Josh Chapman gets to "test pads"

[Superman]

Great news!

We need him back asap, as Mookie is getting worse and worse.

Chapman would be a big upgrade at NT.

Lol wow really? Colts stuffed the run agaunst the browns, angerer, conner and freeman were clean most of the game. Mookie even got a couple of hits on weeden so he was even providing something in terms of pass rush. What on earth do you want from the guy ?

Mookie probably had his best game of the season. But he's still Mookie...

Meanwhile, Chapman hasn't played a single down in the NFL. No OTAs, no training camp, no preseason, no practice. He's a talented prospect, and I hope he can produce because we need help at tackle. But I think expectations are a bit too high for this fella already, and I feel sorry for him because there's just no way he can live up to them.

[Peytonparker]

Mookie probably had his best game of the season. But he's still Mookie...

Meanwhile, Chapman hasn't played a single down in the NFL. No OTAs, no training camp, no preseason, no practice. He's a talented prospect, and I hope he can produce because we need help at tackle. But I think expectations are a bit too high for this fella already, and I feel sorry for him because there's just no way he can live up to them.

The problem isnt Mookie. The problem is there is no depth, Mookie has played well this year but he should not be the starter

[Carlos Danger]

we have tons of space for free agency and I expect a heavy dose of defense in the draft.

Good news about Chapman. If he gets healthy again, I think he will be good at NT. I also think we will be looking at a very good defense in a couple years, but I do hope that Grigson avoids myopically choosing defensive players in the 2013 draft out of some sort of sense of draft balance or obligation to Manusky. There is no doubt that we need help at some positions on that side of the ball, but we definitely need to reshuffle and reassess our needs after the season ends. I would love to see a draft where we go purely bpa, considering the lack of depth we have at almost every position except QB. Other than QB, the only positions I don't want to see drafted in the first 2 rounds are RB, ILB, and TE (excluding K/P FB ect.).

[Gavin]

I dont think some have any idea to expect, if some think they are getting an interior pass rusher and an every down player they will be disappointed in my opinion, Chapman wiill be a rotational Nose Tackle, Mookie is the better pass rusher from the Nose

[gbrads_rants]

Nose isnt supposed to be a pass rusher regardless..they're supposed to free up the ILBs to rush the passer....Chapman is supposed to eat space up like he did for Don'ta Hightower last year

[CR91]

Good news about Chapman. If he gets healthy again, I think he will be good at NT. I also think we will be looking at a very good defense in a couple years, but I do hope that Grigson avoids myopically choosing defensive players in the 2013 draft out of some sort of sense of draft balance or obligation to Manusky. There is no doubt that we need help at some positions on that side of the ball, but we definitely need to reshuffle and reassess our needs after the season ends. I would love to see a draft where we go purely bpa, considering the lack of depth we have at almost every position except QB. Other than QB, the only positions I don't want to see drafted in the first 2 rounds are RB, ILB, and TE (excluding K/P FB ect.).

i really would like us to go safety in the first round. outside of the browns game zibs playing has been pedestrian. i know people want to go o-line in the first, but its better we look in FA for lineman. drafting lineman tend to take two-three years to blossom

[HtownColt]

Chapman since he is testing out the pads i don't expect him to be more than limited in practice tomorrow

[Gavin]

i really would like us to go safety in the first round. outside of the browns game zibs playing has been pedestrian. i know people want to go o-line in the first, but its better we look in FA for lineman. drafting lineman tend to take two-three years to blossom

The flip side of picking up an O Lineman in FA vs the draft, O Linemen in the draft usually take a year or two yes but most O Linemen in FA havent blossomed in at least that many years and usually more, Most great or even good O Linemen are kept unless the cap prevents that, I'd rather draft an O Lineman that will take a year or 2 to develop who has high potential rather then picking one up in FA that hasn't developed whos been in the league for a while

[Superman]

The flip side of picking up an O Lineman in FA vs the draft, O Linemen in the draft usually take a year or two yes but most O Linemen in FA havent blossomed in at least that many years and usually more, Most great or even good O Linemen are kept unless the cap prevents that, I'd rather draft an O Lineman that will take a year or 2 to develop who has high potential rather then picking one up in FA that hasn't developed whos been in the league for a while

Several high level offensive linemen moved this past offseason. It happens.

[CR91]

The flip side of picking up an O Lineman in FA vs the draft, O Linemen in the draft usually take a year or two yes but most O Linemen in FA havent blossomed in at least that many years and usually more, Most great or even good O Linemen are kept unless the cap prevents that, I'd rather draft an O Lineman that will take a year or 2 to develop who has high potential rather then picking one up in FA that hasn't developed whos been in the league for a while

carl nicks was a FA. just saying it happens.

[John Dee]

Are we ready for some Chapman Colts fans? Please make sure you are healthy Josh! We want to see what you can give this team!!! Dud :clap:

Dude played in the BCSNCG with the torn lig.... If he is cleared by doctors I don't see how this guy won't play. He has proven he has big heart.

[HtownColt]

good thing we found a gem in Jerrell Freeman to sure up the ILB position. one less position we have to worry about in the offseason

[John Dee]

Several high level offensive linemen moved this past offseason. It happens.

Yep, and that is the direction I want Indy to spend in FA. Go OL and I would love to see Indy make a run at Welker.

Draft, go heavy on D.

[BrentMc11]

Dude played in the BCSNCG with the torn lig.... If he is cleared by doctors I don't see how this guy won't play. He has proven he has big heart.

I agree he is one bad Jose Johnny Dee!

[John Dee]

good thing we found a gem in Jerrell Freeman to sure up the ILB position. one less position we have to worry about in the offseason

Yep, this D when healthy has really been pretty good. Get our DL back and it is ON.

[CR91]

cant wait to see the damage this front seven can do redding, chapman, geathers, freeney, angerer, freeman, mathis. sounds vicious to me

[Superman]

good thing we found a gem in Jerrell Freeman to sure up the ILB position. one less position we have to worry about in the offseason

Yup. That was a position of weakness going into camp. Not anymore, assuming health. Freeman's play has kind of tailed off the past couple weeks, but there are mitigating circumstances. I'd like to see what he looks like in a month, once Angerer is all the way back and we've established a rotation.

[PrincetonTiger]

Great news

[Gavin]

Several high level offensive linemen moved this past offseason. It happens.

Trying to remember any other top notch guys besides Nicks, Im probably forgetting 1-2 I guess

[HtownColt]

Trying to remember any other top notch guys besides Nicks, Im probably forgetting 1-2 I guess

ben grubbs, erick winston, scott wells, demetius Bell, steve hutchingson etc.

[Gavin]

ben grubbs, erick winston, scott wells, demetius Bell, steve hutchingson etc.

True forgot about Grubbs and I have no idea how I forgot about Winston, The others are just meh, Hutchinson is old but still a good one, I dont see the big deal about Bell

[HtownColt]

True forgot about Grubbs and I have no idea how I forgot about Winston, The others are just meh, Hutchinson is old but still a good one, I dont see the big deal about Bell

yea Bell is playing so bad some Eagles writers are regretting letting Justice walk.

[Gavin]

yea Bell is playing so bad some Eagles writers are regretting letting Justice walk.

I think we will be much improved next year if Chapman is 100 percent which will help sure up the D Line, Im all for an O Lineman in the draft, sure they will take a year to develop but its better then risk having to draft an O Lineman that hasn't developed being int he league x number of years

[IrishColt22]

The flip side of picking up an O Lineman in FA vs the draft, O Linemen in the draft usually take a year or two yes but most O Linemen in FA havent blossomed in at least that many years and usually more, Most great or even good O Linemen are kept unless the cap prevents that, I'd rather draft an O Lineman that will take a year or 2 to develop who has high potential rather then picking one up in FA that hasn't developed whos been in the league for a while

just wondering tho a lot of fans aren't exactly Costanzo friendly at the mo and he is or was a high potential OL who only has one year down and another to go to blossom so to speak so maybe thats why they want to go OL in FA.... I agree with you i'd rather draft but a lot of fans want instant and short term success rather than have patience and give this team time to settle into there rhythm and grow and build a long era of success i mean we have such a young rookie lead team surely with patience this team would be better to solidify with long term young draft investment rather than patchy short term older players in FA.

[Superman]

just wondering tho a lot of fans aren't exactly Costanzo friendly at the mo and he is or was a high potential OL who only has one year down and another to go to blossom so to speak so maybe thats why they want to go OL in FA.... I agree with you i'd rather draft but a lot of fans want instant and short term success rather than have patience and give this team time to settle into there rhythm and grow and build a long era of success i mean we have such a young rookie lead team surely with patience this team would be better to solidify with long term young draft investment rather than patchy short term older players in FA.

Patchy, short term older players = Satele, Zbikowski, etc.

I think we're talking about a higher class of player than that. Specifically at offensive line, guys like Steve Hutchinson and Jake Scott switched teams in free agency and were able to make a big difference for several years. Just because the draft is preferable doesn't mean you ignore chances to improve your team in free agency. And for offensive line, knowing that we have a major weakness makes it the ideal spot to focus on in free agency.

[GoColts8818]

Patchy, short term older players = Satele, Zbikowski, etc.

I think we're talking about a higher class of player than that. Specifically at offensive line, guys like Steve Hutchinson and Jake Scott switched teams in free agency and were able to make a big difference for several years. Just because the draft is preferable doesn't mean you ignore chances to improve your team in free agency. And for offensive line, knowing that we have a major weakness makes it the ideal spot to focus on in free agency.

Especially if the goal is to protect Luck NOW. As we saw first hand with Castonzo who was thought to be the most ready to play tackle in that draft there is still a learning curve for rookie o-lineman. If we role out a line next year with two to three rookies on it odds are it will be worse at the start than the line we have now. I would like to see a mix and I think it's important to remember we do have Andreson who is on the PUP right now who might be a future answer at guard once he is given the chance to get into the swing of things with the team. Still with the kind of money we have I would look for us to try to land at least two big name free agents and I would suspect at least one of them will be on the o-line. We might go with the draft to get another guy or two but I think they would like to get another proven player that they can use to help anchor this line with Castonzo.

Honestly if we could bring in a big name guard I would be okay if we brought Justice back and had a line of Castonzo, Reitz (if he can ever get healthy and stay healthy) a new center (not a fan of Satele) free agent pick up at guard and Justice. I think Justice is one of those guys that if he's your fourth or fifth best o-lineman then your o-line is fine. If he's your second best o-lineman like he's best for the Colts this year that probably means your line is in trouble.

[Superman]

Especially if the goal is to protect Luck NOW. As we saw first hand with Castonzo who was thought to be the most ready to play tackle in that draft there is still a learning curve for rookie o-lineman. If we role out a line next year with two to three rookies on it odds are it will be worse at the start than the line we have now. I would like to see a mix and I think it's important to remember we do have Andreson who is on the PUP right now who might be a future answer at guard once he is given the chance to get into the swing of things with the team. Still with the kind of money we have I would look for us to try to land at least two big name free agents and I would suspect at least one of them will be on the o-line. We might go with the draft to get another guy or two but I think they would like to get another proven player that they can use to help anchor this line with Castonzo.

Honestly if we could bring in a big name guard I would be okay if we brought Justice back and had a line of Castonzo, Reitz (if he can ever get healthy and stay healthy) a new center (not a fan of Satele) free agent pick up at guard and Justice. I think Justice is one of those guys that if he's your fourth or fifth best o-lineman then your o-line is fine. If he's your second best o-lineman like he's best for the Colts this year that probably means your line is in trouble.

Yup.

I'm not holding out hope for Anderson. His film isn't impressive. Anything we get from him is a bonus. We still have Ijalana, and if he can get healthy he'd be in the mix for sure. I doubt Satele is going anywhere. He hasn't performed as well as I'd hoped, but he's not horrible. Perhaps having better guard play will benefit him. And I doubt we do anything with him next year, given his contract.

If we can draft a tackle or a guard who is capable of starting right away, and then sign another, that would make a big difference. A balanced approach to building our team is needed, and with so few draft picks and so much cap space, we'll have to be players in free agency. The offensive line is the one thing holding our offense back right now. Luck has some accuracy issues, but a significant portion of his misthrows are with pressure in his face. And you have to expect that he'll get better as time goes on. And then, we can't rely on the run game. Immediate improvement will help the offense take the next step.

[krunk]

Yup.

I'm not holding out hope for Anderson. His film isn't impressive. Anything we get from him is a bonus. We still have Ijalana, and if he can get healthy he'd be in the mix for sure. I doubt Satele is going anywhere. He hasn't performed as well as I'd hoped, but he's not horrible. Perhaps having better guard play will benefit him. And I doubt we do anything with him next year, given his contract.

If we can draft a tackle or a guard who is capable of starting right away, and then sign another, that would make a big difference. A balanced approach to building our team is needed, and with so few draft picks and so much cap space, we'll have to be players in free agency. The offensive line is the one thing holding our offense back right now. Luck has some accuracy issues, but a significant portion of his misthrows are with pressure in his face. And you have to expect that he'll get better as time goes on. And then, we can't rely on the run game. Immediate improvement will help the offense take the next step.

I need to see more of him, but I believe Shipley could give them enough reason to release Satele next year. Or at least have Satele be the back up.

[Coltsfandenmark]

@nflcolts: Josh Chapman will begin practicing with the team. He will remain on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List during this time.

From colts twitter.

[USAFHoosier]

@nflcolts: Josh Chapman will begin practicing with the team. He will remain on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List during this time.

From colts twitter.

Nice to see him getting into practice and getting back into game shape. Maybe he gets to see the field in a few weeks.

[Poster X]

Good news. At risk of sounding like a broken record I still think he was the steal of the draft, and hopefully he gets to see some action this season... Is he the answer to all of our problem(s)? No... but having him out there and healthy will be a tremendous boost.

[Kenny]

Am I the only person who has not ruled out Ijalana yet? If he can get 100% before coming back this time I thing he will be a solid olinemen(I remember when he played LT in the game he injured himself he looked solid as a rock until the injury)

[John Dee]

Nose isnt supposed to be a pass rusher regardless..they're supposed to free up the ILBs to rush the passer....Chapman is supposed to eat space up like he did for Don'ta Hightower last year

But a NG that has the explosiveness and speed to get up field is a WEAPON.

Kris Jenkins, Vince Wilfork...

They just don't come along too often.

When Philly would line Reggie White up over center it just caused all kinds of chaos.

[John Dee]

Am I the only person who has not ruled out Ijalana yet? If he can get 100% before coming back this time I thing he will be a solid olinemen(I remember when he played LT in the game he injured himself he looked solid as a rock until the injury)

If he could come back and contribute it would be huge.

[RomanianColtsFan]

He gave his first interview today too

http://www.colts.com/media-center/videos/Josh-Chapman-10-24-2012/739219ba-59ee-4e15-aa6f-af814fb6f761

[Gavin]

Chapman is more the clogger up the middle, not going to give you a steady pass rush up the middle, That would be Mookie which I noticed he is good for being able to do a couple times per game.

[Boiler_Colt]

I think we will be much improved next year if Chapman is 100 percent which will help sure up the D Line, Im all for an O Lineman in the draft, sure they will take a year to develop but its better then risk having to draft an O Lineman that hasn't developed being int he league x number of years

We also still have McKinney assuming he's 100% by TC next year. I think he would be starting right now if he didn't get hurt. Hopefully those guys can cement their status as legit NT's for this team and we can focus on other areas.

[Superman]

I forgot about McKinney. That's another good possibility. He's nothing special, but he's a body, and decent depth. I think Tevaseu has been as good as McKinney looked during preseason.

[John Dee]

Outside of the Jet game this team has played pretty solid D... and without the benefit of the first team D being able to play together for an extended stretch.

Believe it or not the Colt D is "statistically" ranked 12th on ESPN. Dang get the squad all back healthy and good things could be on the horizon? But stopping the run is still this team's Achilles heal.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/position/defense

[Superman]

I wouldn't activate him until the last week.