Category Archives: Indianapolis Colts
2012 NFL draft: Indianapolis Colts full of Luck
Joe Montana, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady. Usually an NFL team considers themselves lucky to land a Hall of Fame quarterback, but it rarely happens where the luck continues and you have the ability to draft one just after releasing another. For the Indianapolis Colts that is reality as they make Andrew Luck the number one overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
The opportunity to draft the best player in the draft presented the Indianapolis Colts when Peyton Manning would sit out the 2011-2012 season with a neck injury and they wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.
After the rumors, speculation and release of Manning, Andrew Luck is now the face of the Colts. While it may take some time to adjust for Colts fans it’s only a matter of time until they are once again relevant for another 10 years.
2012 NFL Draft: Andrew Luck Highlight Video
With the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft the Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford.
At 6-4, 235 lbs Luck has the ideal size to succeed in the NFL. His big frame will allow him to take some punishment while his NFL ready arm appears destined to return Indianapolis to glory.
Will Andrew Luck’s rookie season surpass his dad’s career?
Next week, former Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck will be the first name called out in the 2012 NFL Draft. He will be selected by the Indianapolis Colts and instantaneously become the face of their franchise.
Being the first pick in the draft comes with a lot of pressure as all eyes will be on the rookie throughout the course of his inaugural NFL season. Only time will tell whether or not Luck will experience success his first season but one thing is for sure, he certainly has the opportunity to show up his dad’s entire career; as a rookie.
Teams who need to take advantage of Compensatory Picks
The NFL has announced the compensatory picks for the 2012 Draft, and now 32 extra picks were distributed to 23 different teams on Monday. For those who don’t know, Compensatory picks are handed out to teams based on the number of free agents lost and gained during Free Agency. The Oakland Raiders were the big winners as they didn’t have any picks in the first four rounds of the 2012 Draft.
Surprise! Reggie Wayne re-signs with Colts
In an unlikely turn of events, the Indianapolis Colts have re-signed long time receiver Reggie Wayne to a new three-year deal worth $17.5 million. After the house cleaning last week to get under the cap, it seemed to everyone the Colts were ready for a complete re-build. Yet the Colts surprise everyone and bring back one of their own as the Colts look toward a new era in Indianapolis.
Colts trying to trade Dwight Freeney
Stand out defensive end, Dwight Freeney, said he plans on staying in Indianapolis despite the number of free agents leaving the team. That may not be the case in Jim Irsay’s mind.
2012 NFL draft: Possible Selections for the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have been on the clock since Week 17 of the NFL season and it could be said that they have been on the clock since we all were informed Peyton Manning would not be playing in 2011.
2012 Mock Draft: AFC South edition
The mock draft journey in the NFL lands us in the AFC South today where things took a turn that nobody saw coming. The Indianapolis Colts have dominated the AFC South for a long time but thanks to Peyton Manning’s neck, found themselves almost going 0-16 before turning it around and finishing 2-14. Not only did the Colts finish 2-14, but they also cleaned house as they fired Bill Polian and Head Coach Jim Caldwell. They are now ready to go in a new direction under new General Manager Ryan Grigson and new Head Coach Chuck Pagano, all led by Andrew Luck. The Jacksonville Jaguars had a ok season but they got a new Owner during the season which is leaving some to speculate if they are going to move to Los Angeles. The Tennessee Titans under first year coach Mike Munchak had a pretty good year finishing 9-7 and coming close to a playoff spot. The big winner of it all, the Houston Texans finished 10-6, and not only hosted a playoff game but also won their first playoff game before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. How can each team look to build or rebuild off last season?
Indianapolis Colts
Round 1, Pick 1: Andrew Luck QB Stanford: The Colts did their best this past season, it sure had to be tough beating the Titans & Texans late in the season but hey they lost to Jacksonville and secured the # 1 pick in the 2012 Draft. Just how ironic is this, last year Peyton Manning advised Luck to stay at Stanford for another year and what do you know, Luck is about to be drafted by the Colts. Luck is the best QB prospect to come out since well, Peyton Manning and no doubt will be replacing Manning as the Colts look to start a new era in Indy. Out of all the times for the Colts to struggle, it just happens when Peyton has neck surgery, maybe Peyton should have advised Luck to stay in school for another year once again.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Round 1, Pick 7: Whitney Mercilus DE Illinois: The Jaguars love drafting defensive lineman, in fact they have drafted defensive lineman every other year in the first round since 2008. So since they took Blaine Gabbert last year, it’s time for another defensive lineman. Whitney Mercilus will be this year’s Aldon Smith and shoot up the draft boards by April. Whitney led the nation in sacks and forced fumbles last season with 16 and had 22.5 tackles for loss, and that will upgrade the Jaguars pass rush and improve the defensive line.
Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 20: Devon Still DT Penn State: Still is currently BPA for the Titans at the moment as they get lucky he falls to them. The Titans haven’t had a real force on their defensive line since Albert Haynesworth. Still ended the season with 55 tackles and 4.5 sacks as he was a true dominant force on Penn State’s defensive line. Standing at 6’5, Still has amazing power and speed to be a true play maker in the NFL and the Titans are lucky he drops to 20 in my mock.
Houston Texans
Round 1, Pick 26: Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina: There were so many concerns about Jeffery heading into the combine that he was one of the players guaranteed to have a draft night fall. His slide ends at 26 as he gets to go play opposite of Andre Johnson in Houston. Jeffery had a down year compared to his 2010 season but is ready to show teams that he can be a number one receiver in the NFL. The Texans offense gets much better with the pick of Jeffery at the bottom of round one and should make Matt Schaub one happy quarterback.
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Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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Could Matt Flynn throw a wrench in April’s NFL draft?
Whether Peyton Manning remains an Indianapolis Colt or not is irrelevant when it comes to the future of the franchise. This offseason Indianapolis will choose who they hope will be their quarterback for the next 10-15 seasons. Maybe it’s Andrew Luck out of Stanford. Maybe it’s Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III. Either is a reasonable No. 1 overall pick and no one would blame the Colts for making it. But what if the Colts throw a wrench in the draft? What if they sign Matt Flynn via free agency?
5 reasons Peyton Manning should retire
Within the next seven days, Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, will finally sit down with owner Jim Irsay and discuss his future as a Colt. Based on his conversation with Irsay, Manning will choose one of three options: restructure his deal with the Colts and resign with the team, be released by the Colts and sign with another team, or simply retire. Here are five reasons Peyton Manning should retire.
1. He’s already had a Hall of Fame career: If Manning never takes another NFL snap he has already had a Hall of Fame career; no questions asked. Manning has a career record of 141-67. He’s passed for 54,828 yards, 399 touchdowns with a career passer rating of 94.9. Peyton won the Super Bowl in the 2005-06 season so he’s even got a ring. What more is there for him to prove?
2. Unfamiliar surroundings: Whether he stays with the Indianapolis Colts or signs with another team via free agency, Manning will find himself in uncharted waters. Where the NFL is better having Peyton Manning to cheer against, the effect isn’t the same if he is on a bad team. Even if he signs with a playoff contender the chances are that he won’t have time to gel with his receivers until he is as close to 100 percent as possible. Given the nature of his injury, who knows how long that might be?
3. He’ll never win another Super Bowl: At this point in his career, Manning should only be thinking about championships. The Colts are obviously several years away from contention and any other team that brings him in as that final piece is desperate at best. Look at recent NFL greats that changed teams late in their careers. Joe Montana, Drew Bledsoe, Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. All found success after leaving their respective teams but none won a Super Bowl. Warner was the closest with the Cardinals.
4. He could retire now with dignity: Let’s face it, the chances are that Manning will either stay with the Colts where he would sit behind a healthy Andrew Luck or go to another team and compete for the starting job. Throughout his professional career Manning has been synonymous with greatness. Not only has Peyton been a student of the game but he once had the tools to execute his ideology. Where his head and heart are still there, all bets are off when it comes to his health. Does anyone want to watch Manning struggle for the next year or possibly get knocked out of the game for good? I certainly don’t.
5. The “Manning” reputation has successfully been turned over to Eli. Not only did Eli win the Super Bowl and earn game MVP honors only one year after Peyton, he went on to surpass his big brother winning his second ring this past season. No, Eli will never have the regular season records that his brother possesses but when it’s all said and done all those league MVP’s are second place to Super Bowl championships. Admit it or not, Eli is the better quarterback now and Peytob will never be able to retake that thrown.
Follow Aaron on Twitter or Facebook @Da_Bear_Truth.
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5 NFL owners who shouldn’t own teams
Thanks to Jim Irsay, this article has been spawned and written. I wrote earlier about how his tweeting could cost him Andrew Luck, now I’m saying that he shouldn’t be owning a NFL team. No other owner is on Twitter and tweeting every day and tweeting non-sense. Now he doesn’t tweet all non-sense, I mean he has given out Super Bowl tickets through contests on his Twitter. Despite that, he needs to stop tweeting as it’s not say, the norm for a business executive who is running one of the prestigious 32 NFL teams. Does that mean the 31 other owners are doing better than Irsay just because they don’t tweet? Not exactly, as there are owners out there who all have their flaws, specifically these five owners. They made this list due to the fact that they mishandle their team, don’t do what’s right for the team, who are cheap and shouldn’t be owning any teams in the NFL.
The Glazer Family: The Glazers own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have done so since 1995 when Malcolm Glazer purchased the team for $192 Million. Now Tampa does have one Super Bowl, but Malcolm and the entire Glazer family have shown that not only are they cheap but are more concerned about the Manchester United soccer team that he purchased for $1.47 Billion between 2003 and 2005. That is where the trouble started, after buying the Manchester United, they would begin to spend less on players, and it has even rolled over to the coaching staff. Raheem Morris was a cheap hire, and so was new Head Coach Greg Schiano. Until the Glazers sell the team, the Buccaneers will continue to be ignored and be the red headed step child to the Manchester United, the Glazer’s obviously top priority.
Dan Snyder: Our Fantasy Football fanatic of the Washington Redskins makes this list. Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999 for a whopping $800 Million, which at the time was the biggest transaction in sports history. Not only do we know that he has money, but he loves to spend it and during Free Agency. Snyder has been playing fantasy Football with the Redskins since he has been the owner. Since he has taken over the Redskins are 91-117, they have gone through seven head coaches in just thirteen seasons, and even demanded a removal of sports writer Dave McKenna for just expressing his opinion, and most importantly how can he screw up the Ricky Williams trade and not find players with all those draft picks. There are so many other things I can name but I will stop before he demands me to be removed from the Penalty Flag.
Jim Irsay: Our Tweet obsessive owner who should be more worried about how to handle Peyton Manning and his bonus than tweeting. Irsay right now is doing way too much tweeting and is not being who he should be, a NFL Owner. Owners of any sports team should act mature, and like a business person should, and Irsay is certainly not doing any of that. Right now he is doing his best impression of a NFL Owner, but is not acting like a Owner.
Stephen Ross: This is an owner who is more obsessed with celebrities, the spotlight and well being all about money. When you can say that Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams owned apart of the team, something is clearly wrong. Ross sold pieces of the Dolphins to these celebrities, and why? There is no point of and when your just handing out ownership like it’s cake, you have to be skeptical of how he runs things. Also who can forget how he was recruiting Jim Harbaugh while Tony Sparano was still under contract. Don’t get too comfy in Miami Joe Philbin, Ross may be recruiting your next replacement behind your back already.
Mike Brown: He wasn’t the only person in the state of Ohio who threatened to move a team out of the state, and because of that and many other screw ups Mike Brown is not a fan favorite among Cincinnati Bengals fans. Since his father’s death in 1991, Mike has been in control of the team and just like when Dan Snyder purchased the team, the on the field product suffered. The Bengals have only had 3 winning seasons, out of 21 seasons and are 0-3 in the playoffs since Brown took over. Another reason why fans don’t like him, he is too loyal and keeps coaches when it is obvious a coaching change is needed. He has kept Marvin Lewis despite the fact the Bengals have had not much success, even though they did make the playoffs this past season, until Brown gives up the team, the Bengals will never live up to their true potential.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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