First Look At Indianapolis Colts 2011 Depth Chart
by Brad Wells on Aug 9, 2011 1:59 PM EDT
in 2011 Colts News
Email
PrintSo, the Colts sent out their first depth chart to credentialed media this afternoon. They did this before updating the information on their own website (all the depth positions are still blank as of 1:37 p.m. Eastern). This should give you folks some idea of just how bumbling the Colts media relations polices are, and how little they regard their own, public-facing website.
Of course, Stampede Blue wasn't sent any depth chart info by the Colts communications people because... I don't know, I suck, or something along those lines. Perhaps our blog being critical of management, calling attention to their silly media policies, and reporting on things that they are doing that they shouldn't be doing doesn't sit well with the vice chairman and his family. I don't know.
But, hey, whatever. If the Colts don't want to send cool information to a website and network that reaches a helluva lot more readers than the Indianapolis Star, that's on them. Best we can do is work with what we've got, and continue to shed more light on the silly, anti-fan policies implemented by the Polians.
As always, apologies to the nice people who work in Colts communications. I know the edicts don't come from you. You folks, like many other people in America, are stuck working for horrible bosses.
So, yeah, the depth chart. Here's what we know, via Paul Kuharsky, Phil Wilson, and Ashely Adamson of WISH-TV in Indianapolis.
- Starting offensive line is Jeff Linkenbach (LT), Jacques McClendon (LG), Jeff Saturday (C), Mike Pollak (RG), and Ryan Diem (RT). Anthony Castonzo backs up Linkenbach. Ben Ijalana backs up Diem. Joe Reitz backs up McClendon. Kyle DeVan backs up Pollak.
- Starting defensive line is Dwight Freeney (RE), Antonio Johnson (NT), Fili Moala (UT), and Robert Mathis. Drake Nevis backs up Fili. Eric Foster is the back-up NT. Tommie Harris is listed as fifth DT. Jamaal Anderson backs up Mathis. Jerry Hughes backs up Freeney.
- Starting linebackers are Kavell Conner (WILL), Gary Brackett (MIKE), and Pat Angerer (SAM). Ernie Sims is second string.
- Undrafted rookie Joe Lefeged is the backing SS behind Melvin Bullitt.
- Base offensive set is three WRs, not two TEs. Austin Collie is a starter at slot receiver.
- Starting corners are Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey. Justin Tryon and Kevin Thomas are primary back-ups.
I'll do a more throughout breakdown of this roster later today, but right off the bat, the starting o-line is a joke. Mike Pollak starting again? The guy has been benched TWICE in two years, and he's been hurt in training camp. Linkebach over Castonzo? If the Colts start this rag tag group of losers against the Texans Week One, Peyton will get hurt again just as he did last year at Houston.
Eric Foster as the back-up NT is also laughable.
I'm interested in seeing Joe Lefeged this Saturday against the Rams. Impressive that he is there backing up Bullitt.
Thoughts? Ideas? Critiques? Comment below.
Oh, and if I see people writing 'STOP TALKING ABOUT COLTS MEDIA POLICIES' in the comments, we're just going to delete them. The Colts media policies are crap, and calling attention to the fact that they are, indeed, crap is what we are about here. You can either deal with that, or leave and read another site.
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Still not sure
Why is Lacey higher on the depth chart than Tryon? Tryon seemed like twice the player for the Colts last season. The idea of Lacey and his Jennings-like cushioning scares the crap out of me.
I’m also certain that Link over Castonzo is a prelim thing, and by 2nd-3rd week of preseason, Castonzo will move ahead. Hopefully the same will happen with Ijalana and Diem, though I understand IJ is considerably rawer than Castonzo.
100% agree that Foster as #2 NT is ridiculous. I would sooner see Ogbu or Mathews in that spot. I just think Foster is somewhat expendable with the pickup of Anderson
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Aug 9, 2011 2:07 PM EDT reply actions
'Why is Lacey higher on the depth chart than Tryon?'
I don’t know either. Makes no sense.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
BBS
You are on one today. Actually pretty funny. Glad to see footballs back in full swing, your write ups are getting pretty damn entertaining and yet informative..
'your write ups are getting pretty damn entertaining and yet informative..'
Thank you. I do my best to, at the very least, make my bitching at least mildly entertaining. :)
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
There is no reason to break down this roster
Every year the colts set up their depth charts before the start of the season according to who had the position last year and then seniority. Every year then everyone on this site gets flustered about it. And then every year the final roster is posted before game 1 based on merit. This roster has never given insight into the actual depth chart. It is merely seniority.
by reddogfred on Aug 9, 2011 2:11 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
'And then every year the final roster is posted before game 1 based on merit.'
That’s simply not true.
Final Week One roster last year had Fili Moala starting at NT and Mike Pollak starting at guard even though mookie had outplayed fili in preseason and DeVan had clearly outplayed Pollak. Tom Brandstater last year completely outplayed Curtis Painter, but the Colts kept Painter.
Merit is not what decides who plays and when. Internal agendas, and policy from up high, does. If merit drove these decisions, guys like Pollak wouldn’t even be o the team. The man is a terrible guard. When you get benched twice in two years, both times for undrafted rookies, you suck. No way around that.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
by Brad Wells on Aug 9, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Unfortunately
I completely agree. Those who perform best do not always get on the field with this team. What do you attribute this to, BBS? Is it an attempt to save face for draft blunders?
Is it an attempt to save face for draft blunders?
My personal opinion is yes. That is the reason why. The Polians are still accountable to Jim Irsay, and if Pollak does not start, the boss will want to know why. Admitting ‘he sucks’ makes the Polians look inept (which they are when it comes to drafting o-linemen).
Again, that’s just my take on it. I hear whispers from internal people, but I don’t trust that enough to write it as ‘fact.’
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
That really doesn't make sense.
Maybe that’s how the Polians see it in their minds, but wasn’t Irsay a GM at one time? Granted, he may not have been the best, but between that and being an involved owner, he probably has a good idea of who “sucks” and who doesn’t.
TheColts need to figure out who their line is probably going to be and go with it from day one. Continuity is second only to talent where the line is concerned. It’s pointless to give Link first team reps if you plan on Castonzo being the starter for Houston. If Pollak is going to have a midseason meltdown, we’d be better off going with Devan from the start. I think continuity is just as much our problem as personnel. We’ve played musical chairs for the last couple of years. How are guys suppose to function as a unit?
by strandedincarolina on Aug 9, 2011 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
i personally think
they post it like this to give players that have been on the team longer a chance to win the starting spot rather than let a “newcommer” just come in and take what they’ve been working hard for. I think i shows loyalty to the players that stay. I think that keeps team morale up. Give every player the opportunity to go with the starters.
And...
keeps everybody in the “next man up” mentality. If a guy like Diem was immediately benched for Castanzo or Ijalana from day 1, it’s got to be pretty devastating. I imagine Diem has been working hiss a$$ off in practice, hoping/thinking that he’ll actually be starting, when in reality – our front office believes one of the rookies will be our Day 1 starter. (Just using Diem as an example).
It frustrates most fans and members of the media, but I think it probably works out best for the team.
"but I think it probably works out best for the team."
exactly, team chemistry and morale is extremely important. Who can be mad if you’re given the shot at starting and you’re outplayed? Keeps everyone happy. Thats why Gonzo was so ticked last year, he wasnt given the chance to compete late he was told he would.
Player evaluation
I understand that you disagree with the “player evaluation” that leads to the final roster. And the way the depth changed througout the season shows that you might be right. However, it has nothing to do with the validity of the current roster. It is merely seniority. Better said the week 1 roster reflects player evaluation and internal politics. I believe this curreent roster is supposed to show the players that every spot is up for grabs so they just rank by seniority.
by reddogfred on Aug 9, 2011 2:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
D-Chart
BBS – I agree, Pollak is a joke. i would be the opneing day starters will be DeVan and Costanzo. Other than those two spots, I think we are going to be more than fine on Offense.
Regarding D…..Again, i agree and in my opinion Foster couldn’t play for IU. We do have decent depth at LB, however DT worries me.
W. Morton
Let's at least be glad
that we don’t have a roster featuring Keyunta Dawson again.
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Aug 9, 2011 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
O-Line Hope
I really think they going to try everything and everybody as long as Peyton is not playing. They need to know what they have or don’t have before he plays. Smart if thats what they are doing.
FYI
Colts signed another cast-off tight end: Michael Matthews, formerly of Bills.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
Why are we bringing in these pointless TE. If they are really wanting another TE bring Santi back and hope he doesn’t get hurt again. That’s still better then these waiver additions.
by Indyrampage on Aug 9, 2011 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I agree...
Santi deserves a shot to stay healthy.
However, they probably don’t see any use in actually bringing him back into the fold for camp though. It’s almost a better situation for him to just be available during the regular season so they can bring him in if injuries hit.
Better to not put more tape out there on him.
Odd that they still leave 1 roster spot open though. We’re only at 89. Are they trying to entice Kelvin back still?
Kelvin would be nice at a reduced salary. I have a feeling he will end up in Chicago though. By now I wonder if he wishes he would have restructured instead of being cut, he has had little attention or interest.
Chicago said earlier today...
That they’ve decided NOT to sign Hayden…
1st depth chart...
nothing more, nothing less…I’ll care week one. Things will thresh out.
"If me and King Kong went into an alley, only one of us would come out. And it wouldn't be the monkey."
"I don't really trust a sane person."
"I never met a man I didn't want to fight." The one and only Lyle Alzado
Biggest joke of this depth chart is foster backup NT. Pollak should not be starting again, unless someone enjoys crowning him starter then benching him for an arena league player. Lacey we all know should not be starter. I don’t understand the thinking with Colts depth charts. Year after year there is silly stuff like this. They let people who started last year, or played decent at one time such as lacey, remain starters when there are better options.
I’m not worried about the two rookie linemen this is only first preseason depth chart, they will move up. I’m also hoping Tryon, Thomas, and even Rucker jump Lacey. As you may have noticed i’m not a Lacey fan. He played over everyones expectations as a UDFA but that’s it.
All that said i’ll worry more when this does not change, as of now its just preseason depth chart.
The joke is the whole concept of our DTs.
They just seemed to abandon the whole DT concept in the Tampa 2 system, or they think they are moving away from it. BBS had a nice write up on the Tampa 2 the other day explaining the roles of the tackles. As he pointed out, we haven’t had a true overtackle in the last couple of years. Rather than spend some money on players like Harris or Johnson, why didn’t we spend what it took to get a 1T. Then we could have used Fili, Nevis and Foster in the 3T. I don’t see how everyone but the Polians come to the same conclusion on this issue.
by strandedincarolina on Aug 9, 2011 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't even care
It’s preseason, Manning and most of the premier players won’t be playing, or shouldn’t at the very least…
The entire lineup on both sides of the ball is a joke, and most likely, is designed for preseason…
Harris is easily the best DT we have, and he’s played in a Tampa 2 his whole career….for him to not start….meh…. same goes for Sims, altho yes he’s out for a few weeks.
Call it what it is, it’s a preseason roster lineup…
I just realized we are missing the bigger picture here. Muir is not a starter and Dawson is no where to be seen. That’s at least a plus
by Indyrampage on Aug 9, 2011 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I was hoping
That maybe Thomas would actually push lacy down to 4th on the depth chart. Tryon should be number 2… If this is the opening day O-line it will likely even worse than last years (grimacing)… Hopefully AC and Ij improve fast and are ready to start…
by Kdog@usi on Aug 9, 2011 2:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I agree...
…with the Eric Foster backing up Mookie being dumb and Linkenbach starting left tackle being outrageous (against Mario Williams in Week 1? Scary…) I don’t agree with Lacey’s criticism because although I know he gives a big cushion, he’s almost shutdown when it comes to the deep threat and that’s valuable. I don’t think it’ll stay like this long anyway BBS, because we all know Harris isn’t going to be in the cellar like he is now (unless he gets hurt…)
In what world
is Lacey “almost shutdown when it comes to the deep threat”?
Do you not remember the Jets game at all?
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Aug 9, 2011 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
oh come on
lacey gives up one catch to edwards and he can’t cover? yeah it was at the wrong time, but we all know that was caldwell’s fault
no
That’s just one example of why Lacey is not a good deep cover CB.
Here’s another:
http://www.colts.com/forums/index.php?/topic/679-video-of-curtis-painter-to-garcon-deep-play-action-fools-jacob-lacey/
Lacey bites WAY too hard, WAY too easily on fakes, and gets burned deep. That he plays 7 yards deeper than the receiver 90% of the time does not make him “almost shutdown” for deep balls. It just means he’ll always get beat by any receiver, and that he tackles well. He’s not good a deep coverage, he just plays way deeper than the receiver and thus doesn’t give the receiver a chance to get behind him, except when he bites hard on fakes (which is often).
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Aug 9, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
The real problem
with Lacey is that he’s a good tackler and he converges well on the ball, which causes him to rely more on his speed and convergence speed rather than reading the receiver well and sticking to his man at a distance where he can actually do something useful (like defend 7 yard outs or comeback routes). Yeah, most of the time of the ball is in the air for 3-4 seconds on a deep pass and he’s playing 7-10 yards off his man, he has the speed to come back and defend the pass.
But that is simply not what a good cornerback does
by LeftNutForAStarCenter on Aug 9, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
'I don’t think it’ll stay like this long anyway BBS'
Sincerely hope u are right.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
SS and NT
Can we get some depth at these spots!?!?
The Artist Formerly Known As beerbrunch.
The Hair of the Dog Sports Blog @coldy4goldy
I have decided to leave and go read another site
by jack-manning on Aug 9, 2011 3:01 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
And, in doing so,
I’m sure you’ll teach us all a lesson we’ll never forget.
by Ayrshire on Aug 9, 2011 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Pointless to evaluate this right now!
Come on BBS, you know this doesn’t mean a damn thing. We need a saftey!
'We need a saftey!'
On this, we agree.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
I’m listening on 1070 the fan to speculators predict Tommie Harris will be cut. Phillip B. Wilson has reported he’s looked great in camp. Where is this coming from?
that cant be accurate at all.
We cut Tommie and i dont know if i can respect the front office enough to even keep being a fan.
Peyton
Do you know something about Peyton?
If you do can you pease post it
Thank you
Collie
It basically means the base offense is 3 WR, not 2 TE.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
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