So the player's union is filing a grievance on behalf of Ed Johnson.

"

As for Johnson, he has yet to sign since being released by the Colts after one game this season. Johnson, cut in the second week of the season after being arrested for marijuana possession, was a part-time starter with the Colts as a rookie in 2007 and was expected to be a significant contributor this season.

The union is expected to argue that under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, players can't be released for violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

 

"

 

The DT position just keeps getting more and more interesting..

What is the worst thing that can come from this grievance?  Will the Colts be forced to place him back on the roster..?  Doesn't seem likely, makes you wonder if the Colts could face a penalty of some sort if it is ruled in Johnson's favor.

Just heard it on ESPN.

 

I suppose it's not much of a surprise, but this is a blow to the O-line once again.  I wouldn't be betting on our running game again this week, so let's all hope that Peyton and the receivers are in synch so we can put up enough points to win it.  I wonder how long they plan on holding him out..seems like it's a good chance he may play next week.

 

Haven't heard any updates on Clark yet..

 

GO COLTS!

I took a gander at the salary cap information on Coltscap.net and noticed some interesting things.  I decided to break down each general position to see how much we are spending on each one.  

Check it out.

Offensive Line:
10 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $15,431,574 which is 13.3% against the cap.
Peyton makes more than the entire O-Line put together this year.  The Colts are also paying Tarik Glenn 1.67M this year.

Tight Ends:
3 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $5,112,000 which is 4.4% of the cap.
The Colts have 3 TEs against the cap, neither of which are Fletcher or Utecht as they are both RFAs.  Should be interesting to see what Polian plans on doing here, or if he is going to draft a TE.

Wide Receivers:
7 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $21,342,687 which is 18.4% of the cap.
With Marvin making $12M this year, the wideouts combine to make the 2nd most money on the team in terms of positions.  Without him that number would be $9M and change, about 8.1% of the cap.  Therefore, Marvin makes 10.3% of the cap..let's just hope he stays healthy.

Quarterbacks:
3 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $19,766,666 which is 17% of the cap.
Remember that deal Sorgi signed early last year?  People kept asking why he would sign on to be a backup...well, I guess $771,666 is a good consolation prize for that job.

Running Backs:
5 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $3,041,750 which is 2.6% of the cap.
At 2.6% of the cap, the RBs are the cheapest position on the Colts roster.  What a difference signing Edgerrin James would have been..Joseph Addai makes more than all the other RBs combined, at $1.56M.

Defensive Line:
9 players total against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $25,985,875 which is 22.4% of the cap.
Several interesting things are seen here.  First, the DL makes more than any other position on the Colts roster.  Oh, and I guess I should mention that this number does NOT include the $6,000,000 the Colts have to pay Corey Simon this year. Wow.  I think a lot of people would say this is also the weakest position on the entire team.  Booger makes more than Mathis, who makes more than Freeney this year.

Linebackers:
9 total players against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $7,977,583 which is 6.9% of the cap.
The Colts have a relatively cheap and effective LB corps for their money here.

Defensive Backs:
12 total players against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $15,189,165 which is 13.1% of the cap.
This group includes safeties and cornerbacks.  Bethea makes less than Brannon Condren, Dante Hughes, Keiwan Ratliff, Kelvin Hayden and Tim Jennings.  Think he'll want to cash in as soon as he can?

Special Teams:
3 total players against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $3,981,428 which is 3.4% of the cap.
The STs actually cost MORE than our RBs.  Amazing.  I'm not sure if that is praising Polian for how cheap the RBs are, or how expensive the STs are.

Offensive Totals:
28 total players against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $64,694,677 which is 55.8% of the cap.
This team is definitely offense-heavy in terms of pay.  But I don't know if many would disagree that the offense has been the anchor of the team for the past 5 years, either.

Defensive Totals:
30 total players against the cap.
A total dollar amount of $49,152,623 which is 42.4% of the cap.
Again, you would want to add another $6M to get a true gauge on how Corey Simon is really affecting the Colts...47.5% of the cap.  Ouch.

The numbers here are a little off, plus or minus 3%...and I rounded most of them as well.  I am aware that my total ends up ~101.5%.  Coltscap has an $8,000,000 adjusted cap figure, which as of yet I do not know what it is.

Hey BBS and MRW, are you guys still doing that tailgate for one of the upcoming games?  If so, which day is it on?

One-line diaries are prohibited on Stampede Blue. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.
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Here's the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AuNFZoZYYW8d5I4qaoIRHttDubYF?slug=ap-colts-injuries&prov=a p&type=lgns

One-line diaries are prohibited on Stampede Blue. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.
The minimum is 300 characters.

Tyjuan Hagler's season of emergence will include a new position. The veteran linebacker will make his third career start Monday at Jacksonville, but his first on the strong side, replacing Rocky Boiman.

"You've got to embrace it,'' Hagler said Thursday. "It's a blessing to be in the starting lineup."
A fifth-round draft pick in 2005, Hagler started on the weak side against Tennessee and Tampa Bay after a dislocated elbow and concussion sidelined Freddy Keiaho. Hagler also has taken repetitions in practice at middle linebacker.
He has made steady contributions through five games -- 14 tackles, one forced fumble -- after missing his rookie season with a sports hernia and appearing in only nine games in 2006, all on special teams.
Boiman wasn't thrilled with the demotion. He started once and played extensively in two other games at strong-side linebacker in place of injured veteran Rob Morris.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed and I don't know why (the change was made),'' Boiman said. "I can only control what I can control.''

--
Hagler looks like a stud.  Nice to know we may have a little more depth than we initially thought, too.

Update [2007-9-19 20:23:24 by BigBlueShoe]: yellowsnow, a Colts fan visiting Houston this weekend, needs our help. -BBS

So I have some family in texas that I have been wanting to visit. my uncle is a huge colts fan that just moved down to texas, so naturally we decided to schedule my visit to texas during the weekend of the colts vs texans game so we could go to it.. :)

so I have been thinking about making a sign and taking it in with me...i have never taken a sign to a game before...so I need some ideas on what it might say..anyone care to share some thoughts?

I can't wait...

Starting guard Jake Scott plans to sign his one-year, $1.3 million tender with the Colts today. But in what could end up bad news for a team that has already lost several key defensive players, starting cornerback Jason David has agreed to a four-year offer sheet from the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL.com. David visited with the Saints last week.
Once the Colts receive the offer sheet, they will have seven days to match it. If they don't, they would receive a fourth-round pick in the April 28-29 draft as compensation from New Orleans. Despite David being a three-year starter, the Colts tendered him at a low level -- $850,000, plus compensation based on where he was selected in the draft.

MIAMI (AP) -- Joey Porter has agreed to a five-year, $32 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, making the former second-team All-Pro linebacker the first marquee player to join the club during this free agent period.

Porter is guaranteed $20 million in the deal, which was agreed to late Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion who requested anonymity because Porter has not yet passed his physical and the contract may not be signed until Wednesday or Thursday.

cato june should be the next LBer to go...one would think..

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-chargers-turner&prov=ap&type=lgns

congrats to him.  

does anyone think he'll do a better job than marty schottenheimer, though?  

it should be interesting to see how this pans out & how things work out with the coordinators.

go colts! asdfghjkl;