Indianapolis Colts

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.

Dwight Freeney's offseason of change has led him to the West Coast.

The Colts secondary last season stunk. There’s really no way around it. There is most certainly a reason why the team only kept half of their starters (they kept Antoine Bethea and Vontae Davis while releasing Tom Zbikowski and letting Jerraud Powers walk in free agency). Entering the offseason, the secondary (and especially the cornerback spot) was a glaring concern and a huge priority. Enter Greg Toler. Drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of the Division II St. Paul’s College, Toler soon became a very good player for the Arizona Cardinals. In 2010, he started 13 games and recorded 90 tackles, forced 2 fumbles and picked off 2 passes. He was quickly becoming one of the top young CBs in the game, but unfortunately he missed the entire 2011 season due to a torn ACL, hindering his progress. In 2012, he started only 2 games (playing in 11) and obviously saw a decrease in his statistics as well. Still, however, he was good enough to be ranked Pro Football Focus’ 5th best cornerback in the NFL in terms of opponent’s passer rating when throwing against him (51.5); and PFF also ranked him the 10th best free agent corner despite having started only 2 games last year. Peter King listed him on his list of the top 50 free agents (he had Toler at number 49). ESPN Insider Field Yates listed Toler as the player essential for the Cardinals to keep. Many thought he would re-sign with the Cardinals (and there were even reports that he had agreed to a deal, though they were obviously false). Luckily for the Colts, he didn’t. General Manager Ryan Grigson gave Toler a 3-year, $15 million deal to play for the Indianapolis Colts, a deal the fifth-year cornerback accepted on the first day of free agency. Here’s what I wrote about the signing at the time: Greg Toler has started 15 games and appeared in 38 in his four years with the Cardinals. He has totaled 128 tackles, 19 pass deflections, 5 interceptions (2 returned for scores), and 1 sack in his career. He only started 2 games (appearing in 11) last year and as a result saw his stats decrease, but he did make the highlight reel with a 102-yard pick-6. Just 2 years ago, in 2010, Toler notched 90 tackles, forced 2 fumbles, and picked off 2 passes while starting 13 games. This move is a good move for an underrated player. While his reported contract of 3 years, $15 million may seem a bit high, Toler figures to start outside at corner opposite Vontae Davis. He was pretty good against the pass in 2012... While $5 million a year seems a tad high for a player like Toler (which I suggested at the time in my article), it actually isn’t all that high for a quality NFL starting corner, which is exactly what the Colts think Toler can be (and, if it matters, I agree). Grigson is banking on Toler getting back to the level he was at in 2010 and improving from there. Pre ACL tear, Toler looked like he was developing into a real good corner. Post ACL tear, Toler showed promise but wasn’t the same as he was in 2010. If Greg Toler can regain his form from a few years ago, the move is a very clear and significant upgrade over Jerraud Powers and is a tremendous signing by Grigson. The Colts are getting a real tough and physical player with good athleticism who, while not necessarily a ballhawk, knows how to get the ball and also can take it to the house. He’s very good in man coverage and he has the look of solid zone coverage as well. He is good in coverage and solid against the run – which, as I digress for a moment, actually looks to be a strength of the entire secondary, with Bethea, LaRon Landry, Davis, and Toler all being very solid players against the run. So why would this move possibly not work out? Simple – the Colts are replacing a small, injury-prone corner in Powers with a small, injury-prone corner in Toler. While neither player is short and in fact both are typical height for a corner, t