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October 31, 2009

Colts roster full of diamonds in the rough

By Tom James

INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to finding productive players for its roster, the Indianapolis Colts are arguably the best in the NFL.

Starting with team president Bill Polian and then moving on down to vice president of football operations Chris Polian, director of player personnel Tom Telesco, director of pro player personnel Clyde Powers, assistant director of player personnel Bob Ferguson and the Colts staff of eight regional scouts, Indianapolis has developed a knack for mining quality talent.

It doesn’t matter if a prospective player is from a major NCAA conference — like the Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12 or Southeastern Conference — or whether the candidate has attended lower levels of collegiate competition, such as Division III’s Mt. Union College.

If a player fits the Colts profile — smart, football savvy, athletic, good character — then they’ll get a close look. Physical size doesn’t necessarily matter. Fitting into the team’s offensive and defensive systems is more important.

Just take a look at this year’s regular-season roster. Safety Melvin Bullitt (Texas A&M;), rookie cornerback Jacob Lacey (Oklahoma State) and defensive tackle Eric Foster (Rutgers) were all undrafted.

Defensive tackle Dan Muir (Kent State) was also undrafted, signed with the Green Bay Packers, was released and was subsequently signed by Indianapolis last year. He’s now in the starting defensive line rotation. Defensive tackle Antonio Johnson (Mississippi State) was drafted by the Tennessee Titans, was placed on the Titans’ practice squad and was signed by the Colts. He also starts.

It’s the same on offense. Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday (North Carolina) was undrafted, signed with the Baltimore Ravens, was cut and then signed with Indianapolis. Offensive guard Ryan Lilja (Kansas State) was undrafted, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, was placed on waivers and was added to the Colts roster. Both have become key performers along the offensive line since joining the team.

Throw in unheralded wide receiver Pierre Garcon (Mt. Union College), a sixth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2008. Or running back Chad Simpson (Morgan State), who was undrafted and signed by the Colts prior to last season.

And just because a player is not the prototypical physical specimen doesn’t mean that they can’t play for the Colts. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, along with strong safety Bob Sanders, were considered to be too small to be every-down players in the NFL. All three have since earned appearances in the Pro Bowl. Sanders was the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.

Or how about middle linebacker Gary Brackett out of Rutgers? Brackett went undrafted after playing on a college team that didn’t win a lot of games on the field. And he wasn’t considered to be big enough to play on a regular-basis for an NFL team.

The joke is on the rest of the league.

And while first-year head coach Jim Caldwell credits the Colts’ player personnel department for the job that it’s done, and continues to do, he also praises the work done by the team’s veteran players. Instead of shunning younger players, they’re welcomed with open arms.

“We’ve been fortunate in that respect. I think overall it’s kind of a culture. It’s always been a prevailing attitude here that the standards are very high. You are here for a reason. You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think you had the skill level to play. I think the guys [in the 2009 rookie class] fight to measure up to that. I also think it’s a great situation to be in when you are a young player that you have so many guys that play the position that know how to get ready to play a game and prepare properly as professionals. I think our young guys have a lot of quality individuals to emulate. That helps as well,” Caldwell said late last week.

“The other thing is the veterans are willing to help them. It’s not a situation in which a young guy comes in, has the ability and he gets ostracized because the veteran guy is afraid the young guy is going to take his job. It is quite the contrary here. We are about winning. They help each other a tremendous amount. They talk with each other. [The veterans] give them great guidance.”

That fact has never been more in evidence than in the cases of players like Foster, Bullitt and Lacey. All three have made considerable contributions to the Colts’ success over the last three years.

Lacey, in fact, is just the latest undrafted player to have made a name for himself with Indianapolis, returning an interception for a touchdown last week against St. Louis. It was his first career NFL interception and his first touchdown.

“We feel blessed to have a group of guys that work hard and have played well. [Eric] Foster has done a lot of different things. He has certainly been a very important part of our team. He will continue to do so in the special teams, short yardage, plays the defensive line, and can play defensive end. He can play inside or out. [Melvin] Bullitt is the same way,” Caldwell pointed out.

“Last year you look at his play, he stepped in [for an injured Sanders] and always seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. That has continued. He has played very well. None of these guys rest on what they’ve done previously. They look at every week as a brand new challenge. They attack it that way.”

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