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Photo: Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch |
- Ben Utecht is now officially a Bengal, and I honestly think no one in Colts land gives a crap. Last year, people were very concerned, and slightly upset, Nick Harper and Jason David bolted. But with Utecht, I think all the games we saw him fumble on key plays sort of made us feel "meh" about him leaving; That, and the $3 million dollars a year the Bengals are giving him. Even Michael David Smith, who I usually make fun of because of his propensity to sound like a snooty prick in his posts, is correct in his assessment of the Utecht deal:
Utecht is a fine player as a No. 2 tight end, which is what he was in Indianapolis. But for $3 million a year, you want more than a fine backup, and I don't think Utecht will ever be more than that. Utecht has never had even 40 catches or 400 receiving yards in a season, and he can't be expected to do much more than that in Cincinnati.Meanwhile, over at Cincy Jungle, they are doing cartwheels. And why not? Their team has sucked for ages, and any kind of addition is likely welcomed. I agree that Carson Palmer needs a good TE (and a receiver that doesn't physically assault his coaches during playoffs games), but Utecht isn't it.
- My dream is dead: Both IU and Purdue are out. I thought Butler was going to beat Tennessee. The West and Midwest brackets are a train wreck. Gotta love the Tourney!
- Pro Football Weekly is saying the Colts could cut Marvin Harrison after training camp. Two things: One, it won't happen, because if it did the fanbase and the team would revolt. You don't cut a player like Marvin Harrison. Two, it is possible the team will likely re-structure his deal, especially if he is still not 100%. Now, if Harrison won't re-structure (ie, he acts like a colossal prick), then yes Indy will cut him. Marvin won't do that because he wants to finish his career in Indy and go out on his terms. Harrison is 36, and he just suffered the first major injury of his career. He'd never missed this many games before, and he's very rarely had knee problems. I won't speculate on his injury because the Colts often lie about the extent of injuries. They lied all season about Harrison's (they said it was no biggie, and yet he sat out most of the year and had no business playing in the playoffs because he was STILL hurt) and I simply don't trust Bill Polian when he says Harrison will be ready by training camp. That said, it is very likely Harrison will play this season. Whether or not he will return to full "Marvin form" remains to be seen.
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The Colts attended the Marshall Pro Day and seemed to take a keen interest in QB Bernard Morris and center Doug Legursky (tip to nicjohns). Taking into account the Coltpower report that Polian wants a new back-up (it's taken him four years to understand that Jim Sorgi just plain sucks), Indy's interest in Morris seems logical. Apparently, he looked lights out at his pro day, and might get himself drafted in the later rounds. Morris has an impressive arm and really showed his stuff:
First, and most striking, was the stellar performance delivered by Bernard Morris. The former Thundering Herd quarterback significantly lowered his 40-yard dash time and then displayed strength and accuracy during extended passing drills.As we all know, Jim Sorgi has no arm. If Indy got a back-up with an accurate, deep throwing arm (even a rookie), I'd feel a lot better about things.
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The 6-foot-4, 233-pound Orlando native timed out at 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash, down from his NFL Combine time of 4.68.
Passes were accurate on the run, but arm strength was most impressive. He consistently fired deep outs on target and powered 50-yarders between the hashes. - And finally, the SB Nation writers Mock Draft will start soon (March 31) over at Mocking the Draft. I'm helping out, but shake n bake will name the Colts' second round pick when our turn comes up.