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.