A Look At The Opponent: Bears Offense

Over the next few days leading up to the big game, I will look a little into the opposing team and see what the fans think about their players.  I’m starting with the Chicago Bears offense, which has hit a major rough patch recently.

Quarterbacks

Roster
Kyle Orton
Rex Grossman
Caleb Hanie

My Take: This is one of the weakest positions out of any team in the league.  Kyle Orton has apparently been redeemed somehow for his pathetic rookie season.  Orton started 15 games in his first season, and he was terrible.  The team was great, but he was holding them back.  He had a 59.7 QB rating, 9 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a 51.6% completion percentage.  Even his starts last year weren’t impressive.  He only had a 73.9 QB rating.  However, I have heard positive things about him, which surprises me.  I would have thought Bears fans might not be so optimistic, but a lot of the talk has come from the ESPN “experts”, who would like nothing more than to see the Colts go down early.

Rex Grossman could have been the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, because he was clearly trying to lose the game.  There is no other explanation to why he played so poorly.  I would have liked to see him start.  I’m sure that he sees Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders in his nightmares.

I know nothing about Caleb Hanie.  I don’t even know where he went to school until I checked Wikipedia (it’s Colorado State).  However, the Bears bloggers have been drooling over them, but I think anyone would look good after having Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, and Kyle Orton be the starting QBs for the past couple of years.  Here is what Bear Goggle says about Hanie.

Hanie finishes the preseason completing 29 of 49 passes for 321 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Those may not be remarkable numbers but it doesn’t speak to his ability to evade the pass rush and work effectively in the pocket. He is the complete opposite of Rex Grossman in every way. He looks calm and cool on the pocket, slips away from defenders, and finds the short pass instead of throwing long bombs into coverage.

I have to remember that Hanie was starting against other third string defenders and it isn’t a true test of his ability. However, having good mechanics makes it irrelevant if it’s the third team or the first team offense. A quarterback that can actually function as a quarterback and control the pocket is a good person to have on this team.

It sounds like he is a good all-around QB.  I’m glad he isn’t starting.

Running Backs

Roster
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
Kevin Jones
Garrett Wolfe
Jason McKie (Fullback)

My take: This year, the Bears don’t have great running backs.  In a few years, they will be great.  Matt Forte was a player that the Colts were hoping to get in the NFL Draft.  We are content with Mike Hart, but Forte is a very good back.  However, he is too young to be the starter right now.  In a few years, he could be a Pro Bowler.  Right now, I’m not worried.

Adrian Peterson is the mediocre one, not the Pro Bowl one in Minnesota.  The Bears could use someone like the good Peterson.  This Peterson only averaged 3.4 yards per carry last season, and the Bears suffered with him in the game.

Kevin Jones had a great rookie year in Detroit, gaining over 1,000 rushing yards.  After that, he went on a downward spiral.  He had a career low 581 yards last season and only had a 3.8 ypc average.

Garrett Wolfe was amazing at Northern Illnois, but you can’t expect him to turn out to be great in the pros.  Some small running backs end up being successful like Maurice Jones-Drew, but Wolfe is 5-7, 186 pounds.

Wide Receivers

Roster
Marty Booker
Devin Hester
Brandon Lloyd
Mark Bradley
Earl Bennett
Rashied Davis

My Take: These wide receivers are terrible.  None of them are starting material.  A very optimistic Bears fan, MuleTrain, on Windy City Gridiron tried to make this a good thing by saying it will make a good rotation.  I disagree, as fresh legs do not equal good hands, which the Bears lack.

We have a wr by committee thing going on, and most of these guys can run.  Booker cannot obviously.  By rotating guys in and out, we won’t see tired legs so much.  Randy Moss dogs it, so don’t think other wr’s out there don’t dog it when their decoy fly pattern is called.  We have 5 #3 receivers, so any dogging will lead one to the bench I imagine.

I don’t agree with MuleTrain on Randy Moss.  Moss played tough with the Patriots, even in the fourth quarter when they were up by 30.  Earl Bennett should be a good receiver, but Hester drops too many big passes, and Lloyd, Booker, and Bradley all have been mediocre the past few years.

Tight Ends

Roster
Desmond Clark
Zach Martin
Kellen Davis

My Take: I might want to call this MuleTrain’s take because he said it the best.  He’s definitely an optimist, but I can agree with him here.

Our strength on offense is obviously our tight ends.  We have 3 capable of making plays.  Tight ends need some room in the middle of the field to be really effective.  In order to achieve this, I’m thinking we are going to see a steady stream of wr’s going deep. 

Also, the cover 2 scheme is quite popular throughout the league.  When a receiver goes deep a safety will be vacated from covering the deep middle, thus creating some space for the TE.  Most teams don’t have an Urlacher that can effectively and consistently cover the deep middle.   For other defensive schemes, teams are still loathe to give up big plays.   Any wr going deep will probably encounter safety help, thus creating room as well.

He is right about the Cover 2 when the opposing team has a weak middle linebacker.  The 3-4 is especially weak against tight ends. The only problem is, we have a Brian Urlacher in pass coverage.  His name is Gary Brackett.  Even though he is short and resembles a fire-hydrant, he is one of the best middle linebackers, if not THE best linebacker, in pass coverage.  Zach Martin, Desmond Clark, and Kellen Davis all will be big contributors for the Bears, but it should be more effective against teams like Dallas and not Indianapolis.

Offensive Line

Roster

OT Chris Williams
OT John Tait
OT Kirk Barton
OT John St. Clair
OG Roberto Garza
OG Dan Buenning
OG Josh Beekman
OG Terrence Metcalf
C Olin Kreutz

The Bears have a troubled offensive tackle position.  Chris Williams has had surgery and will miss the game.  John Tait is getting older every minute, and he will have trouble stopping someone like Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, or Marcus Howard, who are much younger and quicker.  John St. Clair and Kirk Barton aren’t anything special either.  The Colts have the definite advantage in the pass rush for this game.

The interior line is a completely different story.  Center Olin Kreutz and right guard Roberto Garza are both Pro Bowl caliber linemen.  As long as the Spanish Madden Curse doesn’t affect Garza, the defensive tackles should have a tough time this game.  Left guard is less secure.  Terrence Metcalf has been the starter, but he is easily the weakest link on the interior line.

So far, the Colts defense clearly has the advantage on the Bears offense.  The QBs are awful.  The running backs are too young.  The wide receivers are all #3s, the tight ends will struggle against Gary Brackett, and the tackles will get burned by Freeney, Mathis, and Howard all game long.

I’m predicting that Kyle Orton will throw 2 interceptions.  Antoine Bethea and Gary Brackett will both pick off Orton.  Marcus Howard will get 1.5 sacks, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will get one sack, and Curtis Johnson will get the half sack.  The backups will be in during the fourth quarter, and the Bears should score 10 points in it.  The Colts will be up by three or four scores, so it won’t affect the game.

The Practice Sqaud Is Complete and Ferrell Is Nowhere In Sight

The practice squad is full now, but Colin Ferrell is not one of the two players who were just signed.  Neither was Kyle Shotwell.  The Colts missed out on two very good prospects.  Safety Brandon Foster and offensive tackle Dane Uperesa are the final two to make the practice squad.  To recap, this is what the squad looks like:

QB Josh Betts
RB Chad Simpson
WR Sam Giguere
OT Michael Toudouze
OT Dane Uperesa
OG Tala Esera
S Brandon Foster
S Jamie Silva

Missing out on Colin Ferrell is huge.  We all know that the Colts have questionable depth at defensive tackle, and they let a player with a great future slip through their fingers.  I am upset about that.  Linebacker Kyle Shotwell is a player that I thought should make the practice squad, but I am not too upset.  Word is he has signed with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.

I have no idea who Dane Uperesa is, so I went to Wikipedia, the omniscient source of knowledge.  Uperesa went to Hawaii and started every game in his junior and senior year.  Last year, he signed a free agent contract with the Bengals after he went undrafted.  I don’t see why we kept 3 offensive linemen and no defensive linemen or linebackers.

6 Players Now Signed To The Practice Squad

We already knew that QB Josh Betts and WR Sam Giguere were on the practice squad, but now we know 4 others, and one will most definitely please Colts fans.

S Jamie Silva, RB Chad Simpson, OT Michael Toudouze, and OG Tala Esera were all signed to the practice squad.  Jamie Silva looked like a potential starter this preseason, so it is vital that we retained him.  He originally made the 53 man roster but was later cut to make room for Daniel Muir and Buster Davis.  Simpson is not a surprise as he is the only running back who was on the 80 man roster that was practice squad eligible.  Toudouze and Esera both can become players who can make the 53 man roster in the future.

I would assume that a defensive lineman and a linebacker will take up the last two spots, so DT Colin Ferrell and LB Kyle Shotwell may be the most likely players.  Ferrell should have made the roster, so we need to keep him as he could become a star in the future.  Shotwell was the best linebacker to not make the roster, and he is practice squad eligible.  He’s a fairly safe bet to make the practice squad.

Some Labor Day Colts News

As I have previously covered, Daniel Muir and Buster Davis were signed yesterday.  That brought our roster up to 55 players, so two had to leave.  The unlucky players were rookie safety Jamie Silva and linebacker Ramon Guzman.  I’m disappointed in seeing Silva get cut, but he will definitely make the practice squad.  Ramon Guzman was not a good player.  At all.  Buster Davis will have a bigger effect on special teams than him.

We’ve got our first practice squad player, and he is a familiar face?  He’s a quarterback who has been on the practice squad for years now.  Josh Betts has been signed to the practice squad.  This will be his third year on the practice squad, so this will probably be the last time he will be with the Colts since 3 years is the maximum for being on the practice squad.  Savor this year because we will never have a practice squad QB for as long as we have had him.

In other news, Colts.com has posted a new depth chart.  Here are some observations I have seen.

~Ryan Lilja and Tyjuan Hagler are both on the PUP list since they are not listed here.

~Since Lilja isn’t playing, Dan Federkeil is the starting left guard.

~Gijon Robinson is ahead of Jacob Tamme on the tight end depth chart, sitting at number 2.

~Contrary to what Mike Chappell wrote in the Indy Star a few days ago, Dwight Freeney is starting, and Robert Mathis is the pass rush specialist.

~Philip Wheeler is listed as a strongside linebacker, and Buster Davis is a middle linebacker.

~Keiwan Ratliff is the number 4 corner on the roster, ahead of Dante Hughes.  That is very surprising.  Hughes is by far the superior player.

~Courtney Roby is the kick returner, and Pierre Garcon is the punt returner.

We know two players that were recently cut that will not be on the practice squad.  Wide receiver Devin Aromashodu has signed with the Washington Redskins, and safety Brannon Condren has signed with the St. Louis Rams.  I will miss Condren.  He had some great potential.

My Official 2008-09 NFL Season Prediction

Finally, football is back.  On Thursday, the Giants and Redskins will play the first game of the NFL regular season, and in a more important game, the Colts will play Da Bears on Sunday night.  With all of the roster cuts made and no apparent big moves or injuries on the horizon, I can make my official predictions for the 2008-09 season.

Standings

AFC East
1. New England Patriots: 14-2
2. New York Jets: 8-8
3. Buffalo Bills: 6-10
4. Miami Dolphins: 5-11

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 12-4
2. Cleveland Browns: 10-6
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 6-10
4. Baltimore Ravens: 4-12

AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts: 13-3
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-4*
3. Houston Texans: 10-6*
4. Tennessee Titans: 7-9

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers: 14-2
2. Denver Broncos: 6-10
3. Oakland Raiders: 5-11
4. Kansas City Chiefs: 3-13

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys: 13-3
2. New York Giants: 11-5*
3. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7*
4. Washington Redskins: 7-9

NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings: 11-5
2. Green Bay Packers: 8-8
3. Detroit Lions: 7-9
4. Chicago Bears: 4-12

NFC South
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10-6
2. New Orleans Saints: 7-9
3. Carolina Panthers: 5-11
4. Atlanta Falcons: 1-15

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks: 11-5
2. Arizona Cardinals: 8-8
3. San Francisco 49ers: 5-11
4. St. Louis Rams: 4-12

NFL Playoffs

AFC
#1 seed New England and #2 seed San Diego have byes

#3 Indianapolis beats #6 Houston 31-10

#5 Jacksonville beats #4 Pittsburgh 21-13

#3 Indianapolis beats #2 San Diego 31-28

#1 New England beats #5 Jacksonville 28-17

#3 Indianapolis beats #1 New England 21-16

NFC

#1 Dallas and #2 Seattle have byes

#3 Minnesota beats #6 Philadelphia 31-17

#5 New York beats #4 Tampa Bay 31-13

#1 Dallas beats #5 New York 24-22

#3 Minnesota beats #2 Seattle 21-10

#3 Minnesota beats #1 Dallas 24-21

Super Bowl XLIII

Indianapolis beats Minnesota 28-16

MVP: Peyton Manning, QB

Awards

MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson, SD

Off. POY: LaDainian Tomlinson, SD

Def. POY: Bob Sanders, IND

Off. ROY: Darren McFadden, OAK

Def. ROY: Trevor Laws, PHI

Coach of the Year: Brad Childress, MIN

Comeback POY: Ronnie Brown, MIA

NFL Draft Predictions

First Round

1. Atlanta Falcons-Michael Oher, OT/OG, Ole Miss
2. Kansas City Chiefs-Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. St. Louis Rams-Andre Smith, OT, Alabam
4. Chicago Bears-Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia
5. Baltimore Ravens-Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
6. San Francisco 49ers-Michael Johnson, DE/OLB, Georgia Tech
7. Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina)-Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
8. Oakland Raiders-Ciron Black, OT, LSU
9. Miami Dolphins-George Selvie, DE/OLB, South Florida
10. Buffalo Bills-Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
11. Cincinnati Bengals-Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC
12. Denver Broncos-James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State
13. New Orleans Saints-Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. Detroit Lions-Taylor Mays, S, USC
15. Washington Redskins-Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State
16. Tennessee Titans-Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
17. New York Jets-Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
18. Green Bay Packers-Myron Rolle, S, Florida State
19. Arizona Cardinals-Beanie Wells, RB, Ohio State
20. Philadelphia Eagles-Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
21. Cleveland Browns-Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
22. Houston Texans-Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
24. Seattle Seahawks-DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
25. New York Giants-Fili Moala, DT, USC
26. Jacksonville Jaguars-Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State
27. Pittsburgh Steelers-Alex Mack, C, California
28. Dallas Cowboys-Darry Beckwith, ILB, LSU
29. San Diego Chargers-Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma
30. New England Patriots-Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati
31. Minnesota Vikings-Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
32. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS-Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn

My Official 2008-09 NFL Season Prediction

Finally, football is back.  On Thursday, the Giants and Redskins will play the first game of the NFL regular season, and in a more important game, the Colts will play Da Bears on Sunday night.  With all of the roster cuts made and no apparent big moves or injuries on the horizon, I can make my official predictions for the 2008-09 season.

Standings

AFC East
1. New England Patriots: 14-2
2. New York Jets: 8-8
3. Buffalo Bills: 6-10
4. Miami Dolphins: 5-11

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 12-4
2. Cleveland Browns: 10-6
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 6-10
4. Baltimore Ravens: 4-12

AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts: 13-3
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-4*
3. Houston Texans: 10-6*
4. Tennessee Titans: 7-9

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers: 14-2
2. Denver Broncos: 6-10
3. Oakland Raiders: 5-11
4. Kansas City Chiefs: 3-13

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys: 13-3
2. New York Giants: 11-5*
3. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7*
4. Washington Redskins: 7-9

NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings: 11-5
2. Green Bay Packers: 8-8
3. Detroit Lions: 7-9
4. Chicago Bears: 4-12

NFC South
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10-6
2. New Orleans Saints: 7-9
3. Carolina Panthers: 5-11
4. Atlanta Falcons: 1-15

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks: 11-5
2. Arizona Cardinals: 8-8
3. San Francisco 49ers: 5-11
4. St. Louis Rams: 4-12

NFL Playoffs

AFC
#1 seed New England and #2 seed San Diego have byes

#3 Indianapolis beats #6 Houston 31-10

#5 Jacksonville beats #4 Pittsburgh 21-13

#3 Indianapolis beats #2 San Diego 31-28

#1 New England beats #5 Jacksonville 28-17

#3 Indianapolis beats #1 New England 21-16

NFC

#1 Dallas and #2 Seattle have byes

#3 Minnesota beats #6 Philadelphia 31-17

#5 New York beats #4 Tampa Bay 31-13

#1 Dallas beats #5 New York 24-22

#3 Minnesota beats #2 Seattle 21-10

#3 Minnesota beats #1 Dallas 24-21

Super Bowl XLIII

Indianapolis beats Minnesota 28-16

MVP: Peyton Manning, QB

Awards

MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson, SD

Off. POY: LaDainian Tomlinson, SD

Def. POY: Bob Sanders, IND

Off. ROY: Darren McFadden, OAK

Def. ROY: Trevor Laws, PHI

Coach of the Year: Brad Childress, MIN

Comeback POY: Ronnie Brown, MIA

NFL Draft Predictions

First Round

1. Atlanta Falcons-Michael Oher, OT/OG, Ole Miss
2. Kansas City Chiefs-Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. St. Louis Rams-Andre Smith, OT, Alabam
4. Chicago Bears-Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia
5. Baltimore Ravens-Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
6. San Francisco 49ers-Michael Johnson, DE/OLB, Georgia Tech
7. Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina)-Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
8. Oakland Raiders-Ciron Black, OT, LSU
9. Miami Dolphins-George Selvie, DE/OLB, South Florida
10. Buffalo Bills-Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
11. Cincinnati Bengals-Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC
12. Denver Broncos-James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State
13. New Orleans Saints-Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. Detroit Lions-Taylor Mays, S, USC
15. Washington Redskins-Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State
16. Tennessee Titans-Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
17. New York Jets-Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
18. Green Bay Packers-Myron Rolle, S, Florida State
19. Arizona Cardinals-Beanie Wells, RB, Ohio State
20. Philadelphia Eagles-Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
21. Cleveland Browns-Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
22. Houston Texans-Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
24. Seattle Seahawks-DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
25. New York Giants-Fili Moala, DT, USC
26. Jacksonville Jaguars-Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State
27. Pittsburgh Steelers-Alex Mack, C, California
28. Dallas Cowboys-Darry Beckwith, ILB, LSU
29. San Diego Chargers-Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma
30. New England Patriots-Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati
31. Minnesota Vikings-Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
32. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS-Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn

Colts Aren’t Finished Making Roster Moves, Sign Two Players

This is something that I don’t like.  I follow this team from OTAs to preseason, and then they throw me off by signing these guys who were waived from the final roster cuts.  However, Polian did get two players today.

The Colts have taken former Lions linebacker Buster Davis (not the wide receiver for the Chargers) and former Packers defensive tackle Daniel Muir.

Buster Davis is a name I recognize.  He confused me greatly during the 2007 draft process.  I mean, what are the odds for two players to be named Buster Davis?  Buster?  That was frustrating when I start to think all the draft sites have gone crazy and counted a player twice.

Davis is a Tampa-2 linebacker.  That’s his style.  He is very small (5-9) and has good football speed.  He fell in the draft to the third round because of a bad 40 time (4.69) and was picked up by the Cardinals in the third round.  Apparently, the Cardinals were not impressed, and he didn’t even make the roster.  Davis was picked up by the Lions and spent last year on the practice squad.  Going into the draft, he was projected to go as high as the early 2nd round.  We got a 2nd round talent after the final roster cut.  He is a small yet quick linebacker.  With his signing, I see Jordan Senn getting cut then signed to the practice squad.

Daniel Muir is a complete unknown to me.  I know absolutely nothing about him.  I didn’t even recognize the name.  He was a UDFA last season and played in three games last year, getting four tackles.  Really, I cannot analyze this pickup.  I know nothing about him.  I don’t see a defensive tackle getting cut here though.  I think that Melvin Bullitt or Jamie Silva will lose their job.  Hopefully it is Bullitt and not Silva.  Bullitt has no potential.  Silva could be a good leader in the future.

I like the Davis pickup, but I am not too happy about picking up an unknown like Muir, who reportedly was good in training camp, and having to cut someone who has been with the team all summer.  However,

IN POLIAN WE TRUST

The Colts 53 Man Roster (plus PUPs) Is Announced

The Colts made their final cuts today, so here is the final roster.

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

RB
Joseph Addai
Dominic Rhodes
Mike Hart

H-B
Gijon Robinson
Tom Santi

WR
Reggie Wayne
Marvin Harrison
Anthony Gonzalez
Roy Hall
Pierre Garcon
Courtney Roby

OT
Tony Ugoh
Ryan Diem
Corey Hilliard
Dan Federkeil

OG
Jamey Richard
Ryan Lilja (PUP)
Mike Pollak
Charlie Johnson

C
Steve Justice
Jeff Saturday

DE
Robert Mathis
Raheem Brock
Dwight Freeney
Curtis Johnson
Marcus Howard
Josh Thomas

DT
Eric Foster
Ed Johnson
Keyunta Dawson
Darrell Reid

OLB
Freddie Keiaho
Tyjuan Hagler (PUP)
Clint Session
Ramon Guzman
Jordan Senn

MLB
Gary Brackett
Philip Wheeler

CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Tim Jennings
Dante Hughes
Keiwan Ratliff

S
Bob Sanders
Antoine Bethea
Jamie Silva
Melvin Bullitt

Special Teams
Adam Vinatieri
Hunter Smith
Justin Snow

My Reaction: I am very mad that they cut Colin Ferrell and Brannon Condren.  That makes no sense to me at all.  When the Colts say they don’t take the preseason seriously, they mean it.  These two were some of the best players in the preseason, and that can’t even save their job.  Melvin Bullitt and Keiwan Ratliff should not have made the roster.  Period.

Devin Aromashodu was also cut, but even though I thought he would make the roster, it isn’t too disappointing.  Courtney Roby took his place, and we don’t need 7 WRs.  6 is a good number.  The other players cut were Quinn Gray, Jared Lorenzen, Kenton Keith, Chad Simpson, Sam Giguere, Onrea Jones, Tala Esera, Darren Marquez, Michael Toudouze, Tyrice Thompson, Ben Ishola, Jeff Charleston, Dan Davis, Joe Bradley, Kyle Shotwell, Victor Worsley, and Brandon Foster.

So with the cuts finally made, here is my practice squad prediction:

QB Adam Tafralis
RB Chad Simpson
WR Sam Giguere (confirmed by Giguere in Candian newspaper)
OL Tala Esera
DL Ben Ishola
DL Colin Ferrell
LB Kyle Shotwell
DB Brannon Condren

This team is destined to make a run for the Super Bowl, and who knows?  Maybe Ferrell and Condren could improve by being on the practice squad.

The Colts Season According To Madden

I decided to simulate a Madden season to see what the Colts would turn out to be.  This isn’t a true prediction since Peyton could tear his ACL in Week 1 in this game and not have it happen in real life, but it is interesting to see what a computer simulation thinks the Colts will do.

Since the roster is out of date, I updated it myself.  Gijon Robinson, Courtney Roby, Dan Federkeil, Eric Foster, Curtis Johnson, Kyle Shotwell, Jordan Senn, and Keiwan Ratliff were added.  Kenton Keith, TJ Rushing, Corey Hilliard, Josh Thomas, Jeff Charleston, Victor Worsley, Ramon Guzman, and Michael Coe were dropped.  I didn’t edit any other stats besides ones that needed corrected (like I turned Rushing into Roby, so his stats had to be changed).  Here are some notes.

~The only injury in the preseason was Melvin Bullitt breaking his tailbone.

~Going into the Patriots game, both New England and the Colts were 5-2.  We lost to Minnesota and Tennessee.

~We beat the Patriots 24-10, but Tom Brady was hurt so Matt Cassell was QB.

~After Week 9, the Steelers were the only undefeated team, Peyton was leading the MVP, Off. POY, and Top QB award races, Marvin was leading the Top WR award race, and Robert Mathis was the best defensive lineman and Dwight Freeney was 4th.

~Reggie Wayne broke his wrist and missed the entire year.

~Going into the final week of the year, the Colts were 10-5, and Peyton Manning was hurt against Jacksonville.  He had to miss the final week of the year, so I signed our good friend Quinn Gray.

~Quinn Gray won the game for us and we went 11-5, making the playoffs as the division winner, winning the tiebreaker over Jacksonville.

~All the Colts players choked and lost their awards, but we had 8 Pro Bowlers (Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Matt Giordano, Bob Sanders, and Courtney Roby as a returner).

~Peyton finished the year with 3380 yards, 27 TDs, and 10 INTs. 

~Joseph Addai had 986 yards and nine touchdowns while Dominic Rhodes ran for 334 yards.

~Marvin had 1137 yards and 9 TDs, Clark had 752 yards, Gonzalez had 675 yards, and Aromashodu had 338.

~Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis both had 10 sacks.

~Gary Brackett led the team with 100 tackles.

~Matt Giordano had 5 picks while Bob Sanders had 4.

~Roby returned 2 kicks to the house and Pierre Garcon returned one.

~We played Jacksonville in the playoffs in the Wild Card round (the Chargers and Steelers had the first round byes).  We won 31-17.  Joseph Addai had 170 rushing yards and Tim Jennings had a pick.  Courtney Roby returned a punt all the way.  Peyton threw two TDs.  One to Marvin and one to Aromashodu.

~Next we played the Steelers and lost 28-14.

~The Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII 21-13 over the Bucs.

So according to Madden, the Colts will have a decent year and get bounced out of the playoffs early.  Even a video game listens to what the so-called “experts” have to say about this team.

Preseason Review: MVPs and The Last Roster Prediction

The preseason is over.  Finally.  5 games is way too much.  It is such a bitter sweet season.  I’m watching the Colts, but I’m not watching the Colts play a real game with their best players, so I’m not really watching the Colts I know.  It is fun to speculate on who will make the roster, but I am ready for the season to start.  September 7th.  I can’t wait.  It is hard to sum up such a weird five game series, but here is my best shot.  Let’s take a look at the top 5 players of the preseason:

5. Jamey Richard, G/C: It is rare to pick an offensive linemen on a top 7 list, but Richard played great.  Richard was a seventh round draft pick, and even for the Colts they don’t make an immediate contribution.  However, Jamey Richard could very easily step up and be a starter somewhere along the line at the end of the year.  Richard’s “Welcome to the NFL” moment was a snap over Quinn Gray’s head for a safety, but ever since that play, he has been amazing.  Richard was very mobile for an interior lineman, and he should make huge gaps for Joseph Addai to run through when his time comes.

4. Courtney Roby, WR/RS: Roby surprised me this preseason.  I thought he was a camp body and that was it.  He’s a good person and a good player, but I didn’t think he would make the roster.  I was wrong.  Courtney Roby is the best returner on the team.  He’s by far better at kick returns than TJ Rushing.  Roby also played well in the passing game, making some tough catches.  His 103 yard return pretty much sealed his place on the roster.  Number 10 is a good number for Colts kick returners.

3. Brannon Condren, S: Condren needs to get more coverage for his preseason.  I’m starting to think that I am the only person who thinks that he has shown to be a budding star for this team.  Condren is a hard-hitter, but he also is strong against the pass.  His two interceptions were nice plays, but the force behind his tackles is what impressed me the most.

2. Jacob Tamme, TE: Here’s the second of three rookies.  If anyone would even think that Polian wasn’t the best drafting GM in NFL history, they should be checked into an insane asylum immediately.  Jacob Tamme is a player that most Colts fans knew was going to be good, but we didn’t know how good.  Tamme was drafted to replace Ben Utecht, and he did that and much more.  Utecht was a very good blocker, but he has nothing on Tamme in the receiving department.

1. Mike Hart, RB: I don’t really care how he did tonight.  Anyone who watched Hart run the ball in the first three or four games should know that he is something special.  And he is not just limited to running.  He has been a good receiver and a phenomenal blocker.  Remember to thank the NFL for the Combine.  It’s completely useless, but some idiot GMs actually think that the 40 times and height matter.  So Matt Millen, Al Davis, and all of you bad GMs, keep drafting your Combine studs.  We will pick up the players that are “too small” or “too slow”.  We will also be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy while you are finding out who will be your next top 10 draft pick.

Now that the preseason is over, this will be THE FINAL ROSTER PREDICTION UNTIL NEXT OFFSEASON!  I’m going to miss these things.  What a great time we have had over the past few months…

Anyways, here it is:

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

RB
Joseph Addai
Dominic Rhodes
Mike Hart

H-B
Gijon Robinson

WR
Reggie Wayne
Marvin Harrison
Anthony Gonzalez
Devin Aromashodu
Roy Hall
Pierre Garcon (injured)
Courtney Roby (KR)

TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme
Tom Santi

LT
Tony Ugoh
Dan Federkiel

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday (injured)
Steve Justice

RG
Charlie Johnson
Mike Pollak (injured)

RT
Ryan Diem
Michael Toudouze

LE
Raheem Brock
Robert Mathis
Curtis Johnson

RE
Dwight Freeney
Marcus Howard

NT
Ed Johnson
Colin Ferrell

UT
Keyunta Dawson
Eric Foster
Darrell Reid

SAM
Clint Session
Tyjuan Hagler (injured)

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Philip Wheeler

WILL
Freddie Keiaho
Jordan Senn

CB
Marlin Jackson
Kelvin Hayden
Tim Jennings
Dante Hughes

FS
Antoine Bethea
Brannon Condren

SS
Bob Sanders
Matt Giordano

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Hunter Smith

LS
Justin Snow

Practice Squad
QB Adam Tafralis
RB Chad Simpson
WR Onrea Jones
OL Corey Hilliard
DL Ben Ishola
DL Joe Bradley
LB Kyle Shotwell
DB Jamie Silva

IR
CB Michael Coe
CB TJ Rushing
TE Zac Herold

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