On a conference call to media yesterday (again, bloggers not welcome... we must smell or something), Colts general manager Chris Polian said that the current period of free agency was 'organized chaos.' On Twitter last night, owner Jim Irsay wrote:
Tough n difficult decisions 2 b made n Coltsland..over the cap n Vet.and Rook.players 2 try to sign,not an easy puzzle 2 solve,but we will
The news then surfaced, via Jason Cole at Yahoo! Sports, that the Colts were one of six teams trying to ink Chargers safety Eric Weddle. We also have a somewhat interesting report that Indy might try and land Donte Whitner.
If you were hoping (as I was) that the Colts would sign Quintin Mikell or Barry Cofield, sorry. Mikell signed with the Rams and Cofield the Redskins. But, if you are a Kelvin Hayden fan, you should feel good this morning.
My friend JMV of 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis tweeted me last night and said, according to his 'sources,' that Kelvin Hayden will not be cut. Knowing this, when you see or hear Jim Irsay and Chris Polian using the salary cap as an excuse for why they can't do what they want, feel free to laugh. Hayden is, arguably, the third best corner on this roster. He's injury prone and grossly overpaid. Cutting him could free up money for a true starter at another position who can, perhaps, play more than ten games a season.
Ryan Diem, on the other hand, is as good as retired.
Yes, it's unfortunate that the Colts did not make a run at someone like Cofield. We can juggle scenarios all we want, but the reality is that this team is not championship caliber if it is trying to sell us on the notion that a DT rotation of Daniel Muir, Fili Moala, and rookie Drake Nevis can stop the run. The Colts desperately need an upgrade at DT, and free agency is the only way to do it, aside from a major trade. Unless we see an upgrade, we can look forward to more loses like last years playoff game against the New York Jets.
Despite this, the news on the team trying to get Weddle is encouraging. The Colts, as currently constructed, are not a Super Bowl team. And if this team is not actively working to get to a Super Bowl, then perhaps that is why Peyton Manning hasn't signed the contract Jim Irsay so desperately wants him to.