Bleacher Report - Articles by Don Fish

POP QUIZ; Colts Training Camp Week 1 In Review

Don Fish — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:24:16 -0400

After a full week under their belts in training camp, the Colts organization have given us some insight as to what they plan to accomplish, and just whom they will use to accomplish it with this season.

Although there is still plenty of time for newcomers to step up and impress the coaches, I thought I’d give you all a Week 1 Training Camp Exam to see if you’ve been paying attention thus far.

Don’t worry though… no math involved in this test, just a few True and False questions to quiz you and get you up to date on the Colts.

1. The Colts receiving corps is better without the services of Marvin Harrison this year.

True. This is a tough one for all Colts fans to admit since Harrison has clearly been the best receiver on the Colts roster for the past decade and quite possibly in franchise history of the Colts.

However, with Harrison’s nagging knee injuries the past couple of years, the team’s loyalty to Harrison has held back the potential the Colts WR corps has to offer.

During the Pinnacle Week 1 Blue & White Game (team scrimmage), the Colts often lined up in pseudo 4-wide-out formation with Wayne lined up on the far left, Gonzalez on the far right, Collie in the right slot, and Clark rotating in and out of a tight end position to a left slot position.

We haven’t seen a lot of 4-wide formations from the Colts in the past but if the pre-season is any indication of what the Colts want to do, the Colts might have Manning passing for 5000 yards this season.

Wayne had his troubles hauling in passes as the defense played him very tight and hands on, but Gonzalez and Clark were looking fantastic.

Collie grabbed a hold of a couple short passes and Wayne eventually showed his talent by reeling in a Sports Center hands catch as he stretched out and latched on to the ball with his fingertips and scoring a five-yard TD pass from Manning.

There’s a little rust there, but the Colts will shake that off pretty quickly.

2) Manning actually enjoys Training Camp.

Very True. You ever see how happy a Golden Retriever is when you throw a ball for him to get and bring back? It’s like nothing in the world could be more pleasurable or fun.

They’re bred with it and it simply exists in their DNA that they are here to perform that one task to the fullest.

I’m sure that no one likes being compared to a dog, but Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dogs in the world and Manning clearly has it in his DNA to enjoy every aspect of football as if it were the most exhilarating thing he could be doing in life, and that includes his time in training camp.

Manning often shows up hours before practice and spends at least an hour or two a day signing autographs of fans waiting at the railing hours before practice even begins.

He understands that the fans are there to support him and he is more than willing to spend extra time to converse with his fans.

But make no mistake that when Manning steps onto the field, he’s all business.

Strapping on the pads in the Week 1 scrimmage, Manning wasted no time firing bullets to his receivers, calling formation changes at the line (audibles), and driving the offense into the end zone.

Manning is focused and while he too has a little rust to work out (passing behind and over the heads of receivers on several plays), he is certain to be ready for what could be a career year this season.

3) If Adam Vinatieri can’t come back from hip and knee surgery, the Colts are toast.

False. Colts fans who have seen what Vinatieri brings to the team (basically the Lombardi Trophy), and are rightfully worried about their clutch kicker not being available due to injury.

After all, the Colts had never advanced to the Super Bowl without Vinatieri, despite having the most accurate kicker in NFL history on their team for the previous few years before Vinatieri.

While I’m not ready to crown Colts rookie kicker Shane Andrus the next “Clutch” kicker or the next “Most Accurate” kicker, I am ready to concede that he can hold down the fort for several weeks heading up to the playoffs while Vinatieri takes his time and lets his body heal correctly.

Shane Andrus has shown in training camp just why the Colts went out and drafted him. He’s been draining kicks all week and drained another for 50 yards, straight down the middle, in the scrimmage game (it could have easily cleared 55 yards).

It is yet to be seen how Andrus will react under the pressure of having 11 guys rushing at him in a critical game-winning/losing situation, but he certainly seems to have the talent level to succeed.

4) Curtis Painter is ready to be the primary back-up QB.

False. If you said true on this one, I’d probably go ahead and give you credit. Jim Sorgi has backed up Manning the past few years and has the playbook and his passing progressions down, but he seems to lack the talent level needed to fill in for Manning should he need to for a substantial amount of time.

Painter was drafted to compete for the back-up role but was more likely expected to be the third option this year with a chance of taking the secondary option from Sorgi next season.

However, it has been reported that Sorgi recently strained his right hamstring and is expected to miss the next two or three weeks of practice due to the injury.

Painter took advantage of this in the team scrimmage game when he took over the duties of the second team offense competing against the second team defense.

Painter had receivers Taj Smith and Pierre Garcon spread at wide outs with Roy Hall in the slot position. Painter completed most of his passes to Taj Smith and took his team into the end zone just before the end of the game.

Painter looked great for a rookie quarterback already thrown into the second team offense. He looked comfortable and was throwing the ball very accurately.

This will be one position battle to definitely watch the remainder of the pre-season, but look for Sorgi to retain the primary back-up quarterback role…for this season anyway.

5) Donald Brown is ready to take over the primary running back position.

False. Ahhhh....so that is the question, right? The Colts were not impressed with Addai last year, and with his ability to overcome injuries…so the Colts go out and draft a stud rookie running back in the first round and soon after replace their current star running back ala Faulk, James, and Rhodes right?

This maybe the intent of general manager Bill Polian, but Brown isn’t ready just yet. He might be by the end of the season and beginning of next…but he is certainly not there right now.

While Brown is expected to take his share of carries this season, Addai has been taking most of the snaps with the first team and Brown didn’t even take the field of play during the team’s week one scrimmage.

Brown has to first master the playbook, all of Manning’s fake audibles, pick up blocking, work on his catching…and then try to stop thinking about the game and just run the ball. That’s a ton of weight for a rookie to carry and I would only expect to see Brown in a primary running back role if Addai goes down with an injury.

6) The defense will be the dominant side of the ball for the Colts this year.

True. This seems like crazy talk and I’m sure I’ll take my share of bashing for this opinion, but it has been the Colts defense that has won close games for the Colts in the past few years.

The offense has always been phenomenal, but the defense (if they can get their key players on the field and keep them on the field) is ready to dominate.

The team drafted rookie defensive tackles (Moala, Grady, & Taylor) that are there to run-stop and let their defensive ends (Freeney & Mathis) rush the QB.

New coach Larry Coyer brings more blitz packages to the defensive backs Bethea, Hayden, and Sanders are ready to feast on the ball whenever it is in the air.

In the week 1 scrimmage game, the defense definitely looked like the dominant side of the ball. The defense played Wayne very tight with forcing an interception, while the line consistently stopped the running game from big gains.

The D-Line also got their hands up causing a tip ball that was nearly picked off and would have been picked off if it hadn’t been for WR Gonzalez knocking the ball out of their hands and onto the ground.

The defense dominated the starting offense of the Colts and that’s a great sign, considering the Colts look to be one of the best offenses in the NFL this year.

Get Sanders and Mathis back into the line-up and this unit is ready to cause havoc. I’d put them on my fantasy team any day.

Okay now… bonus question.

Give me your thought and comments. No pressure. You tell me what you think and we’ll forget about all of your wrong answers above. Give me comments on your thoughts and you will pass.

Its football season again…no one should be taking meaningful exams right now, should they?

Dust Beginning to Settle For Colts?

Don Fish — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:59:52 -0400

As Colts players are packing up and heading into training camp, the organization has plenty of story lines to talk about. Marvin Harrison, Dominic Rhodes, and Hunter Smith are the key player losses for the team. Tony Dungy, Howard Mudd, Tom Moore, and Ron Meeks are the significant coaching losses (more on Mudd & Moore below).

Peyton Manning doesn’t seem to have much of an idea of what’s going on inside the organization saying, “I can’t tell you what’s going on. I will say I don’t think it’s been the most properly communicated scenario around here. “

And there are plenty of significant injuries to talk about as well; anyone interested in knowing about Adam Vinatieri or Bob Sanders?

Just two days before training camp, new head coach Jim Caldwell held a pre-training camp press conference to address some of these issues and while not all of them are yet cleared up, the dust for the Colts may just be about to settle.

In Jim Caldwell’s press conference, there were three key issues he touched on that all Colts fans (and Colts nemeses) should have dialed into.

1) Returning Coaching Consultants Mudd and Moore will return to their old positions

After a crazy offseason in which Mudd and Moore were forced into retirement, to ensure that they keep their retirement benefit package that the NFL was changing, Owner Jim Irsay quickly arranged to hire them both back onto the team organization as consultants.

Several months after signing them both on as consultants, and driving everyone crazy with what that really meant and what their respective roles would be with the team, the NFL released information saying that there were no limitations to what a “consultant’s” duties could entail.

A couple of days later (in Caldwell’s press conference), Mudd and Moore were named the Senior Offensive Line Coach and Senior Offensive Coordinator respectively.

This move pushes Metzlaars (recently promoted to Head Offensive Line Coach) and Christesen (recently promoted to Offensive Coordinator) back into their original roles of Assistant Offensive Line Coach and Wide Receivers/Assistant Offensive Coordinator jobs respectively.

So after a long season of drama and many unknowns concerning the coaching staff and how the players will handle the situation, it seems as though nothing (at least on the offensive side of the ball) will be changing anytime soon.

Breathe a big sigh of relief Colts fans. While I’m certain that most fans thought that the offense would run like the well oiled machine it has been for the past decade, there’s no need to test it is there?

By the way, with Tavaris Jackson going down, wouldn’t this be a great time to sign Brett Farve on as a Senior Quarterbacks Consultant?

2) Adam Vinatieri had yet another procedure in addition to his hip surgery.

As I’ve written in past articles about Vinatieri, his stats have continued to plummet since the magical 2006 season. He’s getting up there in age (36), and hip surgery alone is no insignificant or minor event for a kicker to go through.

The reality of the situation is that it is very likely that Adam Vinatieri could return from hip surgery, have a long rehabilitation process, suffer complications and setbacks, and then re-injure or aggravate the injury during the course of the season.

Add to it that the Colts have a long history of not revealing the entire truth about player injuries (i.e. Peyton Manning ‘s recent knee surgeries and Marvin Harrison’s knee).

Add to it that the only other kicker currently on the roster is a rookie from Murray State, Shane Andrus,.

Add to it that the Colts have never had great success, even with the league’s most accurate kicker Mike Vanderjagt, until Mr. Clutch Adam Vinatieri donned a Colts uniform.

Not concerned yet Colts fans?

How about the statement by Caldwell during his recent pre-training camp press conference that Vinatieri underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in addition to his hip surgery?

I’m sure that the Colts organization will tell you that since they were doing the hip surgery, the doctors advised him to go ahead and clean out his knee since it would not add any rehabilitation time. He might as well get everything in his knee taken care of so he is 100 percent when the season starts.

That’s exactly what we were told about Harrison’s and Manning’s knees as well. Harrison never recovered (to true form anyway) and it took Manning an additional surgery and about eight weeks into the NFL season before he truly looked back to normal.

Ring… Ring… Ring….

Hello… Mike? How’s our favorite “idiot kicker” doing? I think we could use your help…

I’d love to hear how that telephone call would go.

3) Multiple key players will enter training camp on the PUP list.

In addition to Vinatieri entering training camp on the physically unable to play (PUP) list, names like Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson reappeared like they were etched in stone years ago.

Jackson and Sanders are key guys that the defense desperately needs to have on the field for success, yet they are often injured and in Sanders case for the majority of the year.

Everyone saw what Sanders being on the field can do. In the 2006 season, the Colts went from being one of the worst defenses in the league to being the best.

I’ve again written in past articles that if the Colts can step onto the field with all of its guys healthy that they are the best defense in the league. The problem is that they are rarely healthy.

So heading into training camp, things are sure to be interesting for the Colts. The dust over the coaching situation is beginning the settle, and perhaps Vinatieri’s hip and Sanders… well everything, will get healthy and allow them some playing time in training camp and even the regular season.

Perhaps things are starting to go the right way after a long and drama filled offseason for the Colts.

I’m not convinced just yet, but we won’t have to wait much longer. Tomorrow’s another day. Tomorrow is Colts Training camp.

Don't Overlook These Five Colts' Storylines This Preseason

Don Fish — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:41:48 -0400

By now all football fans know that the Indianapolis Colts have undergone a major facelift with their coaching staff and player roster this offseason. I’m not going to waste anyone’s time here, hashing over the same old storylines of, “How the team will work under Jim Caldwell,” or, “Who is ready to step up and fill the role left open by Marvin Harrison?” Instead I’m here to give you five storylines that haven’t been as well covered and just might be the real stories to key an eye on this preseason.

Begin Slideshow

Tour De France; Lance The New Leader Of Astana?

Don Fish — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:20:59 -0400

Stage Four of the Tour de France has given the cycling world, and especially casual fans, just what they wanted. Team Astana won the time trial and Lance Armstrong came up just short of wearing that yellow jersey that he is so familiar with.

Armstrong holds second place overall, only tenths of a second behind Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.

Teammates of Armstrong were interviewed last night on the Versus channel and showed some irritation that Armstrong is the one everyone is talking about. Armstrong was supposed to play a supporting role to team leader Alberto Contador. However, Armstrong seems to have issues with that and the last couple of days has shown that Armstrong is in it to win it.

This Tour de France at this point seems more interesting than any in recent history. I'll keep you posted on Stage Five and any updates that come out of Armstrongs push to take over leadership of the Astana team.

Lance Armstrong: A Story of Endurance, Perseverance, and Winning

Don Fish — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:24:38 -0400

Lance Armstrong made his intentions of racing in the Tour de France clear several months ago.

While most expected him to compete, no one expected him to win (or even come close), did they?

He has endured many trials in his most recent comeback. A broken collar bone and much speculation about his use of steroids.

Armstrong has been forced to take a back on a foreign team just to be able to compete in the Tour de France, and he’s been humbled by his body’s limitations. But if you have ever seen a true athlete that has heart, passion, and even a little athletic ability still left in the tank, you should know that Armstrong still has it in him to win.

Everyone that has heard Armstrong’s name knows about his fight with the cancer that spread throughout his body.

Everyone knows about his troubled marriage and failed celebrity relationship with Sheryl Crow.

Everyone knows that Lance Armstrong has overcome all of these. And you should expect nothing less in this Tour de France.

For me, the athlete most like Lance Armstrong is Michael Jordan. Time and time again we saw Jordan deal with personal tragedies like his father's death, or when he was rumored to have a gambling problem...but he kept on winning.

Jordan also retired several times, and he came back and kept on winning. Jordan’s last return as a player saw its ups and downs, but we definitely saw sparks of his greatness.

Like Jordan, Lance Armstrong has something that none of his competitors has: an iron will. He has a passion and determination to win at all costs—an ability to suffer for great lengths of time, to endure pain, and to persevere over all obstacles in the way.

Still he keeps on winning.

Unlike Jordan, Lance doesn’t have to perform for 80 some games over a six-month span. He only has to perform for a few weeks. And all great athletes have one more in them, no matter what age, no matter what physical limitations are put on them. Make no mistake, he has one more win in him.

So sit back in your chairs and tune in to the Versus channel every now and then over the next few weeks. Turn on your Sportscenter, or you favorite talk radio show. And as Terrell Owens (NFL wide receiver) would say, “Getcha popcorn ready.”

All the talk right now may be about the current onslaught of celebrity deaths, but in a few weeks it will be about Lance Armstrong winning his eighth consecutive Tour de France.

Note: After Stage Three of the 2009 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong is currently in third place, only 40 seconds behind the leader. How’s that for taking a back seat and helping someone else win?

Indianapolis Colts' Pierre Garcon Talks WR Position Battle, Coaches, & More

Don Fish — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:18:58 -0400

The 2009 offseason for the Colts has been one of the most dramatic in the past decade, and has everyone asking questions like...who the heck are all these new coaches? Where the heck is Marvin? Is Vinatieri going to be okay? Who the heck is going to step up and step in to fill the slot receiver position? And how is all this going to affect the Colts' offense?

Well don’t worry Colts fans, I was able to speak with Colts receiver Pierre Garcon, and he had some interesting answers for us on all these questions and more.

The Colts' coaching staff is probably the unit that has seen the most changes this season, both expected and unexpected.

Head Coach Tony Dungy had planned his retirement from the team and had a successor named in Jim Caldwell at least a year in advance, but the losses of Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore and Offensive Line Coach Howard Mudd has most Colts fans a little worried...even if they are coming back as consultants.

The Colts filled those open positions from within the current staff by promoting Clyde Christensen (Wide Receivers Coach) to Offensive Coordinator, and Pete Metzelaars (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) to Offensive Line Coach.

But that left open spots to be filled at the Receiver’s Coach position and the Assistant Offensive Line Coach position. All that and I haven’t even mentioned that the Colts have a new Defensive Coordinator, Larry Coyer.

So what does Pierre have to say about all the changes? He doesn’t seem too worried. “There is not a lot of new coaches, it’s just a lot of guys moving up...moving around, but nothing’s changing really. Still the same playbook...still the same offense.”

When asked about the Colts promoting from within the current staff and how he felt about Jim Caldwell, Clyde Christensen, and Pete Metzelaars taking control of the offense, Pierre said, “That’s real good! They know the system very well, so there’s not going to be (any) growing pains. They’ve been around for a while, the guys know them, the guys respect them and all. And there’s not going to be much of a change from what Coach Dungy used to do.”

Early on in this offseason’s OTA’s though, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had made comments that expressed his dissatisfaction with the communication of the Colts organization, and also about the fill-in coaches, Ron Johnson (Receivers Coach) and Frank Winter (Assistant Offensive Line Coach).

So are these issues behind them now and are the interim position coaches working out better? This doesn’t seem to be the case. Pierre said that, “We still have the same wide receivers coach, Clyde (Christensen). He’s still helping us out, and doing the Offensive Coordinator job. He’s doing both.”

So it appears that Christensen has either taken over the job until the position coaches are up to speed, that he has taken over the job until they can hire someone else on, or that he is going to hold that position throughout the season.

In any case...it doesn’t seem as though the issue has been resolved. It should also be noted that on the Colts official NFL website (Colts.com), neither Ron Johnson nor Frank Winter appear on the Colt’s coaches roster.

In regard to Tom Moore’s role in the offense as a consultant, Pierre is out of the loop just as much as we are saying, “I couldn’t tell you, I really don’t know.” Any chance of Tom Moore calling plays up in the booth this year? “I couldn’t tell you, I really don’t know.”

This is also the case when you speak to Pierre about the defense. “Well, the defense is different (this year), but I don’t worry about that at all.” Pierre’s sole focus right now is on the offense and how he can get into the starting line-up.

Pierre is in a tough position battle to fill the third wide receiver option in the offense. His competitors are Roy Hall, a third-year wideout that has suffered an injury plagued career thus far, and rookie Austin Collie who was recently drafted by the Colts in the offseason.

While typically it is a third year wide receiver that is ready to have a break out year, Hall has not had much playing time or experience because of his injuries and thus he’s probably more of a rookie as far as development in the NFL.

It is also typical for NFL organizations to get their big name and newly signed talent on the field as soon as possible, which goes in favor of Austin Collie starting.

However, the Colts offense is a little more complex than most in the NFL and a wide receiver not only has to know the play book and feel comfortable running their routes, they have to deal with the mental stress of Peyton changing the plays and making erratic hand signals that could be legitimate of fake. That’s quite a bit for any rookie to handle.

Pierre actually finds himself in a pretty good position heading in to training camp. He has one full year of experience in the NFL and has seen some playing time as a return man for the Colt’s Special Teams, as well as seeing limited time on the field as a receiver.

In OTA’s you would think that Pierre would have some idea as to where he stands in the position battle. Surely the coaches and veteran players gave him a hint right?

“Nahh. They just rotated us all in, let everybody get reps, and you know...get familiar with it. There’s not much competition going on. It’s just learning and getting back familiar with each other.”

However, after the OTA’s, Caldwell and Manning were both giving lots of credit to the game of Pierre Garson. Roy Hall was rarely mentioned and Austin Collie was also commented on, but at this point, one would have to think that Pierre Garcon goes into training camp as the man to beat.

Pierre’s not caught up in all the competition and what everyone’s saying right now. And he doesn’t seem to care what formation he is in, so long as he’s on the field. “I’m competing for anything for playing time. Wherever they put me at, I’ll play out there.”

So is Pierre primed for a big season if he does line up as a starter? “Hopefully… hopefully because I need one. I wouldn’t mind it.”

With the Colts promoting a former quarterbacks coach to the head coaching position, and also promoting a wide receivers coach to the offensive coordinator position, it would be hard to see anyone who gets the job having a poor season.

The Colts have arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game, an offensive that is designed to pass the ball, coaches that have offensive mindsets, and two other wide outs that have already proven themselves worthy of double teams. Whoever fills the third wide receivers/slot position is going to have a big year.

But Pierre is a little hesitant to put that much pressure on the receivers and the offense. “It’s going to be hard to have a better offense with Marvin (Harrison) leaving...hopefully we don’t take a dramatic drop. You know… you can’t replace Marvin, you just try to get better and work your way up.”

So that’s exactly what Pierre continues to do. He works, studies, and prepares for his chance to prove himself and start in the NFL at receiver for the Colts. Just talking to Pierre, you get a sense that he is much like Marvin Harrison in his demeanor. He’s well spoken and somewhat shy. He has respect for veteran players, especially Marvin Harrison.

Knowing that receivers are usually the most likely to exhibit diva-type behavior, I had to ask him who he would resemble more in an end-zone celebration, Marvin Harrison or Chad Johnson.

“Probably in between. I’m not Marvin, but I don’t want to get fined by the NFL so I’m not like Chad… I’m far from Marvin though. You might see a little more (celebrating), yeah.” One thing is for sure… Colts fans hope they find out plenty about Pierre’s end-zone antics this year.

Wrapping up my time with Pierre, I wanted to find out some information about Vinatieri, his feelings about the Patriots, and the Wildcat Formation.

The Colts key player acquisition (Kicker Vinatieri) in bringing home the Lombardi Trophy in 2006 underwent hip surgery earlier this offseason, but is expected to be ready for the start of the season. Do you know anything about Vinatieri?

“Yeah, he’s been around. He’s getting back into it. He’s been around the facilities working out and getting back into it, but you know…. He’s been in the league for so long… but I think he’ll be the starter.”

That’s awesome news for Colts fans, but I had to ask about a possible Vanderjagt return. Any chance of this? “I don’t know… I don’t think that will happen.” That might be even better news for most Colts fans.

The Patriots and Colts have one of the best rivalries in sports these days. The Patriots always seem to be the team standing in the way of the Colts going to the Super Bowl. So how much do you hate the Patriots?

“As long as we beat them, I don’t hate them. As long as we beat them, I’m fine… don’t have a problem with them at all. We beat them last year, hopefully we beat them again this year, and as long as we don’t have to go out there (New England), I’ll be fine.”

The 2008 NFL season saw the Wildcat formation lifted into the heavens as the newest gimmick play that actually works for nearly every team. Any chance of Pierre getting in with the coaches and having them call that play for him?

“If they (the coaches) put it in, I’ll be happy to run it. You know, without a doubt. Let me get on the field first and then you know… I got to crawl before I walk, got to get on the field first. Got to catch some balls and score some touchdowns.”

One thing is for sure Colts fans. This offseason has been full of surprises and there are surely more to come. Whoever wins over the wide receiver spot should shine and put up great numbers.

And whoever gets a chance to be employed into those open coaching positions better walk onto the field knowing what they are doing. This looks to be an interesting season for the Colts. I’ll be there to keep you posted the rest of the way.

Does Vinatieri Injury Open Door for Vanderjagt's comeback

Don Fish — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:31:26 -0400

The Colts organization released a statement Friday that kicker Adam Vinatieri underwent surgery on his right hip to help, "Relieve nagging discomfort, which had existed for more than a year."

While the organization insists that he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season, Colts fans might be justified in being a little worried.

Hip surgery for a kicker is no insignificant or minor event, and the Colts organization has a history of not revealing the entire truth regarding the significance of a player's injuries.

I think it’s time for the Colts to consider a backup plan and his name should be Mike Vanderjagt.

Adam Vinatieri is 36 years old, which is not terribly old for a kicker, but he's certainly nearing the end of his career. Since joining the Colts in 2006, his field goal percentage has dropped dramatically from 89.3 percent in 2006 to 79.3 percent in 2007 to 80.0 percent in 2008.

Over his career as a kicker, Vinatieri has never been much of a long distance kicker, sinking only 10 of 21 from 50+ yards.

If you look at his production since joining the Colts in 2006, he has even suffered a significant drop off in his ability to kick medium to long field goals in the range of 40-49 yards, sinking 9 of 10 in 2006 and only 4 of 9 in 2007 and 2008.

Hip surgery might alleviate the pain and discomfort for Vinatieri, but don’t expect his numbers to increase. At best, his stats won’t drop off anymore (at least for a couple of years), and the Colts will continue on with a mediocre kicker with a hall of fame name on the back of his jersey.

Meanwhile... Mike Vanderjagt, the NFL’s most accurate kicker in the history of football and the Colt’s kicker from 1998 through the 2005 season, recently requested (and received) his release from the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

Vanderjagt initially announced that he was retiring from football, but requested his release, “To leave my options open in case my feelings change.” My guess is that if the NFL and the Colts should come calling, Vanderjagt’s feelings may change in a hurry.

Vanderjagt can still come in and perform at a high level, and it is not really a matter of money since Vanderjagt has been playing for the Canadian Football League, which generally pays significantly less than the National Football League.

The Colts would not even need to pick up Vanderjagt immediately, since he is retired and not even signed with anyone else yet; they could simply wait it out and see how Vinatieri performs.

If the Colts' organization then sees that Vinatieri doesn’t look like he can perform, then they can always call up Mike Vanderjagt, right?

So what is the problem then?

Well, don’t we already know the answer to that one?

Let me see, something about questioning Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy’s passion and intensity, something about a liquored up kicker; for some reason those things are what come to mind.

It’s common knowledge that Vanderjagt (before entering the 2005 NFL season) spouted off publicly about how he thought Manning and Dungy didn’t have enough fire in their attitude, not enough passion and intensity to win the big games.

Manning fired back with his own comments calling Vanderjagt an, “Idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off.”

Despite the rift though, Vanderjagt, Manning, and Dungy made amends and put the drama aside. Vanderjagt played another full season with the Colts until they came up short in the playoffs.

At the end of the 2005 season, the only person that could possibly replace the NFL’s most accurate kicker became a free agent, Vinatieri.

Vinatieri has made more big shots in football than any other kicker. He’s like the Reggie Miller of football when it comes to making last minute shots to win the game.

Vinatieri was known, and still is, as the best clutch kicker to have ever played the game. And so when the Colts saw an opportunity to get better, they took the chance. Vanderjagt was out, and Vinatieri was in.

And that’s what the Colts should do now, they have to take a chance to get better.

They have to put aside old rifts, and do what’s best for the team. They have to give Vinatieri time to heal properly.

They have to give Vanderjagt a serious look.

WhoDey? Jim Caldwell and the New Indianapolis Coaching Staff

Don Fish — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:01:44 -0400

When you think of your favorite football team’s coaching staff, the head coach, the offensive coordinator, and the defensive coordinator are probably the people that come to mind, and if you're lucky, you can even name one or two of them.

But these guys are the three coaches that everyone else on the team takes their cues from (players and lower level coaches alike). They are the tripod that keeps the structure steady, and if any of these start to get shaky then a team could be in for trouble.

We’ll certainly have a chance to test this theory early on in the Colts 2009 season (perhaps even before the season begins).

The Colts enter the 2009 NFL season with new faces at all three positions, something that the players and Colts organization has not had to deal with for the past decade.

So it is somewhat uncertain how things will shake out and according to Peyton Manning’s recent media comments, it’s not going so smoothly thus far.

So let’s take a look at these guys and see if they have what it takes to fill the shoes of the giants of Colts past (Tony Dungy, Tom Moore, and Ron Meeks).

Head Coach

Name: Jim Caldwell

Age: 54

Home Town: Beloit, Wisc.

Years Coaching in the NFL: 9 years

Years with Colts: 7 Years (Entering 8)

Coaching Career:

Iowa 1977; Southern Illinois 1978-80; Northwestern 1981; Colorado 1982-84; Louisville 1985; Penn State 1986-92; Wake Forest (head coach) 1993-00; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2001; Indianapolis Colts 2002-present.

Offensive or Defensive type of coach:

Caldwell has spent the entirety of his NFL career as a quarterbacks coach until being appointed to Assistant Head Coach and named the successor of Tony Dungy as Indianapolis Head coach.

He is an offensive-minded coach who has been very successful in building high-powered and balanced offensive attacks at the collegiate and professional level.

Philosophy:

Although Jim Caldwell spent his college player years as a defensive back at Iowa, Caldwell has spent his coaching career on the offensive side of things. He has worked with Peyton Manning as the quarterbacks coach and has been successful at Tampa Bay and in the collegiate ranks building high power offenses.

With Peyton Manning running his offense and Caldwell being a quarterbacks coach the majority of his career, look for Coach Caldwell to try and break some records in passing attempts this year.

Positives:

Jim Caldwell has been with the Colts for the past seven years now, which means he has already developed a rapport with the players, coaches, and organizational staff. He’s familiar with the offense, and he’s been Tony Dungy’s understudy for the past year, as he was named the successor to the head coaching position.

He takes the helm of one of the most exciting offensive units in football which includes one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, at least one Pro Bowl wide receiver, two great running backs, and an offensive line that is smart and powerful. Not even Matt Millen could mess this up (right?).

Negatives:

When Tony Dungy took over for the Colts, he didn’t have to make any changes to the offense or its coaching staff. This year, Caldwell will have a new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach that will have to live up to high expectations.

Perhaps Caldwell’s primary role will be maintaining communications with the offensive staff and players to make sure everything is up to par, and that Peyton Manning is happy. After all, he has spent the majority of his career doing just that.

Offensive Coordinator

Name: Clyde Christensen

Age: 53

Home Town: Covina, Calif.

Years Coaching in the NFL: 13 Years

Years with Colts: 8 Years

Coaching Career:

Mississippi 1979; East Tennessee State 1980-82; Temple 1983-85; East Carolina 1986-88; Holy Cross 1989-90; South Carolina 1991; Maryland 1992-93; Clemson 1994-95; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1996-2001; Indianapolis Colts 2002-present.

Offensive or Defensive type of coach:

Christensen has spent his entire coaching career on the offensive side of the ball and has experience coaching in practically every skills position (QB, RB, WR, & TE) over a span of 13 years. He has also spent time as offensive coordinator in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Philosophy:

The pieces to this puzzle are already in place. Christensen is an offensive coach that knows how to air it out and is smart enough to know who his quarterback is and what he is capable of. He’ll continue with Tom Moore’s play book, but might also turn to the tandem running game with Addai and Brown a few times this year.

Positives:

Christenson has been with the Colts offense for several years now as a receivers coach and assistant offensive coodinator's coach so the transition shouldn’t be that difficult. There’s no indication that the Colts plan to change the playbook and often times it is Manning that actually calls the plays, so there is no reason to believe that the offense should take a hit. The Colts will be explosive this year.

Negatives:

The hardest part about this job might be taking a back seat to Peyton Manning. Peyton has grown accustom to having a ton of input and calling his own plays.

Most coaches I know like to be the ones in charge and are usually in the position they are in because they think they know what is best. How Christensen handles this type of situation remains to be seen.

On a side note: If Manning goes down for the year with an injury or doesn’t take kindly to Christensen's style of coaching…this could be his first and only year as the Colts offensive Coordinator.

Defensive Coordinator

Name: Larry Coyer

Home Town: Huntington, W.Va.

Years Coaching in the NFL: 11 years

Coaching Career:

Marshall 1965-67; Bowling Green 1968-73; Iowa 1974-77; Oklahoma State 1978; Iowa State 1979-82; Michigan Panthers 1983-84; Memphis Showboats 1985; UCLA 1987-89; Houston 1990; Ohio State 1991-92; East Carolina 1993; New York Jets 1994; Iowa State 1995-96; Pittsburgh 1997-99; Denver Broncos 2000-06; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2007-08; Indianapolis Colts 2009-present.

Offensive or Defensive type of coach:

Coyer has been on the defensive side of the ball for 45 years, coaching at the collegiate and professional levels. He most recently incorporated the Tampa-2 defense (also referred to as the Cover-2) which is the same defense that Tony Dungy installed in Indianapolis.

Coyer also coached the defensive line for the Tampa Bay Bucs and is a fan of blitzing the quarterback. This should work well with a Colts D-line that is known for it’s quick defensive ends of Freeney and Mathis.

Philosophy:

Coyer will most likely stay with the Tampa-2 defense and bring the blitz often, just as Tony Dungy has set it up in Indianapolis already. Coyer appears to be a fan of Dungy’s teachings and it has worked for him in the past.

Positives:

One of the greatest things about being a defensive coach this year is that there were very little changes in the players' roster.

The key players on defense have all been signed to long term deals and the Colts were able to draft some run stopping defensive tackles this year that should increase the output of the defensive unit.

Negatives:

The Colts have long been known for having a poor defense but in recent years, that trend has changed. If the Colts take too much of a dip in production, the Colts organization may look elsewhere next year for a new defensive coach.

Other Notable Coaching Concerns:

Offensive Line Coach:

Howard Mudd also resigned this year, leaving the Colts to fill yet another critical coaching spot. They have done so by promoting Pete Metzelaars from the offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coaching position into the Offensive Line Coach.

Because he has already been working with the Colts in this aspect, not much is expected to change in the production of the line.

Two new offensive coaches have received interim positions to fill the spots left open by Christensen and Metzelaars when they were promoted to the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line coaches.

The receivers coaching position has been filled by Ron Johnson and the Assistant offensive line coaching position has been filled by Frank Winter.

So far, communications have not been working well with coaching staff and Peyton Manning recently commented on the situation and expressed his dissatisfaction with the organization and the coaches.

Specifically calling out the interim coaches saying that they were “Learning how to coach… while they are trying to coach.”

Look for those interim coaches to be replaced before training camp, if not sooner, and for Head Coach Jim Caldwell to quickly resolve any communication problems within the organization.

All in all, the Colts have quite a few new faces in their coaching staff, but many have been with the organization for years. The overall playbook (on both sides of the ball) should stay relatively the same.

Look for the Colts coaching staff to get their act together and be ready for training camp.

Top 5 Plays to Success: The Indianapolis Colts

Don Fish — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:20:19 -0400

Colts' Top 5 Plays to Success

The Colts' line up every year with the same core group of plays, and then add on a few new plays to keep it interesting. One year Manning wants to throw more out routes, the next year he wants to manage the game better, and the following year he wants to run the ball more. Manning is always striving to make his game better and in doing so he brings new plays to the book.

The Colts are also great at making on the spot changes to attack a certain defense and its tendencies during a game. They are not afraid to draw up plans in the dirt if need be. However, each year and each game you will see the Colts come out in a single back formation and run timing plays over and over, run play action plays over and over, and run draw plays over and over. No one really has shown the ability to stop it, except the Steelers and Patriots on occasion.

Here’s a list of the top five most effective plays ran out of the single back formation used by the Colts in 2008, and almost every year for the past decade. If the Colts are successful running these plays week in and week out, look for them to be in the top three teams in the AFC again this year.

1) Stretch Play (run)- The Colts perform the stretch play better than anyone in the league and it has become the staple of the Indianapolis offense. They line-up with two wide-outs, two TEs (or one TE and a slot WR), and one running back directly behind Peyton Manning. Manning takes the snap from under center and immediately sprints, and I mean sprints, to the left or the right (depending on which way the play is drawn up to go) and meets his running back just in time to hand the ball off to him. If Manning is a fraction of a second off or if the running back stalls out, then the play is busted.

This play is so effective because it gets the running back to the outside very quickly allowing him to get around the edge of the defense. It is also very effective because the defense never knows when Peyton will pull the ball back in, instead of handing off, and launch it down field for a touchdown bomb. This freezes the defense and gives the running back just a little more time to get up field.

Which leads me to the second most effective play:

2) Stretch Play (Play-action Pass) – This play is identical to the stretch play run except Manning fakes the hand off and then looks primarily for his deep threat targets and if not open, he will dump it off to a running back or tight end for a short gain. Manning’s play action fakes have been famous for a while now. So much so that TV camera men have been taking the slack for several years for focusing on the running back instead of Manning when he fakes it and then launches a long pass down field.

3) Short Slant - This play comes in a couple varieties depending on the down and how much yardage is needed. If it is a third or fourth down play, you will see a quick slant thrown to Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne as they dive towards the ground to catch the pass. This play is money in the bank for two or three yards because the Colt’s wide outs are excellent route runners and Manning puts the ball where the defense has no chance of getting to it.

The other variety of short slant usually comes on first or second down when they are looking to see if they can make a big play out of it. Typically a tight end or slot receiver will set some type of pick with his route (sometimes they use the referee for their pick) and the wide out will run under the pick producing a split second where he is open. Given a couple good blocks after that catch and some good luck, this play can often times break for a big gain.

4) Hitch Route - Nothing special about this route except the timing is awesome. If you’ve ever been to a game in person and seen Manning throw the ball two seconds before his man even makes his cut and is nowhere near where the ball is being thrown at the time, you are missing out. It’s difficult to see on TV and they never seem to show replays that focus on how far in advance some quarterbacks release the ball, but the first time you see it, you watch in awe.

The Colts have perfected this, well nearly anyway. There are a couple of Patriot’s players that always seem to jump this route, but in general it nearly always works.

5) Hitch and go - Set up by the timing hitch play described above, the hitch and go only works if your receivers can sell it -- and so far the Colt’s wide out have. The Colts throw those timing hitch patterns over and over again to get the defender to play them tighter. And once they do, the wide outs go deep on them. Better have a good safety on your defense if you want to defend this play.

Like I said earlier, there is very little trickery with what the Colts try to accomplish each week. They come out in pretty much the same formation and run more or less the same plays. And it works not only because the players have so much talent and have worked together for years to develop a rapport, but because Manning is given the leeway to analyze the defense and pick a play that is most likely to succeed.

Colts 2009 Outlook: No Dungy, No Problem

Don Fish — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:42:28 -0400

The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2009 season with high expectations…as well they should. For eight of the past ten years, the Colts have won ten or more games in the regular season. They have advanced to the playoffs in nine out of the past ten years, and have brought the Lombardi Trophy to the city of Indianapolis for the first time in history, just three years ago (2006-2007).

However, if the Colts are to continue their undeviating consistency of success and enter the 2009-2010 playoffs to make a serious run for the Super Bowl, they will have to do it with a plethora of new faces on the team—players and coaches alike.

When the Colts line up this season, they will be without the services of the all-time greatest wide receiver in team history, Marvin Harrison, the should-have-been 2006 Super Bowl MVP running back Dominic Rhodes, the talented but often unused punter Hunter Smith, the even-keel (don’t panic) and beloved head coach Tony Dungy, one of the greatest offensive line coaches for the past decade, Howard Mudd, and the underappreciated offensive genius (and should-have-been heir apparent to the Colts head coaching job) offensive coordinator Tom Moore.

So how will the Colts adjust to all the new faces? Just like they always do. They draft good talent, develop that talent over time, and promote from within. The Colts sign very few high-profile free agents and seldom go after big-name coaching staff (Tony Dungy being the exception). That has been the M.O. of General Manager Bill Polian since he arrived in Indianapolis, and it hasn’t changed much since.

Player-wise, the Colts have been getting the job done without Harrison for a couple of years now (ever since he injured his knee in 2007), and while Rhodes and Smith were fairly productive in 2008, the team believes that they can be replaced and perhaps upgraded upon.

In the 2009 NFL draft, the team went out and picked up a very impressive running back Donald Brown (UConn) to team up with Joseph Addai in a backfield tandem that should produce very nicely. They also picked up wide receiver Austin Collie (BYU) to either fill the slot position (pushing Anthony Gonzalez into the wide out position) or to challenge for the wideout position left open with Harrison’s departure.

The Colts also picked up a late-round punter to sit the bench (much like the duties of punter Hunter Smith over the past few years) while the Colts offense continues to score.

It also seems as though the Colts are realizing that Peyton Manning is getting a little older, and they don’t seem to be quite so comfortable with Jim Sorgi as the backup anymore; they used a 6th round pick on Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter in the hopes of developing him into an upgraded backup for Manning.

More devastating than the loss of the players are those on the coaching staff. The departure of Dungy was expected and his successor, Jim Caldwell, was named prior to the season, so the Colts have had plenty of time to adjust and prepare for him to leave.

However the departures of Mudd and Moore are unexpected daggers in the heart for the offense and are sure to be felt (at least a little). Manning and the Colts have shown that they can handle losing a head coach. In 2002, the Colts switched from Jim Mora to Tony Dungy at the head coaching position without any drop-off in offensive production because the offense (players, coaches, and playbook) stayed intact.

But how will Manning and the Colts offense handle losing a head coach, offensive coordinator, and an offensive line coach all in the same year? Just like you would expect them to. Though it has not been expressed officially, the Colts are expected to promote Clyde Christensen (asst. head coach/receivers coach) to the offensive coordinator position and Pete Metzelaars (offensive quality control/asst. offensive line coach) to the position of offensive line coach.

By promoting from within, the Colts ensure that their coaches already are familiar with the players, and that the offensive playbook will remain the same (good news for any offensive player or fan of the Colts). They have also indicated that they will try to keep both Mudd and Moore on as consultants to the team, which seems like a brilliant move (I wonder if consultants are allowed to call plays from the booth?).

In 2009, the Colts will rebuild, restructure, and replace many of the staff and players that have been so intricate in their success over the past 10 years. A couple of things are for sure though…

1) All of the staff and players leaving will be sorely missed by the team organization, staff, players, and fans.

2) The Colts have a plan to continue winning (So long as they have Manning, anyway).

Look for the Colts to be atop the AFC in 2009, and to resume battling with the Patriots and the Steelers for AFC supremacy.