Indianapolis Colts Football

VICK BALLARD NAMED ONE OF NFL’S BEST PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 23

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports compiled an interesting list earlier this week when he ranked the top 10 players in the NFL under the age of 23.

Last year’s top two picks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III missed the cut off at the age of 23 but the Colts did find themselves represented on the list.

Check out Prisco’s top-10 list here and his analysis on the Colts representative.

10. Vick Ballard, RB, Indianapolis Colts – As a rookie fifth-round pick in 2012, he ran for 814 yards and showed a powerful running style. He will get even more carries in 2013 as he takes over as the starter (Prisco).

Bowen’s Take: To many Colts fans it might come as a surprise that Ballard’s name finds this list. Sure, Ballard had a tremendous rookie campaign but consider that he’s the lone player on Prisco’s list that wasn’t a first or second round selection out of college. (Josh Gordon was a supplemental selection of the Browns and Cleveland eventually forfeited a second round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft).

The list includes just three skill position players and they all come from the AFC in Trent Richardson, Gordon and Ballard. Along with Luck, both Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton fall in the 23-year old age group. It’s nice to see a player like Ballard gain some national recognition after a season in which he (understandably) flew under the radar thanks to his fellow rookie teammates.

For those curious, Ballard will turn 23 years old on July 16th.

ANDREW LUCK JOINS NFL NETWORK CREW FOR INTERVIEW ON OTA’s

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was a guest on NFL Network’s Total Access on Wednesday evening for an interview with Scott Hanson.

This time last season Luck was balancing finishing up courses at Stanford while trying to find time for his first round of OTAs at the NFL level.

In 2013, it’s all football this time of year for Luck and Hanson covered that topic and a few others with the Colts signal caller.

Below is the full Luck interview and some of his quotes are under the video link.

Andrew Luck’s NFL Total Access Interview

On the Colts’ improvement last season and what that means for this season:

“Great for last year, glad we did some positive things. What we did last year doesn’t have any bearing – the good things, the bad things – on what is going on this year. It is nice, personally, to have a year under the belt and a little experience, but we know the road gets that much harder and we are trying to improve.”

On feeling more comfortable being in the NFL heading into his second season compared to last year:

“I am 100% more comfortable. On this day last year, I was probably sitting in class ready to get out of there and go to a rookie minicamp.  It is nice to be able to have the full offseason with the team. We have changed [offensive] coordinators, but I have had a great relationship with Pep Hamilton from before. To be around him and talk his style of offense has been great. It is just nice to be around the guys.”

On the hiring of new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton:

“I do remember someone asking my opinion of Coach Hamilton way early on, right after Coach Bruce Arians left.  I gave him 100% endorsement. I am really glad he is here and really happy for Coach Arians down in Arizona as well.  What a wonderful opportunity for him. I don’t think anybody else deserves to be a head coach in this league more than he does.  But I am glad Pep is coming in, I’m glad I don’t have to learn a completely new playbook. I think he is going to do great with us here.”

On if the Colts offense will be different under Hamilton:

“His offense is different; like B.A.’s, every coordinators offense has its own intricacies. It is too early to say [the biggest difference.] I think we will start to have a feel for that during OTAs when we can go against a defense. There will be different plays, but in the end, it is still football. You still have to go out there and make the plays.”

On the improvement of the Colts this season due to himself, T.Y Hilton, Vick Ballard, among others, gaining more experience and building off last season’s success:

“Hopefully we can build off the experience us young guys and the old guys – and continue to get better. I think we are very fortunate to have to great veteran leadership – Robert Mathis, Reggie Wayne, Cory Redding, Antoine Bethea – that really have set the standard here and know how to win. We just try to follow their lead but hopefully us second and third year guys improve and help the team out.”

COLTS HEADLINES: MAY 9TH 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 9th:

Indianapolis Colts Add to Young, Interesting Receiving Corps

By: Eric Ivie, Yahoo! Sports

Ivie breaks down the 10 receivers that are currently on the Colts roster.

He points out that the Colts have just two receivers with more than two years of experience in the NFL (Reggie Wayne and Darrius Heyward-Bey).

It will be an extremely competitive summer for this Colts position group as one would think that second-year receivers T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill have a firm grip on their roster spots (along with Wayne and Heyward-Bey).

The final few spots at the receiver position will be up for grabs with returnees Griff Whalen and Nathan Palmer competing with four newcomers to complete a position group that has a variety of options.

1,000 Colts season tickets going on sale

By: Mike Chappel, Indianapolis Star

At 10:00 a.m. this morning, the Colts will have 1,000 upper-level season tickets for sale to the public.

The season ticket sales for the Colts have been in high demand this offseason.

Fans can head to www.colts.com to take a virtual tour of Lucas Oil Stadium and see the seats remaining.

To purchase tickets, fans can either go online to www.colts.com or call (317) 299-4946.

DAILY CLIPS: APRIL 25TH

COLTS NEWS (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)
2013 NFL Draft: What are the Colts looking for? Anything but a quarterback
Indianapolis Colts’ best/worst picks review: what might have been
Pro Football Writers take a stab at aligning NFL Draft’s 1st round
Andrew Luck, Colts share NFL draft experiences from a year ago
Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
Colts Notebook: Hilton has come a long way in one year
Colts could land Pro Bowl player at No. 24
Manti Te’o could find perfect home with Colts
Colts Dwayne Allen ‘can’t stand the draft,’ after it cost him millions

COLTS.COM
2013 NFL Draft: Kickers
McDonald follows steps
Colts Mailbag
Colts top draft pick: Safety
Two weeks in

AFC SOUTH BLOG
Who’s most likely to trade back?
One more run-through with Mel, McShay
Why Titans need pass-rush help

NFL NEWS
Texans anything but handcuffed with No. 27 pick
This NFL Draft stumps Tennessee Titans, experts
Jaguars seek cornerstone with No. 2 pick in NFL Draft
ESPN, NFL Network agree to not tip off picks on Twitter during 2013 draft
Chiefs could make rare choice of OT at No. 1
Roger Goodell says Jimmy Haslam ‘is doing everything he’s asked’

AFC TEAM NEWS
Can’t get read on Pats
To stay, Rex Ryan may need NY Jets to pick quarterback in first round of draft

NFC TEAM NEWS
NY Giants could snag a linebacker in first round of NFL draft for first time since 1984
How low can Bears go?

INSTANT REACTION: DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY SIGNED BY COLTS

The anticipation of who would be joining the Colts wide receiver corps came to a close late Monday evening.

After tweets and names were thrown around for the last couple of weeks, the mystery has been solved on the new addition to an already dynamic group of wideouts.

Former first-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey is the newest Colt and continues an offseason of additions for a Colts team coming off an 11-5 regular season.

How does this acquisition impact the Colts?

During the 2012 training camp, wide receiver Reggie Wayne called his fellow receiving corps the fastest that he has ever seen during his then 12 seasons in a Colts uniform.

That notion won’t be changing any time soon with the signing of Heyward-Bey.

With Heyward-Bey in the fold, his sub 4.3 40-yard dash speed should fill the role of departing receiver Donnie Avery.

Heyward-Bey provides Colts quarterback Andrew Luck another electric target that simply needs the ball in his hands to showcase the speed that earned him the No. 7 selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Besides Avery, the Colts return every other offensive contributor that gained at least 100 yards of offense last season.

At the receiver position, Wayne will once again lead the group. The Pro Bowl receiver is coming off an 106-catch, 1,355-yard season.

T.Y. Hilton finished second among all rookie receivers with 861 receiving yards despite not being selected until the 92^nd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Fellow rookie LaVon Brazill, who Wayne called perhaps the fastest of the bunch in 2012, showed flashes of big play potential in his first season.

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has also mentioned 2012 undrafted free agent Griff Whalen as a player who could see his chances grow in 2013. Whalen spent his rookie season on injured reserve but the Stanford product is now reunited with college offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

All these weapons will be at Luck’s disposal in 2013, along with top two rookie tight ends in the NFL (Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener), giving the Colts one of the more versatile air attacks in the league.

DAILY CLIPS: Colts News and More From Around the Web

COLTS NEWS (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)
Colts trade Clifton Geathers for Philadelphia’s Stanley Havili
Colts Andrew Luck squares off with Russell Wilson on Madden NFL 25 cover vote
Colts offseason: Different ways to look at it
Colts add fullback in trade
Colts acquire fullback Stanley Havili
Former Carvers Bay standout Geathers traded to Eagles
Birds ship FB to New Home, Gain DL Body
Fullback Havili traded to Colts

COLTS.COM
2013 Positional Series: Offensive Line
Could FIU have another player following Hilton’s lead?

AFC SOUTH BLOG
Todd McShay releases new mock draft

NFL NEWS
Texans pluck bruising FB Jones from division-rival Jaguars
Ryan Fitzpatrick fits Tennessee Titans’ bill
Jaguars explored acquiring Flynn
Which NFL free agents are un-signed? Our top 25 available players
NFL Doctor says disease is overstated
Fred Davis cancels Jets visit
Aaron Rodgers closer to extension
NFLPA president thinks multiple players will come out as gay
Report: Carson Palmer won’t take any payout with Oakland
Dwight Freeney wants richer deal than Osi Umenyiora

AFC TEAM NEWS
Sebastian Vollmer aims to stay healthy
Micheal Spurlock could land with Cowboys

NFC TEAM NEWS
Osi Umenyiora makes peace with NY Giants GM Jerry Reese before joining Atlanta Falcons
Lance Louis leaves Bears for Dolphins, signs 1-year deal

LUCK REFLECTS ON SEASON WHILE IN NEW ORLEANS

Andrew Luck is nearly a month into his first NFL offseason, yet he can’t seem to get away from football.

Earlier this week, Luck threw a game-high 205 yards and two touchdowns at the Pro Bowl.

Now, the Colts signal caller is making the rounds at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans and sat down with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon on ‘The SiriusXM Biltz’ to recap his rookie season.

“It was a lot of fun especially just to be in the thick of things come December,” Luck said on radio row. “It was fun for our draft class, T.Y. Hilton, LaVon Brazill, Vick Ballard, the tight ends to be able to contribute.

“It was really a big testament to Reggie Wayne and Rob Mathis sort of leading us and showing us how to be professionals and how to get the job done.”

The blend of youth and experience was managed just right to place the Colts back into a familiar state of taking part in meaningful games during the month of January.

“From the veteran side, I think they were so accepting of us and accommodating and would take time out of their day to maybe show us ‘don’t do this, or you don’t need to be going over here,” Luck said.

“And I think the rookies sort of realizing that we are rookies, keep your mouths shut and put your egos aside. It was a great locker room atmosphere. It really was and I do think that helped a lot in trying to win some football games.”

Luck admitted that he is having trouble trying to ‘digest’ everything he experienced during his rookie campaign.

An 11-win season came after dealing with numerous unforeseen circumstances that only added to the impressive debut by Luck.

“When coach (Chuck) Pagano went down, it was weird, it was tough,” Luck said. “What a great job coach (Bruce) Arians did of stepping in and keeping coach Pagano’s message going and keeping us on the right track.”

“There’s so many good people in the organization, so many good people in the locker room that everything just seemed to work out. Whether it was meant to or not, it just seemed to work out.”

SPECIAL TEAMS DEPTH ON THE HORIZON

When Ryan Grigson is building the backend of his 53-man roster, he is looking in particular at one specific unit.

Special teams was a priority that Colts Owner Jim Irsay pointed out to when hiring a new general manager and head coach a year ago this month.

Back during the summer, Grigson said that putting together a formidable special teams unit was something he ‘strived’ for and that was evident with its success this season.

“There’s an alert that’s next to the grade on the back end of the grade and it’s an alert that shows the player that has the makeup to be a core special teamer,” Grigson said in evaluating his roster.

“We really feel strongly about that part of the team.”

In the return game, the Colts broke a pair of touchdowns in the second half of the season and seem to have found an electric punt returner in T.Y. Hilton.

The big play ability of Hilton was a focal point offensively, but that trait also carries over to the return game.

“In terms of the draft I think we showed that by trading up to get T.Y. (Hilton),” Grigson said of the team’s diligence to address special teams.

“Without explosive returners how are you going to have great special teams? You can open up lanes and you can do this or that but you have to have explosive athletes that aren’t going to get caught.”

While Hilton began to receive a lot of attention near the end of the season, Grigson also wanted to point out the Colts punt coverage unit that included gunner Joe Lefeged.

Despite having to slide over to punt protector late in the season, due to an injury to safety Tom Zbikowski, Lefeged still led the team with 16 special teams tackles.

“He’s what you want in a core special teamer,” Grigson said of Lefeged. “He’s an eager beaver, he’s very confident, he makes plays, his motor doesn’t stop and he runs a 4.4 and he’s got good football intelligence, so he’s got a lot going for him.”

Along with Lefeged, gunner Sergio Brown (10 special teams tackles) excelled on the punt coverage unit.

Grigson feels that new special teams coach Tom McMahon has the pieces in place to build a strong special teams unit with plenty of depth for years to come.

“We want this thing to be a battle for them for starting spots,” Grigson said. “Chuck (Pagano) and I want there to be a spirit of competition in training camp like no other because it brings the best out of all of us, it really does. We’ll continue to do that every year no matter how deep this roster gets.”

2012 COLTS DRAFT CLASS EXTENDS PAST THE BIG NAMES FOR GRIGSON

If Ryan Grigson’s future draft classes can come close to mirroring the same amount of success his first one in Indianapolis accomplished than the Colts will be a force for the years to come.

The rookie class amassed an NFL record 3,108 yards this season thanks to a handful of skill position players.

Defensively, fifth round pick Josh Chapman is still waiting in the wings after the defensive tackle missed the entire season rehabbing a knee injury.

Grigson beams when talking about his rookie class but he also adds a few names to that group.

What about Bradley Sowell?

The Colts plucked the undrafted free agent off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad on Sept. 11 and Sowell played in 10 games this season.

“Bradley Sowell is a guy, I think he has true left tackle ability,” Grigson said. “It will make himself more valuable if he settles in at right so he can play both.”

Sowell saw his most playing time in the AFC Wild Card loss to the Ravens when he was thrust into action after right tackle Winston Justice went down with an injury in the first quarter.

“Brad is going to be a much better player because of that experience. He fought his tail off.” The Colts GM said

What about Lawrence Guy?

With the defensive line ravaged with injuries, Guy was signed off the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Oct. 17 and played nine games, including starting the final three contests of the year.

Grigson also points to Nathan Palmer, who was signed off the San Francisco 49ers after going undrafted, as a receiver that the General Manger calls ‘about as explosive a receiver we have.’

The headliners from this rookie class will still be Luck, Hilton Ballard, Allen etc. but it’s the guys on the backend of the roster that Grigson points to in completing a group that will play a leading role in the future of the Colts.

“Getting those guys is exciting because those are guys that we looked at in the draft and we were able to get without burning a pick,” Grigson said.

“It may be a warped view but I feel like those guys we poached from other teams practice squads early this season, those guys to me feel like draft picks. The nice thing about that is it’s only going to serve us well in the future because what we’ve been through this year as a team and as human beings.”

WHAT SCARES NFL TEAMS?–SPEED

The influx of speed came via the draft and free agency.

As the players, and particularly the wide receivers, trickled into the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center this past offseason there was no denying what they would be bringing to the Colts.

Speed. Speed. And more speed.

“To me, the old adage speed kills is a true statement,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said. “No matter how you slice it, speed is something that shows up on film, it shows up throughout the scouting process. It’s one thing that scares the heck out of people.”

There was the signing of free agent Donnie Avery who ran a sub 4.3 40-yard dash in becoming the first wide receiver selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. Avery had a career year in Indianapolis with 60 catches for 781 yards.

The speed movement did not stop in free agency with the Colts drafting a pair of receivers known for stretching the field.

T.Y. Hilton ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at his pro day and his big play ability led to 861 receiving yards and his seven receiving touchdowns topped all rookies.

Fellow rookies LaVon Brazill and Nathan Palmer have also been timed in the 4.4/4.3 range in the 40-yard dash.

When training camp got under away, wide receiver Reggie Wayne was in awe of the speed that he saw in his position group.

Wayne wanted to get a race set up between the speedsters with the 12-year veteran serving as merely an observer.

“Just make sure I’m at the finish line, not in there (the race),” Wayne said with a smile back during training camp.

“We have some burners. That’s something we really haven’t had in the past. We’ve had one here, two there, but we have quite a few of them right now. It makes it all fun, guys are out there just acting like they’re in the Olympics.”

During Grigson’s time in Philadelphia, the Eagles were known for their electric playmakers at the skill positions and that attribute has been brought to the Colts.

“When (Chicago wide receiver/kick returner) Devin Hester walks out on the field people get scared,” Grigson said. “People get scared of it’s not because of his size or that he looks mean, it’s because he can flat out fly.”

“And it doesn’t matter how you try to defend it, if you mess up one time it could be six points. If you don’t play to your technique perfectly it’s going to cost you.”

Grigson is hoping that speed costs Colts opponents for years to come.