Colts rumored to re-structure contracts for Ryan Lilja, Adam Vinatieri

by BigBlueShoe on Mar 2, 2009 8:47 AM EST in Analysis Comment 30 comments

Colts Cap might have stumbled onto something interesting:

Mike Chappell of the Indystar pointed out to me earlier today that the NFLPA’s website lists Ryan Lilja’s base salaries for the next few years at $620,000, $630,000, $765,000 and $775,000.
That’s not really interesting until you note that the contract he signed last year had base salaries of $2.35M, $3.055M, $3.76M, and $4.21M.

A quicker look also discovered that Adam Vinatieri’s salary is down to $1.49M from what was originally scheduled to be $2M. If the actual move is what I expect, the savings will be approx. $250K in 2009 (and will increase his 2010 cap hit by that amount, which will be guaranteed).

It seems like the Colts are pushing money towards the final years of these two players' contracts, freeing up cap space for this year. As Polian has stated over and over again, for the first time, the Colts are very affected by the salary cap. This is a result of the new cap rules, which Polian and the Colts admit they were unprepared for. Moving money like this is not common for Bill and the front office. And I genuinely think they wanted to restructure Marvin, but just didn't have enough to make it work.

So, that's the negative. Here's the positive:

...It looks like the team is comfortable enough with where Lilja’s at that they would guarantee a portion of his base salary for 2009. Had they not been comfortable, I would think that they would be hard-pressed to guaranteed the money that they wouldn’t have to pay at the end of training camp should he not be fully recovered from his knee problems.

Ryan Lilja's injury last year was probably the most significant injury the Colts sustained, alongside Manning's and Saturday's. Lilja is the team's best run blocking guard, and without him, two rookies had to play an awful lot of snaps. The result was the Colts had the worst rushing offense in the NFL.

Along with these re-structuring are the rumors that the Colts are looking to bring in some free agents. Yes, you heard me right: Free agents. If these rumors develop into visits, we will have more on them. Let's just say that the Colts are agressively looking to upgrade the DT position.

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Did someone within the Colts org. say they were looking for a FA DT or someone in the draft?

This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.

by KingRichard on Mar 2, 2009 9:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

How do you know they will bring or even try to bring some FA’s? And if they do, which would be good for the team? Sorry, maybe its too early here but i cant remember any immediate ones.

by Piojocuau on Mar 2, 2009 9:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

TJ?

It’s wishful thinking, but you never know.

by Sanders_fan89 on Mar 2, 2009 9:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

TJ? I dont think so. I was still hoping for Ward or something, if i had known earlier that the pats would trade vrabel (one of the few pats players that i actually respect), i would have considered it as an option.
Besides that, maybe Edge…wont happen

by Piojocuau on Mar 2, 2009 10:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Does the Colts FO even know how to spell free agency?

by LovinBlue on Mar 2, 2009 11:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

good question…

by Piojocuau on Mar 2, 2009 11:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tempting Sarcastic Answers Include....

C-O-R-E-Y-S-I-M-O-N (an unusual word in which the letters Y-O-U-A-R-E-S-O-S-C-R-E-W-E-D are silent)

but also

A-D-A-M-V-I-N-A-T-I-E-R-I and farther back C-H-A-D-B-R-A-T-Z-K-E

One of those guys was instrumental in bumping us into the 1999/2000 playoffs and another was key to our SB win. Then again, the first cost us like $5M in dead cap space after his premature retirement. So we’re not comatose in FA, just very, very cautious. scared? chicken? lily-livered?

I suspect they approach it all like they did with those three guys—is it the right person for the right spot and can we afford him? And overwhelmingly the answers are no, no and no.

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Mar 2, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Are the buccaneers changing d-fenses?

If they do make the change, there could be a couple more of experienced cover-2 tackles available. Might be a good year to look into FA

Defense if more important them breathing.

by BetterD on Mar 2, 2009 12:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not the Bucs, but lots of teams changing to 3-4

Which means the Packers, the Broncos, the Chiefs could be sloughing off some extra 4-3 appropriate players

by CooperManningsNotTrying on Mar 2, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Time to start listing free agent DTs

Dewayne Robertson is the obvious one. Jovan Haye of the Bucs. No way they’d go after Tank Johnson, I imagine. I hope not Grady Jackson. That they would try to get one in this DT market is odd, because there aren’t many good options after Robertson and the guys who were signed on Sunday.

There is, however, a young and talented DT in Kansas City that doesn’t fit well in a 3-4. What else can the Chiefs do with Glenn Dorsey but trade him for an early draft pick?

by CooperManningsNotTrying on Mar 2, 2009 12:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Surely

Not with a top 5 pick contract

by furrycolt on Mar 2, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

forget jovan haye

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/03/titans-land-a-wide-receiver/

“Yes, you heard me right: Free agents. If these rumors develop into visits, we will have more on them. Let’s just say that the Colts are agressively looking to upgrade the DT position.” If that’s the case, who’s left?

by CooperManningsNotTrying on Mar 2, 2009 9:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Derrick Ward would be a great fit, but he might be asking for more than hes worth. The talent is sort of low at DT, but I would hope they pick up an OLB

by ColtsPurdueFanFromKY on Mar 2, 2009 2:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Derrick Brooks

by Colts Homer on Mar 2, 2009 5:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

by LovinBlue on Mar 2, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Will Bill can swing a deal.

I know we’re built for speed on D, but I think we’ve got to get more beefy at the tackles. If these light tackles can’t get to the QB with their quickness, what good good are they? I don’t think Bill will move on the FA market until after the draft. Of the FA’s out there, my vote would go to C.J. Mosley, and maybe Tank Johnson if you put him on a Zero Tolerance policy. Other than that I would go with Peria Jerry, Ziggy Hood or Fili Moala in the draft.

by vcoxiv on Mar 2, 2009 5:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Tank Johnson makes Ed Johnson look like an angel

i would be suprised if we sign him

Nate Davis = beast, God I hope he doesn't go to Detriot.......

by colts9318rock on Mar 2, 2009 7:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I still don't think

What happened to Johnson would’ve happened on any other team in the entire league. I mean think about it, Santonio Holmes got caught, Matt Jones, SEVERAL others. Barely anyone talked about the Holmes one. Even though he was suspended. They want to suspend guys 4 games for starcaps and Holmes gets 1 game for possession. Kind of funny.

I also think Reid’s possession arrest in March had a little to do with it. That plus the nightclub incident. Just some poor decisions. I don’t knock anyone for something silly like pot, but they’re not NFL players. You have to be smarter than that when something that awesome happens to you. Seriously, YOU’RE IN THE NFL. You’re going to RETIRE WHEN YOU’RE 30 or 34-36 if you’re lucky. As a millionaire. When you can go buy a house in Cancun and smoke bales of pot. I’m sure I could manage a little more self control than that if they paid me league minimum and I got to play in the NFL. I’m sorry, was living your dream a little too stressful?

Sorry, I’m a little pissed that one of the few young DTs we’ve had in a long while has actually showed potential and screwed it up. Granted, the Colts may have made an example out of him. Other than getting caught during the season, I don’t see how that’s worse than Reid’s. Hate to see the Colts playing favorites or making an example of someone. Making examples of someone….man I hate when people do that.

So in summary, I really don’t think Ed Johnson really got a fair shake. There’s definitely a negative stigma associated with the guy. And he didn’t do nearly as much as quite a few people in the league. I mean Ray Lewis killed a man. Marvin Harrison pulled a Tony Montana in the middle of the streets of Philly. (Didn’t the media spin it like there was a ratty old street with newspaper blowing across it. Nobody’s outside because they shuttered the windows and it’s dirty. Then Dixon drives up into an empty parking lot, tries to get out of the car and Marvin pulls out his terminator armor piercing gun and open up on the guy. While shooting Dixon in the hand, a guy in his back, and a baby in his eye. They seriously spun the crap out of that one. I actually got to the point where I seriously thought it was humorous.)

Vick crucified dogs (That one I’m being serious about. That guy’s a piece of crap. They’d steal peoples pets and make the fighting dogs tear them apart for practice and laugh about it.) And HE’S about to come out and join some football team. I promise you he’ll be playing for some team at some point. I think it’s going to end bad for him though. I think the media and fan hate will get to him and he’ll have a nervous breakdown and be out after a couple seasons. That dude is seriously going to be hated. Especially in away games. Sad too since he’s sort of a local guy around here. Well, so’s Plaxico. We breed them talented, but not too smart around these parts. I have my fingers crossed for Percy Harvin, he sounds like a good kid.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. Again, let me summarize. Ed Johnson didn’t do anything to scar humanity, I kind of thought it was a little overreaction. Unless he had done something previously I’m unaware of. Secondly, there definitely are some people that get away with quite a bit in the NFL. Plaxico should technically be in prison, but he’ll probably be traded to some team, serve his couple game suspension, and still make it in time to make the pro bowl. If you think I’m dreaming, Brandon Marshall was arrested 3 times in 2 years when Goodell suspended him one (might’ve been two, I forget) game. By the way, yeah, he was just arrested again a few days ago for disorderly conduct in Atlanta. 4 times in two and half years. Think he’s competing with Chris Henry for that crown now. Don’t let us down Chris! I actually think Goodell might come down a little harder on him now though. Especially with the Pacman situation and how it unfolded. So Denver has a supremely pissed off QB, their pro bowl WR possibly missing significant time, absolutely no defense (sorry B Dawk, you’re not fixing that entire defense yourself. But you are seriously awesome. Be a sad day when you retire.) and them way overpaying free agents left and right. What’s the over under on Josh McDaniels being yet another failed Belichick mentored HC? I give it until week 10.

Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.

by monstersbox on Mar 2, 2009 7:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Main problem

Is that you listed a bunch of star football players, except Ed Johnson. He was a starter for the Colts, but was he great? Well I don’t know if he was even good, let alone great. If you are an exceptional player or even a good player, you get a pass. (At least once) Hell Pacman Jones has had many more than one pass. But apparently Ed Johnson wasn’t good enough to get that second chance. It doesn’t help that there are not many teams using the defense the Colts use, either.

by yellowsnow on Mar 2, 2009 10:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Reid wasn't a star

And I wouldn’t call Matt Jones one either.

Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.

by monstersbox on Mar 2, 2009 11:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

But Matt Jones was a first rounder though. I’m sure they wanted to give their investment another chance. Ed Johnson wasn’t even drafted..

The Broncos signing Reid proves that he is a good player at least (on special teams)

by yellowsnow on Mar 3, 2009 7:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The strange thing about Ed Johnson

And what really surprised me was… he was a starter on a top D one year ago, got cut for essentially a minor violation, yet NOBODY picks him up. Hunh? Has he been signed, or even worked out by anybody?

The zero tolerance issue may have been the Colts’, but the rest of the league seems to be following it as well, at least for him. So the Colts and he agreed to the zero tolerance policy. The rest of the league was not party to that agreement, were they?

I find that strange. He was good and pretty well regarded in college except for that issue. Paterno went to bat for him personally. In my moral scale of issues, I think that personally outweighs a pot arrest.

So Monstersbox, while I agree with a LOT of what you say above, I don’t agree with that: for some reason, the whole league sees Ed J as toxic. Maybe anybody would have released him…?

In fact, I love your rant—you hit two recent DT nails on the head with the “was living your dream a little too stressful?” line—Throw in Quinn Pitcock as well. I have no idea what his inner demons/motivation was, but wow. Just wow. The fact that millions of people would sacrifice a lot for what he had should not influence his decision. But still, wow.

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Mar 3, 2009 1:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

JoePa went to bat for him

on the multiple team rules violations, the fight he was in and

Code of Conduct violations of sexual misconduct and confining another student against their will.

I think the pot possession just showed he hadn’t gotten the picture.

I ain't tryin' do you, I'm just tryin' do me
Last album did two, I'm just tryin' do three.
-Young Jeezy "I Luv It

by shake n bake on Mar 3, 2009 1:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe...

Pitcock wants to be able to walk when he is 40? Just because it is your dream (or the dream of millions) does not make it his and he has every right to do what he wants. Why do you think he had inner demons? Because he didn’t want to play NFL ball? Quinn gets a complete pass from me…I give him credit for doing what HE wanted to do…instead of sticking around, playing half hearted ball, and eating up salary cap space. I wish him all the best.

by TRDean on Mar 3, 2009 6:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Loss of Ed Johnson

I’ve wondered the same about Ed Johnson.
From what I could tell, he seemed quite promising on the field.
He stepped right in and performed.
If there isn’t an overwhelming amount of bad baggage chained to him, perhaps he should get a second opportunity.
That would give the Colts a lot more flexibility if they had an already proven DT in the mix again.
As an aside, I’ve never really understood why Keyunta Dawson is playing DT.
I think he played DE in college and seems way too light for the DT position.
If the Colts could have Ed Johnson, Antonio Johnson and Dan Muir for bulk in the middle, with Foster as the quick DT, that could free up the much lighter Dawson for duty at DE.
They could then consider moving one of the very small DE’s to LB.
That would help shore up the LB situation some.
Anyway, I was just trying to think of some options that might be worth considering.

by centauri on Mar 3, 2009 9:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He knew the Colts had him on a no tolerance policy and he screwed it up. It’s not like it just happened out of the blue, they knew he had past problems and were not gonna give him a second chance.

by ColtsPurdueFanFromKY on Mar 3, 2009 12:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought it was the NFL who had him on a no Tolerance policy

But I just gotta say that if Ed Johnson hadn’t decided to get lazy last off season and smoke a bunch of Jamaal Tinsely’s weed and had Quen Pittcock not decided to be a big puss and retire after only playing a few snaps his rookie season. The Colts would be fine at the DT position.

Anyone remember POTFH???

by PatsR18*andDONEwithoutCHEATING on Mar 4, 2009 6:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

30 tackles as a rookie

he played more than a couple snaps. Read the replies to your comments before repeating something wrong.

and you should probably get cracking on the research project.

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/3/1/776427/hope-the-3rd-player-isn-t

I ain't tryin' do you, I'm just tryin' do me
Last album did two, I'm just tryin' do three.
-Young Jeezy "I Luv It

by shake n bake on Mar 5, 2009 11:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sean Cody may not be a bad pick up for the Colts

I remember in 2005 I was kind of upset with the Colts for taking Marlin Jackson over Cody. Man was I wrong to be upset about that move. But either way Cody could be better then who they have now.

Anyone remember POTFH???

by PatsR18*andDONEwithoutCHEATING on Mar 4, 2009 6:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs