Indianapolis Colts

I starting doing the research on the starting AFC South Running backs: Chris Johnson, Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew and Vick Ballard and I wanted to compare their on field production. This article will point out a variety of statistics as I don't have the time to watch every snap. I know stats don't always tell the whole truth. But a reoccurring trend occurs, which may suggest the NFL community has been underrating one RB in the AFC South. Before I look at stats though, let's see how Matt Miller ranked the RBs: At 54, Vick Ballard, with a grade of 69/100. Maurice Jones-Drew received a 83/100 grade, ranking 14. Chris Johnson was ranked at 12th best, and scored 83/100 too. And the winner here was Foster, ranking 9th overall and scored 85/100. So, yeah, that is what Miller thinks after looking at the tape. So, without further ado, I will analyze the various stats and declare who I believe the RB in the AFC South I'd want on my team. NFL.COM STATS Arian Foster kills it here. A staggering 1,424 yards, 15 rush TDs, 4.1 yards rushing average, 2 receiving TDs and only 1 fumble per 130 touches (130.333 to be more precise). Chris Johnson too had big plays. 1,243 yards rush yards, 6TD- including a 94 yard TD home run, 4.5 rushing yards average and fumbled every 62.4 carries. Jones-Drew was largely inactive last year, but hey, durability is a major determinant in being a top player. To be a little fair towards him, i'll average out his 2011 and 2012 stats here: 1010 yrds/yr, 4.71/carry and an average of 6.5 total TDS/yr. Finally, Vick Ballard had 3 total TDs, 3.9 yards/carry and 814 rushing yards (8.9 yrds/reception too: the most of the AFC South RBs). All in all, it seems Foster or Johnson wins these statistics. Moving on.. FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS Foster too wins here, receiving a Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement score ("DYAR means a running back with more total value") of 105 (he ranked 20th/play), ranking 13th of the 42 players that had 100+ carries. Ballard had 10 DYAR value (he ranked 27th/play- fairly close to Foster's rank), ranking 27th/42 overall. CJ had a disappointing -30 grade, 33rd/42 overall (he ranked 32nd/play). Jones-Drew qualified for another group (the 20-99 rushing category), scoring a DYAR of 27. Of the three AFC South rushers that qualified in the 100+ carries category, Vick Ballard had the best Success Rate (representing consistency) at 48% (10% lower than McGahee, who was ranked #1 in this category). Foster's success rate was close to Ballard's at 47% and CJ disappointed again, as his 41% ranked 38/42 of those who qualified. Lastly, the Effective Yards, which is "DVOA into a yards per attempt figure.... players with more Effective Yards than standard yards played better than standard stats would otherwise indicate"). Foster had a monster 1461 EYards (approximately 40 more than his raw yards). Johnson had a dramatic dip between his raw yards and his EYards, having only 895 (351 under his raw yards). Ballard saw a slight dip, having 767 EYards. MJD too dipped from his raw yards, scoring 347 EYards. To compare their EYards more fairly (as Foster and CJ had much more carries than MJD and Ballard), Foster had 4.162 EYards/rush. MJD had 4.035 EYards/ rush. Ballard had 3.635 EYards/rush. CJ had 3.243 EYards/rush (Football Outsiders really contradict CJ's standard stats). Thus, I can tell you Football Outsider statistics rank Foster the best. Followed by MJD (before he got injured) and then Vick Ballard. Which leads us to CJ, whose advanced stats here painted a much different picture than his raw stats painted (Raw stats: 4.5 yards/carry. EYards: 3.243 only!). Moving on... PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS Let's first look at a (so to say) less important aspect of being a runningback: receiving ability. Ballard ranked first of the three AFC South RBs that qualified (MJD didn't qualify), as he scored .88 Yards per Route Run (YPRR), ranking #37/50 as he had 1.11 YPRR than the receiving RB master: D. Sproles. CJ h

Just a few days ago, we looked at a free agent outside linebacker the Colts signed, Erik Walden. Today we look at another free agent linebacker also signed on the first day of free agency, Lawrence Sidbury. Sidbury spent the past four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The University of Richmond product recorded 20.5 sacks in his career with the Spiders and notched 11.5 of them in his senior season of 2008. In four NFL seasons, however, Sidbury has only made 17 tackles and 5 sacks - total. He has yet to start a game in the National Football League, though he has appeared in 48 total. In 2011 he took a major step forward, recording 4 sacks and showing a lot of potential. However in 2012 the coaching staff made a decision not to play him and it resulted in just 1 tackle in 10 games played - and the snaps played was very limited, as Sidbury was in for just 2.94% of the Falcons defensive plays. He forced 1 hurry all season. While the issue the coaching staff (and new coordinator Mike Nolan) had with Sidbury isn't known, what is known is that Sidbury wanted out of Atlanta. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted Sidbury's agent, Alan Herman as saying the following about Sidbury: "It’s hard to prove yourself when you’re sitting on the bench," Herman said. "It was clear that he had more than a decent preseason. He was active in his pass rushes. I thought he put pressure on the quarterback. He just wasn’t afforded that opportunity during the season. You can’t sack anybody from the bench." He showed signs of progress in 2011, but didn’t seem to fit into the plans during Mike Nolan’s first season as the coordinator. "He had 4.5 half sacks and two more were disputed (in 2011)," Herman said. "We actually thought he had 6.5 sacks when we looked at the tape. The bottom line is I thought he played well the year before and showed signs of being able to get to the quarterback and then not getting the opportunity this year was exceptionally frustrating." The article also notes that the Falcons tried putting Sidbury on special teams, but that he was beaten out there as well. The bottom line seems to be that Sidbury showed promise in Atlanta but then had a falling out with the coaching staff which left him wanting out. He was a free agent this offseason (former Colts general manager Bill Polian rated him as a "Tier B" free agent, meaning he was a player to sign if the price was right). The current general manager of the Colts, Ryan Grigson, obviously liked Sidbury as well and signed him quickly to a 1-year, $715,000 deal. It seems that this was a good signing, if Polian's grading system is correct. So the question then becomes what role he has with the Colts. He won't be the starter, as Bjoern Werner and Erik Walden will be battling for the outside linebacker spot opposite of Robert Mathis (another thing to consider is that Sidbury is making the transition from a defensive end in Atlanta to an outside linebacker in Indy). The team's confidence in the depth that they have with Sidbury may have been a deciding factor in the move to trade away former first round pick Jerry Hughes. It is safe to assume that Lawrence Sidbury will get more opportunities this season with the Colts than he did last season with the Falcons - much more, probably. He has talent and potential as a speed pass rusher, but he needs work to achieve that. Working with a Colts coaching staff that is talented and believes in him should help Sidbury greatly. And perhaps as the season goes on, the Colts will continue to get increased playing time and production out of him. The only issue is that they have at least two guys at the position ahead of Sidbury, so he faces an uphill battle. We will look at the position as a whole as it gets closer to camp, but I don't think that Lawrence Sidbury is any certainty on the 53-man roster.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports 2012 was undoubtedly the year of the quarterback in the NFL, however one star will shine the brightest when the sun finally sets on the careers of these young gunslingers. Obviously it was uncanny to see three rookie quarterbacks and an inexperienced guy like Colin Kaepernick reach the postseason last year, yet success will run rampant in this group of huddle-masters. 15 years down the road it’s going to be Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts who we all remember as the best quarterback to get selected in the 2012 draft class. In addition, Luck will outshine Kaepernick until one of them hangs up their cleats or is forced to. Taking over a 2-14 Colts team, Luck had quite a few expectations, however no one expected him to bring Indy to a playoff game in year one of his NFL tenure. The people that Luck had around him in year one will also contribute to his league domination. Head coach Bruce Arians was monstrous in Luck’s development, but don’t underestimate the effect of a guy like Reggie Wayne. Veteran wide receivers often branch out and take young quarterbacks under their wing, yet few of them have the pedigree and knowledge of the game that Wayne withholds. While I don’t want to dismiss what guys like Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III have done, I would be idiotic to jump off of the Luck bandwagon after a historic collegiate career and an electric start to his professional career. Perhaps the most important part of this conversation is the ability to stay healthy. Griffin is far from a sure thing after tearing his ACL last winter, so who is to say that injuries won’t be a recurring theme for quarterbacks who lend themselves to injury via the running game?

With the beginning of organized team activities (or, OTAs for short), the 2013 campaign has officially begun for the Indianapolis Colts. In the long-gone days of yester-year, training camp marked the official "beginning" of the seasons for players and fans alike. Not anymore. NFL football is a year round event, with only the month of June serving as a true offseason with little to no news or discussion points. In case you aren't clear what OTAs are, they are team-controlled sessions that allow all players under contract to come to the Colts facilities and train together. This includes rookies. It's a time for veterans to bond with younger players, and for new players to soak up the culture and environment within the Colts organization. These sessions are voluntary. 11-on-11 drills can be organized, but contact drills or scrimmages at OTAs are verboten! You'll notice I busted out my German accent just now, and that's because one new player who cannot participate in OTAs is first round pick Bjoern Werner. Werner is the only rookie drafted who is not signed to a contract. Other rookies who are signed might have difficulty attending OTAs as well. Last year this time, rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and wideout LaVon Brazill missed OTAs because of college graduation requirements. This year, Luck and Brazill are expected at OTAs, along with free agent signings like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Ricky Jean Francois. In fact, Jean Francois is already tweeting photos from OTAs. The schedule for OTAs in Indianapolis is May 20-22, May 28-30, and June 3-6.

Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports When the Indianapolis Colts made Coby Fleener a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, it was assumed that the tight end would become an integral part of the passing attack. Instead, Fleener watched as fellow rookie Dwayne Allen, a third-rounder, made a bigger impact as a pass-catcher and blocker. Heading into his sophomore season with the Colts, Fleener needs to live up to the hype the surrounded him coming out of college and become the dynamic tight end Indianapolis thought they were getting. A whole 26 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns wasn’t enough from 2012’s top tight end prospect. If he’s going to get better in 2013, there are several areas that Fleener must improve in. The most important is finding some sort of consistency in his ability to be an effective part of the Colts’ air assault. While Fleener was somewhat effective during his first few weeks in the NFL, after returning from an injury that sidelined him four weeks, he made little impact in the final five weeks of the regular season. In five appearances, he caught five passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the two touchdowns, his lack of reliability as a pass-catcher and blocker didn’t help the Colts stay competitive. Even though he tallied only three drops on the year, Fleener still must improve on his ability to hold on to catchable balls. Of the 29 catchable passes that came his way in 2012, the Stanford alum dropped three, or 10.3 percent. For a tight end lauded for his abilities as a receiving threat, that type of drop percentage is unacceptable. When he was entering the NFL, Fleener stole the spotlight from other tight end prospects because of his ability to pick up extra yards after the catch. With a strong frame and plenty of speed, it seemed like he’d become a go-to target for quarterback Andrew Luck, using his skill set to rack up big yards after the catch. Well, it didn’t quite pan out that way in his rookie campaign. Fleener managed a respectable amount of YAC yards (110) on the year compared to his season total of 281 yards. But it’s the fact that he never turned short receptions into big gains that hurt the Colts. Both of his touchdowns came on passes caught in the endzone – 26- and 1-yard receptions – and that 26-yard snag was his longest of the season. The most YAC yards he managed in one game was 36, which isn’t the type of production the Colts were expecting when they spent a high draft pick on Fleener. At this point, the Colts are hoping that the growing pains are gone. Fleener was expected to step in and provide a consistent target for Luck, the quarterback who threw to him throughout his college career. Instead he floundered and failed to assert his presence as a reliable weapon. That must change in 2013. Whether it’s as a blocker or pass-catcher, improvement is a must for Fleener. We’ll see if he’s gotten over his freshman woes or if the Colts are harboring a bust. Gil Alcaraz IV is a Content Planner/NFL Featured Columnist for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @GilAlcarazIV, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Shortly after free agency begun on March 12, the Indianapolis Colts agreed to a deal with outside linebacker Erik Walden. A whopping 4 year, $16 million deal. Walden is a guy entering his 6th season, and the Colts are the 5th team he has been on. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the 6th round of the 2008 draft out of Middle Tennessee State, but they waived him during the final roster cuts in training camp. The Kansas City Chiefs signed him, but they also waived him by mid-season. That's when the Miami Dolphins claimed him, and he stayed in Miami until the 2010 season, when, you guessed it, he was released mid-season. The Green Bay Packers signed him and Walden actually played a big role in the Packers getting to (and winning) the super bowl. Walden's best career game came on January 2, 2011 against the Chicago Bears, as he recorded 16 tackles and 3 sacks on his way to being named the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week. In the 2011 season Walden started 15 games and played in all 16, looking to continue to improve on the success that he had the previous year (namely against the Bears, when pretty much his entire season production came - he finished the year with 25 tackles and 3 sacks). He didn't. Like, at all. Despite starting 15 games at outside linebacker, he managed only 3 sacks and had little impact. Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the worst outside linebackers in the entire NFL, in both run and pass defense. He was an unrestricted free agent after the 2011 season and, with very little interest in him from other teams, the Packers brought him back on a 1 year, $725,000 deal. 2012 didn't go any better for Walden. He started 9 games (playing in 15 after he was suspended for the first week of the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy) and he once again recorded only 3 sacks (on the bright side, he did pick off 2 passes!). Walden was at his worst in the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. While he certainly wasn't the only reason why the Packers lost, he was truly awful. His failures were a large reason why 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran wild for 181 yards and 2 scores on the ground. PFF once again ranked him dead last in the NFL in pass rushing among 3-4 outside linebackers. They also ranked him dead last on their list of free agent edge defenders. The Green Bay Packers really had no desire to re-sign him, Walden would later say. It isn't hard to see why. Devin Shanley of Acme Packing Company, the Packers SB Nation blog, wrote this of Walden in his free agent preview of the outside linebacker: Likelihood Of Re-Signing I hope with all my being that it’s poor. I’ll say this again, Walden is the worst OLB available in free agency right now according to PFF. The Packers could sign literally anyone else and have it be an upgrade. The problem is that Ted Thompson likes to keep his own guys and Walden is bound to be extra cheap (he is the worst OLB free agent available after all); so it’s not unreasonable to expect him back trying out for the team again in 2013. Sigh….I think I died a little typing that sentence. Wow. Harsh stuff, and from what I've heard, Shanley's feelings were shared by Packers fans. Just reading the comments on that article is quite shocking how much people wanted him gone. That leaves the question of what in the world the Colts were thinking when they signed Walden. Packers fans weren't even sure about bringing him back on a very cheap deal. Walden will count $3.25 million against the Colts' salary cap this year. What was Ryan Grigson thinking? Short answer: I have no freaking idea. The Colts didn't re-sign Dwight Freeney (who just recently signed with the Chargers), leaving a big void at the outside linebacker position. Jerry Hughes was the best player there, besides Robert Mathis, of course (and now Hughes is gone too, with the Colts trading him to the Bills). Grigson was addressing the bigg

I've been reading Stampede Blue for a while now, but I thought it was about time I get in on the action! For my first post, I thought it would be fun to do a 53-man roster projection and get everyones' feedback. Here it goes: QB- Luck, Hasselback RB- Ballard, Brown, Carter, Williams FB- MooreWR- Wayne, DHB, Hilton, Brazill, WhalenTE- Allen, Fleener, Cunningham, SaundersLT- Castanzo, LinkenbachLG- Thomas, ReitzC- Satale, HolmesRG- Thornton, McGlynnRT- Cherilus, IjalanaDE- Redding, RJF, Moala, NevisNT- Chapman, Franklin, HughesOLB- Mathis, Werner, Walden, SidburyILB- Freeman, Angerer, Conner, SheppardSS- Landry, Swanson (Boyett PUP)FS- Bethea, LefegedCB- Davis, Toler, Butler, Vaughn, PriceK- VinatieriP- McAfeeLS- Overton Thoughts? I've been reading Stampede Blue for a while now, but I thought it was about time I get in on the action! For my first post, I thought it would be fun to do a 53-man roster projection and get everyones' feedback. Here it goes: QB- Luck, Hasselback RB- Ballard, Brown, Carter, Williams FB- MooreWR- Wayne, DHB, Hilton, Brazill, WhalenTE- Allen, Fleener, Cunningham, SaundersLT- Castanzo, LinkenbachLG- Thomas, ReitzC- Satale, HolmesRG- Thornton, McGlynnRT- Cherilus, IjalanaDE- Redding, RJF, Moala, NevisNT- Chapman, Franklin, HughesOLB- Mathis, Werner, Walden, SidburyILB- Freeman, Angerer, Conner, SheppardSS- Landry, Swanson (Boyett PUP)FS- Bethea, LefegedCB- Davis, Toler, Butler, Vaughn, PriceK- VinatieriP- McAfeeLS- Overton Thoughts?

You may have already read dozens and dozens of power rankings already this offseason and although my rankings are bound to be wrong and will barely have any meaning, it is still a fun thing to do. 1. DENVER BRONCOS- This team is so stacked and they (somehow) got better in the offseason. Peyton Manning has Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas, (and now) Wes Welker, Jacob Tamme. Highly praised Louis Vasquez joined an already solid oline too, which gives defenses even more stress. Yes, the loss of Dumervil hurts...but the leader of the defense has been Von Miller. 2. SAN FRANCISCO- These guys have perhaps the best front 7 in football I have ever seen (i'm 23, so I wasn't around for the terrific 80's 46 Bears defense or the Steel Curtain Steeler's D, which I have heard is quite outstanding). The O-line and the rest of the offense too is outstanding. DB's are a concern and I don't think Ashmoghua will make as much of a positive impact as they would like. Frank Gore is now 30- a deadly age for RBs. But with a promising young QB, good receivers, terrific oline and an exceptional front seven, I rank these guys #2. 3. GREEN BAY PACKERS- There are so many things I love about Aaron Rodgers' play. He is the king of QB's at the moment. The loss of the old Greg Jennings wont harm them at all. Eddie Lacy could be the RB they need. They hope the addition of Datone Jones shores up their run D which struggled last year and it could work. Even though the defense is only average, Rodgers elevates this team's play and makes them a serious threat. 4. ATLANTA FALCONS- This is Matt Ryan's year. He has the talent, he has the tools (Gonzalez, White, Jones) to do win it all. 5. BALTIMORE RAVENS- This team lost the core of their defense. But they have the best front office in football. They have an outstanding coach. They have a QB that knows how to win playoff games (what an outstanding playoff run in 2012). They still have do it all back Ray Rice. They won without their top CB in 2012. They added Elvis Dumervil. They had a strong draft. They shrewdly let Ellerbe and Kruger walk for big bucks- this team knows how to declare "NEXT MAN UP". 6. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- They are not the lethal, scary team they once were. I don't think they get past the Divisional Round this year and the loss of Welker and the potential loss of Rob Gronkowski is serious. I don't like the receivers Tom Brady has to work with. But it is Tom Brady we're talking here. Bill Bellichick will still be the mastermind in NE, thus they are contenders. 7. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- These guys are borderline elite. I'm not sold on them like most people are. Richard Sherman is a stud and Bobby Wagner has it all, but with Bruce Irvin and Chris Clemons missing for some time (whom of which combined for 20 sacks), the defense pass rush will struggle, especially in that important week 2 clash with San Francisco. Russell Wilson will have to utilize Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice and Marshawn Lynch to perfection and cannot afford to start off slowly, given their defensive setbacks this offseason. A good team- their road struggles too setback this team and I'm not as high on these guys as most experts are. 8. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- I'm so impressed with Andrew Luck's rookie season. I questioned some Free Agent and Draft additions, but all the additions were upgrades (except Walden). The core of this team's skilled players was set up in last year's draft. This offseason saw the trenches improve immensely (on paper)- which was a necessity given last year's struggles. I'm looking forward to 2013. 9. HOUSTON TEXANS- Two reasons why I don't rate these guys higher: Reason 1) the offseason has been a setback for them- They don't have a receiving threat outside Andre Johnson (although the addition of De'Andre Hopkins may relieve coverage off him, he is still unproven and he is still a rookie). The addition of Ed Reed for Clover Quinn is a downgrade. He may be a big name, but he had serious issues in 2012

This time of the year is the "dead" period of the NFL off-season. Brad Wells, Tyler Brooke, Josh Wilson, and I have thought of doing a podcast or Google plus hangout soon. We have thought of multiple names such as Stable Talk and Stampede Blue Crew Podcast. We are looking for a creative and fun name relating to the site. Also, with obvious ties to the Colts as well. The podcast or Google plus hangout (whichever one) will last 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the length of topics and guests. I am looking forward to this, as are all the other writers on Stampede Blue. The dates and times are still unknown, but that will be solved later on. Now, what will the name be? Express your thoughts on what you think the name of the podcast/hangout should be in the comments section below. If the readers agree on a name, I will pitch it to the rest of the writers and see if they also like it. This should be fun guys, I hope you will enjoy it!

For 11 years, Dwight Freeney donned his blue and white number 93 jersey and took the field for the Indianapolis Colts. When next season rolls around, however, things will be different. While he will still be wearing blue, it won't be Colts blue. Freeney today signed a 2-year deal with the San Diego Chargers. Former Colt Tom Telesco is the new GM of the Chargers, so it makes sense for him to have had interest in Freeney after Melvin Ingram tore his ACL this past week. The day after that happened, the Chargers brought Freeney in for a visit, and today they agreed to a deal. Another thing that likely appealed to Freeney was the fact that the Chargers defensive coordinator is John Pagano, the brother of Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. Overall, however, this move is puzzling. Freeney transitioned from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker last year and... well, it's safe to say he struggled. He managed to get only 5 sacks, although his impact was much greater than that. The Colts' defense was noticeably better when number 93 was on the field. His season would be average (maybe just barely below average) for the average NFL OLB, but for Freeney it was a disappointment. When the Colts didn't re-sign him this offseason, everyone figured he would go to a team needing a 4-3 DE pass rusher. I thought that he could do quite well in that role, despite his age (33). Instead, he signed with the Chargers - a team running a 3-4 defense. We don't know what role Freeney will occupy with the Chargers at this point, but it seems likely that he will at least help to fill the void left by Melvin Ingram. He will be a situational pass rusher, but still, his pass rushing skills from a 3-4 weren't what they were in a 4-3. His role will likely be strictly as a pass rusher and not as a 3-down OLB - Tom Telesco will utilize Freeney's biggest strength. All of that said, however, I think a lot more of his issues last year were due to injuries and age, not the new system. Whether or not he can stay injury free will go a long ways as to how effective he can be (obviously). Check out some quotes from Bill Polian and Tony Dungy, courtesy of Chris Mortensen via twitter: Tony Dungy: "I'm not sure (Freeney) is well-suited for a 3-4 team. I think Dwight needs play at right end and as a third-down pass rusher."— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 18, 2013 Bill Polian: "There's no question he can fit with that scheme. There are no strict 3-4 defenses, or not many."— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 18, 2013 More Polian on Freeney: "You take Dwight, you get his hand on the ground and play him for 30-to-40 snaps, let him get after the quarterback"— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 18, 2013 This move raises eyebrows, certainly. But throughout his entire career, Dwight Freeney has never been one to give up and he will work as hard as he can to produce this season. I'm not putting it past him. Who knows? Maybe he'll even get a sack of Andrew Luck when the Colts visit the Chargers on October 14. And of course, Freeney will get his shot at Peyton Manning after all. The Chargers play the Broncos twice each year. Regardless of whether or not us bloggers and media guys think Freeney will make a big impact or not, I bet both Luck and Manning will be worried about having to face him.