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The Colts have released 35-year old long snapper Justin Snow. Snow played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Colts last year. He played in 192 games (0 starts) in his 12 years with the Colts. I’m certain that Snow will be on the speed dial of a lot of GMs phones in case the need arises for a long snapper.
The Colts got a nice win last night over the Bengals. Andrew Luck started at QB by completing 1 of 2 passes for 8 yards. Drew Stanton was 3 for 3 passing for 43 yards. Chandler Harnish finished up this game at QB by completing 9 of 16 passes for 162 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. Deji Karim led the way on the ground for the Colts with 12 carries for 36 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run. Darren Evans pitched in with 7 carries for 13 yards (1.9 ypc) with 1 TD run. He also lost a fumble. WR Kris Adams (2 rec, 55 yards), TE Dominique Jones (2 rec, 44 yards, TD) and WR LaVon Brazill (3 rec, 28 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Colts. The Colts finished up with 51 yards rushing on 25 carries (2.0 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9%) for 202 yards as they had possession of the ball for 23:13.
The defense made some big plays last night which helped them seal up this win. LB Moise Fokou (14 tackles and 2 passes defensed), DE Mario Addison (8 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits), CB D.J. Johnson (7 tackles) and CB Cassius Vaughn (7 tackles) led the way for the Colts on D in this game. CB Josh Gordy and DE James Aiono pitched in with a fumble recpvery apiece in this game. The Bengals finished up with 88 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 45 passes (68.9%) for 250 yards. The Colts finished up the preseason with a 2-2 record.
The Colts have placed 22-year old rookie WR Griff Whalen out of Stanford on the Injured Reserve List due to a left foot injury. He played in 2 preseason games for the Colts and he caught 12 passes for 125 yards (10.4 avg) with 1 TD grab. Whalen must have impressed the Colts for them to want to keep him around for next year.
The Indianapolis Colts are about to start at new era as Peyton Manning was released in the off-season, and he has been replaced at QB by 22-year old Andrew Luck, who was the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. So Luck is going to be under pressure right away due to who he is replacing. Remember though, even Peyton Manning had a rough time as a rookie. Luck has all of the tools to be an elite QB in the NFL, but it’s going to take some time. Luck played in 38 games (all starts) at Stanford and he completed 713 of 1,064 passes (67%) for 9,430 yards with 82 TD passes and only 22 interceptions. 28-year old Drew Stanton will be Luck’s backup in 2012. Stanton didn’t get into any games for the Lions last year. Stanton is 2-2 (50%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career. Stanton has played in 13 games (4 starts) in his first four years in the NFL and he has completed 104 of 187 passes (55.6%) for 1,158 yards with 5 TD passes and 9 INTs (63.1 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 30 times for 166 yards (5.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in his career. He is going to be a solid backup for the Colts. The Colts drafted 24-year old Chandler Harnish in the 7th round of last April’s NFL Draft. He played in 47 games (45 starts) at Northern Illinois and he completed 687 of 1,110 passes (61.9%) for 8,944 yards with 68 TD passes and 26 INTs. Harnish is going to be brought along slowly by the Colts.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE QBs IN 2012: B-
The Colts have placed 29-year old DT Brandon McKinney on the Injured Reserve List, ending his 2012 season due to a torn ACL. McKinney played in 12 games for the Ravens last year and he had 14 tackles and 1 forced fumble. He has now played in 61 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 60 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed. This really hurts McKinney as he was likely going to see more P.T. than he has ever had in 2012.
The Colts have acquired 24-year old CB Vontae Davis from the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd round pick in 2013 and a conditional late round pick in 2013. Davis played in 12 games for the Dolphins last year and he had 43 tackles, 1 sack, 9 passes defensed, 4 interceptions and 1 tackle for a loss. He has now played in 44 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 150 tackles, 9 interceptions (one returned for a TD), 32 passes defensed, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 forced fumbles. Davis didn’t come cheap, but this was an outstanding deal for the Colts as Davis will team up with Jerraud Powers at CB in 2012, giving them a nice starting pair.
The Colts got pushed around last night by the Redskins in Washington. Andrew Luck was solid in completing 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs. Chandler Harnish finished up the game at QB by completing 12 of 19 passes for 147 yards without a TD pass or INT. But, he was sacked in the end zone for a safety. Deji Karim led the way on the ground for the Colts last night with 18 yards rushing on six carries (3.0 ypc). Donald Brown (7 carries for 8 yards) and Darren Evans (3 carries for 5 yards, TD run) had hard times finding running room against the Redskins’ D. WRs Griff Whalen (8 rec, 66 yards), Jeremy Ross (1 rec, 59 yards), T.Y. Hilton (4 rec, 54 yards, TD), Reggie Wayne (3 rec, 41 yards) and Donnie Avery (6 rec, 38 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Colts last night. The Colts finished up with 53 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.0 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 42 passes (61.9%) for 270 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:38.
The defense got pushed around last night by the Redskins. CB Cassius Vaughn (6 tackles) and LB Jerrell Freeman (6 tackles, 1 QB hit) led the way for the Colts’ D last night. The Redskins rushed for 147 yards on 27 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1%) for 201 yards. The Colts are now 1-2 on the preseason.
The Indianapolis Colts have acquired 25-year old CB Josh Gordy from the Rams for a undisclosed draft pick. Gordy played in 14 games for the Rams last year and he had 43 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. He has now played in 16 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 44 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. The Colts needed help at cornerback, so I like this move for them.
With more of a threat of a pass with Andrew Luck on board at QB, it could loosen up opposing defenses against the run. With that in mind, the Colts need their RBs to step up in 2012. 25-year old Donald Brown will get the first shot at being the full time RB for the Colts in 2012. He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Colts last year and he carried the ball 134 times for 645 yards (4.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs. He also caught 16 passes for 86 yards (5.4 avg) last season. Brown has now played in 40 games (11 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 341 times for 1,423 yards (4.2 ypc) with 10 TD runs. He also caught 47 passes for 460 yards (9.8 avg) without a TD grab so far in his career. 25-year old Delone Carter is a battering ram type of RB. He played in 16 games (3 starts) in his rookie season last year and he carried the ball 101 times for 377 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs. Carter has also caught 5 passes for 18 yards (3.6 avg) without a TD grab. 30-year old Mewelde Moore will be a solid #3 RB for the Colts in 2o12. He is a good runner and a pass catcher. Moore played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Steelers and he carried the ball 22 times for 157 yards (7.1 ypc) without a TD run. He also caught 11 passes for 104 yards (9.5 avg) with 1 TD grab last year. Moore has now played in 113 games (15 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 494 times for 2,247 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs. He has also caught 214 passes for 1,875 yards (8.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs. 23-year old Darren Evans played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Colts last year as a rookie, but he didn’t touch the ball. 22-year old Vick Ballard was a 5th round pick in last April’s NFL Draft. Ballard played in 25 games (23 starts) in his two years in college and he carried the ball 379 times for 2,157 yards (5.7 ypc) with 29 TD runs. He also caught 30 passes for 293 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs in college.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RBs IN 2012: C+
The Indianapolis Colts picked 22-year old RB Vick Ballard out of Mississippi State with the 170th overall pick (5th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Ballard is 5’10″, 217 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40. Ballard is a power runner, plain and simple. Ballard played in 13 games (all starts) for the Bulldogs last year and he carried the ball 193 times for 1,189 yards (6.2 ypc) with 10 TD runs. He also caught 20 passes for 187 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab last year. Ballard played in 25 games (23 starts) in his two years in college and he carried the ball 379 times for 2,157 yards (5.7 ypc) with 29 TD carries. He has also caught 30 passes for 293 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his NFL career.