This is Merlin Olsen, and if this image does not scream "FOOTBALL!" to you then no image will. Photo: www.clanram.com

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Quick history lesson: Waaaaaaaaaay back in 2001, the Colts had a guy on their roster named Hans Olsen. He was a defensive tackle out of BYU, and played on the same college football team that Rob Morris was on. Olsen wasn't a great player; more roster filler than anything else. In 2002, the Colts converted Hans to guard. He stayed on the team until 2003 where he was released during training camp of that year. He's been out of football since.

Despite playing roughly four years in the NFL, Hans was not known for his own accomplishments. He was known as the nephew of the great Merlin Olsen, the once-great Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle who played 15 years in the NFL; elected to 14 Pro Bowls over those 15 years.

To call Merlin "dominant" is to under-value his greatness. From 1962-1976, Merlin Olsen flat out scared people on the football field. There is no current equivalent to him in modern football. His 14 consecutive Pro Bowls are an NFL record.

Merlin also had an acting career post-football. He was elected in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, twenty-three years after he retired. I won't get into why it took them so long to get him into the hall. It will just piss me off more.

[UPDATE]: Olsen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he was listed by Sporting News at one of the top 100 players in league history. Sorry for the confusion. --bbs

Today, the great Merlin Olsen passed away. He'd been battling mesothelioma since being diagnosed last year. He is survived by his wife Susan Wakley, his three children (Kelly, Jill, and Nathan), his four grand kids, and his nephew Hans.

To Merlin Olsen. One of the greats.

More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

7 months ago: Indianapolis Colts defensive back Marlin Jackson calls out the defense the NFL team's football training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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One of the greatest moments in Colts history was Marlin Jackson intercepting Tom Brady to end the AFC Championship Game for the 2006 season. The audio of Bob Lamey screaming, INTERCEPTED! Marlin Jackson! We're goin' to the Super Bowl! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE SUPER BOWL! will live forever in our collective memories.

For that moment alone, we Colts fans thank Marlin. We also wish him well with his new team. Marlin Jackson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles today, a club with a solid front office and a good coach. The system they run in Philly uses similar players to the Tampa-2 the Colts run. Marlin will likely be their nickel back, a position he thrived in with the Colts. He also might play some safety.

To Philly fans, you are getting a good corner. He is still working back from his knee injury, but when he played last year he was effective. I think he will pan out, making Philly's defense stronger. Marlin is a hard worker and tough as nails. He hits like a truck and has shown a knack for making big plays at key times. Our loss is Philly's gain.

Don't boo him Eagles fans. We'll take it personally.

Best of luck, Marlin.

More photos » Gail Burton - AP

5 months ago: Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson reacts during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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Before someone gets smart; yes, this article does relate to the Indianapolis Colts even though the title makes no mention of them.

Remember back in 2008 when the Colts traveled to Cleveland and played the Browns on a sloppy, cold field? We saw then-Browns coach Romeo Crennel attempt to play "keep away" from the Colts offense, doing as little as possible with his own offense and maximizing his defense's potential to stall the Colts offense.

Well, the Browns quarterback for that game was Derek Anderson, who has been a Pro Bowler the year before for the surprising 10-6 Browns. But, in 2008, luck and timing just were not on Cleveland's side. They were the dregs of the AFC North once again, and the often-notorious rabble that is the "Dawg Pound" was getting restless.

For much of the contest with the Colts, the Browns had the lead. However, in the fourth quarter, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney took over. We blogged about it at the time:

At about the 10 minute mark in the 4th quarter, Derek Anderson dropped back to complete a 3rd and long. Dwight Freeney bull rushed arguably the best LT in football (Joe Thomas) and stripped the ball from Anderson. Robert Mathis found the fumble, scooped it up, and ran 37 yards for a TD. After the extra point: Colts 10-Browns 6.

Game. Set. Match.

After they lost the lead, the gameplan for the Browns was scrapped. The next series, Derek Anderson needed to drive the length of the field and score a TD to get the win. The results were disastrous and embarrassing for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.

With less than a minute to go on 2nd down, Anderson was sacked by Robert Mathis, who copied Freeney by bull rushing the RT this time. He knocked the tackle into Anderson, which resulted in a sack. Anderson injured his MCL on the play, and sadly his season is over. Back-up Ken Dorsey came in and promptly threw a pick to Antoine Bethea (keeping with the Melvin Bullitt and Bob Sanders tradition of safeties coming up with big INTs to win games this year).

When Anderson was injured on that play, several thousand Browns fans did what fans are never supposed to do in any situation.

They cheered the injury.

Now, this cheering was not just heard by the Colts, the Browns faithful, and everyone else in attendance. It was heard, and remembered with bitter detail, by Derek Anderson. Anderson was released from the Browns yesterday as part of new football czar Mike Holmgren's efforts to put his stamp on the club.

Before departing Cleveland, Anderson took the time to bitch-slap the Browns fans that cheered his injury in 2008:

"The fans are ruthless and don't deserve a winner," Anderson said.  "I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured.  I know at times I wasn't great. I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town and [we] roll them."

My first reaction is to applaud Anderson. Any fan who cheers an injury is a scumbag and deserves a swift kick to the balls. For years, I watched Dan Marino torch my Colts, but I never, EVER heard any Colts fan cheer when Marino went down with an Achilles injury in the early 1990s. We also had some truly awful teams in Indy for damn near 20 years, and I never saw fans cheer a Colts player's unfortunate injury. Not even Jeff George.

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More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

7 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks,from left, Curtis Painter, Peyton Manning, and Jim Sorgi, watch special teams practice from the sideline during the NFL team's football training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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It took Jim Sorgi three days to land another job backing up another Manning. Today, the NY Giants signed Sorgi as their back-up quarterback behind Eli Manning, the younger brother of Sorgi's former teammate in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning. Sorgi was drafted by the Colts in the 6th Round of the 2004 draft and has worked as the #2 quarterback since then. He was released March 5th.

As far as back-ups go, you can do a lot worse than Sorgi. He's smart and he can process information quickly. His major stumbling block is his lack of arm strength.

We wish Jim the best in his new job holding a clipboard for baby brother.

More photos » Ross D. Franklin - AP

6 months ago: FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2009, file photo, Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman (74) celebrates after returning a fumble for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. Kampman's ability to make the switch from pro bowl defensive end to outside linebacker in the Packers' new 3-4 defense was one of the team's biggest questions heading into camp, and it remains so going into Thursday's final dress rehearsal in Tennessee. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

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For well over eight years the Jaguars have tried (and failed) to build a defense that can actually stop the pass. They've traded up to get busts like Derrick Harvey and they've shifted defensive philosophies back and forth in order to generate some kind of pass rush.

This year, the Jags actually made a move that could help them get after the quarterback. According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, late last night the Jags signed former-Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman to a multi-year deal.

Let it not be said that when a division rival makes a good move that I or others on this site ignore it, belittle it, or dismiss it. This is a strong move for the Jags; a "transformative" move, so says Paul Kuharsky. Kampman was a multi-sack player before Mike McCarthy got dumb and shifted the defensive philosophy to a 3-4 style. Kampman did not fit that style and only generated 3.5 sacks in 2009.

Another reason why Kampman's sack numbers were so low in 2009 was his season was cut short by injury. In November, he was placed on IR because of an ACL tear. ACL tears are tricky, and it is unclear as to whether Kampman will be able to come back and be the Aaron Kampman of old. Kampman's rehab is supposedly going well, but to quote National Football Posts' Andrew Brandt:

The issue with Aaron, coming off an ACL, will be the physical he takes with a new team. My reports are that his knee looks good and his rehabilitation has been successful (but whoever says his rehab is not going well?).

If Kampman is healthy and adjusts well to Jack Del Rio's return to the 4-3 defense, this could be a big move for the Jags defense. One of the reasons the Colts out-and-out own the Jags is because the Spotted Kitties can never generate a consistent pass rush on Big P. With a healthy Kampman on board, it will be harder for the Colts to control the line-of-scrimmage. Upgrading the Colts offensive line just went to DEFCON-5 for Bill Polian and the Colts personnel staff.

For more on the Kampman signing, check out Big Cat Country.

More photos » Gene J. Puskar - AP

7 months ago: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, right, leaves the podium after making a statement in Pittsburgh Thursday, July 23, 2009. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is left. Roethlisberger says allegations by a Lake Tahoe casino hostess that he raped her a year ago are "reckless and false."(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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For the second time in less than a year, the player that Jason Cole thinks is better than Peyton Manning has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s night of bar-hopping in a central Georgia college town ended with a new allegation against him after a 20-year-old college student told police he sexually assaulted her in a nightclub.

The two-time Super Bowl winner already faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he strongly denies. Roethlisberger has not been charged in either case.

Unlike the last time Big Ben was accused raping someone, ESPN actually reported this most recent incident of Big Ben allegedly acting like a big prick. In July 2009, when the first story broke, ESPN "blogger" James Walker conveniently left the incident off his blog roll. I guess the hacktastic, journalistic blight that is ESPN isn't trying to cozy up to Ben anymore. Amazing how things change when you don't make the playoffs.

Of course, we remind everyone that ESPN was all over Marvin Harrison allegedly shooting at a known felon outside his Philadelphia bar in 2008. That incident generated numerous ESPN articles, painting Harrison as some kind of crazy, gun wild thug. Like the Roethlisberger incidents (notice the plural), Harrison's brush with the law resulted in no charges from the police or DA's office. The only legal action Harrison faced out of it was a law suit from the victim, Dwight Dixon.

Side note: I anxiously await Jason Fagone's new NFL-related GQ article, this time on "Ben Roethlisberger, The Dirtiest Playa." Sadly, I doubt we will see it. Jason seems to only enjoy going after black wide receivers from poor, urban communities. White QBs from Ohio might be off his radar.

Back to Roethlisberger and ESPN, we're glad that, this time around, the Mouse-owned sports network decided to do their jobs and report on actual news. While I firmly believe in "innocent until proven guilty," a second rape allegation in less than a year does not paint Big Ben in a pleasant light. And before people from Pittsburgh start screaming that "SHE'S AFTER HIS MONEY!" I'll point out that you don't see players like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees getting accused of rape. They've got lots of money too, you know. 

TMZ broke the story on Roethlisberger, so they deserve a link as well. You can also read more at Behind the Steel Curtain. In fact, one commenter from the BtSC offered up another Roethlisberger story:

I love Ben

But this story doesn’t surprise me, He was here in Charlotte Sunday night at Strike City and did something pretty questionable right along these lines that could have gotten blown up as well. I’m not going to drag his name in the mud with the story because he’s my QB but he needs to serious chill out with his antics. Come on Ben your a freaking NFL QB there is no need for you to be doing this!

I'll state the obvious here: If Peyton Manning were doing this kind of stuff, I'd want him off the team. How you conduct yourself off the field is as important as what you accomplish on the field. Winning championships and MVPs does not give one a pass to act like a schmuck. People who think otherwise are useless people whose opinions are not backed up by any moral clarity.

Somehow, this time around, I doubt we will see Ben get in front of the cameras, declaring this woman's accusations "reckless." Instead, we suspect Ben will hide away and let lawyers deal with his issues.

More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

In this photograph taken on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, Tennessee Titans running back LenDale White rests between plays on the first day of veterans' workout of the spring in Nashville, Tenn. White promised just after losing a fumble in the Titans' divisional playoff loss to Baltimore last season that he would work hard to come back stronger and better. He didn't. White averaged the fewest yards per carry of his career in 2009, and he is still a fat, lazy idiot. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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One of our favorite pastime's here at Stampede Blue is making fun of the fat, useless sack of whale blubber that is LenDale White. From the moment he stepped off the plane in Nashville after being drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft (drafted ahead of Maurice Jones-Drew, Bernard Pollard, and Marcus McNeill I might add), White has been a bust. When he's not showing up to camp overweight he's instead needlessly taunting opposing fans despite the fact LenDale ain't won a damned thing in his entire, pathetic professional football existence.

With the emergence of Chris Johnson as the best back in football, it goes without saying that LenDale White is now a back-up. LenDale doesn't like that. This is why LenDale is DEMANDING he get more carries in 2010 or he wants to be traded.

(BBS laughs uncontrollably for 15 minutes; collects himself; continues blogging)

LenDale White has a career rushing average of 3.5 a carry. His best season rushing the ball, in terms of average yards per rush, was his rookie year (4.0 a carry). Behind the exact same offensive line in 2009, Chris Johnson averaged 5.6 a carry while third string back Javon Ringer averaged 6 yards a carry.

And while I am sure some Titans fans will crawl in here and start defending LenDale, or perhaps they'll complain about me offering my opinions about their douchebag player, the reality is there is no defending LenDale's recent ultimatum unless you want to look like a total schmuck. This incident is yet another facepalm moment for LenDale who clearly has not lived up to expectations in Tennessee no matter what Titans fans think, say, or do. They can either choose to accept the fact that he stinks (and says a lot of stupid things to highlight just how much he stinks), or they can continue living in a fantasy world where LenDale White deserves to take carries away from Chris Johnson.

It is our preference that LenDale stay in Tennessee for reasons that, at this point, seem fairly obvious: He sucks, and thus helps the Colts consistently beat the Titans, and he provides us Colts fans with endless entertainment with his boneheaded, illogical antics. However, if the Titans do decide to come to their senses and face the truth about the bust that is LenDale White, a perfect destination for him would be the Oakland Raiders. There, LenDale could mingle with other players of equal girth and mental inadequacy.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

More photos » Paul Connors - AP

Anquan Boldin is a major boost to the Ravens previously sub-par WR corps. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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• The consensus top FA in the class Julius Peppers signed with the Bears on a 6 year, with 40million in the first 3 years
• The Bears also added blocking TE Brandon Manumaleuna and RB Chester Taylor.
• Former Texans CB Dunta Robinson signed a 6 year deal with the Atlanta Falcons
• The Chargers traded Cromartie to the New York Jets for a 2011 3rd round pick that could become a 2nd depending on Cromartie's production in New York
  
• Cribbs and the Browns reworked the final 3 years of his contract, those years now could be worth up to 18.5mil.
  
• Corey Williams was traded by the Browns to the Lions for a late round pick.
  
• Cardinals trade a Anquan Boldin and a 5th round pick to the Ravens for their 3rd and 4th round picks.
• The Eagles cut LB Will Witherspoon after trading a 5th rounder and backup WR for him early last season.
• Brandon Marshall will visit the Seahawks to possibly sign an offer sheet that would send the #6 pick to Denver if they declined to match the offer.
• The Dolphins released LBs Joey Porter and Akin Ayodele, as well as safety Gibril Wilson
• The Lions sign WR Nate Burleson to a 5 year deal with 11mil in guarantees for 25 million total
• A.J. Feeley signed for 2 years, 6mil by the Rams.
• The Pats came to a deal with Franchise Player Vince Wilfork to a 5 year deal worth 40 million total, with 25 million in guarantees.
• The Eagles make hybrid back Leonard Weaver the highest paid fullback in NFL history, 3 years, 11 million.
• Lions sign ex-Titan Kyle Vanden-Bosch to a 4 year 26 million dollar deal.
• Packers re-sign LT Chad Clifton to a 3 year, 20mil deal, possibly taking them out of the market for a 1st round OT

 

Recap of the Colts moves to date

• Gary Brackett re-signed to a 5 year $33million contract
• Raheem Brock released
• Jim Sorgi released
• Antoine Bethea gets a 1st round RFA tender
• 2nd round tenders for Charlie Johnson, Melvin Bullitt, Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson.
• RFA's Marlin Jackson, Tim Jennings, Tyjuan Hagler, Freddy Keiaho, Aaron Francisco, Dan Federkiel and Micheal Toudouze were allowed to hit the open market.