In his recent Coffee With the Colts article for examiner.com, John Oehser provides us with some very interesting quotes from the big redhead himself, Colts President Bill Polian. Polian's words provide lots of insight and intrigue into how the final roster will shake out on Saturday as the Colts cut down to 53 active players.
First and foremost, if you think the Colts don't care about pre-season overall, then know that they care even less about the final pre-season. Indeed, when you read Polian's quotes about the fourth pre-season game, it's clear that they could care less about the outcome of the fourth game:
"I have never taken any stock in the fourth preseason game other than to try to judge players, and to put players in positions where they absolutely have to perform against a team like the Bengals, who played their people two series and their seconds virtually the whole ballgame. You're looking for standard of performance and if you get it, great. If you don't, then move on."
...
"The fans should not be down about tonight's performance. Frankly, we expected it."
Evaluating players, in particular young players, is essential before finally making the key decisions that eventually shape the final roster. With that final roster, Polian made a strong suggestion that we might see some Colts drafted in past years get cut:
"We're not going to keep anybody because they were a draft choice," he said. "We're going to keep the guys who we think can win in the National Football League. That's the sole criteria. If you can't, then we'll figure out what to do from there. . . .
For me, that's a not-so-subtle suggestion that players like Dante Hughes, Steve Justice, and Freddy Keiaho might soon be unemployed. When you factor in Polian and Caldwell's recent comments complimenting players like Jacob Lacey and Kyle DeVan, it tends to suggest that players who were drafted in years past might not make the final roster. Also, a player like Jaimie Thomas might get cut as well, but eventually scooped up onto the practice squad.
The main point from Oehser's article and Polian's quotes is that the team president seems happy with the choices he has to make. This is a far cry from the volcanic Bill Polian we saw last year prior to cutdown day. We also know that the Colts will likely keep eight offensive linemen, eight defensive linemen, and five corners. Other highlights:
- Polian thinks the team is solid at corner
- There are some tough decisions regarding who will play safety
- Bob Sanders' health is a big question mark
- Polian loves Jim Sorgi and Curtis Painter
- Funny quote from Polian about John Matthews:
(Rookie WR John Matthews) has not yet learned he's not playing at the Division III level. He's not playing Azula Pacific, so the ball gets knocked out and things like that happen. But there are some positive things, too, there. He gets open and catches the ball. He never has played against anybody ay good as (Bengals CB) Morgan Trent and he got open.That's a plus.
- Colts will keep three running backs
- Polian gives Lance Ball high praise
- The Colts are watching the waiver wire closely Sunday, as all teams will do. Indy is way down on the waiver claim list. So, getting someone they might want to claim will be difficult. We may see a trade.