Draft and Cap report.

huevonkiller · Mar 31, 2009

Colts Team Report

Yahoo! Sports Mar 30, 1:01 pm EDT

Inside Slant

The offensive line has always been an area where the Indianapolis Colts have thrived.

Veteran assistant coach Howard Mudd, though, certainly had his work cut out for him in 2008. With Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday sidelined for several games due to knee injuries and offensive guard Ryan Lilja missing the entire season, also due to knee problems, the Colts struggled to get a running game going.

Yes, the line was able to pass block pretty well as it allowed just 14 sacks during the year. But it was the running game that was most affected by the shuffling of personnel up front. Three rookies—center Jamey Richard, center/guard Mike Pollak and center/guard Steve Justice—were thrown into the fray pretty quickly.
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All three were forced to, quite literally, learn on the run.

“One of the things people don’t want to hear is excuses,” first-year head coach Jim Caldwell said recently. “So I’m not making an excuse, but these are the facts in this case that we did have quite a bit of shuffling going on, just in terms of being able to get a unit together like Howard Mudd typically does.”

The development gained during their rookie year should help Richard, Pollak and Justice as they begin preparations for 2009.

“I would anticipate that with Mike Pollak, Jamey Richard and Steve Justice, that you’re going to see improvement with all three guys,” Caldwell said. “Mike had a pretty extensive amount of playing time, so that’s not going to do anything but help him.

“Jamey played a pretty consistent amount and Steve probably played less than those other two, but they all have certainly good potential and are making good progress.”

That being said, Caldwell expects the offensive line to return to being one of the better units in the league.

“Often, he (Mudd) will have a unit in place, and you’ll see them just continue to grow and develop and get a good sense of one another and move along and not miss a beat,” he said. “Once we kind of got it going (last season), we were productive in some areas, but not as consistent as we’d like to be.”

Notes, Quotes

• The Colts have added a veteran NFL performer to their linebacker corps, signing free agent Adam Seward to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not available. Seward, 26, was a fifth-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2005. He appeared in 40 games, two as a starter, the past four seasons.

The 6-2, 250-pounder collected 45 career tackles while also seeing extensive playing time on special teams.

“Adam’s looking forward to the opportunity,” Mike Hoffman, his agent, said. “He’s a good match for the Colts.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell told the Charlotte Observer that he believes Seward gives the Colts “a strong, athletic, very-capable backup behind starting middle linebacker Gary Brackett.”

• Indianapolis waived RB Clifton Dawson. Dawson finished the season on the injured reserve list after receiving a concussion in early November.

Dawson appeared in 13 games with the Colts and Bengals in 2007 as an undrafted rookie out of Harvard. He carried the ball 30 times for 64 yards with one touchdown in 2007. He appeared in just two games in 2008 before being placed on injured reserve.

• The Colts were awarded one compensatory pick in the April draft, a fourth-rounder. The pick is the 36th of the round and the 136th overall, and gives the team eight overall selections.

The league issues compensatory picks using a formula that takes into account significant veteran free agents lost and signed the previous year, including the players’ salary, playing time and postseason honors. Under the formula, the Colts signed no significant free agents while losing starting guard Jake Scott, who signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.

• Unlike the past several years, the Indianapolis Colts won’t be playing in any of the NFL’s featured games on the opening weekend of the season. That means no Thursday night, Sunday night or Monday night games.

The Colts played at the New England Patriots on Thursday on Kickoff Weekend in 2004, then visited the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday Night game on Kickoff Weekend 2005. The following year they opened in a Sunday Night game against the New York Giants in the so-called Manning Bowl.

In 2007, they opened the season in the RCA Dome on a Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints. They hosted that game because they won the Super Bowl the previous season.

This past season, they played host to the Chicago Bears in the regular-season opener. That was the first regular-season game at state-of-the-art Lucas Oil Stadium.

• Team president Bill Polian recalls when the Colts took QB Peyton Manning with the NFL’s No. 1 pick back in 1998.

“Peyton Manning wasn’t a sure thing,” Polian told the Detroit Free-Press recently. “Peyton Manning wasn’t the most popular pick at the time. That’s the point. You’ve got to make the decision that’s best for you. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Quote To Note: “You don’t replace a Hall of Famer. There’s no one that has had the kind of production that Marvin has had. He certainly has been one of the all-time greats, so that’s going to be different. But the players we do have certainly will continue to improve.”—Colts coach Jim Caldwell on replacing former Indianapolis WR Marvin Harrison.

Strategy And Personnel

Beefing up the defensive line and improving depth at linebacker, running back and cornerback figure to be the areas where the Indianapolis Colts hope to improve themselves in next month’s NFL Draft.

Of course, finding a potential replacement for former WR Marvin Harrison may be at the top of the team’s wish list. But the Colts won’t waste their first-round pick if the guy they want isn’t readily available. Also, searching out a new punter who can also be the holder for placements is on the team’s wish list.

TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY

What to do at linebacker and running back. The Colts opted not to re-sign free agent LBs Freddy Keiaho and Tyjuan Hagler, as well as free agent RB Dominic Rhodes.

Also remaining available is free agent CB Keiwan Ratliff, who provided some pretty big plays for the Indianapolis defense last season. Keiaho, Hagler, Rhodes and Ratliff could be re-signed in the coming weeks, but no decisions are expected until after the draft.

P Hunter Smith (UFA) is not expected to be re-signed.

TEAM NEEDS

1. Wide receiver: If possible, the Colts will think offense first with the first-round draft pick. Team officials like to keep QB Peyton Manning well-stocked with plenty of options to throw the football to. An athletic, physical receiver who can get downfield would fit nicely into the team’s offensive game plans.

2. Defensive tackle: Get bigger but retain the quickness and the athletic skills necessary to play in the Colts’ defensive scheme. Indianapolis doesn’t like big, hulking defensive tackles. The Colts much prefer linemen who can run, force the pass protection up the middle and still be able to make plays at the line of scrimmage.

3. Linebacker: Improving Indianapolis’ overall depth at the position is crucial. The addition of veteran free agent LB Adam Seward helps bolster the middle, but finding athletic, quick play-making outside linebackers who can also double on special teams will be important.

Medical Watch: No updates.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

• S Matt Giordano will test the open market. May re-sign with the Colts later.

• LB Tyjuan Hagler is not expected to be re-signed. Could return, however, if the price is right.

• CB Keiwan Ratliff may be back at a later date. He will test the free-agent market first, though.

• RB Dominic Rhodes would like to remain with the Colts, but will take the opportunity to see what kind of money may be available.

• P Hunter Smith was not offered a contract and at this point will probably not return to the Colts.

• DE Josh Thomas could also return later in the offseason if the right kind of deal can be worked out.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered)

• LB Freddy Keiaho (not tendered as RFA) has become a quality starter for the Colts on the weak side. Is valuable since he can play all three linebacking roles if needed. Could be re-signed at less than the RFA tender.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

• RB Lance Ball: ERFA; terms unknown.

• LB Buster Davis: ERFA; terms unknown.

• G/T Daniel Federkeil: ERFA; terms unknown.

• CB Kelvin Hayden: Potential UFA; $43M/5 yrs, $22M guaranteed.

• DT Daniel Muir: ERFA; terms unknown.

• C Jeff Saturday: Potential UFA; $13.3M/3 yrs, $7.45M SB; 2009 cap: $3.98M.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

• P Mike Dragosavich (waivers Browns).

• LB Adam Seward: UFA Panthers; 1 yr, terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST

• RB Clifton Dawson (released).

• WR Marvin Harrison (released).

• DT Darrell Reid: UFA Broncos; $6.8M/3 yrs, SB unknown.
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