I thought I'd throw out some observations since the roster cuts and before the season.

1. I thought it was funny after some of the debating on who do they keep, Hart or Ball, that the Colts did neither and went with Chad Simpson. Most people thought they'd cut Simpson and possibly keep both of the others, but apparantly his return contributions on ST gave him the edge. After watching him return, go figure.

2. Glad to see they at least gave Mike Hart a spot on the practice squad. With his injury and many good players to keep or cut, it says something about their hopes for him to get him to the practice squad when there were, well, other guys who could've been placed there. Now I just hope that some other team doesn't snag him from there. Who knows, though, we may still need to cut him to mak room for someone else off of waivers. I'm just glad that he has been thus valued so far.

3. We have a lot of LBers, huh? Seven at this point. And eleven DBs, which I always think we could use more of those.

4.I think the biggest initial shock in the roster cuts was Marcus Howard. Grady would've been the bigger shock, but they have five DTs still on the roster, plus two more at DE who have played DT for the team, leaving them with seven options. Grady was odd man out, and Foster's fullback time, which I also observed at training camp, gave him even more of an edge. But releasing Howard with only four DEs left, and half of them being less known for pass rushing from that position, well that shocked some.


5. I guess the Sorgi/Painter debate has a verdict. Like with others on the roster or practice squad, one could still be cut. However, it appears so far that the Colts are valuing Painter like they have no other QB in a while. I think this is wise, not for this season, but perhaps for next and beyond.

6. We have more TEs than WRs on the roster, if you count Justin Snow. Interesting. Four seems like a small number for that position, but there is still three more on the PS.

7. Best wishes to Marcus Howard, Lance Ball and some of our other beloved former Colts as they join Rhodes and Harrison in looking for a new team. I hope they find one and do well, so long as it isn't for a rival of ours. Except for Marvin, who I hope retires as a Colt soon.

Go Colts!!!

[UPDATE] Please rec with wonderful FanPost. --bbs

My family went to training camp Friday. It's an annual tradition for us now. We had a great time. I did not take notes, as I was too busy taking everything in. That means I will most likely remember things in the morning that I will wish I had recalled when making this fanpost.There was a morning practice and an afternoon practice. Here are some observations from the day.

* Absentees and Limited Participants - I never saw Marlin Jackson or Bob Sanders. Vinatieri was there in shorts, helping out the kickers and punters. Donald Brown participated in the morning practice, but he dressed down and sat out the afternoon. So did Ugoh and Hayden. I’m forgetting others, I’m sure.

* Injuries - During the afternoon practice, Mike Hart had an ankle injury while blocking a linebacker in a set of pass rushing and pass protection drills. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he came back in for a couple plays a little later. Then, toward the end of practice, he was on the sidelines with ice wrapped around his ankle. By the time we left, though, it was off and his shoes was back on.

Jim Sorgi may be seriously injured. While running a stretch play, he had to really stretch to get the ball to an aggressive Chad Simpson, and he went down hard after making the handoff. He came up in obvious pain and grabbing the back of his thigh. He had to be carted back inside, which can’t be a good thing. Unless your name is Curtis Painter.

* Quarterback - Peyton Manning had his share of bad throws, but he made a plethora of great ones. I think he’s shaking off a bit of rust, and he is beginning to look superb as usual. Painter was hard to judge. Early on he didn’t impress at all, but in late in the afternoon practice he threw some great passes while under pressure in scrimmage. There were a couple long passes that were special, one in particular to Tamme. Painter also threw two TD passes in a goal line offense and through tight coverage. However, he ended the day with an interception to Hagler, who returned it the distance. Still very promising. Painter is only a rookie, but I could see him replacing Jim Sorgi, particularly if Sorgi’s injury is serious.

* Running Back - In the morning walkthrough, Addai and Brown shared the first team load. However, as Donald Brown sat out the afternoon session, Addai led away. Hart, Ball and Simpson played mostly with the second team offense. Hart was great before his injury. Ball seemed to outperform Simpson, though Simpson had a couple great TD runs in goal line drills. If Hart stays healthy, I think that Simpson will be the halfback without a home.

I have to say that Joseph Addai looked great today. He had some great runs and moves, he caught very well, and his pass blocking was impressive. Addai stood out on this day.

This was interesting. They used Eric Foster at fullback. Quite a bit. He made some nice blocks, and he even caught two TD passes from Manning. That would be fun during the season, wouldn’t it?

* Wide Receiver - In reception drills and with no one covering, the receivers caught well, with only Garcon dropping an easy catch. Hall looked a little out of sync in these. During scrimmage plays and while covered by Db’s, Garcon dropped another that he should’ve caught for six. Wayne and Gonzalez seemed pretty well covered when they were in. TE’s were snagging the most catches. Roy Hall had a couple nice catches, including a TD. That guy is a physical specimen. I was impressed with Taj Smith most of the day, but by the end Roy Hall had me believing. If we hold five receivers, I suspect Hall and Smith will fight for the last spot, with Garcon making the team. I think Hall has the edge, but I like them both.

Reggie Wayne provided some great moments. He would interact with the crowd (as would Collie). Manning threw a perfect pass to Wayne through excellent, tight coverage by Jennings, but Wayne let it go right through his hands. Reggie was very upset with himself. Later he was being covered by Jerraud Powers. Powers made a great play on a nice pass from Manning, knocking the ball away from Wayne. Two plays later, Manning came back to Reggie in the end zone. Powers still had great coverage, but Reggie made a super grab for six. It was a fun contest to watch.

Austin Collie is impressive. The guy has amazing hands and runs great routes. I believe he will surprise and be productive in his first year, at least for a rookie slot receiver. He seems plenty confident as well.

* Offensive Line - There seems to be little debate at the starting positions. Ugoh, Lilja, Saturday, Pollak and Diem. In the afternoon, Ugoh dressed down and sat out of practice, though nothing appeared to be wrong. Federkeil and Hilliard filled his void. This unit has me a little worried. Either the defense is dominating, or they are still struggling. The first team was okay. They had their moments both ways. The depth was unimpressive, however. Pray for health, I suppose.

* Tight End - Clark and Tamme clearly stood above the pack. Robinson and Santi were out there, but didn’t do anything that was notable. Petrowski had a nice TD grab. Manning kept targeting Clark, who pulled in some great catches. They had a couple TD’s together. Tamme made some great long receptions and tough grabs from both Manning and Painter. I’m telling you, Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme looked really good.

* Defensive Line - This was a hard unit for me to observe, as they gave a lot of different looks. They used five linemen a lot. Also, the ends lined up with more space from the tackles than usual, in my opinion. Once I was confused because from where I stood it looked like Moala was playing LE, but after several plays I could see Mathis down there on the end as a fifth lineman and spaced apart from the rest a bit. I liked the whole defensive effort. Other than a couple short TD punches by Simpson, their goal line coverage was great, especially against the pass. The DL put solid pressure on the QB throughout practice.

I saw a lot of Ed Johnson. They also used Grady quite a bit. Foster, Taylor, Moala and some other guys rotated, but I noticed Johnson on the field the most. Grady made some nice plays behind the line, and I remember one from Foster as well. Curtis Johnson was in a lot at end. Brock and Mathis rotated in and out, with Brock rarely at DT. Dawson played End, not Tackle. I saw little of Howard or Freeney it seemed.

* Linebacker - The clear starting unit was Session, Brackett and Wheeler. Senn subbed in a lot. Didn’t notice much from Keiaho. Hagler had an interception return for a touchdown on the last play of the day. He looked pretty solid throughout.

* Defensive Back - Jackson was not there, and Hayden sat out during the competitive practice. When Jennings was in, he was always on the number one receiver. He covered well it seemed. Hughes looked pretty good to me. He spent some time covering the big boys, and he did his job. Rushing at one point concerned me. I think he is behind some of the others. I don’t know if Coe will hold a spot on the roster, as Rushing holds some more value in ST at least. The safeties were fine. I liked Bullitt especially. No Sanders there.

Powers was the most impressive of the corners on the day. He would fl to the ball. He made some great plays against Wayne, as I mentioned earlier. There were several times when he caught my attention. He perhaps could be our best man coverage corner in time. Not that we use man coverage much, but still.

* Special Teams - I like Ray Rychleski. That guy is enthused. He is loud, excited and motivating. Don’t take me wrong, he’s no Russ Purnell... McAfee has a leg! At first, he didn’t stand out from Masthay, but as the day went on, he was far more consistent, he punted deeper and his kicks had more hangtime. He was better under pressure. He also had some long field goal kicks, like over fifty yards. While Andrus seemed very solid if Viniateri can’t go, McAfee could do it all himself, it seemed.

Here’s one funny thing about Pat McAfee. During the morning walkthrough, the fans were getting bored it seemed. McAfee was throwing passes on the sidelines with the other special teams and staff, and for fun he began to aim for a helmet that was upside down on the ground. He nailed it early, and the fans began to cheer. He kept trying and came close, but he never hit it again. After a while, the guy on that end moved the helmet after he threw to help him "hit"it. Everyone laughed, and McAfee just turned away and watched the scrimmage as if he was offended. A couple other times he laughed with some fans. He seems like a fun guy.

* Other Impressions - I think the defense looks deeper than the offense. The defense played a bit better all around, although Manning and company fared well enough. However, when the second teams were in, the defense dominated for the most part. If we get injured anywhere, I think we have more depth to step up on defense. I worry about the offensive line. Perhaps it will be fine. I hope so.

I noticed some guys stayed out on the field longer than the rest so they could work on things. Hayden, Taj Smith, Collie, Manning and a couple others I’m forgetting. Manning is a workhorse. He stayed on the field longer than most, and he conducted interviews with different people. Long after everyone else had gone indoors, he stayed and gave autographs. He was out there an hour longer than most everyone else after both practices.

Some people are jerks. They would almost trample the kids to get to Manning. My son sat in front of the rope during afternoon practice and next to a kid in a wheelchair. Afterwards, when Peyton came to sign autographs, they were nearly trampled. By adults. The security kept warning that Manning wouldn’t stay if they pushed and crowded, yet some adults kept on until Manning backed away and signed elsewhere. My son was disappointed, but he stayed there, and when the mob went to Manning’s new spot and trampled some more, Peyton came back and signed my son’s football. Throughout the time, security had to keep intervening with crazed fans. And it wasn’t the children, let me tell you.

Justin Snow impressed me. He came straight over to the handicapped young man and signed his stuff. He told sternly everyone else to wait afterwards, and he knelt beside the wheelchair and talked to the family at length. He asked them questions, showed understanding, and seemed to genuinely care. Curtis Painter also came over later just for this family.

My son received autographs from Peyton, Coach Jim Caldwell, Justin Snow and Curtis Painter. We conversed with each of them except for Manning, who was preoccupied with trying to survive.

There are a group of women there who are scarily obsessed with Dalles Clark. They have a ton of pictures of and with him. They had a gallery of photos of his gluteus maximus. They were taking more photos of him, preparing to get him to sign some previous ones, and speaking of him constantly the entire afternoon practice. They looked normal enough, but looks can be deceiving.

* Conclusion - I could go on and on, but this is already a book =p It’s a great time for my family every year, and I highly recommend the experience to anyone. Oh, and if you come, bring your own Sharpie. Or seven dollars to buy one.

The Detroit Lions select.....

Well, let me explain my decision first. The possible choices are QB Matt Stafford, OT Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe, LB Aaron Curry, or DT BJ Raji. There are other scenarios that are worth consideration, like trading out of the number one pick. A strong possibility is a three way trade with Cleveland and Denver that will send Quinn and the number five pick to Denver, the number one pick to Cleveland, and Cutler and the number twelve pick to Detroit. Or some variation that gets Cutler to Detroit and sends away the number one pick.

Anyhow, I believe there is a very likely scenario that Detroit will not pick first. They are doing very interesting things publicly that make me suspect they are trying to spook someone below them to trade up and secure their guy. That may or may not work, but I still suspect that somehow Detroit will not pick first in actuality.

There are drawbacks to every possible first choice. Matt Stafford is the top choice in the weakest class of QBs in a while. They drafted Drew Stanton 43rd overall in '07, and I think they would be better off building other areas this season while trying out 2nd rounder Stanton, then drafting QB next year if he doesn't work out.

Next, OT is a big need and a good possibility. However, the Lions pick again at #20, and this is a deep class at this position. There is much debate over who is the top player at this position. Rather than gambling on that choice, the wise thing would be to draft the top guy later in the opening round. There will be a good option there.

Now to Curry. He is the best defensive player in the draft, and he is the most popular choice of the Lions fanbase. That should make him a slam dunk, but I only hesitate because they traded for Julian Peterson already. Along with Sims, this would give them three outstanding LBs, and there are other needs. 

Raji. This seems like a slight reach. However, the struggling defense could use a great DT. Additionally, the Lions traded away Cory Redding in the trade for Peterson, so there is a great need there. But is Raji a number one overall?

Crabtree will never happen on the heels of the Millen era. This brings me to the conclusion that the Lions desperately need out of this slot. I believe that a Cutler deal is an excellent scenario for them.

So what do I choose? Well if I am forced to choose at number one, I am going with my favorite player at the top of the draft.......

AARON CURRY

The fans who follow them closely want this as well, and some draft experts agree. I just think that Stafford is too expensive for the risk. Give Stanton a whirl for a year. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Big Ten Network has a new show that made its debut on March 13 and will continue on Mondays from March 23rd and on. It's called The Big Ten Quad and I saw a portion of it. One of the guests was Mike Hart. It was interesting to hear Eddie George, who hosts the show, comment on how smart of a person Mike Hart is, as well as how well Hart would  make cuts on a sloppy field and such.

Anyhow, as they talked (there were four former Big Ten players including George in the discussion) about various things, Hart spoke about attitude in the locker room. He said that on every team you have your complainers, guys who think that they should play more, or guys who disagree with the coaches. He said that there were guys like that in Michigan and on the Colts, as well as every team in sports.

Hart went on to say that he watches those guys and clusters of guys who complain, as he was a team captain in Michigan and a rookie last year in the NFL. He said that he always looks at how those types of guys work on the practice field. I am summarizing all of this, as it has been three days since I watched it, but Hart made it clear that he learned a lot about attitude from noticing the players who complain in the locker room but don't study extra film or practice extra hard to get better. His point seemed to be that a player ought to quit being negative and work harder at proving he is worth more by improving through extra preparation.

This just reinforces what I have said about Mike Hart all along. This is a tremendous person who slid in the draft because of speed, and he has the heart and head to be a great contributor to this team. I love how he runs. He had the greatest two yard gain I have ever seen last season. Most of you remember that big third down conversion. Even the play that he was seriously injured on was great. Preseason and regular season, every time he touched the ball was special. He was great for the Wolverines (whom I hate) and I believe he will be big for the Colts in the years to come. Next season he might be the buzz around these parts. We will see.

You can see parts of the show at their web site, which I already linked. Go Colts!

Does anybody on here know why Clark is so expensive this year? According to ColtsCap, he is a 13.9 million hit this season. From 3 mil last year to 6+ mil in years to come, that nearly 14 mil this year is glaring.

This has probably been explained before, and I probably read and forgot it, but I do not recall why it is so high this one year. Or is that site wrong? Or am I the only person even concerned about it? Or have I already exceeded my 75 minimum words?

I wanted to wait a few days to post this. As a Colts fan I know all too well about that feeling after playoff disappointment. This season our hopes were tempered, but the Colts have let a top seed season end too early. It takes awhile, likely longer than this, to move forward. I am not sure I am over the '05 Pittsburgh loss entirely still, tbh.

Anyway, I want to congratulate Titans land on a great year. You won the AFC South. You had an early season QB transition, yet didn't miss a beat. Your team plays great defense. You even outplayed the Ravens in almost every way in the playoff game. There is so much parity in the NFL today that the goal is to just get in the playoffs and anything can happen.

I am not one of these that subscribes to the school of thought that there is only one successful team each year. While the ultimate goal and prize is the Lombardi, to say that thirty-one of thirty-two teams had unsuccessful seasons is ludicrous. I know that thirty-one teams end the season feeling disappointed, but that does not mean their team was not a successful team in a tough league.

I say there are twelve successful teams each year. They are called playoff contenders. Above that, the divisional championship is a higher standard of success and a greater achievement in a successful season. Congratulaions to the Tennessee Titans for not only reaching the playoffs, but for winning their division and for having the best record in the AFC Conference.

You earned the top conference spot by beating very good playoff teams. You beat the Colts, Steelers and Ravens in the AFC alone to get that top spot. Your team is extremely well coached and will be a force to be reckoned with as long as Jeff Fisher is leading the charge. 

I realize that for many this is little consolation at this time, but it will be. I believe that before long, and even now for some, you will look back and appreciate the great success that your team experienced during a year in which it was extra exciting to be Tennessee Titans fan.

Enjoy the offseason, and I look forward to a great rivalry next year again!

I'm sure my thoughts are sentiments that have already been echoed, but I wanted to post them.

I think it is a tragedy to finish the season 11-5 and not make the playoffs. As a Colts fan I feel the same way about traveling to the West Coast as a 12-4 team to play an 8-8 team. But missing the postseason at 11-5 just seems wrong.

I think your team has had an amazing season. Coach Belichick gained some respect in my eyes as a coach this season. He is easy to hate as a rival team, but I have always considered him the most important individual on the team. This year concreted that in my mind. What he accomplished despite the injuries is remarkable, and it may have been his greatest coaching performance ever this season.

This season the Pats reminded me of the year Brady first started. Truthfully, had you made the playoffs, a super bowl run would seem like a strong possibility. I would not want the Colts to have to march into Foxboro and play the Patriots!

Anyhow, it has been an admirable season, and I am truly sorry about the postseason. It doesn't seem right.

As Christmas quickly approaches, I hope that this will help you stay out of the doghouse this year.

Oh, and you're welcome!

(I tried to make this  a fanshot with video, but I am still figuring these things out.)

Go Colts! Go Colts!Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts!Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts!Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts!Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts! Go Colts!

I am in the championship in two different leagues. Both are ten team leagues, and I have had the highest points so far in both leagues. Some of my players have tough matchups this week. We play 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs/TEs, 1 DF, 1 K. Here's my roster.

QB - Aaron Rodgers, Jason Campbell

RB - Adrian Peterson, Thomas Jones, DeAngelo Williams, Chester Taylor

WR/TE - Andre Johnson, Steve Smith (CAR), Roddy White, Marvin Harrison, Devin Hester

Team DF - Bears, Panthers

K - Joe Nedney, Jason Hanson

My biggest concern is Tomas Jones or DeAngelo Williams (as I'm going to start Peterson). I am also a little uncertain about the Bears over the Panthers. Any advice?