If he can't play, Jared Lorenzen will start for the Giants.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80247a03&template=with-video&confirm=true

-What are the Browns thinking? They had to flip a coin during preaseason to determine whether Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson would be their starting quarterback. Now, after only one game, they trade him to Seattle following a bad outing against the Steelers. Derek Anderson did absolutely nothing to prove he deserved the starting job and now takes over for Frye. The Brady Quinn era might begin sooner than we thought.

According to various sources including the Denver Post, the Denver Broncos are looking to trade 28 year old DT Gerard Warren. Warren is listed at 6 foot 4, 325 pounds and was a steady force in Denver's Cover 2 defense.

Warren would add a veteran presence to the Colts defense and would most likely only cost the Colts a second day pick in next years draft.

UPDATE: The Broncos are planning to trade or release Warren by Tuesday. Among the interested teams are the Colts and the Saints.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10293976

There was never a question about Dwight Freeney's return to the Colts for the 2007-2008 season. He was Bill Polian's top priority. Freeney will not go to a team like the Redskins, where Dan Snyder would throw large amounts of money at him. Suzy Kolber reported that Dwight was tagged by the Colts. If another team wants Freeney, it will cost them 2 first round draft picks unless the Colts match that team's offer. FOX Sports recently interviewed Dwight and he expressed that he did not want to be tagged. Most players don't. He has played hard and wants his pay day.

"For what I do I definitely don't like it," Freeney said, referring to the franchise label. "I'm not one of those guys, a kicker or quarterback or someone who gets protected every single play. I am going out there and throwing my body around sacrificing everything to help this team win. The franchise tag would hurt me because of how hard I play, for what I give to this team. I'm not just taking on one guy, I am taking on two, three guys at a time. I am getting banged up every week. And if you are franchised, it's kind of like, all right well, do you risk it? This is a business (and) you have to take care of yourself injury wise. What if, heaven forbid, it is a career-ending injury? You are talking a difference of $15 million dollars vs. whatever the franchise tag is as a base. It's just a tough situation for a guy like me."

This means that Bill Polian has some difficult decisions to make. If Polian dosen't sign Freeney to a long-term contract, then he will be a free-agent next season. If you thought this offseason was bad, next is not any easier. Bob Sanders and Dallas Clark are free-agents next season.

Cato June, Nick Harper, Jason David, and many other players are still waiting to be resigned. There just isn't enough money to go around, but that is what puts the NFL on a level playing field.

Now the NFL offseason is underway and there is always news to report.

I know everybody loves the insightful analysis Jason Whitlock provides. In Jason Whitlock's last commentary of the season, he comes up with some insane predictions about the next season. Here are some quotes I chose.

http://sports.aol.com/whitlock/nfl/_a/colts-could-be-more-formidable-next/20070208105209990001

"Indy's D should pick up right where it left off in the playoffs."

"If that happens, I expect the Colts to make a long run at the unbeaten '72 Dolphins because I don't have any doubt that Indy's offense will be improved next season."

"I'd like to see the Colts upgrade their No. 3 receiver spot. If the Saints release Joe Horn, he'd look awesome in an Indy uniform and make Indy's passing offense totally unstoppable."

"Talked with a retired and distinguished, should-be Hall of Fame defensive back after the Super Bowl. His No. 1 sentiment after watching the game:

"Marvin Harrison is soft. He has no heart."

"Lost in Indy's victory was another subpar Harrison playoff performance."

OK, first of all, the last position the Colts need to address is WR. There is little to no cap room left and even if we desperately needed another wideout, Joe Horn would not want to be a #3 WR.

We have already talked about Marvin Harrison after Peter King made some comments questioning Harrison's toughness. Marvin has been less than stellar in the playoffs throughout his career, but this time he gets a pass. Ty Law, Chris McAllister, and Asante Samuel are three of the games best CB's.

Finally Jason has to stop talking about football until next season. His predictions and analysis leave me confused.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2760040

The Miami Dolphins on Friday hired Indianapolis Colts defensive quality control aide Diron Reynolds as their new defensive line coach.

It marks the second consecutive day on which Colts coach Tony Dungy has lost an assistant from his Super Bowl XLI champion staff. On Thursday, defensive backs coach Leslie Frazier was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their new defensive coordinator.

Reynolds has been on the Indianapolis staff since 2002, when Dungy hired him. A college linebacker at Wake Forest (1989-93), he began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1997. He moved to Indiana in 2001 and then to the Colts the following year.

No big deal right?

Cato June is an unresticted free-agent this offseason. When asked what is more important to him, money or the Colts, Cato did not hesitate to say the Colts. Cato June wants to be a Colt next year and the year after that. He wants to play for Tony Dungy. He wants to play for the city of Indianapolis.

It is rare to find players who do not chase the extra dollar. The Colts should lock him up. June said he isn't afraid to go to another city, if the Colts don't pay him. If they give him a reasonable amount of money, our best linebacker will return. There were some times this year where the toughness and effort of June was questioned. I know for a fact that Cato June works hard to be the best player that he can be. If the Colts want Cato June to be their WSLB next year, he will be.

In an attempt to criticize the team that defeated his Kansas City Chiefs, Jason Whitlock has become even more ignorant than I thought he was.

http://sports.aol.com/whitlock/nfl/_a/medias-manning-mania-doesnt-add-up/20070205092809990001

Here is my favorite part...

But the truth is Manning stunk in the playoffs. We're literally talking about the worst playoff run by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the history of the league. Go check the record books. I did this morning. Manning damn near made Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Jeff Hostetler and Jim McMahon look like serviceable QBs.

Manning threw seven interceptions and three TDs in these playoffs. His first-quarter interception scared the spit out of Tony Dungy. The Bears lined up with two safeties deep and Manning flung the ball to Marvin Harrison down the sideline for absolutely no good reason. It was basic, telegraphed Cover 2.

Just like in the AFC Championship, Dungy took the ball out of Manning's hands in critical situations in Sunday's Super Bowl. Rather than let Manning wing it into coverage, the Colts ran the ball on third down in the red zone and settled for field goals.

Jason Whitlock is a blind moron. He forgets that without Peyton Manning the Colts wouldn't have beaten the 3-time champion New England Patriots. Last time I checked Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson didn't come back from defecits of 18 and 7 points to win a championship game. Also, Manning threw the ball 38 times. Obviously, the Colts ran the ball on 3rd and long a few times to kick easier field goals in the horrid weather.

Not everything is about stats. We know that by now. The Colts were 0-4 when trailing at halftime during the playoffs before they beat the Patriots. The Patriots were 12-1 with Brady in the playoffs. Brady had like a 22-2 record on field turf, and none of it mattered.

If Manning just wanted to fling the ball, Addai and Rhodes wouldn't have gotten 191 yards. If Manning just wanted to throw the ball, Addai wouldn't have scored the winning TD against the Pats and Manning wouldn't have snuck one in, which by the way dosen't affect QB rating totals or TD totals.

Folks, these kind of people like Jason Whitlock, Deadspin and KSK are Manning haters. This is an example of why Whitlock was fired by ESPN. He knows very little about the game he covers. Peyton Manning finally won the SB and it still isn't enough. They won the SB because football is a team game and if it wasn't, Peyton would have already won a championship.

Robert Mathis and Jason David have been added to the injury list for the SB. Mathis left practice early with back spasms. David sat out practice because of a nagging abdomen injury that has bothered him all season. Dungy expects Mathis to play on Sunday. Nick Harper,also injured, will be a gametime decision.

http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9971212

Brothers will officiate in the Super Bowl for the first time, with umpire Carl Paganelli and back judge Perry Paganelli working the game between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts.

Tony Corrente will referee his first Super Bowl. Corrente is concluding his 12th season in the league. He was the alternate referee for last year's game worked by Bill Leavy, and has worked six playoff games.

Carl Paganelli is in his eighth NFL season and has worked six postseason matches. His brother is in his ninth year and has also done six playoff games.

http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9966329

Does anybody have information on these guys, what games have they reffereed?

For most games, the player who best helps his team win is labeled the X-Factor. In this case it will be the MVP. Usually the player is not the star of the team, but when it comes to the SB the star players have to play their best. I think if the Colts win the X-Factor will be some one like Robert Mathis or Dallas Clark. If the Bears are to win it will have to be Thomas Jones because I don't think Grossman can carry the team to a victory without a running game or winning the time of possession battle.

So, the question is plain and simple. Who do you think will decide the outcome of the game or be the MVP?

I am happy to admit that I was wrong. After the game against the Jaguars where the Colts gave up over 300+ yards rushing I thought we would need a miracle. Well, we got one. Congratulations to BigBlue Shoe and Payton Menning for predicting a SB appearance. I am a dumbass. I bitched like a little toddler about the Colts defensive woes throughout the year. What was I thinking. We have Tony Dungy and Ron Meeks. We have Dwight Freeney and Rob Morris. Most of all, we have Peyton Manning. The best defense is a good offense.

What an amazing game. I had a dream that Manning would lead us down the field to victory. I didn't think it would happen. Those so called analysts must be red in the face right now. "Manning can't win the big game. He never beat Florida. He will never beat the Patriots in the playoffs." They should all be fired. How can you doubt the greatness of Manning. These are just ignorant people that let hatred for Manning cloud their judgement. Ironically, the king of the comeback, Tom Brady throws the INT to end the game. Not this year Brady, this is Peyton's year.

I have been wrong about everything. Well, almost everything. I did tell you we needed a fullback and Dan Klecko has done one hell of a job. Go ahead and berate me, I deserve it. I was wrong. All of you were right.

Next week the Colts travel to Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens jumped from a third place team to a first place team in one year. The media has been kind to the Ravens, often comparing them to the 2000 Superbowl Champions. Don't be fooled by the comparison. The Ravens are a talented team. They have just as much chance as any other team to win the Superbowl. However, they are beatable. Take it from some one who knows. I live in Baltimore.

Because of this, I know almost as much about the Ravens as I do about the Colts. After the Colts left, Baltimore had no team, thus I loyally followed the Colts. Enough about my reasons for being a Colts fan, on to the matchup.

Any football expert will tell you that Steve McNair is the reason that the Ravens were 13-3 this year, but there are less obvious reasons for the Ravens success. Particularly the Offensive Line. Aside from Jonathan Ogden the Ravens do not have any dominant offensive lineman. They have played well as unit, especially as of late. They have not given up a sack in weeks. Many Colts fans will say that Freeney owns Ogden. This is skewed line of thinking. Ogden had one of his worst years as a pro last year, despite making it to the Pro-Bowl. This year Ogden proved once again that he is one of the best Left Tackles in the league. Dwight Freeney will have his chances against Ogden 1 on 1.

Another reason for improvement was the emergence of Mark Clayton as the #2 reciever. He had a decent rookie campaign as the #2 wideout last year, but didn't fully develop until this season. Several players returned from injury, including Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, two of the NFL's best, who missed significant time last year.

Then McNair was added to an abismal offense. As Colts fans, we are familiar with Steve and his mental toughness. He is a warrior, but in my opinion not a great quarterback this year, statistically speaking. The Ravens offense is average at best. They scored three points against Denver and seven on a Cincinatti team ranked last in pass defense. They rely on the defense to get them turnovers. They let the defense control the tempo and try to shy away from making mistakes on offense. Jamal Lewis is aging and is not the same runningback that rushed for 2,066 yards a few years ago. For the first half of the year, the Ravens had a below average offense. Ever since the head coach, Brian Billick, took over playcalling duties, the offense has new life. Usually Jamal gets 20+ carries and McNair throws off play-action to pro-bowl TE Todd Heap.

On defense the Ravens ranked #1 overall. They defend the run extremely well, but are vunerable to the big passing plays. Peyton Manning will have to take advantage of the secondarys inability to read play fakes and cover recievers downfield. To do this Saturday, Tarik Glenn, and the rest of the O-Line will have to play a great game. Four Ravens have 9.5 or more sacks, led by former Bronco Trevor Pryce with 13. Ben Utecht and Joseph Addai will have to do their part to keep Manning off his back as well. The Ravens have several blitz packages and come from every possible angle. Due in part to the versatility possessed by the linebackers, the Ravens can play a 4-3, 3-4, or 46. Still, this defense is not the same one from the year 2000. Most of those players are gone. Against the Saints they gave up over 150 yards and 2 touchdowns to Marques Colston, so I expect Marvin or Reggie to have a big day.

They also have great special teams. They have shuffled kick returners this year due to an injury to BJ Sams, who had over 200 return yards against Atlanta.

The Colts will be heavy underdogs, but they have a chance if they can execute the aforementioned things. I went to the game in Baltimore last year and I enjoyed it. I wish I could go next week. If anybody has questions about the Baltimore Ravens let me know. I will be happy to answer them.

Lance Briggs is going to be a free-agent if the Bears don't resign him. If we could pick him up, it would be a massive lift to our defense playing behind a healthy Simon(hopefully). Granted, the front office does not have much cap to work with. I would rather see them let a few players go during free-agency and pick up Lance Briggs.

He has 125 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions. That would be a huge upgrade over Gardner/Morris. Or if we keep Cato June, we could move him to WLB and Briggs could play his regular SLB position. Lance has played for the Bears for several years. They run a Cover-2 defense, just like the Colts.

It would be a huge signing if the Colts make this move. They would have to find a way, with the cap in disarray like it is. Polian and Co. need to fix this defense. We can't win the Superbowl with this team on defense.

After the games that took place today I don't think Peyton has a chance to win MVP. LaDainian Tomlinson just set the record with 29 TD's by a runningback. The Chargers are 11-2 and in first place of the AFC West.

Personally, I would vote for Manning. It is evident that without Manning the Colts are at best a 4 win team. They have no defense. The running game only shows up in half of the games we have played. Without LT, the Chargers are at best an 8 win team. They have the best TE in football, Antonio Gates. Philip Rivers is emerging as a top tier quarterback. The defense, led by Shawne Merriman, is great at getting pressure.

The voters will look at the season LT is having and gush over him like schoolgirls. The award is for Most Valuable Player. Therefore, Manning deserves to win. He is asked to win every game, almost by himself. If the award was for the best player then I think LaDainian Tomlinson would deserve to be recognized for that. In the end LT will be MVP.

Jerome Bettis just said on the NBC Pre-Game show that the Colts defense will patch things up. He is worried about the offense. They are not scoring as many points as usual. They are not outscoring people.

Memo to Jerome Bettis. The Colts scored 17 points against a great Jaguars defense. Sure, the recievers dropped some balls. The running game was non-existant. But the defense gave up over 300 rushing yards. They gave up the second highest total ever in the history of the NFL since 1970. How can you expect to outscore a team that scores on almost every drive? How can you outscore a team that runs the clock and gives you few possessions? After all, we did have over 300 yards of pass offense.

This is a suggestion to the great former Pittsburgh Steelers runningback Jerome Bettis. You were a HOF runningback. Life after the NFL isn't easy. If you are going to be commentating before games, at least have the initiative to know what you are talking about. I would rather see you put the pads back on and come out of retirement then listen to you babble on about how a team with the 32nd ranked rush defense and a top 5 offense needs to get better on offense. Do us all a favor. Stick to things you can talk about, like how to juke a defender out of his jockstrap.

P.S.-BigBlueShoe-I tried to put a picture of Bettis on the page and it wouldn't let me. Is there any way that you can fix it so we can post pictures in the diary? Thanks.

No team in football is playing perfect football. The team that gets hot going into the playoffs will most likely be the one who wins the Superbowl.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/SPORTS03/312090015/1100

Consider last week's slate of games.

Baltimore (9-3) crossed midfield once during the first three quarters and lost at Cincinnati 13-7.

San Diego (10-2) needed four Buffalo turnovers to subdue the Bills 24-21.

New England (9-3) scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes and took advantage of turnovers on Detroit's final three possessions to beat the mighty Lions (2-10) 28-21.

Over in the NFC, it was more of the same.

Chicago (10-2) had 107 net yards as quarterback Rex Grossman, Bloomington, threw three interceptions to run his turnover count to 18 in the past seven games as the Bears defeated Minnesota 23-13. Chicago's offense scored seven points, its defense and special teams 16.

Dallas and Seattle, both 8-4, won on last-minute field goals. Martin Gramatica converted from 46 yards with one second to play for the Cowboys. Josh Brown hit from 50 yards with four seconds left for the Seahawks.

"I didn't see anyone really playing what you would call outstanding football and blowing away the rest of the league," Dungy said.

The author alludes to the fact that San Diego has a long winning streak going. I don't care how they won those games. Finding a way to win is a trademark of championship teams. The Colts have displayed that this year. If we can get a winning streak going than we have as good a chance as any one else to get to the Big Dance in February. To do that, the defense is going to have to improve dramatically. I don't know how they are going to do it, but if we play as a team then the Colts are the only ones who can beat themselves.

I know there is no Ravens blog on SB Nation, so I thought I would come over here and tell you about the Baltimore Ravens.

Offense: Ever since Head Coach Brian Billick started to call the plays on offense, it has new life. Look for RB Jamal Lewis to get the ball early and often. He averages about 20 carries a game. Billick would like to give him 30 carries if Lewis has success. Lewis does most of his running inside the tackles. Steve McNair has upgraded the passing game of a year ago. Even so, this is not a system where the quarterback puts up big numbers. McNair loves to throw to TE Todd Heap. Heap is an excellent TE, with great speed and good hands. Derrick Mason and McNair played together in Tennessee and are very comfortable with eachother. The other reciever Mark Clayton only has a few receptions a game, but he has remarkable speed. The weakness of this offense is the O-Line. Recently, they have really played well, however at least two of them have only been in the league for up to 2 years. In this game I expect the Ravens to run Jamal Lewis several times and go off play-action with McNair.

Defense: This Ravens defense is great, but it is not as good as the 2000 defense. The Ravens can play a 3-4 or a 4-3 converting LB/DE Terrell Suggs. Former Bronco Trevor Pryce has 8.5 sacks on the season. The LB core is the heart and soul of this team. Ray Lewis is having a good year despite aging. Adalius Thomas can play any defensive position. He has 9 sacks on the season and should have made the Pro-Bowl last year. The other LB, Bart Scott has 7.5 sacks. Under defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan, the Ravens bring pressure from every angle. Ed Reed is one of the leagues best safties. CB Chris McAllister has a tendancy to bite on play fakes and trick plays. Trent Green should go after Samari Rolle on deep passing routes. That is where the secondary is vunerable, on play fakes. There is also a rookie in the secondary, Dawan Landry.

Special Teams:Return-Man BJ Sams is out for this game. In his place will be Cory Ross and Mark Clayton. This is a big loss to the Ravens in the special-teams area. Gary Stills, former Chief, leads their special teams with over 100 tackles.

To wrap things up, I have heard a lot of people say that the Ravens have a bad offense. I think Billick's philosophy says it all. His philosophy is that if you get in the red zone, then don't take chances having turnovers. Just kick the field goal. If a TD is scored then even better. That is their problem. In my opinion, a team has to be aggresive to be one of the best. I know they are on defense. This game will play a big part in the playoff race. I hope you enjoyed the preview.

I just heard an interview with Matt Jones on the radio. I will do my best to re-create the interview.

Q:Are there any tricks to help you catch the ball as a reciever?

A:I think it is just repetiton. You know, its just one of those things. Like when your playing basketball and you miss a layup.

Q:How is it different being in the huddle with David Gerrard as opposed to Leftwich?

A:Gerrard is going to try and make a play with his arm or his feet, so you have to stay open. Leftwich will just stand in the pocket and flick it.

Q:Arkansas lost to the Florida Gators this past Saturday. What are your thoughts on that?

A:It is disappointing. I was watching the game with some friends and we thought they were going to win. We're just happy to be playing the Badgers in a bowl game.

Q:Is it easy to block cornerbacks with your height advantage of 6-6?

A:Yeah, they try to run around you, but when you have Fred or Maurice in the backfield they will just go the opposite direction and make them miss.

Q:Do you ever wish you could play quarterback in the NFL?

A:Yes, I wish I could do the things I did back in college. My shoulder does not let me do that. I am blessed to be able to play another position(reciever)with the talent that God gave me. I am very lucky to be in this position.

That was the gist of it. It took me by suprise when I heard Matt Jones coming on the radio, so sorry I couldn't get the exact conversation.

Troy Aikman has a weekly column where he puts the teams in order on offense and defense from best to worst, according to a special formula. I found the offensive and defensive rankings to be legitimate, but the overall rankings are a little scewed.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9851329

The NFL has us as the 3rd rated offense behind the Saints and Eagles. Aikman has us second to the Chargers, which makes more sense. On defense, we are 16th in the league. That is completetly misleading considering all the problems we have had stopping the run. Aikman puts us at 27th. I would put us somewhere in between. I guess Aikman forgets that we have a decent secondary.

While the offensive and defensive rankings are more appropriate than the NFL's, the combined ratings are worse. New England is #1, meaning that they are the most "complete" team. I disagree with this. New England has had some injuries on defense and their recievers don't get open on a consistent basis. It gets worse. 7-5 Jacksonville is 4th. They are struggling to make the playoffs. Before Leftwich was injured they had a QB controversy and recievers that couldn't catch a cold. Coming in at seventh place are the Colts. The defense brings us down in the rankings even though we have the second best offense.

That is the problem. We are 10-2, yet 7th in Aikman's ratings, which I think are more accurate in most aspects than the NFL's. It is neat to see which teams are given the label of most complete. I would rather have our team than most of the teams ahead of us.

There is an old saying that stats are for losers. I would like to think that we are better than the seventh best team in the league. Hopefully the Colts can prove them wrong. We have after all, played a tougher schedule than most of the teams ahead of us. If strength of schedule was included we would definately be top 3.

I am anxious to see our safties play together for the first time against Jacksonville. That is assuming Bethea is healthy. Both of them play the same type of physical style. They attack the runner. Bethea already has 71 tackles and 1 interception coming from the safety position in only 11 games. Those are linebacker numbers. Bethea deserves a lot of credit for what he has achieved as a rookie. When ESPN talks about the rookie class of safties, I always hear about Dawan Landry of Baltimore and Michael Huff of Oakland. Rightful so, however Bethea has played as well as any of them. Both of these guys bring the heat. If you see #21 or #41 then the ball carrier better be ready to get planted.

Both these guys are important to Sunday's game. There is no doubt Jacksonville will run. Between Fred Taylor and Maurice Drew Jones, the Jags run the ball over 30 times a game. Sanders and Bethea should make them have to pass. If they do, then Dwight Freeney and Mathis will be waiting for Gerrard.

Lastly, Kelvin Hayden has showed me that he is ready for more playing time. He made a great open field tackle when Vince Young took off. He also drilled the Cowboys return man, sending him out of the game temporarily. The future is bright for our secondary, something that has not been this good in years.

Despite being tied with San Diego, the Colts still would have home-field advantage if the season were to end today. San Diego has two AFC losses, the Colts have one. The Colts should have no problem securing home field. They have remaining games against Jacksonville, Houston, Miami, and Cincinatti. San Diego has a tougher road ahead. Next week they play the Denver Broncos. If the Colts take care of business then we should be cheering them on from Indy. Heres to the rest of the season and rebounding from a skid where we have lost 2 out of the last 3 games. Go Colts!

We just witnessed once again why our offense does not get the job done. The Titans defense kept the Colts offense off the field for most of the second half. The Colts scored three, count them three, points in the second half. The one time we drove down the field, Dungy elected not to go for a 4th down and goal with less than 2 yards to go. For every one who disagreed with me that we needed a fullback, I hope you see it now.

Anyway, Dungy has been here for 4 years. We brought him in as a defensive minded coach. We never expected a top defense, but just one good enough to back up the offense. Dungy has not done his job. This defense gets worse every year. You can say injuries played a part, but that is just this year. Some fans will point to last year. We were the 16th rated defense and that is only average. It is time to make a change if Dungy does not sure up the defense. The loss today was not that bad, but the playoffs will be a bigger test. The answer might be the firing of Ron Meeks, the defensive coordinator. Or it might be the firing of Dungy himself. If they do fire Dungy it will be after the season. There is no way they should do it now. Let me say that this isnt about the loss to the Titans. This defense has been a civ for 4 years with Dungy and Meeks behind the helm. One thing is for sure, there needs to be a change.

Most teams in the NFL have at least one or two alternate uniforms that they wear at some point during the season. For the Colts, that alternate uniform is the same as the home uniform with the exception of an extra stripe on the sock. I like the old school Colts uniforms. Every time I see the horseshoe I think of the great Colts like Johnny Unitas that I heard about when I was little. I am glad that Jim Irsay has kept the traditional uniform. It represents class. I think the Colts should add an alternate uniform. Maybe one similar to the one they wore on Thanksgiving two years ago in the game against the Lions. Or maybe one similar to the powder blue Chargers uniforms. If they do, the design should be kept simple. I wouldn't want them to mess with the uniform and change it into something with lots of designs and colors. I want to hear thoughts from the rest of you. If you think I am an idiot then fine. Let me know what you think by taking the poll.

Go to NFL.Com and vote for Addai as Rookie of the Week. Right now he is losing by 20% to Vince Young. Addai had over 170 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. He also had over 50 recieving yards. I don't know what kind of moron votes for Vince Young, he only had 2 touchdowns passing. Vince did rally his team from behind to beat the Giants. However his numbers were average. 24 of 35 for 249 yards and 2 TDs; 10 carries for 69 yards and 1 TD. Addai had a career game on Sunday night. He is the best rookie runningback and has not been Rookie of the Week once. Shows how much the analysts at ESPN know. They are always talking about Reggie Bush like he is the second coming of Barry Sanders.

After Bledsoe was replaced by Romo, no one thought the Cowboys would be where they are. But here they are riding to hot hand quarterback Tony Romo who has a knack for finding the open reciever and making big plays. We all know why Romo is playing so well. It is Jessica Simpson. Think about it. Romo is living the American Dream at its best. Quarterback for america's team with the #1 quarterback rating and boyfriend of Jessica Simpson, one of the hottest girls. Who wouldnt want to be Romo? Yes, he has played exceptionally well since she came into his life and for you Cowboy fans you better hope she stays there. He is anything but distracted with his lifestyle like this.

I heard that Dallas Clark may be out for the year with a torn ACL. A friend of mine was watching a local television station, WTHR when they started talking about Clark. The Colts have not released a statement as of yet. This is bad news. The Colts have been keeping the injury report from the media all season long. We never hear when Sanders or Stokely will be back, if they come back.

Clark is more than just a TE. He has the speed of a wide reciever and exploits schemes in the defenses by causing favorable matchups. Clark is also a good blocker. Just when I thought our injury situation could not get any worse, it has.

Just heard on the CBS Pregame show what the Colts plan to sign WR Ricky Proehl today or tomorrow. I guess that means the season is over for stokely. I think Poehl played for the Panthers last year before calling it quits. This will alow us to use 3 WR sets. I just don't think Aaron Moorehead is a good WR. The only reason he is on the team is because of his height.

Gilbert Gardner missed practice this week and will likely be a game time decision. That's right. I would think this would give Freddie Keiaho a chance to show his play-making abilities. Maybe Tyjuan Hagler would get some playing time.

No fellow Colts fans this will not happen. The Colts intend to start Rocky Boiman in Gardner's place. Dungy must really hate to play rookies. He would rather use a practice-squad type player than a young, talented, playmaking linebacker, who has shown much promise in the preaseason and the game against the Patriots.

Maybe I am missing something because I don't know why Rocky Boiman is even the backup. I have bashed Gardner before, but he is 10 times better than Boiman.

Also, Dungy will make a decision on Sanders sometime Saturday. Hopefully Bob is back and ready to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.