Indianapolis Colts Football

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: MAY 20TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Monday, May 20^th

Chuck Pagano checks off ‘bucket list’ item at Indy Motor Speedway

By: Will Brinson, CBS Sports

After the Colts rookies got to experience the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon, their head coach followed suit on Saturday.

Chuck Pagano took in one of the most iconic stadiums in all of sports and was even able to ride around the historic track with Mario Andretti.

“It’s one of those bucket list deals you check off,” Pagano said via Fox 59 in Indy. “It’s one of those things you’d never thought you would have a chance to do.”

“Unbelievable, exhilarating,” Pagano said. “The speeds, the excitement of sitting behind Mario Andretti, the all-time great. It was just fabulous.”

Monday Morning Quarterback

By: Peter King, Sports Illustrated

It might be the offseason, but King’s Monday Morning Quarterbacks is still a must read.

In this week’s entry he takes a look at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the comment the All-Pro signal caller made which will surely make a few heads turn around the NFL.

“Going into my 14th year, I have never had more confidence in how I am throwing the football. I’ve never felt better throwing the football.”

As far as Colts fans go, the good news is the Patriots and Colts aren’t on the schedule for the first time since the 2002 season.

LIVE CHAT FRIDAY AT 11 A.M.

Looking for a place to have your Colts questions answered at the end of the week? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

This Friday, I will host a one-hour chat called “Horseshoe Roundup” beginning at 11 a.m. During the offseason, the chat will take place every two weeks and it will move to a weekly schedule once the regular season gets closer.

The chat will cover a variety of topics with the focus being the pertinent news during that time period. I will take your questions and try to answer as many as I can during the hour.

For this week, OTAs are in full swing and the Colts rookie minicamp took place this past weekend.

What questions do you have about the Colts 2013 rookie class? What are your impressions of this team with a 90-man roster in place and training camp just two months out?

We will concentrate on these topics but whatever questions you have, I will try and address in the course of an hour. Also, I sat in on Chuck Pagano’s conference call with season ticket holders on Wednesday night and I will share some of the head coach’s thoughts during our chat.

Feel free to join the chat via this link around 11:00 a.m. on Friday (scroll to the bottom of the page) and we will talk for an hour about whatever is on your mind.

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: MAY 16TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Thursday, May 16^th:

Ex-Colts’ OLB Dwight Freeney headed to San Diego? Stay tuned

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

It was only a matter of time before Dwight Freeney’s name resurfaced with NFL teams and that time came on Wednesday.

With the Chargers losing former first round draft pick Melvin Ingram to an ACL injury, the need is there for an edge rusher.

Freeney’s visit to San Diego is scheduled to run through today as the possibility is there for him to be reunited with former Colts Vice President of Football Operations and current Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco.

Colts liking Vick Ballard as lead running back

By: Paul Kuharsky, ESPN.com

In a recent interview Kuharsky had with Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, the topic came up of Vick Ballard as the top running back for the Colts.

Pagano knows the benefit of having a couple of change the pace type backs and the coach also broke down what Ballard and fellow 2012 starter Donald Brown bring to the table.

“Vick is a solid, solid guy; Donnie is a home run hitter,” Pagano said. “If he gets the edge and hits a crease, he can take it the distance. For Vick, look at that last drive of the regular season against the Texans: We got the ball with 9:46 on the clock, we ran 12 plays, 11 runs, and we ended up taking a knee. Vick took the lion’s share of carries on that drive. He just keeps getting stronger, the more carries he has the better he gets.”

Accepting nominations for Colts’ Mt. Rushmore

By: Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk

The popular Pro Football Talk has moved onto the AFC teams in accepting nominations for Mt. Rushmore candidates with the Colts the first team up.

Florio writes that the four players can be chosen from the Baltimore and Indianapolis era with John Unitas and Peyton Manning being two of the obvious choices.

The final four will be revealed on NBC Sports Network sometime next month.

RIGHT ON, JOSH

Josh Katzowitz is a writer for CBS Sports whom I do not know.  I see his byline regularly, and he is worth a read.

Today, he is a particularly good read for Colts fans.

Josh rated the 10 best NFL owners he would pick if one could be in charge of his team.  Starting from 10-to-three, it read:  Pat Bowlen (Denver), Shad Khan (Jacksonville), Bob McNair (Houston), John Mara (New York Giants), Arthur Blank (Atlanta), Packers fans, Rooney family (Pittsburgh) and Steve Bisciotti (Baltimore).

Jim Irsay was ranked number two.

Thanks, Josh, great choice, and here is what he wrote:

2. Jim Irsay: Compared to his father, Bob, who was much maligned by many of the people who knew him, the 53-year-old Jim is an absolute godsend for Colts fans. Even without the shadow of his father, though, Jim Irsay is one of the most fun owners around. He plays around on Twitter, and he gives away free stuff to his followers. Plus, he hires the right kind of personnel — general manager Ryan Grigson so far, coach Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell (for a time, anyway) — and the organization’s decision to draft Peyton Manning rather than Ryan Leaf in 1998 was obviously a huge difference-maker. But Irsay is an empathetic sort, and the sendoff given to Manning by Irsay and the Colts was representative of the NFL that we’d like to see more often. Not to mention how the team handled Chuck Pagano’s cancer scare last season. Irsay is fun, and his team has been successful since he took over in 1997. What’s not to love?

Josh hit a number of highlights of Jim’s tenure that started in 1997 with the passing of his father (whom I worked under also from 1985-97 and was much, much more pleasant than anyone knew).

Jim’s first year was a little rough on the field with the end of a regime coming, and it marked the start of a new era.

Leading from the front, Jim installed Bill Polian, oversaw the drafting of Peyton Manning and directed while a blueprint put in place led to a wildly successful extended run.

Jim always has known the value of people and leadership, and he has attracted many successful individuals through the years and let them perform (two currently are Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano).

On his watch, Indianapolis has become one of the elite franchises on and off the field.

The team won division titles in 1999, 2003-07, 08-10, played in three AFC Championship games (winning two) and two Super Bowls (winning one).

The franchise’s 115 regular-season wins from 2000-09 is the winningest decade ever.  That’s E-V-E-R, but then the NFL only has been around about 90 years.

The team won an NFL-record 23 straight regular-season games from 2008-09.

From November 16, 2003 to December 13, 2009, the Colts were 81-19 in regular-season play, tying the all-time mark for the most wins over 100 games.

Colts fans responded accordingly.  As partners, the Colts and their fans have sold out 87 straight games and 121 of the last 122.  Full-voiced participants have made this one of the NFL’s toughest stops.

Jeff Saturday recalled recently the team’s 35-34 comeback win over New England in 2009 when the team rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to win in the final seconds that he remembered lining up for the winning extra point and saw the network camera shaking because of the rocking nature of the fans.  (That win was number 18 in a row.  New England owned the two longest streaks at 21 and 18 games, so the victory there over a huge foe carried an additional footnote.)

Jim has energized those fans with his product and with a sustained run of excellence.  In addition to touring the Lombardi Trophy throughout Indiana (50 stops, 3,130 miles), he even created a challenge that let five fans eventually win authentic Super Bowl rings.

Jim interacts almost daily via Twitter and is just a nose shy of a quarter-million followers.  His charitable nature is on frequent display, and one of the most tangible fruits of his labor was Indianapolis hosting Super Bowl XLVI.

I could go on.  Suffice to say, Josh, thanks for the recognition.  In mentioning Jim with his brethren that also includes Robert Kraft, you made a wise choice.

Lunch is on me the next time you’re in town.

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: MAY 15TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Wednesday, May 15^th:

Colts have $$$ business under control; a look at their salary-cap situation

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

A ton of number crunching went into Chappell’s latest piece as he broke down the Colts 90-man roster and their salary cap implications.

He used the rookie wage scale to come up with a four-year, $7.813 million dollar contract for Bjoern Werner, who is the lone draft pick that has not been signed yet.

Chappell’s numbers churn out that the Colts are about $8.32 million under the salary cap limit of $126.5 million.

National Football Foundation dinner will honor Boudia, Colts general manager

By: Lafayette Journal & Courier

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson will be an honorary member at the annual National Football Foundation Joe Tiller of Northwest Indiana honors dinner at the Purdue Memorial Union Ballroom on Monday, June 10.

The dinner will include Purdue football coach Darrell Hazell and former coach Joe Tiller.

Grigson, who hails from Highland, Ind., will receive the chapter’s Drew Brees Mental Toughness Award.

Top 10 owners you’d want running your favorite team

By: Josh Katzowitz, CBS Sports

It’s the time of year where top 10 lists are flowing from different NFL media members.

The latest one comes in a unique way with the top 10 NFL owners that fans would want running their favorite team.

Colts owner Jim Irsay comes in at second on the list and Katzowitz offered his synopsis on the Twitter loving owner:

“Compared to his father, Bob, who was much maligned by many of the people who knew him, the 53-year-old Jim is an absolute godsend for Colts fans. Even without the shadow of his father, though, Jim Irsay is one of the most fun owners around. He plays around on Twitter, and he gives away free stuff to his followers. Plus, he hires the right kind of personnel — general manager Ryan Grigson so far, coach Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell (for a time, anyway) — and the organization’s decision to draft Peyton Manning rather than Ryan Leaf in 1998 was obviously a huge difference-maker. But Irsay is an empathetic sort, and the sendoff given to Manning by Irsay and the Colts was representative of the NFL that we’d like to see more often. Not to mention how the team handled Chuck Pagano’s cancer scare last season. Irsay is fun, and his team has been successful since he took over in 1997. What’s not to love?”

OFFSEASON QUESTIONS FOR THE COLTS POSED BY SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

There will be a lot of introductions going around NFL locker rooms on Monday morning as teams incorporate their rookie classes with OTAs continuing through the rest of the month.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke posed a couple of question surrounding the Colts with rosters growing to 90 on the practice field this week.

Below are his two questions on the Colts and both Burke and I offer our analysis on the proposed issues.

Will any of the running backs step up?

• Burke’s Analysis: This sure feels like Vick Ballard’s job to lose after he led the team in rushing last season. Nobody on the depth chart appears on the cusp of stardom, though, from Ballard to Donald Brown to seventh-rounder Kerwynn Williams. Ballard’s 814-yard rookie year at least gives Indianapolis something on which to build.

• Bowen’s Analysis: I would have to agree with Burke’s notion that the running back job is Vick Ballard’s to lose. Ballard was productive in his rookie season and that was running behind an offensive line that has improved in the offseason and an offense that appears to be utilizing more of a fullback than last year. I could very well see Ballard being a consistent 1,000+-yard rusher for years to come. Donald Brown (speed) and Delone Carter (power) both fit a role at the running back position but it’s hard to imagine either of them supplanting Ballard as the starter. Kerwynn Williams’ first crack at making a contribution should be on special teams but the return threat also showed at rookie minicamp this past weekend that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and has a chance to find a role as a third down back.

Position Battles: Erik Walden vs. Bjoern Werner, OLB, Colts:

• Burke’s Analysis: This ought to be an interesting one with Walden, arguably overpaid in free agency at four years and $16 million, taking on Werner, whom many thought should play DE in the pros. The winner gets to start opposite Robert Mathis at OLB in the Colts’ 3-4 scheme. Walden was underwhelming as a Packer, which is why Green Bay let him walk without any semblance of a fight this offseason. He could hold down the fort, at least early as Werner learns the ins and outs of playing linebacker.

• Bowen’s Analysis: First off, let’s make this clear that this is a great problem to have at the outside linebacker position. Pro Bowler Robert Mathis is the obvious starter at one side of the linebacker corps but the other side has two quality candidates. Walden has been raved about for his ability to set the edge and he was one of the bigger splashes the Colts made in free agency. Werner will get his first taste of veterans in the NFL this week during OTAs, after the Colts first round draft pick had a very solid start to his professional career at rookie minicamp. Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky made it clear that there will be times this year where all three will be on the field together and expect this specific battle to last well into August with two dynamic edge players, both of which will play a good portion of defensive snaps come the regular season.

COLTS DAILY HEADLINES: MAY 13TH EDITION

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

Take a look below at the top five pieces from Monday, May 13^th:

Colts rookies can look to 2012 season for indication of how much can be contributed

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

The Colts 2013 rookie class doesn’t have to look far in the locker room this week to see a group of players that excelled in their first NFL season.

Last season’s rookie class led the Colts to an 11-5 record and the offensive players accounted for an NFL record 3,112 yards of total offense.

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano knows that the needs aren’t glaring with this year’s rookie class and frankly, that’s what he is looking for in years to come.

“That doesn’t mean to say some of these guys that we drafted or any of the tryout guys or college free agents can’t come in and contribute in some capacity, especially on special teams,” Pagano said. “With what we did in free agency, there’s not that many holes to fill.

“That’s means you’re getting closer from a roster standpoint and team standpoint to where you want to be.”

Colts rookie camp ends on a ‘Detroit scenario’

By: Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

It was a chorus of elation for the offense at the close of the rookie minicamp this weekend at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

Head Coach Chuck Pagano implemented a “Detroit scenario” with seventh round draft pick Justice Cunningham hauling in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Arkansas Tech quarterback Tanner Marsh.

“We try to do all these must-win mock situations,” Pagano said. “Fourth down, gotta have a touchdown and we hit a walk-off home run, if you will.

“It was a good way to end camp.”

Other factoids in Chappell’s notebook include Hugh Thornton working strictly at right guard during camp and Josh Chapman working as the No. 1 nose guard during OTAs.

Colts Notebook: Cunningham’s catch completes camp

By: George Bremer, Anderson Herald Bulletin

Bremer also takes a look at Cunningham’s heroics but his notebook piece includes a variety of topics.

The second notebook item is a roster move the Colts made following their rookie minicamp as cornerback Allen Chapman turned his tryout into a roster spot and he ironically takes the place of college teammate Nigel Malone on the 90-man roster.

Along with the note on Thornton working at right guard, Bremer mentions the success that first round draft pick Bjoern Werner received from defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.

“Usually, it takes players probably a whole offseason to get their feet underneath them,” defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said. “For him, he looks good the first day I saw him out of a two-point stance. He’s been working, I know, down in south Florida. He’s been working on it a lot. Usually, the hardest thing is once they standup, they don’t shoot their hands, but he seems like he’s doing a pretty good job of it.”

KERWYNN WILLIAMS PROVIDES AN ELECTRIC OPTION AS A KICK RETURNER

The kick returner position last year for the Indianapolis Colts was a revolving door.

Over the course of 16 games, eight different players returned kickoffs with 10 returns being the highest for any of the Colts returnees (Cassius Vaughn).

The unit finally struck gold in the final week of the regular season when Deji Karim, three weeks removed from valet parking cars, took a kickoff back 101 yards against the Houston Texans.

Returns like that are something head coach Chuck Pagano wants to see at a more frequent rate in 2013 and the Colts took a step in that direction late in April’s NFL Draft.

Kerwynn Williams accounted for 3,392 kickoff returns yards in his first three seasons at Utah State and that electricity will undoubtedly be tried on special teams over the next few months.

“(Williams) had I think (135) returns and the next closest guy that we evaluated was at like 90, and he averaged over 25 yards per kickoff return,” Pagano said following the selection of Williams in the seventh round.

“We saw last game of the year what a kickoff return can do for you in the Houston game. It turned that whole thing around and blew that thing open when Deji returned that and this kid (Williams) can do that all day.”

In his first year as a starting running back at Utah State, Williams, who played behind a pair of future NFL running backs, did it all.

He rushed for 1,512 yards and also caught 45 passes for 697 yards and a total of 20 touchdowns.

Kickoff return duties had to be given up in 2012, in order to carry the load offensively, but Williams knows what will get him onto the Colts roster this fall.

“I can contribute on special teams so I think that’s a big thing that I want to look to establish myself on and I’m definitely excited to have the opportunity to come up there,” Williams said.

“I’m just looking to get up there and help the team in any way I can, whether it be returning kicks or covering kicks. I’m just trying to do my part to help make the team better.”

During the draft process, the Colts sent members of their personnel department and assistant special teams coach Brant Boyer out west to scout the elusive Williams.

It was a surprise to many in the Colts war room that Williams, Indianapolis’ No. 1 kick returner, was available come pick No. 230.

This weekend all the coaches will get a first hand look at what exactly goes into one of college football’s most dynamic playmakers.

“He brings a wrinkle to this team that could really help us and that’s as a returner. He’s exciting to watch as a runner and as a returner,” Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said.

“We’re happy to get him because he fills a tremendous need and he’s also got some real value on third down.”

ROOKIE JOHN BOYETT BRINGS A STORIED PAST TO THE NFL

The University of Oregon football program carries a storied tradition that has only grown over the past decade.

While the Ducks have soared to national prominence since the turn of the century, the program has 10 conference championships to its name.

Yet back in 2009, there was a 5-10, 205-pound safety doing something that had not been done by any other player in the history of Oregon football.

Freshman John Boyett would lead the Ducks with 90 tackles while filling in for future NFL safety T.J. Ward.

With his 90 tackles, Boyett became the first Oregon freshman to lead the Ducks in tackles since defensive stats were first recorded in 1969.

“John’s a thinker,” Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said. “His motor is always running. He studies so much film that he feels that he knows what’s going to happen before it happens.”

“You’ve got to love what John brings because he really studies the game, really loves playing, enjoys practice. That’s why I call him a football gym rat, a guy that’s always around, always asking questions, always looking at film, just loves playing.”

Aliotti is beginning his 15^th straight season at the helm of the Ducks defense and knows what is missing now that Boyett, a four-year starter, has moved onto the NFL.

The accolades that Boyett accumulated (a two-time All-American resume) speaks for itself but Aliotti provided some light on the type of player that Colts fans might not see from purely a stats standpoint.

“(Boyett) comes to work everyday, to practice, to get better and study. He loves being around it and he’s a fun kid to be around. He might even give Coach (Chuck) Pagano and (Greg) Manusky some defenses to run. He’ll draw up some ‘Boyett blitz,” Aliotti said with a laugh.

Boyett’s senior season was cut short due to knee pain that he played through during the better part of his career in Eugene.

Pagano said following the draft that Boyett’s rehab was pointing in the right direction and the two were able to talk at this year’s NFL Combine.

As a former defensive back, Pagano sees the fire in Boyett that is needed to be a successful member of the secondary

“We had a few minutes in between (formal combine interviews), and this guy just blew us away in about a two-minute interview,” Pagano said of Boyett. “You could tell that this guy was very, very passionate about playing this sport, playing football, and what he could bring to the table.”

INSTANT REACTION: DT-MONTORI-HUGHES WITH THE NO. 139 PICK

After the Colts traded their fifth round pick in 2013 to trade up and select T.Y. Hilton, it looked like Indianapolis would have a break during the fifth round this year.

But Ryan Grigson and company got back in the fifth round in 2013 when they traded up to the No. 139 spot to choose defensive tackle Montori Hughes out of Tennessee-Martin.

How does this pick impact the Colts?

The trench picks continue to pour in for the Colts as Indianapolis traded a fourth round pick in 2014 to move into the fifth round and select Hughes.

At 6’4″, 329 pounds, Hughes will line up at the nose tackle position for the Colts and scouts said “the nose guard possesses enough functional strength needed to stop the lead blocker and ball carrier at the line of scrimmage…he has good quickness and short area balance, along with adequate change of direction agility to work his way down the line.”

Hughes has past experience in a 3-4 defense and he said that the Colts told him he will be lining up in the middle at the next level.

Stopping the run is something head coach Chuck Pagano has stressed this offseason and Hughes is another wide-body that can occupy blockers in the middle of a three-man front.

2012 starter Antonio Johnson is gone but the Colts have plenty of options at the starting nose tackle spot.

Veteran free agent addition Aubrayo Franklin joined the Colts in the offseason. Indianapolis returns Martin Tevaseu, who started two games at nose tackle last year.

The Colts are also hoping to have the services of Brandon McKinney and Josh Chapman, both players who missed the entire 2012 season due to knee injuries. McKinney has experience in Pagano’s scheme from their time together in Baltimore, and Chapman should be full-go after the 2012 fifth round pick sat out last year following January 2012 knee surgery.

Franklin is the veteran, Tevaseu is the returnee, McKinney/Chapman are returning to form and now Hughes comprises a group of five nose tackles that provide competition at a position that is so vital in a stout rush defense.