NaptownRich

Now that the free agency period, the draft, and undrafted free agents have been signed, I’m taking another look at the roster and potential depth chart for our 2013 Indianapolis Colts.

Before I go into the specific positions, just looking at the roster as it stands it looks like there will be quite a bit of competition in several key areas that were weaknesses last season. This should lead to not only improving the starting units, but also provide much needed depth that was lacking last season and became apparent over the course of the season as guys got nicked up and missed playing time.

In a previous blog http://naptownrich.blogspot.com/2013/01/building-colts-2013-14-roster-monster.html I had ranked offensive line as the priority number one, specifically at Right Tackle (RT) and Left Guard (LG) and depth across the line. The Colts definitely addressed all three. Donald Thomas was signed as a free agent pickup previously from the New England Patriots and Gosder Cherilus was signed as a free agent pickup previously from the Detroit Lions. The Colts didn’t stop there. They added G Hugh Thornton and C/G Khaled Holmes via the draft and Emmett Cleary as an unsigned free agent. The Colts also traded A.Q. Shipley to Baltimore for a future draft pick. So the starting line-up is starting to look set with Castonzo and Cherilus at the Tackle positions, Thomas and McGlynn at the Guard positions and Satele at Center. Satele and McGlynn could both be pushed for the starting position. Returning from last year are Linkenbach, Reitz, Sowell, Griffin and Ziemba and returning from injury are Ijalana and Anderson. Both the starting line-up and the reserves seem to be much improved over last season’s group.

LT	Castonzo, Anthony	*Linkenbach, Jeff*	*Sowell, Bradley*	Cleary, Emmett
LG	Thomas, Donald	*Ijalana, Ben*	*Reitz, Joe*
C	Satele, Samson	Holmes, Khaled	Schmeig,Rick
RG	McGlynn, Mike	Thornton, Hugh	*Griffin, Robert*
RT	Cherilus, Gosder	*Anderson, Justin*	*Ziemba, Lee*

I had ranked the Safety position as the second priority, both starting and depth. As I predicted and hoped, Zbikowski was replaced. In fact, he was waived completely. The Colts picked up free agent LaRon Landry previously with the NY Jets. So the starters are set with Landry and Bethea. That alone should be a big improvement. I’m still concerned with the depth as the Colts only added John Boyett via the draft and Daxton Swanson via undrafted free agency. Returning are Howell, Lefeged, Asante and Brown. Landry has an injury history already, so depth could become an issue here. If Landry and Bethea are on the field though, I like our safety unit.

SS	Landry, LaRon	*Howell, Delano*	*Asante, Larry*	Boyett, John
FS	Bethea, Antoine	Lefeged, Joe	*Brown, Sergio*	Swanson, Daxton

The next priority I had was at Outside Linebacker (OLB), primarily because I knew Freeney was going to be let go and he was. Big cleats to fill. The Colts went both free agency and the draft to fill the Outside Linebacker need. First, in free agency, the Colts signed Erik Walden and Lawrence Sidbury then drafted Bjoern Werner with their #1 draft pick. The Colts traded Jerry Hughes for ILB Kelvin Sheppard, eliminating any questions about how much of a leash Hughes had used up or had left with the Colts staff. Losing Freeney is big, but losing Freeney of 2011-12/2012-13, not as big. Not only did the Colts need a starter, but also depth. I’m not sure about Walden or Sidbury replacing the ‘Freeney’ at his prime, but probably are no worse then Freeney of last year and likely better suited for the 3-4 defense. With Sidbury and Werner and the return of Hickman off injured reserve, depth seems to have been addressed as well. Also returning are Simmons. New free agents are Spears, Rayford and McNary who will be coming off Military Reserve this summer.

LOLB/SLB	Mathis, Robert	Werner, Bjoern	Simmons, Monte	Spears, Quinton
ROLB/WLB	Walden, Erik	Sidbury, Lawrence	Hickman, Justin	Rayford, Caesar McNary, Josh

The number four priority I had for the Colts was on the Defensive Line, DL and DE, both starters and depth. The Colts seemed to add a ton of guys to compete here. Returning are Redding, Moala (from IR) and Guy at DE, McKinney (from IR), Chapman (from IR), Tevaseu at NT and Mathews, Heard and Nevis (from IR) at DT. Added were free agents NT Franklin, DT Jean-Francois and from the draft DT Montori Hughes. I like this group of guys to compete for the starting positions and for depth. The depth here allowed the Colts to trade Geathers to Philadelphia for FB Havili. A low risk move since Geathers was brought in last year to fill in for roster players who went on IR late in the season. Only small surprise was Antonio Johnson not returning.

DE	Redding, Cory	*Mathews, Ricardo*	*Guy, Lawrence*
NT	McKinney, Brandon	Chapman, Josh	Franklin, Aubrayo	*Tevaseu, Martin*
DT	Jean-Francois, Ricky	Moala, Fili	Hughes, Montori	*Heard, Kellen* Nevis, Drake

The position I ranked as the next highest need was at Cornerback especially if starting RCB Powers was not re-signed. He wasn’t and was replaced with free agent Greg Toler. Though Powers was (or at least seemed) like a great locker room and interview guy, his numbers compare pretty evenly to Toler. Interesting to note that Powers went to the Arizona Cardinals, along with former Colts interim head coach and Offensive Coordinator, and Toler went from the Cardinals to the Colts. Basically, the teams swapped corners. Returning are Vaughn, Butler, Gordy, Green and Williams. The only other new additions were free agents Sheldon Price and Allen Chapman. All in all, the cornerback position only improved as much as each of the players who were on last year’s roster improved. With the addition of Landry at Safety and potentially more of a rush from the defensive linemen, it may not matter as much that this position didn’t improve all that much. With other needs and cap space, I don’t mind the Colts strategy. Keep in mind, the major improvement at corner happened last year when they traded for Davis, who will have a year under his belt wearing the horseshoe and a full training camp and preseason with the team this year.

LCB	Davis, Vontae	Vaughn, Cassius	*Green, Marshay*	*Williams, Teddy* Price, Sheldon
RCB	Toler, Greg	Butler, Darrius	Gordy, Josh	Chapman, Allen

At the number six priority I had Running Back, particularly at the number 2 spot and depth. The Colts must have confidence in Ballard, Brown and Carter as they were all kept and very little was added. Davin Megget was signed, Alvestor Alexander was waived and Karim and Moore were also not resigned. The only pickups were Kerwynn Williams via a late draft pick and Dan Moore and Denodus O’Bryant as undrafted free agents. They also traded for FB Stanley Havili and let FB Robert Hughes go. Looks like the Colts were sold that the offensive line was more to do with the lack of a good running game versus talent at the running back position. Though I’m not 100% confident in this group, I still like the way the Colts are building the roster. Improve the line and let’s see what these backs can do while making improvements in other much more needed areas. My bet is if none of the backs work out this year, we’ll see more transactions and draft picks spent in this area next season.

FB	Havili, Stanley
RB	Ballard, Vick	Brown, Donald	*Carter, Delone*	*Megget, Davin* Williams, Kerwynn	Moore, Dan O’Bryant, Denodus

At the seventh priority spot, I had Inside Linebacker depth. The Colts are pretty set with Angerer, Freeman and Conner, but Angerer battled injuries all season and lack of depth showed. The Colts took a major step here by trading Jerry Hughes for Kelvin Sheppard a former starter for the Buffalo Bills. Also kept from last season were Mario Harvey and Scott Lutrus. The only new addition was undrafted free agent CO Prime. I like this group going into the summer.

RILB	Freeman, Jerrell	Conner, Kavell	Prime, C.O.
LILB	Angerer, Pat	Sheppard, Kelvin	*Harvey, Mario*	*Lutrus, Scott*

At priority number eight, I had Wide Receiver, both a starter if Avery wasn’t resigned (and he wasn’t) and depth. The Colts addressed the Avery replacement by signing free agent Darrius Heyward-Bey. I’m hoping the change of scenery and much better quarterback play will make Heyward-Bey better and be the WR all expected him to become before falling into the Raiders system. Returning are Wayne, Hilton, Brazil, Palmer and Whalen who will be coming off IR so really entering his first season. Sambrano is also returning from the practice squad. Three other new additions include Jeremy Kelley and two undrafted free agents Lanear Sampson and Rodrick Rumble. The only “proven” receivers are now Wayne, Hilton and Brazil. Whalen went to Stanford with Luck, so hopefully can get back in tandem with him quickly. Palmer has yet to get much playing time to display his “Na-palm” speed. Kelley is a big prospect at 6’6 and 230 lbs. The competition should be fun to watch through camp and pre-season.

Wayne, Reggie

Hilton, T.Y.

Kelley, Jeremy

Sambrano,Jabin Sampson, Lanear

Heyward-Bey, Darrius

Brazil, LaVon

Whalen, Griff

Palmer, Nathan Rumble, Rodrick

At the number 9 priority, I ranked the Kick Returners, particularly kickoff returner (KR). Hilton became the punt returner, but no one emerged as the primary kickoff returner last season. Late in the season, Karim became that guy, but wasn’t resigned. I expect Hilton to be more involved in the offense so that may limit his punt returning duties. I think Brazil will be given another opportunity as well as several new additions to the roster, but Kerwynn Williams was the only one that seemed to have a lot of experience in this area. Without a clear favorite, these positions could be up for grab again.

KR	Hilton, T.Y	Brazil, LaVon	Williams, Kerwynn
PR	Hilton, T.Y.	Brazil, LaVon

I ranked the Kicker/Punter as priority number 10 and only if either were not resigned or were let go. McAfee was resigned, so the punter position is solidified. And I’m very glad the Colts resigned him. Not only is he a great punter/kickoff guy, he’s just a great guy and interesting dude to have on the team. I heard him on a local radio show this Spring that he’d like to have Fall Out Boys song “My songs know what you did in the dark (Light ‘em up)” as the kickoff song this upcoming season. I say make it so. I would love to see the crowd pumping up to this song right before he sails one out of the end zone. Vinatieri would have to have an injury or major competition in camp/pre-season to be uprooted. Though, I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see the Colts let him go for a younger, “almost as good as” kicker just to relieve the cap number. If there was a major injury to a starter and cap space was needed, I could see it happening. Otherwise, I think these positions are set.

PK	Vinatieri, Adam	McAfee, Pat	McManus, Brandon	Josifovski, Michael
P	McAfee, Pat	McManus, Brandon	Josifovski, Michael

I had backup Quarterback as the number eleven priority. I honestly expected the Colts to promote Harnish after Stanton was signed by the Arizona Cardinals. Well, after the Tennessee Titans let Hasselbeck go, the Colts quickly signed him. Hasselbeck is definitely an upgrade over Stanton and has a ton of experience. Though this may be a setback for Harnish, I think the Colts upgraded here.

Luck, Andrew

Hasselbeck, Matt

Harnish, Chandler

At the last priority spot, I had Tight End, primarily because the Colts rookies, Allen and Fleener, were just that good. The Colts drafted Justice Cunningham as the only new Tight End addition to the roster as the draft’s Mr. Irrelevant. If he’s as lucky as the Colts’ last draft pick and Mr. Irrelevant, he could land a roster or practice squad spot. I think the bigger question here will be how many TE’s do the Colts keep on the active roster.

Fleener, Coby

Saunders, Weslye

Jones, Dominique

TE/WR3

Allen, Dwayne

Cunningham, Justice

I didn’t mention the Long Snapper (LS) position as a need, because it wasn’t. Matt Overton came in as a rookie last year and took over after long tenured Justin Snow and that part of the Colts game never missed a beat.

Overton, Matt

Given the current roster, I still have concerns at Running Back (RB), depth at Safety (SS/FS) and Cornerback (CB), depth at Defensive Tackle (DT) and Defensive End (DE) and the Kick Return (KR) position, specifically the Kickoff Returner. That’s pretty good considering the needs at the end of last season. The roster “Monster” is slowly coming together.

How the Roster is shaping up.

POSITION	STARTER	2nd	3rd	4th
QB	Luck, Andrew	Hasselbeck, Matt	Harnish, Chandler
WR	Wayne, Reggie	Hilton, T.Y.	Kelley, Jeremy	Sambrano,Jabin Sampson, Lanear
LT	Castonzo, Anthony	*Linkenbach, Jeff*	*Sowell, Bradley*	Cleary, Emmett
LG	Thomas, Donald	*Ijalana, Ben*	*Reitz, Joe*
C	Satele, Samson	Holmes, Khaled	Schmeig,Rick
RG	McGlynn, Mike	Thornton, Hugh	Griffin, Robert
RT	Cherilus, Gosder	Anderson, Justin	Ziemba, Lee
TE	Fleener, Coby	*Saunders, Weslye*	*Jones, Dominique*
WR	Heyward-Bey, Darrius	Brazil, LaVon	Whalen, Griff	*Palmer, Nathan* Rumble, Rodrick
TE/WR3	Allen, Dwayne	Cunningham, Justice
FB	Havili, Stanley
RB	Ballard, Vick	Brown, Donald	*Carter, Delone*	Megget, Davin Williams, Kerwynn	Moore, Dan O’Bryant, Denodus

Base 3-4 D
POSITION	STARTER			2nd		3^rd		4th
DE	Redding, Cory			*Mathews, Ricardo*		*Guy, Lawrence*
NT	McKinney, Brandon			Chapman, Josh		Franklin, Aubrayo		*Tevaseu, Martin*
DT	Jean-Francois, Ricky			Moala, Fili		Hughes, Montori		*Heard, Kellen* Nevis, Drake

LOLB/SLB	Mathis, Robert			Werner, Bjoern		Simmons, Monte		Spears, Quinton
RILB	Freeman, Jerrell			Conner, Kavell		Prime, C.O.
LILB	Angerer, Pat			Sheppard, Kelvin		*Harvey, Mario*		*Lutrus, Scott*
ROLB/WLB	Walden, Erik			Sidbury, Lawrence		Hickman, Justin		Rayford, Caesar McNary, Josh
LCB	Davis, Vontae			Vaughn, Cassius		*Green, Marshay*		*Williams, Teddy* Price, Sheldon
SS	Landry, LaRon			*Howell, Delano*		*Asante, Larry*		Boyett, John
FS	Bethea, Antoine			Lefeged, Joe		*Brown, Sergio*		Swanson, Daxton
RCB	Toler, Greg			Butler, Darrius		Gordy, Josh		Chapman, Allen
Special Teams
POSITION		STARTER	2nd		3rd		4th
PK		Vinatieri, Adam	McAfee, Pat		McManus, Brandon		Josifovski, Michael
P		McAfee, Pat	McManus, Brandon		Josifovski, Michael
H		McAfee, Pat
LS		Overton, Matt
KR		Hilton, T.Y	Brazil, LaVon		Williams, Kerwynn
PR		Hilton, T.Y.	Brazil, LaVon

NaptownRich

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Updated 2013 Indianapolis Colts roster after signing RB Bradshaw

Thursday, June 6, 2013

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