Tag: Indianapolis Colts (Page 13 of 45)

      Should the Colts be concerned about their defensive tackles?

      August 20, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 29: Defensive lineman Daniel Muir #90 of the Indianapolis Colts on the bench in the game against the Houston Texans on November 29, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Colts won 35-27. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

      Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the Colts and their potential issues at defensive tackle.

      Same story, different year for the Colts.

      Until Peyton Manning has to enlist the aid of walker to get onto the field on Sundays, the Colts will compete for a playoff berth every season. Their strength is their dynamic offense and the speed of their defense, but even a team with as many division titles as Indy has over the last decade has at least one weakness.

      It’s seems like every year we’re talking about the Colts’ issues at the defensive tackle position. That’s because the team refuses to upgrade those spots and they decided to ignore the positions once again this offseason.

      The projected starters this year are Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson. On most teams, the duo would be fringe starters or excellent backups. On the Colts, they’re counted on to anchor a defense that primarily relies on speed and the pass-rush that Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis generate from their end positions.

      The 25-year-old Johnson was a restricted free agent this past offseason and was brought back on a one-year, $1.684 million salary. He’s athletic for being 6’3 and 310 pounds, but he can be pushed backwards at the point of attack and he’s not consistent against the run.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      How does the NFL expect teams like the Rams and Lions to compete?

      July 31, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams newest member, quarterback Sam Bradford, holds up his jersey with head coach Steve Spagnuolo (L) and general manager Billy Devaney as he is introduced to reporters at Rams Park in Earth City, Missouri on April 23, 2010, one day after being selected No. 1 in the first round of the NFL. Bradford played his college football at Oklahoma. UPI/Bill Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      Quick math question to start your Saturday morning: If Sam Bradford is worth $50 million guaranteed, then how much should Peyton Manning make?

      I know it’s a tough question, so I’ll throw out some facts to better assist you while you think:

      Peyton Manning:

      – 50,128 career passing yards
      – 366 career passing touchdowns
      – 95.2 career passer rating
      – 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 championship

      Sam Bradford:

      – Went to Oklahoma

      Look, nobody blames Bradford for cashing in (six years, $78 million). It’s not like any of us would have said, “You know what, Rams? I haven’t proven anything yet, so to be fair why don’t I just accept a modest starting salary of $40,000-a-year plus dental?”

      The system is broken in the NFL and it’s one of the many things that the NFLPA and owners need to resolve before signing a new collective bargaining agreement (assuming they do sign one, of course) in the next couple of months/year. And it’s not just a Bradford vs. Manning financial thing, either.

      How can the league expect a team like the Lions to field a competitive roster when they gave quarterback Matthew Stafford over $41 million in guarantees last year and they still have to sign No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh this year? Last year, the Rams signed offensive tackle Jason Smith (the No. 2 overall pick) to a $61.775 million contract worth $33 million in guarantees. Between Bradford and Smith, the Rams now have $83 million in guaranteed money wrapped up in two players.

      And they don’t even know if Bradford and Smith can play yet.

      Again, how does the league expect teams like the Lions and Rams to compete with the likes of the Colts and Saints when they have to break the bank for unproven players? What happens when Calvin Johnson (a player the Lions actually know can play) needs a new deal in two years? Will the Lions be able to sign him? What if they can’t? They let one of their best players go because they have all of their money tied up into high draft picks?

      Talk about a vicious cycle – it needs to end.

      External Sports, NFL

      Marvin Harrison’s gun seized by police

      June 17, 2010 /

      According to the Indianapolis Star, Philadelphia police seized a 9 mm handgun from Marvin Harrison’s SUV during a traffic stop on Wednesday evening. Harrison had a valid license for the gun, but had denied that he was in possession of the weapon when the police officer asked him about it.

      No charges were filed, but as the Star points out, this isn’t the first time Harrison and his guns have found trouble.

      Harrison was a suspect in an April 2008 shooting in Philadelphia, but the local DA declined to press charges citing a lack of evidence. When she announced her finding in January 2009, then-DA Lynne Abraham refused to rule out prosecuting Harrison in the future.

      Investigators said a gun owned by Harrison was used in the shooting.

      A Philadelphia man, Dwight Dixon, later accused Harrison of shooting him. Dixon was shot again in July 2009 and died two months later. Current DA Seth Williams has called Harrison a person of interest in that case.

      In the 2008 shooting (in which three people were injured), two of the victims said that Harrison had fired the shots, but he was never charged with anything due to lack of evidence. Dixon also said that Harrison had shot him, yet the receiver wasn’t charged with anything then either.

      Now Dixon is dead after being shot again and Harrison is driving around lying about having a gun in his SUV. If he had a valid license for the gun on him, why did Harrison lie to the police and tell them that he wasn’t carrying the weapon?

      I’m no Jessica Fletcher, but something doesn’t add up here.

      NFL

      The Colts have a potential mess on their hands regarding Wayne

      June 4, 2010 /

      Peyton Manning needs a new contract, as do 18 other Colts players that are set to become free agents in 2011.

      Reggie Wayne doesn’t need a new contract, but he wants one. He’s also willing to skip the team’s mandatory three-day mini-camp this weekend in order to show the Colts that he’s unhappy with his current deal.

      Wayne has two years remaining on the six-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2006. He’s making less than $6 million per season, which is where the root of the issue comes in. Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall and Randy Moss – three players that Wayne outperformed last year – are just some of the receivers that are making more than Indy’s star receiver. Those three are all making $9 million a year, while four other receivers had multiyear contracts in 2009 that reached more than $8 million annually.

      The problem is that the Colts’ main focus (and rightfully so) is on Manning. The quarterback that has led them to two Super Bowls over the past five years needs a new deal to help him finish out his career in Indianapolis and the Colts have made re-signing him priority No. 1 on their to-do list.

      No matter how good they may be, the Colts’ front office doesn’t make it a habit of re-working players’ contracts that still have two years remaining on them. Wayne may be one of the team’s most productive players, but Manning, Joseph Addai, Antonie Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Clint Session and Adam Vinatieri all need new deals when 2010 wraps up. Wayne is set through 2011.

      There’s no doubt that Wayne is underpaid. But the Colts’ hands are tied at the moment until Manning gets his new deal and they have a plan in place to retain the other potential free agents. He may have to show some patience and have faith that the team will re-work his deal after the season. That said, if he continues to hold out through training camp, he may force the Colts into a making a decision that they didn’t think they’d have to make for another year or so.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Ex-girlfriend accused of racking up over $90,000 on Reggie Wayne’s debit card

      June 2, 2010 /

      Every guy has taken a beating from a girl at one point or another during his life. We’ve all wanted to erase the memory of that soul-sucking leach that our buddies still loving ask, “Remember when you dated her? Oh man, what were you thinking!”

      Of course, not all of us have had our debit card information stolen from our ex, and had her rack up $93,000 in merchandise like Colts’ receiver Reggie Wayne’s former girlfriend did.

      According to the Indianapolis Star, police and the Secret Service Asset Forfeiture Unit searched the home of a woman named Natasha McKenzie, who reportedly used Wayne’s bankcard to buy furniture, three television sets and various other electronics. A theft report filed by Wayne in April stated that McKenzie, an ex-girlfriend, made 333 transactions dating back to September of 2009 totaling more than $93,000.

      McKenzie claims that Wayne had given her permission to use the card.

      “Reggie knew what was going on. I sent Reggie plenty of thank you messages,” McKenzie told the station. “He knew everything that was going on. There was nothing fraud about it. . . . Reggie gave me all of his credit card information. I still have record of everything he gave me.”

      Thompson said she has told police another story.

      “The suspect has been interviewed by our detective and has made admissions to using the card numbers without authorization,” the IMPD spokesman said. “There is the potential for charges being filed.”

      I’m no detective, but I’m thinking this is how everything went down: At some point during their relationship, Wayne allowed McKenzie to use his card. Using her quick goat thinking, she wrote down the information for safe keeping, just in case she needed to use it again.

      When the couple split, she probably figured she was entitled to Wayne’s hard-earned money seeing as how he makes a lot of it and decided to help herself to three TV sets and new home decor. She probably even had the thought, “He’ll never even know the money is gone.”

      Some guys never see their Bon Jovi CD again – Wayne’s relationship with McKenzie cost him over $90,000.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑