INDIANAPOLIS —
What the Indianapolis Colts accomplished last season — posting an 11-5 record and earning an AFC wild-card berth with a young team plus having that kind of success without its head coach on the sidelines for 12 games — didn’t go unnoticed by players around the NFL.
That was especially true for the five veteran free agents who were added to the Colts’ roster Tuesday. Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus (Detroit), cornerback Greg Toler (Arizona), outside linebacker Erik Walden (Green Bay), offensive guard Donald Thomas (New England) and linebacker Lawrence Sidbury (Atlanta) admitted as much Wednesday.
“I felt like this would be the best fit for me at this point in my career. I really liked what I saw was happening with the program here and the way things have taken shape. I feel like we have a really great team here and it’s on the rise. I really wanted to be a part of that,” Thomas said during a teleconference interview with the Colts’ media.
Toler, who is friends with Indianapolis cornerback Vontae Davis and free safety Antoine Bethea, concurred.
“Honestly the push that they had last year. Just how the team just gathered together and just winning games when people thought they had a young team so they weren’t going to win as many games. Somehow they just turned it around and just came together,” the former Cardinals defensive back said.
“Just speaking with some of the guys, I know a few of the guys that are currently on the team — Antoine Bethea and Vontae Davis — and I kind of know their character. And I said, ‘Man, that might be my type of family over there.’ They care about their players, they work hard, you know they don’t slack up at all, but they expect you to be professional and accountable at all times. I feel as though I could bring that to the table and just come in here and like I said, work hard and keep my nose to the grind.”
Cherilis, meanwhile, got a close-up view of the Colts last season at Ford Field in Detroit. Indianapolis rallied in the second half for a 35-33 win against the Lions, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds.
“[The Colts] were walking out of the sideline extremely excited and it wasn’t enough. It was like boom and they came back and it was like touchdown. And boom we’re offsides. And my head was raised, but we didn’t get [a key first down],” he recalled.
“I don’t know if you guys have this shot, but I was on my knees praying because I knew [the Colts rally] was going to happen. It was a great comeback. They put their whole hearts in the way they play, the way they did things, even when they were down they had this whole swagger to them. Like ‘Hey we’ve been there before, we know we can do it and we know who we’re doing it for.’ At the end, it was pretty amazing.”
For guys like Walden, Thomas and Sidbury, coming to Indianapolis provides an opportunity to better showcase their talents.
“I’m a hard worker. I haven’t had the glorified roles, so to speak. Everything that I’ve gotten so far in this league I’ve earned. I’ve had my setbacks and my injuries. What player hasn’t? But I’ve bounced back from them and I’ve tried to capitalize on what God-given abilities I do have,” the former Patriots offensive lineman explained.
“I pride myself on being a quality offensive lineman and run blocking and pass protecting and opening up holes and protecting the quarterback is the name of the game. That’s truly the thing that I really pride my game on.”
Walden and Sidbury were backups with their previous teams.
“I feel like it is definitely the perfect time [to go to a new team]. I felt like my role was a little held back in Green Bay. [It] always was like a little tag along. Now I’m walking taller where I can just take over and take charge and be the man. That’s what I plan on doing.,” the former Packers linebacker said.
“That’s kind of the pressure and the accountability I’m putting on myself to just raise your level of play to be better, not just be complacent and satisfied, be the best player you can be week-in and week-out and make sure your production is there and you’re holding yourself accountable and not letting your teammates down.”
Sidbury had limited playing time with the Falcons and worked primarily in a 4-3 scheme. Now he’ll have to make the transition to a 3-4 alignment.
“First and foremost, I feel wanted [by the Colts]. It’s always a good situation when I’ll come here because they want me to be here. I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a young team and they had a lot of success and I just wanted to come be a part of it and help these guys win, do great things,” he noted.
“My Atlanta days are over and done with and I want to get the opportunity to help this team win and help get after the quarterback and come play in this defense. Like I said, they want me here, so obviously my opportunity is going to come here.”
• Waiting to hear — New York Jets safety LaRon Landry spent Wednesday visiting the Colts complex and meeting with the team’s player personnel department and coaching staff.
Landry, who plays strong safety, had not agreed to a deal with Indianapolis by early Wednesday evening. He was scheduled to visit with the San Francisco 49ers today. The 49ers, though, were reportedly close to signing safety Charles Woodson.
San Francisco defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois visited with Philadelphia officials Wednesday and left without agreeing to a deal. Francois is due in Indianapolis today.
The Colts reportedly made a run at New England wide receiver Wes Welker, who eventually signed a two-year deal with Denver. Indianapolis ended its flirtation with Detroit outside linebacker/defensive end Cliff Avril. The former Purdue standout agreed to terms with Seattle Wednesday evening.
Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed is visiting the Houston Texans today and is planning on making a trip to Indianapolis sometime this week. Reed may also talk with San Francisco officials.
• Butler returns — Cornerback Darius Butler signed a two-year contract with the Colts Tuesday and will remain with the team.
Butler was an unrestricted free agent. He was added to the Indianapolis roster midway through last season and made an immediate impact. He led the Colts with four interceptions
• Moving on — Four former Colts players signed with new teams on Wednesday. Wide receiver Donnie Avery agreed on a deal with Kansas City. Cornerback Jerraud Powers and quarterback Drew Stanton both signed with Arizona, where they will reunite with former Indianapolis offensive coordinator/interim coach Bruce Arians.
Inside linebacker Moise Fokou also inked a deal with the Tennessee Titans. Outside linebacker Dwight Freeney and wide receiver Austin Collie have yet to sign with a new team.
• Indiana State flavor — St. Louis released safety Quintin Mikell on Monday but he has yet to sign with a new team.
Mikell, who grew up in Terre Haute, is the son of former Indiana State linebacker Quintin Mikell. There was speculation that the Colts may be interested in brining him in for a visit. Mikell began his NFL career in Philadelphia and is familiar with Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers added quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to their roster Wednesday. Gradkowski is the nephew of former Sycamores offensive guard Mark Gradkowski.
Colts
Colts introduce free-agent signees
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Luck having fun with his first OTAs
A year ago, quarterback Andrew Luck was unable to attend the Indianapolis Colts’ organized team activity practices due to school commitments at Stanford.
Luck, though, went on to have a stellar year for the Colts despite the lack of summer work with the team. Still, in a sense, he is a rookie during this year’s OTA workouts.
“These are my first OTAs. I missed these last year, so I think it’s great. It’s great to get on the field with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff. Obviously, some of us ran some of this stuff [offense] at Stanford [under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton]. But to get out there with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff is good,” Luck said Wednesday as the team wrapped up its first week of on-field voluntary practice sessions. -
Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
While the Indianapolis Colts put their rookies and a handful of second-year players through workouts this weekend at the team’s Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, a pair of first-year coordinators are getting a chance to do some valuable on-field work as well.
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Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
The Indianapolis Colts welcomed 37 players to the start of the team’s rookie mini camp Friday at the West 56th Street headquarters.
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts received high marks for the impact players the team added through the NFL draft.
Of the 10 players selected, five ended up either starting or seeing extensive playing time (quarterback Andrew Luck, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Vick Ballard) during the Colts’ 11-5 season.
While this year’s class may not rival that group in terms of name recognition and flash, it may produce just as many major contributors once the 2013 season gets underway. -
Werner at top of game
Bjoern Werner was a late comer to football. But after being selected in the first round of the 2013 National Football League draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Werner realizes that he has reached the pinnacle of the sport in a relatively short amount of time.
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Colts select pass rusher Werner in first round
The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner. The 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive lineman can also play left outside linebacker.
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Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
As the 2013 NFL draft gets underway tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Indianapolis Colts are continuing their wait-and-see stance in regard to the first-round pick.
The draft begins at 8 p.m. — televised by the NFL Network and ESPN — with the Kansas City Chiefs making the night’s first selection. Teams will have 10 minutes to make their decisions during the first round. Indianapolis will have the 24th overall pick in the first round.
There will be only one round tonight. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with seven minutes allotted per pick in the second round and five minutes allowed in the third. The final four rounds are slated to begin at noon Saturday with four minutes between selections.
As it stands now, Indianapolis does not have a second-round pick. It was traded to Miami last fall in exchange for veteran cornerback Vontae Davis. But second-year general manager Ryan Grigson has nut ruled out the possibility of trading down from the first round if the Colts aren’t satisfied with the players available. -
Direction clear for Colts in 2013 draft
The Indianapolis Colts head into the 2013 NFL Draft with some definite plans.
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Colts veteran among those excited to see Luck's growth in 2013-14
Veteran defensive end Cory Redding is a big fan — literally and figuratively — of Indianapolis Colts second-year quarterback Andrew Luck.
Redding, who has become one of the Colts’ lockerroom leaders after just one season with the team, thinks he has some reasonable expectations of Indianapolis’ former No. 1 draft pick. -
Heyward-Bey feeling fortunate to hook up with Luck
Add one more player to the list of veteran free agents signed by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.
Former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey agreed to a a deal with the Colts late Monday evening. Bey, who played collegiately at Maryland, was the seventh player selected in the first round of the 2009 National Football League draft. -
Colts sign nose tackle
Another day, more player signings for the Indianapolis Colts.
Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin agreed to terms with the Colts on Tuesday evening and officially signed with the team Wednesday. Franklin (6-1, 315) is a 10-year NFL veteran with stops in Baltimore (2003-06), San Francisco (2007-10), New Orleans (2011) and San Diego (2012). -
Colts sign Matt Hasselbeck to back up Luck
The Indianapolis Colts’ roster moves just keep coming.
While the Colts haven’t yet added that big-name wide receiver that team owner Jim Irsay hinted at in tweets over the weekend, Indianapolis has addressed one area on offense.
Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had agreed Monday night to be the Colts’ primary back-up to second-year starter Andrew Luck. He officially signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the team Tuesday morning.
“We are very pleased to announce the signing of Matt Hasselbeck,” general manager Ryan Grigson said in a prepared statement. “His body of work, intangibles, and extensive league experience speak for themselves. Those factors, plus his familiarity with our offensive scheme, will make him a great asset to our team and its vision as we move forward.” -
Colts likely done signing free agents, for now
With the possible exception of adding a few lesser-priced players, the Indianapolis Colts’ big-time foray into the veteran free-agent marketplace is pretty much done.
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Landry, Jean Francois join Colts defensive unit
After adding five veteran free agent players to the Indianapolis Colts roster on Tuesday, general manager Ryan Grigson plucked two more plums late Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.
New York Jets safety LaRon Landry and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois both signed contracts with the Colts. Landry, a strong safety who appears to be a bigger version of former Indianapolis Pro Bowler Bob Sanders, and the versatile Jean-Francois are expected to make immediate impacts on the Colts’ defensive unit. -
Colts introduce free-agent signees
What the Indianapolis Colts accomplished last season — posting an 11-5 record and earning an AFC wild-card berth with a young team plus having that kind of success without its head coach on the sidelines for 12 games — didn’t go unnoticed by players around the NFL.
That was especially true for the five veteran free agents who were added to the Colts’ roster Tuesday. Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus (Detroit), cornerback Greg Toler (Arizona), outside linebacker Erik Walden (Green Bay), offensive guard Donald Thomas (New England) and linebacker Lawrence Sidbury (Atlanta) admitted as much Wednesday.
“I felt like this would be the best fit for me at this point in my career. I really liked what I saw was happening with the program here and the way things have taken shape. I feel like we have a really great team here and it’s on the rise. I really wanted to be a part of that,” Thomas said during a teleconference interview with the Colts’ media. -
Colts sign five free agents, filling needs at offensive line, cornerback
The Indianapolis Colts were a busy team on the opening day of the National Football League’s veteran free agent market, which got underway at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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Jeff Saturday retires as a Colt
An Indianapolis Colt for life. Pencil in Jeff Saturday for that honor.
The 14-year veteran center in the NFL put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — when Saturday earned his greatest rewards. -
Saturday thrilled to retire as a Colt
The 14-year veteran center in the National Football League put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in-between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — that Saturday earned his greatest rewards.
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Saturday to retire as Colt on Thursday
Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday will make his retirement from the National Football League official on Thursday.
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Indianapolis franchises punter McAfee
A week ago, Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano said it was a priority that the team retain the services of punter Pat McAfee.
McAfee, an unrestricted free agent who’s contract is due to expire March 12, was designated as the Colts’ franchise player Friday. The move allows Indianapolis extra time to work out a long-term deal for the team’s special-teams ace.
“He’s huge. He’s a major priority in free agency. Obviously, we’ve reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed,” Pagano said during the National Football Scouting Combine. “We saw what he did for us last year. He’s a great weapon, not only kickoffs and touchbacks. -
Colts GM enjoying time at combine
Indianapolis Colts second-year general manager Ryan Grigson makes no bones about it. He enjoys watching prospective football players strut their stuff.
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Colts keeping eye on large crop of talented linemen in NFL Draft
According to most National Football League draft observers, this year’s crop of prospects is deep with quality offensive and defensive linemen.
Among the offensive line candidates who have been showcasing their talents at the National Football Scouting Combine, which began in earnest Thursday and wraps up on Tuesday, the spotlight has been on the offensive tackles. Offensive left tackles in particular. -
Colts' Pagano back to full work schedule at combine
Back and ready to go.
That’s the attitude Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano is taking during the National Football Scouting Combine, which completed its second day of operations Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. During a wide-ranging press conference at the combine, Pagano confirmed that he is back to a full work regimen after missing 12 games last fall as he battled a rare form of leukemia.
After undergoing cancer treatments that featured heavy doses of chemotherapy, the second-year head coach was able to return to the sidelines for Indianapolis’ final regular-season home game against Houston and for the team’s AFC wild-card matchup with eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore. -
Colts looking forward to different approach to draft in 2013
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts had the first overall pick in the 2012 National Football League draft.
It was a foregone conclusion that the Colts would select former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the selection. While Indianapolis front office and player personnel officials certainly had to do their due diligence in preparing for the draft, the Colts find themselves this year in a bit different situation.
The team will have the 24th overall pick in the first round, which is a double-edged sword. Indianapolis picks lower in the round due to a successful season. But the pool of available can’t-miss talent isn’t quite as plentiful as drafting earlier in the round. -
Former Pro Bowl selection Freeney won't return to Colts
The news coming out of the Indianapolis Colts headquarters Friday afternoon was not totally unexpected. Team officials have confirmed that two veteran players – former Pro Bowl defensive end/outside linebacker Dwight Freeney and wide receiver Austin Collie — will not be returning for the 2013 season.
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Colts’ new offensive coordinator will offer variety
Quarterback Andrew Luck running the Pistol offense? Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton lining up in the Wildcat?
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Colts moving on to the off season
Moving on. That’s the immediate plans for the Indianapolis Colts as they head into the off season.
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Baltimore ends Indy’s playoff run early
The Baltimore Ravens want one long final ride for Ray Lewis. Having disposed of Andrew Luck and the Colts, they now face a more imposing challenge.
Next up, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. -
Switching sides: Colts-Ravens matchup includes old friends on new teams
Just as Baltimore Ravens players and coaches will be seeing some old friends returning to M&T Bank Stadium today, several Indianapolis Colts veterans will also have an opportunity to renew acquaintances with a familiar face.
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Pagano prepares Colts for tough crowd in Baltimore
As a former resident of Baltimore, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano knows all about the hard feelings that still run strong about the move of the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984.
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