I wanted to post this recent article by Peter King discussing the effects of moving the trade deadline back a couple of weeks. It's a pretty interesting, but long, read. But the most interesting part is the situation involving the Colts and Kyle Orton last season. Actually, it's quite shocking.

According the Bill Polian, if the trade deadline had been moved last season from week 6 to week 8 like it is being proposed this year, he would have tried to trade for Kyle Orton. He says he would have given up a 3rd round pick to make the deal for Orton. He was willing to do this even though the Broncos were reportedly only asking for a 4th round pick prior to the season. Orton was eventually released and picked up on waivers by the Chiefs.

Could you imagine if Polian had given up this year's 3rd round pick, an incredibly valuable pick, for Kyle Orton? At the time of this hypothetical deal, the Colts record was 0-7 and the season was lost. Also, acquiring Orton would have likely helped the Colts win a couple of more games, causing them to lose their draft position and thus lose out on Luck. According to King, this result would have also meant that Manning would still be a Colt, but I am not so sure.

Either way, I am glad that Polian didn't have the chance. I have never bashed him on here, but after reading this, I am glad he is gone. This move was likely his last chance to save his job, and he would have done so at the expense of the future of our beloved Colts franchise.

None of this really matters because Polian is the past and the Colts are looking toward the future, a future that I am very excited about. I just thought it was an interesting read for the down time during the NFL offseason. I also think it's interesting to see what effects moving the trade deadline back will have this year. I think teams might be more willing to deal certain players later in the season because they will have a more definitive idea of whether the season is lost or not. For the Colts, that could mean Dwight Freeney or possibly some other veteran.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/05/27/mmqb/index.html?xid=sbnation

After commenting on so many other posters' mock drafts, I thought I would create my own. I am not going to delve into a long summary about the Colts needs, because we all know what they are, even though many of use disagree on the priority of each.

I apologize in advance for pushing other posts down for my mock draft, but that comes with the territory around this time of year. Follow me after the jump to see my picks:

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After the events of this past week, many Colts fans are left wondering how or when the Colts will be able to compete at a high level again. What will this new era of Colts football look like? Gone are the familiar and beloved names many of us have been rooting for this past decade of success; Manning, Addai, Clark, Bracket, Bullitt and eventually even Freeney. These recent cuts have left even more holes on the roster than I care to count, but it now seems to me that the Colts biggest needs are:

Primary: WR1, WR2, NT, CB1/CB2, SS, OG, C, TE

Secondary: CB3, DE/OLB, MLB, HB

That is a very large amount of primary needs, meaning this rebuilding process will be a very exciting, but daunting task. However, I think with the recent cuts, the Colts will have some cap space this offseason to sign some established players to fill the holes on the roster.

Follow me after the jump to see some ways the Colts can effectively start rebuilding the Colts roster to be competitive, starting tomorrow, March 13, the first day of Free Agency.

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This post is not about who is the greatest QB ever to play the game. That debate will likely never end unless Manning can come back and win two more rings. I think if he did that it would no longer be a debate. But I do want to talk about stats. Now I am not a stats geek and do not have an educated viewpoint on advanced statistics in the NFL. But I do know that some of you do. So what I would like to ask is:

Is there a stat like WAR in baseball that applies to the NFL?

I have never heard of WAR in the NFL. For those who don't know, WAR is Wins Above Replacement. It represents the wins that player gives you above a replacement level (mediocre) player. Now the issue with WAR is that it is a counting stat and accumulates over the season so I do not know how to apply that to the NFL. Plus, every player has a value which is fine in a 162 game season, but would not work over a 16 game season.

For comparison's sake, let's say it does exist. If you look at this season and last season, it should give you a relatively simple but accurate view of Manning's worth. If this team finishes 0-16 this season after finishing 10-6 last season, Manning would be worth 10 WAR (assuming no major changes to the roster, which is fairly true). To give you an idea, the highest WAR in MLB in 2011 was Jacoby Ellsbury with 9.4, according to Fangraphs. 9.4 out of 162 games is 5.8%. 10 WAR out of 16 games for Manning would be 62.5%.

I know this is a simplistic way to look at it because of the difference in length of schedule, but like I said I am not that familiar with advanced stats in the NFL. So what is the best way to look at this? Because if you use the comparison I just did, it is clearly obvious that Manning is the most valuable player in the history of the NFL.

I wanted to post this topic of discussion while we wait for the game today.  I know this issue has been mentioned in several threads, but I felt it would make for some good discussion.

 While watching the Cubs v. Reds game on Mother's Day, I noticed several well-struck balls that floated harmlessly halfway into the outfield.  Now I have watched and played baseball long enough that I don't get excited every time a Cubs player hits a flyball.  That is actually one of my pet peeves when I get the chance to attend games.  But it seemed that some of these flyballs should have landed in the seats or very close to them.  Which brings me to wonder, have our power hitters like Soto and Ramirez really lost their power or is there something else going on?  Even Carlos Pena scolded a ball that should have been a home-run on any day, wind or no wind, but it was caught on the warning track.

After watching this game, I would like to believe that MLB has it in for the Cubs and intentionally sent us a bad batch of pink bats.  I can tell you that if I was a Cub player, I would not want to use those bats again, regardless of their good intentions.  As much as it pains me to say, this is most likely not the case.  But in this era of "pitching is king," where we have seen two no-hitters and nearly two others in the span of a week, something has to give.  Have pitchers become that dominant?  Is the lack of steroid use finally catching up to the league as a whole?  Or is there something else, like the league changing the bats and the ball?

I know many purists will say that this is the way the game is supposed to be played.  But I don't buy it.  It has been such a drastic change from even a few years ago.  I would like to know what all of you think about the Cub's power, or lack thereof, and the league as a whole.  I, personally, am hoping that this trend will change with the weather (for the Cubs, that is), but for some reason, I am not confident it will. 

I will be at the game on Wednesday, a present from my older brother for graduating college.  Last time, I saw the Cubs and Cards, some guy named Pujols jacked three home runs.  I am sure Al remembers this game.  Let's hope this doesn't happen again.  Go Cubs! 

Because of his comments following Sunday's loss to the Patriots, the Vikings have waived Randy Moss.  With all the injuries the Colts have sustained and the lack of depth at WR, is Randy Moss worth an addition.  I know he's not the typical "Colts" player, but he still has big play potential and could attract double coverage that would free up Garcon and Wayne. 

I apologize if this was posted elsewhere, but I didn't see it.  I just wanted to gauge everybody's opinion on Randy Moss being a Colt.

I am working on an iPad app for Ball State University's athletics.  One of features of the app is section called "Anatomy of an Athlete."  I was hoping some of you who are more versed in research could help me compile some facts about collegiate player skills and common injuries.  Some of the questions are:

What are common injuries that a collegiate baseball player would suffer (pitchers and hitters)?

How hard does the average collegiate pitcher throw (close estimate)?

How hard does an average collegiate hitter hit the ball?

How long does the average collegiate hitter have to react to a fastball?

These are just some of the questions we will be answering with the profile.  Any additional facts would be welcomed.

Also, I do not mind doing the research, I am just having trouble finding this information on the web.  So, if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated?  Thanks for all your help in advance.

I have a question for all you die-hard cubs fan here at BCB.  My girlfriend is writing a book with the Cubs and their history involved somehow.  I was wondering what is the best book about the Cubs' history on the market?  I am sure there is more than one, but if anybody knows of one that really sticks out, please feel free to share.  Please keep in mind price and availability.  I appreciate your input.

After having watched nearly every game for the last 4-5 years, I have noticed something that seems to be consistent with the Cubs hitting.  It seems to me that Cubs hitters, for the most part, stand pretty far away from the plate when they are batting.  Now I am sure other players from other teams do this as well but I do not watch these other teams nearly as much.  It seems that when they do this, opposing teams pitch away and away.  This seems to be the book on the Cubs for other teams.  If I was a Major League pitcher, I would pitch the Cubs hitters outside all day long.

One hitter is who struggling with this the most this year is Aramis Ramirez.  Pitchers seem to work the outside corner on him consistently, so when he does make contact, he is not able to drive the pitch.  The only way he can get a good pitch to hit is if the pitchers throws in on him or makes a mistake.  Now I am not saying this is the main reason for his struggles to date, but I thought it might invoke an interesting discussion.

Do you think batting stance, as in how far away from the plate a batter stands, has an effect on their ability to hit?  Have you noticed this with the Cubs?  And do you think that certain players would benefit from standing closer to the plate?

    The Rockies would send us back right-handed reliever Luis Vizcaino.  Vizcaino is 34 and is set to earn $3.5 million in 2009.  In 2008, he posted a 5.28 ERA in 46 innings with a 1.46 WHIP.  Here's the link.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/12/marquis-for-viz.html

Since Vizcaino is going to earn 3.5 million, does this mean we will be covering anymore of Marquis's salary?  If not, I definitely like it.  More bullpen depth is a good thing...tho I wonder what is the plan for the 5th starter spot.

Discuss among yourselves. 

I have never attended a Cubs Convention before and was planning on doing so this year.  I was curious as to what current and former players would be there...there is a list on cubs.com for 2008 attendees but they are not guaranteed to be there this year.  Also, my real question pertains to how the autograph and photo sessions work.  Are there usually a lot of good opportunities for autographs, for example does Ryno sign autographs and take photos last year? Any information would be much appreciated.