2012 Colts Training Camp Report: Justin King Starting At Corner

Updates and reports of this kind should be taken within their proper context. This is a very young football team. Lots of roster spots are open. There's competition all over the place. So, just like with Ben Ijalana and the offensive line, just because a guy is or isn't starting during training camp doesn't mean we will see him with the starters Week One against the Bears.

Hell, there's guys "starting" right now who could get cut after the third preseason game. This is a fluid roster. Anything can happen.

That established, it is noteworthy that, per the Indianapolis Star's Mike Chappell, third year corner Kevin Thomas has been bumped from the first unit corner spot opposite Jerraud Powers. Thomas had been practicing at that spot all throughout OTAs, but reports indicated he didn't impress coaches.

Replacing him at yesterday's practice was former-Rams corner Justin King. Playing the slot corner spot was Cassius Vaughn, who the Colts traded for this offseason.

Now, somewhere west of where you Colts fans are sitting right now, St. Louis fans are having a laugh. When he played for the Rams, King was apparently "terrible," according to them. In fact, Rams fans went so far as to say the Colts were "screwed" because they had signed King.

Just so you all know where I come from (and this is a general note for pretty much any player), I root for all players to succeed. Even the ones I know who suck, I still root for them to improve and find a team that can utilize their talents. The best example is Tim Jennings. Everyone and their mother hated his guts in Indianapolis. The coaching staff had little faith in him. Fans booed him. Press bashed him. Even when he did something right, people dismissed it as luck, punching up all the things he did wrong to drown out the positives. Jennings eventually left Indianapolis after 2009, and he's now the starting corner for the Chicago Bears. He's played so well that Pro Football Focus named him as one of the league's Secret Superstars. Before he was fired in January, Bill Polian even admitted that letting Jennings go was a mistake.

These types of turnarounds are always what I hope for, even for guys like Kevin Thomas, a player I have always been critical of since the day he was drafted. He was an injury prone player at USC with unspectacular ability, and he's pretty much been that at the pro level as well.

However, even though I'm not expecting him to amount to much (don't be surprised if he's cut), I still hope he turns things around. Same with Justin King. And Korey Lindsey. And D.J. Johnson. And Chris Rucker.

If Indianapolis can get one or two of these guys playing at a higher level, then all this rumor and talk about trading for Mike Jenkins of the Cowboys dies down. Chuck Pagano has an impressive track record with developing players in the secondary. Here's to hoping he can work his magic on this mish-mash group of corners.