From nfl.com INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2005) -- Defensive tackle Corey Simon, cut by the Philadelphia Eagles, agreed to a multiyear contract with Indianapolis in what could be a big boost for the Colts' defense. The Eagles removed the franchise tag on the former first-round draft pick Aug. 28, making him an unrestricted free agent. The negotiations with the Colts didn't take long, agent Roosevelt Barnes said. Barnes said he finished the deal "in principle" with Colts president Bill Polian on Sept. 1 and that Simon, who has 32 sacks in his five-year NFL career, would probably be in Indianapolis on Sept. 2 for a physical. "Working with Mr. Polian and the fact that Tony Dungy is there, out of all the teams that were courting Corey, he felt like he's got the prettiest girl at the prom now," Barnes said. The Colts were scheduled to leave Sept. 1 for Cincinnati, where they'll play their final preseason game Sept. 2. Simon was the Eagles' first-round pick and the sixth overall selection in the 2000 draft, out of Florida State. In five seasons with Philadelphia, he had 270 tackles and 32 sacks. He had 24 tackles and 5? sacks last season, when he was named to the Pro Bowl, but he did not sign a one-year, $5.13 million franchise tender the Eagles offered him because he wanted a long-term contract. He skipped all of Philadelphia's minicamps and its training camp. "Along with Dwight Freeney on the defensive side of the ball, this gives them a legitimate pass rush up the middle," Barnes said of Simon's role with the Colts, where improving a shaky defense is considered critical if they are to become a Super Bowl contender. "I think he'll bring some of the same elements that (Warren) Sapp brought to Tampa Bay when he was wreaking havoc down there." The Colts have an explosive offense, led by Peyton Manning, whose 49 touchdown passes set an NFL record last season. But their defense has been unreliable, keeping them from getting home-field advantage in the playoffs and have lost postseason games at New England the last two seasons.
The Colts certainly could use the help... A shame they didn't grab Ty Law when he was out there, too.
Why arent the Packers doing anything this off-season, are they over the cap? It seems that they have done very little this off-season, except lose a bunch of top-notch guys...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Why arent the Packers doing anything this off-season, are they over the cap?</div> The Packers are about $3 million under the salary cap right now. Ted Thompson and Bob Harlan are firm believers in drafting talent and working with what you have. Jim Bates also said that there was plenty of talent and young guys to work with on defense, so he didn't raise any alarm bells with the front office this off season. I think the Packers are in a holding pattern because they don't know what Favre's future is and they have to sign guys like Ahman Green, Najeh Davenport and Ryan Longwell this off-season. I think Favre is scheduled to make $10 million next year, too, so they're going to have to re-negotiate that this off-season if Favre comes back. Add it all up and there's not much money to spend on free agents.
Could Simon be the final piece to the puzzle? Only time will tell Simon & Triplett will be an incredible duo @ DT
