Big, huge, MASSIVE props to Football outsiders for grabbing an online interview with Colts President Bill Polian. Tip to shake n bake for posting here about it. It is extremely hard to get such a thing with Polian because 1) He doesn't like the press, and 2) He works for a living. But, because FO offered some very good questions, Polian was gracious enough to answer. Outstanding job by FO.

It's now been well over a month, and no charges filed in the shooting in Philadelphia involving Marvin Harrison's gun. Just like last month, Harrison has not been charged with any crime, nor is he even a suspect by the police. I guess I have a better chance dating Megan Fox than I do getting shallow punks like Mike Florio to apologize for spreading false rumors about Harrison when he, in fact, did nothing wrong or illegal.

Attendance for OTAs is very high. Dungy is pleased with veteran turnout and with the development of the rookie. Another positive from OTAs:

A reduction of "boredom" among veterans.

"It was really done to help the young guys more than anything," Dungy said. "When we had so many of the veterans involved and we did all teamwork, it was kind of boring for the vets if it went slow and then it was too fast for the rookies if we got up to speed on what the veterans did. The coaches tended to want to try new things. 'OK, we’ve got our veteran group here. Let’s see this thing we want to get incorporated into training camp, something we’ve thought about in the offseason.’

"This year, I think our veteran guys know when they come and we put them through their conditioning or something on the field, it’s really tailored to them, but we aren’t going at such a fast pace that the rookies can’t keep up."

Very interesting tidbit from Polian's online interview regarding Edgerrin James getting worn down during his tenure as "feature" RB for the Colts:

Bill Polian: I definitely think Edgerrin was worn down in 2004 and 2005. No question about it. Since we went to the two back system in 2006 with Dominic Rhodes and 2007 with Kenton Keith I think we have been more effective.

The "feature" back no longer exists in the NFL, and this tidbit from Polian proves it for me. Edgerrin James has always been one of the hardest working players in all of pro football. He is in incredible shape, takes care of his body, and understands the game. Yet, despite all these advantages, even he can't "carry" the RB load. Tomlinson can't do it either. He was worn down in 2006 and 2007. Teams must now have multiple RBs who can get the job down. If they don't, and rely too much on one back, they are toast.

Our own Colts Homer (aka Sam) is now head blogger over at Naptown's Finest, a Colts blog that is part of the Fan-Sided network of sports blogs. Congrats Sam!

Shak'n'Backen predicts the records for all the NFL teams. So does Mocking the Draft. In fact, MoD's writer Dave Gardner goes a step further and says the Colts will play in the Super Bowl this season. Along the way, they're supposed to beat the Patriots in the second round and then the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.

Colts killer Travis Henry was cut by the Broncos because he's a complete dumbass. If he signs with the Falcons, who already have Colts bane Michael Turner, Atlanta would still not win much, but they'd likely beat the Colts.

Nice article on Charlie Johnson. I know many here think he sucks, but I disagree. I think he's a solid o-lineman who just had a bad year in 2007. Johnson is penciled in as the starter at OG, replacing Jake Scott. If rookie Mike Pollak doesn't beat him out, Pollak was a wasted pick. Pollak was drafted to play right now, and if he loses out to a converted tackle, Pollak's got problems.

via i.usatoday.net

I saw this over at Pats Pulpit regarding the two teams "better" than the Patriots in 2007, and nearly peed my pants:

The New York Giants earned bragging rights and will forever be known as the team that stopped the juggernaut from New England.  The second team is an unhealthy Colts.  I hate winning in that situation because there's always a question mark in my mind.

This is the first time I've seen a Pats fan acknowledge something we talked about here all throughout 2007: If Indy were healthy in 2007, they would have made New England 17-1, and not 18-1. But, like anything else, injuries are what they are. New England kept their guys healthy and Indy didn't. Them's the breaks. The Pats had the same injury problem in 2005, and got as far into the playoffs as the Colts did in 2007.

This brings me to the all important question: Did Indy do enough to get better?

NFL.com has a fan ranking up, allowing you to rank all 32 teams. NFL Network had some writers on recently, and each listed their top 5 teams right now. What was interesting is each had the same teams n the top 5 (Indianapolis, New England, NY Giants, San Diego, and Dallas). Of course, this means absolutely nothing, but it is interesting to see how teams view the Colts. Remember, last season everyone anointed the Patriots world champs before nary a game was played because the Patriots had made several player moves to get Randy Moss, Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Sammy Morris. Meanwhile, the Colts kept on the same path they always do, brought back the same playmakers that dominated the 2006 playoffs, and most ranked New England ahead.

This year, the Patriots have done very little to improve their roster. They've lost most of their secondary to free agency, including (arguably) their best player on defense, Assante Samuel. Dante Stallworth is gone, and Sammy Morris' health is in doubt. The Colts, meanwhile, have gotten healthy, added pass rushing depth through the draft, and signed Dominic Rhodes.

It seems that Indy has improved itself while teams like New England haven't. Even the Chargers, who beat the Colts twice last season in close games, have done little in free agency and have significant injury concerns of their own (Philip Rivers, LT, Antonio Gates). San Diego also lost the "Colts Killer" (Michael Turner) to free agency.

The Colts sport one of the youngest teams in football. Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark are in the primes of their careers. Tony Ugoh, Anthony Gonzalez, Freddie Keiaho, and Quinn Pitcock look poised to make big leaps in 2008 after strong 2007 seasons. Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis are expected back 100%. With Dom Rhodes, Joseph Addai, and rookie Mike Hart, Indy has a very potent running back group, and with the draft they beefed up the o-line.

It seems, in mid-May, that this team is ready to make another run. Then again, championships are not won in mid-May. Just ask that Patriots.

With the draft right around the corner, I'm trying to overload on information, and read as much analysis as possible.  I really haven't read too many things, other than here, so I was interested in hearing some different perspectives.  I came across this article by Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, ranking teams on how they've done over the past 5 seasons.

I'll get to his analysis in a second, but I wanted to run down what the Colts have done the past 5 seasons , so we all know what we are comparing against (I really wanted to try out this new table feature, so here goes...):

My analysis first:  The top line of this table as absolutely fantastic, and is not matched by any other team in the NFL.  And just remember, the two previous years first picks were Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney.  It is unbelievable to think how good the top of the draft has been for the Colts, and it is all thanks to the Brain Trust of Bill Polian and Tony Dungy (like we all didn't know that already).  Once you get past the first line, however, it is very hit and miss:  Either the guy became a pretty good player, or he was out of the league within 2 years (the exception being Gilbert Gardner, as he is not a good player , and is still in the league).  There are some great late round picks (Mathis, June, Scott, Hagler, Bethea), but a lot of "who the hell is that guy?".  This list also does not include Gary Brackett or Ed Johnson, both undrafted but signed during this time period, and both huge parts of the Colt's defense.

On to the analysis of Marvez.  I'm not quite the homer that BBS is, but I'm still a homer at heart.  Marvez picks the Chargers as having the best drafts over the past 5 years.  I took a quick glance at their draft history, and they have done quite well.  I was all ready to start bashing away, but I don't think I can.  Marvez's opinion on their best pick:

Best pick: Eli Manning. Trading Manning to the New York Giants in 2004 netted fellow quarterback Philip Rivers and draft choices used for Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding. Rivers reached the AFC Championship game in just his second season as a starter.

They've done this before with Michael Vick.  They traded the pick to the Falcons, and ended up with Tomlinson and Brees, which is obviously a huge upgrade over the locked-up Falcon.  I tend to think he gave the nod to the Chargers based solely on this pick, as they have just as many "who?" players as the Colts do.  They only have one "steal" pick, which was Michael Turner.  Also, their 2005 draft was pretty awesome, with Merriman, Luis Castillo, Vincent Jackson, and Darren Sproles. 

Overall, however, I just don't see how you can rank them higher than the Colts, who Marvez had at #2.  Many of the players drafted over the past 5 years were instrumental to winning the Super Bowl, especially everyone on that top line (excluding Gonzalez, obviously).  Marvez's opinion on the Colt's best pick is a no-brainer:

Best pick: Safety Bob Sanders (2004/second round) was voted the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.

A couple other comments from the article:

Front office: Polian earned the contract extension he recently received from team owner Jim Irsay. Polian has done an exceptionally good job surrounding quarterback Peyton Manning with talent and identifying players who can shine in Tony Dungy's cover-two defensive system.

Comment: A+. Polian excels at recognizing which picks may ultimately leave in free agency. He then drafts replacements that can be groomed for several seasons beforehand.

I also learned that A.J. Smith, Chargers GM, worked under Polian at a previous job, which explains why they are equally as good at the draft as Polian has been.  Overall, Marvez does a good job ranking all the teams, and has good explanations for each of them.  I'd agree with the Patriots being #3, and the Dolphins being #32.  They let their head coach take a friend's son over the face of a franchise, which is extraordinarily stupid, and cost said head coach his job after 1 win.