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This is Charlie Johnson. We may see more of him than anticipated this year.
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There is still an outside chance that all this Tarik Glenn retiring stuff is bunk, and that Glenn will indeed report to Training Camp. Or, perhaps he has changed his mind, and willing to suit up for one more year before riding off into the sunset, tutoring his eventual successor, Tony Ugoh, along the way. Who knows. That said, there are some pros to Tarik leaving to go along with the obvious cons. One pro is Glenn's absence would create $4.5 million in cap space. The other is we will see immediately whether or not Tony Ugoh was worth a first round pick. Bill Polian was very high on this guy, and he was drafted to replace Glenn next year. The Colts also have a lot of faith in Charlie Johnson. They also have a great o-line coach in Mudd. So,
unlike what Terry thinks:
no way Colts repeat now
losing what BBS terms a future HOF LT is too much to overcome. Its a really huge loss.
Sorry Terry, but even without Tarik Glenn, the Colts still have a far superior o-line to a team like, say, the Cowboys. And they have a better shot at making the Super Bowl than the Cowboys, even though Dallas plays in the putrid NFC. The Colts are still in great position, roster-wise, to repeat. Does this belittle the potential loss of Glenn? No. Unlike what the moronic football punditry says, prior to Tarik's alleged departure, the Colts hasn't really lost anything. Cato June stunk; Doss, Reagor, and Stokley hardly played; Rhodes was a back-up; Harper didn't play in the Super Bowl, and his replacement sealed the game. You can make an argument for Jason David, but I've always felt Kelvin Hayden would eventually push him out of the starting spot.
Glenn is different. And unlike the guys I just mentioned, he is indeed a significant loss. But this team is resilient enough to overcome such loses. After watching them lose player after player last year and still win it all speaks wonders for how tough and resourceful this team is.
Another issue I want to address, which was raised by MadTownColtsFan:
Glenn was a great player. But retiring in July is letting his teammates down.
Sure you can retire whenever. That's his right. July. Week 7. It's up to him.
But if/when a player decides to retire they really should let their team know before the NFL draft. The Colts could have used his $4.5 mil in cap space to sign someone else (I think, not super sure on the details) or may have done something differently in the draft. That's why I was always upset the way Barry Sanders retired. Give your teammates some respect and let the organization plan ahead.
Now maybe the Colts knew all along and that's why they took an offensive lineman at No. 2 last spring. Maybe he told them he was leaning heavily that way in Feb. or Mar. and just wanted to keep it quiet. If so, then I'd have a lot more respect for him.
I really have to disagree with this assessment, somewhat. There is no issue of team respect. Tarik is one of the most respected players on the roster. And if he just feels he can't do it anymore, no one on the Colts would begrudge him.
Family and life first. Football second. That's the motto, and it's a motto more clubs should take to heart. Football players go through a tremendous amount of pain during and after a season. Maybe Tarik just can't deal with the pain anymore. Maybe he's tired of waking up every morning with swelling in his ankles, or stingers in his neck. If Tarik feels he's made enough money, and is tired of all the pain, it's his prerogative to walk away.
And, incidentally, if he'd told the Colts he was retiring in March, who would the Colts have gotten in free agency? Leonard Davis? HA! They likely would have done exactly what they did in April: Draft someone like Tony Ugoh ;use someone like Charlie Johnson to hold the fort until Ugoh is ready.
The only thing that makes this hurt is that we fans were caught off guard. Here we were, ready to gear ourselves up for another great season (hopefully), and we get this turd dropped in our punch. That's what makes this hurt the most.
