Yesterday, the Colts inked the last of their restricted free agents. First it was Dan Federkeil. Now, RB Lance Ball and LB Buster Davis are re-signed.
Buster Davis played mostly on special teams in 2008. In Week 15, he was thrust into the starting lineup as a middle linebacker when Gary Brackett went down with a leg injury. The census here at Stampede Blue was he did not play well, and I believe he was benched during the final Jacksonville game. Still, despite seemingly poor play, the Colts seem to really like Buster. He will likely remain the primary back-up to Brackett in 2009.
Lance Ball was signed late in 2008 because the Colts just needed a warm body at the running back spot. With Jospeh Addai and Dom Rhodes limping, Chad Simpson out, and Mike Hart on IR, the Colts needed to have someone play RB in the final game against the Tennessee Titans. The Colts signed Lance Ball, inserted him into the Titans game, and he proceeded to run over, around, and through the Titans starting defense. At 233 pounds, Ball is heavier than most of the other backs on Indy's roster. His size is best suited for short yardage and power running. Signing Ball likely means Dominic Rhodes is not coming back to Indy, and that the RBs coming into camp will likely be Addai, Simpson, Ball, Hart, and rookies.
Here is some footage of Ball running in college at Maryland:
Tip to peytonsthebest in the comments here.