LEAF 2014 Colts Offseason Mock (With Contracts)

[Leaf]

After the Colts' first of many Super Bowl victories during this new regime, the front office gets to work on a long offseason in hopes of defending their World Champions title next season. Before the league new year comes, the FO takes a look at their current cap figures and determines which players to resign. Before making any moves, the Colts have $38,115,301 to work with.

 

The Colts decide to cut the following player(s):

 

Samson Satele (+$4,000,000)

 

With the available cap space now sitting at $42,115,301, The Colts get to work by resigning the following player(s):

 

Vontae Davis (4yr/$36,250,000)

Antoine Bethea (2yr/$5,660,000)

Pat McAfee (6yr/$18,250,000)

Adam Vinatieri (1yr/$3,000,000)

Sergio Brown (2yr/$1,650,000)

Joe Reitz (1yr/$645,000)

Fili Moala (2yr/$1,975,000)

Josh Gordy (2yr/$1,445,000)

Ahmad Bradshaw (1yr/$855,000)

Cam Johnson (1yr/$495,000)

 

Vontae Davis' contract is slightly front-loaded. Pat McAfee's first two years are fully guaranteed while the remaining four years have no guarantees. Sergio Brown, Joe Reitz, and Josh Gordy are receiving slightly more than league minimum for their experience level while Ahmad Bradshaw's contract is right at veteran minimum for a player with 7-9 years of NFL experience, none of which is guaranteed. Cam Johnson receives an ERFA tender. After these players are resigned, the Colts have $20,732,801 remaining.

 

The league new year begins on March 11th and the Colts are poised to make a splash. After countless hours of film breakdown and board room discussions the Colts set their sights on several free agent targets and begin negotiations. Agreements are made with the following free agent(s):

 

J'Marcus Webb (2yr/$2,100,000)

Brian de la Puente (3yr/$17,100,000)

Eben Britton (1yr/$910,000)

Donald Butler (5yr/$27,500,000)

Tony McDaniel (2yr/$1,950,000)

 

The Colts close out the free agency period with $10,195,634 left in the tank to sign the upcoming draft class and make any more roster moves required during training camp as well as through the 2014-2015 NFL season.

 

The scouting combine, college pro days, and team meeting have all passed and it is now May 8. The Colts feel largely comfortable with their current roster and are now looking forward to adding young talent to enhance the team. During the 2014 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select the following players:

 

- Round 2: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

- Round 3: Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss

- Round 5: Deandre Coleman, DT, California

- Round 6: Trey Millard, FB, Oklahoma

- Round 7: DeDe Lattimore, ILB, USF

 

That about does it. The roster gets ready for training camp and to kickoff another Super Bowl winning season. 

 

Offense

QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Chandler Harnish

HB: Vick Ballard, Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Rainey, Tashard Choice, Daniel Herron, Kory Sheets

FB: Trey Millard, Stanley Havili

WR: Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Da'Rick Rogers, Donte Moncrief, LaVon Brazill, Griff Whalen

TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, Weslye Saunders, Jack Doyle

OT: Anthony Castonzo, Gosder Cherilus, J'Marcus Webb, Xavier Nixon

OG: Donald Thomas, Hugh Thornton, Eben Britton, Joe Reitz, Justin Anderson

C: Brian de la Puente, Khaled Holmes, Thomas Austin

 

Defense

NT: Josh Chapman, Tony McDaniel

DE: Cory Redding, Ricky Jean-Francois, Montori Hughes, Fili Moala, Deandre Coleman, Jeris Pendleton

OLB: Robert Mathis, Erik Walden, Bjoern Werner, Cam Johnson, Daniel Adongo, Andy Studebaker

ILB: Jerrell Freeman, Donald Butler, Kelvin Sheppard, Josh McNary, DeDe Lattimore, Mario Harvey

CB: Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, Darius Butler, Kyle Fuller, Josh Gordy, Sheldon Price

S: Antoine Bethea, LaRon Landry, Delano Howell, Sergio Brown, Corey Lynch

 

Special Teams

K: Adam Vinatieri

P: Pat McAfee

LS: Matt Overton

 

[Free Agent, Rookie]

 

Numbers are undoubtedly off at some point, but all of my calculations of contracts and how they would affect the cap space came from http://overthecap.com/calculator/?Team=Colts

 

The draft picks came from the results of a mock draft game located at http://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/

 

Hope you enjoyed. Leave some feedback if you find anything way off or just have a different opinion. Go Colts!

[manning04]

so you feel the Colts let Donald Brown walk? or do you think his play may  earn him more than what we are willing to pay? And i think Hassleback said this was his final year.

[Leaf]

so you feel the Colts let Donald Brown walk? or do you think his play may  earn him more than what we are willing to pay?

I think that another team will offer him more than what makes sense for us since he's playing lights out.

[manning04]

I think that another team will offer him more than what makes sense for us since he's playing lights out.

I have the feeling that Brown could earn himself a nice contract from another team. but Grigs has shocked me with some of these signings (Reggie to be specific) that contract happened to be a lot less than i expected. i hope he can do the same with our own upcoming FAs

[Gavin]

I think your giving Vinatierie less then what he was making under his current contract per year.......Average salary according to spotrac is 3,066,,667.00$.......I think he is worth making the highest paid kicker in the game for 1 year at 4 mill

 

We can do better than Jamarcus Webb  

 

 

Rather have vet that can start at RG rather then one thats a backup that cant stay healthy in Britton

 

 

I think we on from Moala........Enter Coleman

 

 

Dont need 7 ILB's......I think if we do have 7 we likely have some sort of problem

 

Love the first 3 draft picks

 

 

I really like Millard but I dont see a point in drafting him with Havili here

 

 

Just my opinions, Take them for what they are worth...which isn't much

 

 

 

I'd like to resign Brown, He has earned every penny

[Everyone]

They should resign Davis, cut Toler and go after Alterraun Verner.

[arkana04]

Why the hell are we picking up another FB with Havili already on board? thats not happening. 

 

Webb is terrible 

 

Mcdaniel is a good rotation piece 

 

Like the draft although not sure why so many ppl like Coleman as a NT give me Ryan Carrethers or Justin Ellis everyday of the week. 

[Leaf]

I agree on Vinny.

 

I think your giving Vinatierie less then what he was making under his current contract per year.......Average salary according to spotrac is 3,066,,667.00$.......I think he is worth making the highest paid kicker in the game for 1 year at 4 mill

 

We can do better than Jamarcus Webb  

 

 

Rather have vet that can start at RG rather then one thats a backup that cant stay healthy in Britton

 

 

I think we on from Moala........Enter Coleman

 

 

Dont need 7 ILB's......I think if we do have 7 we likely have some sort of problem

 

Love the first 3 draft picks

 

 

I really like Millard but I dont see a point in drafting him with Havili here

 

 

Just my opinions, Take them for what they are worth...which isn't much

 

 

 

I'd like to resign Brown, He has earned every penny

I agree on Vinny, he's worth it to go for 4m, but I'm not sure if that will be required.

 

I'm not claiming to make the right move with Britton or Webb, but I thought the contracts I put up made them a good bargain. They both have versatility, and starting experience, Webb at left and right tackle and Britton at both guards. They both had positive PFF grades this year in their limited playing time so I bit on them.

 

I'd be fine with moving on from Moala, but I addressed the current roster first. At that point, I wasn't sure there would be anyone I was interested in at my draft slots. Nixing Moala from this mock would save some money and wouldn't have too negative an impact on the final product so sounds acceptable to me.

 

I agree we don't need 7 ILBs, but this was more of a pre-training camp roster, not a final 53. I definitely do not expect nor intend to keep 7 ILBs. Now that I count, there are only 6 there, so get rid of Harvey and we could roll with those 5 on the final roster.

 

Thanks on the first 3 picks! Fuller was too good to pass up at that pick. Moncrief as well. I'm not sold on Coleman, I don't see him shred blocks like he should, but he's got the size and strength that you can't teach, so a good 5th round pick. 

 

I was conflicted in the 6th round. There weren't many people I was interested in, but I always had my eye on Millard. Havili has been a good weapon out of the backfield, but I think his run blocking has been pretty poor. I figured that if there was a chance to upgrade a starting position in the 6th round then I should take it.

 

I'd LIKE to resign brown as well, but I don't see it happening with all the backs we've got. I went back on forth on Bradshaw, but if it came down to a vet minimum deal, I would be all in.

[Leaf]

Why the hell are we picking up another FB with Havili already on board? thats not happening. 

 

Webb is terrible 

 

Mcdaniel is a good rotation piece 

 

Like the draft although not sure why so many ppl like Coleman as a NT give me Ryan Carrethers or Justin Ellis everyday of the week. 

I think Millard is a better FB than Havili. A chance to upgrade a starting position in the 6th round? I'll take that any day. 

 

Webb may not be great, but he earned a +2.7 grade from PFF in his 108 snaps this year and at 25 years old with starting experience and at just over 1m/year, I think he's a good option at backup tackle.

 

Coleman has things that you can't coach, but seems like he needs coached up a bit to be a more violent hand fighter and to shed blocks. Carrethers was gone at my pick and I don't know much about Justin Ellis, but he went undrafted in that simulation.

[MrNLM]

They should resign Davis, cut Toler and go after Alterraun Verner.

THANK YOU!

[Leaf]

THANK YOU!

 

They should resign Davis, cut Toler and go after Alterraun Verner.

That would be somewhere around $20m invested in the 2 CB spots every year. I think that's a little overkill. 

[Everyone]

That would be somewhere around $20m invested in the 2 CB spots every year. I think that's a little overkill. 

I think it would be more like $15m-$16m, It would be worth it regardless.  I'm not a GM, I just play one on Madden.

[MrNLM]

That would be somewhere around $20m invested in the 2 CB spots every year. I think that's a little overkill. 

I'd be ok with that if I knew it led to a top 5 ranked defense.

[Leaf]

I think it would be more like $15m-$16m, It would be worth it regardless.  I'm not a GM, I just play one on Madden.

In this scenario, Davis is making over 9m/year and I think Verner would command just as much if not more. So it would be around 18-20m. I think The 4 corners of Davis, Toler, Butler, & Fuller would be devastatingly effective in their own right. 

 

[sarcasm]As you can clearly tell, I AM a GM. Notice my use of free online mock draft simulator games and fancy salary cap calculators made by other people  [/sarcasm]

[Everyone]

What do you think about Aaron Lynch if he slides to the later rounds in the draft?

[Leaf]

In that mock draft simulator, he actually slid down to that 6th round pick we have. I had only heard of him before so I watched 2 games of his and for whatever reason, he didn't impress me. He has good size, but he didn't seem like he had enough power to get through the blocks. I didn't like his motor either, especially on running plays. I was also wary of whatever the off field concerns were that caused him to go from Notre Dame to USF. He has good length and I think he could be coached up, but I passed on him and took Millard, who I think could be the starting fullback if he's back in football form by the time preseason comes around.

[Everyone]

In this scenario, Davis is making over 9m/year and I think Verner would command just as much if not more. So it would be around 18-20m. I think The 4 corners of Davis, Toler, Butler, & Fuller would be devastatingly effective in their own right. 

 

[sarcasm]As you can clearly tell, I AM a GM. Notice my use of free online mock draft simulator games and fancy salary cap calculators made by other people  [/sarcasm]

I always lowball lol. Imo, with how inconsistent Davis is he will probably get around 5-7 million and Verner is a little better so he's looking in the ball park of 8-9 million. The Colts could also front load the contracts a little so the future cap hit is manageable.

[Everyone]

In that mock draft simulator, he actually slid down to that 6th round pick we have. I had only heard of him before so I watched 2 games of his and for whatever reason, he didn't impress me. He has good size, but he didn't seem like he had enough power to get through the blocks. I didn't like his motor either, especially on running plays. I was also wary of whatever the off field concerns were that caused him to go from Notre Dame to USF. He has good length and I think he could be coached up, but I passed on him and took Millard, who I think could be the starting fullback if he's back in football form by the time preseason comes around.

He's was good as a 3-4 OLB at Notre Dame and transitioned to 4-3 DE were he struggled. He has tons of talent and is built for the 3-4 rush, I think he would be a steal at the 6th pick and have an immediate impact for the D.

[Leaf]

I always lowball lol. Imo, with how inconsistent Davis is he will probably get around 5-7 million and Verner is a little better so he's looking in the ball park of 8-9 million. The Colts could also front load the contracts a little so the future cap hit is manageable.

One things is for certain in free agency, you almost always overpay lol

[Gavin]

I agree on Vinny.

 

I agree on Vinny, he's worth it to go for 4m, but I'm not sure if that will be required.

 

I'm not claiming to make the right move with Britton or Webb, but I thought the contracts I put up made them a good bargain. They both have versatility, and starting experience, Webb at left and right tackle and Britton at both guards. They both had positive PFF grades this year in their limited playing time so I bit on them.

 

I'd be fine with moving on from Moala, but I addressed the current roster first. At that point, I wasn't sure there would be anyone I was interested in at my draft slots. Nixing Moala from this mock would save some money and wouldn't have too negative an impact on the final product so sounds acceptable to me.

 

I agree we don't need 7 ILBs, but this was more of a pre-training camp roster, not a final 53. I definitely do not expect nor intend to keep 7 ILBs. Now that I count, there are only 6 there, so get rid of Harvey and we could roll with those 5 on the final roster.

 

Thanks on the first 3 picks! Fuller was too good to pass up at that pick. Moncrief as well. I'm not sold on Coleman, I don't see him shred blocks like he should, but he's got the size and strength that you can't teach, so a good 5th round pick. 

 

I was conflicted in the 6th round. There weren't many people I was interested in, but I always had my eye on Millard. Havili has been a good weapon out of the backfield, but I think his run blocking has been pretty poor. I figured that if there was a chance to upgrade a starting position in the 6th round then I should take it.

 

I'd LIKE to resign brown as well, but I don't see it happening with all the backs we've got. I went back on forth on Bradshaw, but if it came down to a vet minimum deal, I would be all in.

Yeah, I miss counted the ILB's, Counted Butler twice for some reason.

[Gavin]

What do you think about Aaron Lynch if he slides to the later rounds in the draft?

Lynch is growing on me but there are a couple other OLB's I'd take before him depending on whos available

[Leaf]

He's was good as a 3-4 OLB at Notre Dame and transitioned to 4-3 DE were he struggled. He has tons of talent and is built for the 3-4 rush, I think he would be a steal at the 6th pick and have an immediate impact for the D.

He very well could. Do you, by chance, know why he went to USF?

[Everyone]

He very well could. Do you, by chance, know why he went to USF?

From everything I've seen he just wanted to go back to Florida to be near his family but I imagine there were other reasons.

[Superman]

Nice, thorough job. 

 

Some nitpicks:

 

That's a long contract for McAfee. Just an observation, not necessarily a gripe. Would like to see first year cap hits for him and Davis.

 

Don't get why you'd keep Bradshaw.

 

I'd rather improve on Bethea, but couldn't complain about that contract. Realistically, I don't see him staying with the Colts for such a small amount. Ed Reed, with all his injuries and at an older age, got $5m/year from the Texans. You have Bethea at under $3m/year. What's your pitch for getting Bethea, in what is his last realistic chance to make some money in the NFL, to take so much less than he'd probably get from someone else?

 

Tony McDaniel isn't a NT. With your mock, we only have one NT, Chapman. Pendleton, Hughes and RJF could rotate depending on the front, but I don't see why you'd work McDaniel in there. So I really think you need another NT, and should scratch McD.

 

I like Butler and de la Puente. Not interested in the others. I get that you're looking for veteran depth on the line, but don't like the players you've chosen. Think you should add a pass rusher and a RB, either in FA or the draft.

 

I know you used a draft simulator, but I can't see Coleman lasting til the fifth round.

 

I think you're underpaying Bethea and Butler, and overpaying Davis. Minor quibbles; I have no idea how those contracts work out.

 

Overall, a good mock. The one glaring weakness is another pass rusher. Other than that, you've improved the weakest link on offense (o-line) and defense (ILB). Added depth at receiver, added youth and potential playmakers on defense, and kept our best FAs. Thumbs up.

[Leaf]

Nice, thorough job. 

 

Some nitpicks:

 

That's a long contract for McAfee. Just an observation, not necessarily a gripe. Would like to see first year cap hits for him and Davis.

 

Don't get why you'd keep Bradshaw.

 

I'd rather improve on Bethea, but couldn't complain about that contract. Realistically, I don't see him staying with the Colts for such a small amount. Ed Reed, with all his injuries and at an older age, got $5m/year from the Texans. You have Bethea at under $3m/year. What's your pitch for getting Bethea, in what is his last realistic chance to make some money in the NFL, to take so much less than he'd probably get from someone else?

 

Tony McDaniel isn't a NT. With your mock, we only have one NT, Chapman. Pendleton, Hughes and RJF could rotate depending on the front, but I don't see why you'd work McDaniel in there. So I really think you need another NT, and should scratch McD.

 

I like Butler and de la Puente. Not interested in the others. I get that you're looking for veteran depth on the line, but don't like the players you've chosen. Think you should add a pass rusher and a RB, either in FA or the draft.

 

I know you used a draft simulator, but I can't see Coleman lasting til the fifth round.

 

I think you're underpaying Bethea and Butler, and overpaying Davis. Minor quibbles; I have no idea how those contracts work out.

 

Overall, a good mock. The one glaring weakness is another pass rusher. Other than that, you've improved the weakest link on offense (o-line) and defense (ILB). Added depth at receiver, added youth and potential playmakers on defense, and kept our best FAs. Thumbs up.

Wish I could provide you with the 1st year cap hits for Davis and McAfee, but I closed that out awhile ago. I believe Davis was somewhere around 9.8m and McAfee was 3.5ish.

 

The long contract for McAfee was very similar to the contract Tampa Bay gave Michael Koenen. 6 years, with 1st 2 fully guaranteed, then no risk beyond that. 

 

Honestly, Bradshaw could go and it wouldn't affect things a huge deal, but I think if he's there at vet minimum, it's worth it. No risk, high reward.

 

I guess you can say I have a sweet spot for Bethea since he was the first Colts player I'd ever met, so I may be a little biased in my campaign to keep him on the team. Instead of looking to future HoF'er Ed Reed's contract as a guide, I instead used the contract given to fellow 29-year old Bernard Pollard as a template, since I felt that their skill levels generally matched up. I took his 1yr/$2m deal and raised it to $2.75m/year over 2 years.

 

It's my opinion that Coleman and Montori Hughes could be groomed to be viable rotational NTs. If you'd rather nix McD and bring back Aubrayo Franklin or a similar player, I'm not against that.

 

Not claiming to be a genius on the O-line front, but this scenario has 2 experienced starters with positive PFF grades from last year coming in at the cheap for depth. If you have better suggestions, then I'm interested in hearing them. I suppose Webb and Britton are mostly there to represent that we do need some oline depth. If they aren't good options then so be it. No one seems to like those choices 

 

I was looking at pass rushers like Jason Worilds or Everson Griffen, but I honestly had no idea what sort of contracts they would command. Didn't think we had the firepower to gobble up one of the big names like Allen or Orakpo. I don't think RB would need to be addressed, especially if Bradshaw comes back on a vet minimum deal (which I'm not claiming will happen). There is loads of young talent in the backfield and Choice has done everything anyone could ask of a 3rd RB and he's still under contract after this season.

 

Meh, the simulator isn't perfect. No one knows where players will go come May 8-10, so I took what the simulator gave me.

 

I may have been a bit optimistic on the Butler contract, but again I have no experience at the negotiating table so I gave it my best shot.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[Deathiltis]

This scenario would be awesome. But of course as in any mock or FA prediction there's always some unrealistic expectations. One of those being I don't believe Moncrief falls to the bottom of the 3rd round.

[Superman]

Wish I could provide you with the 1st year cap hits for Davis and McAfee, but I closed that out awhile ago. I believe Davis was somewhere around 9.8m and McAfee was 3.5ish.

 

The long contract for McAfee was very similar to the contract Tampa Bay gave Michael Koenen. 6 years, with 1st 2 fully guaranteed, then no risk beyond that. 

 

Honestly, Bradshaw could go and it wouldn't affect things a huge deal, but I think if he's there at vet minimum, it's worth it. No risk, high reward.

 

I guess you can say I have a sweet spot for Bethea since he was the first Colts player I'd ever met, so I may be a little biased in my campaign to keep him on the team. Instead of looking to future HoF'er Ed Reed's contract as a guide, I instead used the contract given to fellow 29-year old Bernard Pollard as a template, since I felt that their skill levels generally matched up. I took his 1yr/$2m deal and raised it to $2.75m/year over 2 years.

 

It's my opinion that Coleman and Montori Hughes could be groomed to be viable rotational NTs. If you'd rather nix McD and bring back Aubrayo Franklin or a similar player, I'm not against that.

 

Not claiming to be a genius on the O-line front, but this scenario has 2 experienced starters with positive PFF grades from last year coming in at the cheap for depth. If you have better suggestions, then I'm interested in hearing them. I suppose Webb and Britton are mostly there to represent that we do need some oline depth. If they aren't good options then so be it. No one seems to like those choices 

 

I was looking at pass rushers like Jason Worilds or Everson Griffen, but I honestly had no idea what sort of contracts they would command. Didn't think we had the firepower to gobble up one of the big names like Allen or Orakpo. I don't think RB would need to be addressed, especially if Bradshaw comes back on a vet minimum deal (which I'm not claiming will happen). There is loads of young talent in the backfield and Choice has done everything anyone could ask of a 3rd RB and he's still under contract after this season.

 

Meh, the simulator isn't perfect. No one knows where players will go come May 8-10, so I took what the simulator gave me.

 

I may have been a bit optimistic on the Butler contract, but again I have no experience at the negotiating table so I gave it my best shot.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

Bernard Pollard is a good reference for Bethea. Fair enough. I kind of had him figured at two years, $7m. (If we keep him and draft someone like Alden Darby from ASU, that might work out.)

 

I'd personally rather let Bradshaw walk and add someone else at RB. I didn't realize Choice was signed through 2014. We also have other youngsters, some on IR. Could add UDFAs. Not really a big position of need, but I'd like a scatback kind of guy to throw in the mix. 

 

I'm with you on the o-line. No big problem with those players, just not all that exciting I guess.

 

At ILB, though, Butler had an inconsistent season in 2013, but two really good years before that. And he just turned in a monster performance against the Bengals. Ellerbe got $7m/year last year. Two years ago, D'Qwell Jackson and Daryl Washington got $7.7m/year and $8m/year, respectively. That's more the range I was assuming Butler would be in.

 

I'd be fine with the pass rushers you named, for the right price. I have it tagged as a draft need, but I'm not sure what Grigson and Pagano want to do. They seem more focused on building the defensive front from the inside out. I personally think we need another guy who can beat blockers one on one, and Werner might or might not be that guy.

[coltsfanatic24]

I like the FA signings of Butler and De la Puente. With the money you gave Britton, Webb, and Mcdaniel i would use it on Arthur Jones. I don't think Bethea or Bradshaw will be back. Bethea is good vs run but can't cover and Bradshaw is injury prone. As far as the draft Fuller would be a great pick in the 2nd round. I doubt will draft a WR with Rogers, T.Y, Whalen, and Brazil on the roster.

 

Draft

2 Kyle Fuller, CB, 6'0 194 lbs, Virginia Tech 

3 Kurtis Drummond, FS, 6'0 200 lbs, Michigan State  

5 Beau Allen, NT, 6'3 330 lbs, Wisconsin

[Superman]

I like the FA signings of Butler and De la Puente. With the money you gave Britton, Webb, and Mcdaniel i would use it on Arthur Jones. I don't think Bethea or Bradshaw will be back. Bethea is good vs run but can't cover and Bradshaw is injury prone. As far as the draft Fuller would be a great pick in the 2nd round. I doubt will draft a WR with Rogers, T.Y, Whalen, and Brazil on the roster.

 

Draft

2 Kyle Fuller, CB, 6'0 194 lbs, Virginia Tech 

3 Kurtis Drummond, FS, 6'0 200 lbs, Michigan State  

5 Beau Allen, NT, 6'3 330 lbs, Wisconsin

 

Tell me about Drummond.

[coltsfanatic24]

Drummond is fast, athletic, has great range and is a play maker. He had 86 tackles 7 passes defended and 4 INT's. Michigan State is known for their defense, Kevin Hogan couldn't throw vs them.

[Valpo2004]

There are some pretty solid RB's out there in FA we could go after.  

 

Sergio Brown certainly deserves another contract, he's worth every penny just as a special teams player, so I like that decision.

 

Count me among those who think we should cut Toler and sign another CB.  There are currently some pretty good CB's available in FA.  Guy has spent so much time on the sidelines it's not funny and even when he has played, he hasn't done anything that IMO makes him worth his salary cap hit.  We can do much better with that money.

[swankdizzle]

My take: Free Agents- Alex Mack C, CB Verner or Munnerlyn Draft- 2nd Round WR Jarvis Landry, Devante Adams or Paul Richardson 3rd Round ILB Christian Jones

 

Mack will get 9M, I think. Cleveland may not let him go. If Satele is cut (5M, 4M cap), this move gets us to a potentially very good OL: Costanzo, Thomas, Mack, Thornton, Cherilus.  Khaled Holmes has shown some ability in very limited action and he can play guard, as well.  I am encouraged by Hugh Thornton's late improvement this season after being thrown in the fire by Thomas' injury.  If we cannot get Mack, I would not settle for de la Puente, a pass blocker, not a good run blocker.  If we can't get Mack, there are no other FA centers worth the money, IMHO.  We can only hope Holmes or McGlynn can fill the void.

 

There are a number of good FA corners.  Grimes age 30, Rodgers-Cromartie 27, Verner 25, Munnerlyn 25.  I think Toler has demonstrated the book on him, good when he can play, often injured.  I would cut him and save the 5M.  I would resign Vontae.

 

On the draft:  there are about 10-11 highly rated WR, according to CBS draft http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings We should be able to get one.  Reggie has to be replaced sometime, even if he were not coming off an injury.  We need someone to take the focus off T.Y. and I am not convinced Da'Rick Rogers is the answer.

 

Christian Jones will probably be available at Round 3.  He can cover the tight end coming across the middle; I think this will improve our defense as much as anything we could do.

[PrincetonTiger]

Not Bad

The only thing I might differ with is the reigning of Bradshaw

[indyman411]

For fun, I did the mock simulator, and this is what I came away with....

59 C TRAVIS SWANSON

ARKANSAS

 

90 ILB YAWIN SMALLWOOD

UCONN

 

154 CB CHRIS DAVIS

AUBURN

 

187 S SEAN PARKER

WASHINGTON

 

209 OG CHRIS WATT

NOTRE DAME

[Gavin]

Colts FA'a to be as of March 11th

1.Antoine Bethea

2.Adam Vinateri

3.Pat Mcafee

4.Donald Brown

5.Darrius Heyward Bey

6.Mike Mcglynn

7.Ahmad Bradshaw

8.Vontae Davis

9.Jeff Linkenbach

10.Cassius Vaughn

11.Pat Angerer

12.Aubrayo Franklin

13.Fili Moala

14.Kavell Conner

15.Sergio Brown

16.Ricardo Matthews

17.Josh Gordy

18.Scott Lutrus

19.Joe Reitz

20.Cam Johnson

21.Justin Hickman

22.Jeris Pendleton

23.Lawrence Sidbury

 

 

Colts Released players

1.Samson Satele

2.Greg Toler

 

 

Colts Cap after released players

$45,291,967.00

 

 

Colts Resign

1.Adam Vinatieri-1 year $4,000,000.00 (That would make him the highest paid Kicker in the league in what would ideally be his final contract, He earned it)

2.Pat Mcafee-4 years $5,200,000.00 per

3.Vontae Davis-$7,500,000.00 per year with option for 5th year of an additional 7,500,000 (That would make him tied with Ike Taylor for 15th highest paid Corner in the league and if the option is picked up that would make him the 12th highest)

4.Sergio Brown-$2,300,000.00 over 4 years

5.Cam Johnson-2 years $1,200,000.00

6.Jeris Pendleton-2 years $630.000.00 per year

7.Joe Reitz-1 year $720,000

 

 

 

Draft

2.WR Martavis Bryant Clemson

3.OLB Jeremiah Attaochu OLB Georgia Tech

5.Andrew Jackson ILB Western Kentucky

6.De'Anthony Thomas RB Oregon

7.Alex Neutz WR Kentucky

 

Sign FA's

1.Brian De La Puenta-$6,500,000.00 a year 5 years

2.Linval Joseph 3 years $3,200,000.00 per year

3.Chad Rinehart 2 years $2,250,000.00 per year

4.Jairus Byrd 5 years $7,520,000.00 per year

5.Alterraun Verner 5 years $7,200,000 per year

 

 

Dont know if we have all the money for that, Head is spinning with all the numbers...Thoughts?

[BOTT]

Colts FA'a to be as of March 11th

1.Antoine Bethea

2.Adam Vinateri

3.Pat Mcafee

4.Donald Brown

5.Darrius Heyward Bey

6.Mike Mcglynn

7.Ahmad Bradshaw

8.Vontae Davis

9.Jeff Linkenbach

10.Cassius Vaughn

11.Pat Angerer

12.Aubrayo Franklin

13.Fili Moala

14.Kavell Conner

15.Sergio Brown

16.Ricardo Matthews

17.Josh Gordy

18.Scott Lutrus

19.Joe Reitz

20.Cam Johnson

21.Justin Hickman

22.Jeris Pendleton

23.Lawrence Sidbury

 

 

Colts Released players

1.Samson Satele

2.Greg Toler

 

 

Colts Cap after released players

$45,291,967.00

 

 

Colts Resign

1.Adam Vinatieri-1 year $4,000,000.00 (That would make him the highest paid Kicker in the league in what would ideally be his final contract, He earned it)

2.Pat Mcafee-4 years $5,200,000.00 per

3.Vontae Davis-$7,500,000.00 per year with option for 5th year of an additional 7,500,000 (That would make him tied with Ike Taylor for 15th highest paid Corner in the league and if the option is picked up that would make him the 12th highest)

4.Sergio Brown-$2,300,000.00 over 4 years

5.Cam Johnson-2 years $1,200,000.00

6.Jeris Pendleton-2 years $630.000.00 per year

7.Joe Reitz-1 year $720,000

 

 

 

Draft

2.WR Martavis Bryant Clemson

3.OLB Jeremiah Attaochu OLB Georgia Tech

5.Andrew Jackson ILB Western Kentucky

6.De'Anthony Thomas RB Oregon

7.Alex Neutz WR Kentucky

 

Sign FA's

1.Brian De La Puenta-$6,500,000.00 a year 5 years

2.Linval Joseph 3 years $3,200,000.00 per year

3.Chad Rinehart 2 years $2,250,000.00 per year

4.Jairus Byrd 5 years $7,520,000.00 per year

5.Alterraun Verner 5 years $7,200,000 per year

 

 

Dont know if we have all the money for that, Head is spinning with all the numbers...Thoughts?

Too much $$$ invested in the secondary

[Superman]

 

Dont know if we have all the money for that, Head is spinning with all the numbers...Thoughts?

 

Yeah, you're spending too much. The cap hits could be adjusted to make these deals work upfront, but over time, you'll overextend yourself. You also will need to hand out some serious signing bonuses, so the idea of wiggling out of these contracts or restructuring as you go is going to be a lot harder to execute. 

 

On a micro level, you're overpaying McAfee, and underpaying Byrd and probably Verner. The Davis contract is in the range I think it should be in, but the fifth year option won't work, and is unnecessary. I also question retaining Vinatieri at $4m, but I get that decision. I agree with BotT that you're tying up too much money in the secondary.

[Gavin]

Yeah, you're spending too much. The cap hits could be adjusted to make these deals work upfront, but over time, you'll overextend yourself. You also will need to hand out some serious signing bonuses, so the idea of wiggling out of these contracts or restructuring as you go is going to be a lot harder to execute. 

 

On a micro level, you're overpaying McAfee, and underpaying Byrd and probably Verner. The Davis contract is in the range I think it should be in, but the fifth year option won't work, and is unnecessary. I also question retaining Vinatieri at $4m, but I get that decision. I agree with BotT that you're tying up too much money in the secondary.

I thought the $36,000,000.00 deal for Verners 1 year of break out production was a bit high actually, I mean it was a great year no doubt but it was one year. The Jarius Byrd contract would make him a top 4 paid Safety starting in 2014. The Mcafee deal I agree now that I look at it again , Maybe $3,400,000.00 with the same amount of years? That would put him as the 6th highest paid Punter starting 2014

 

But Ill redo my draft

 

2.Martavis Bryant

3.Jeremiah Attaochu

5.Shawn Jackson ILB/OLB Tulsa

6.De'anthony Thomas

7.Alex Neutz

 

 

Minor adjustment with Shawn Jackson in the 5th instead of Andrew Jackson, I think Shawn provides us both that coverage linebacker who can play rush linebacker on occasion or ILB and is excellent in coverage...He is also a thumper with excellent closing speed

[Day at the Hilton]

I thought the $36,000,000.00 deal for Verners 1 year of break out production was a bit high actually, I mean it was a great year no doubt but it was one year. The Jarius Byrd contract would make him a top 4 paid Safety starting in 2014. The Mcafee deal I agree now that I look at it again , Maybe $3,400,000.00 with the same amount of years? That would put him as the 6th highest paid Punter starting 2014

But Ill redo my draft

2.Martavis Bryant

3.Jeremiah Attaochu

5.Shawn Jackson ILB/OLB Tulsa

6.De'anthony Thomas

7.Alex Neutz

Minor adjustment with Shawn Jackson in the 5th instead of Andrew Jackson, I think Shawn provides us both that coverage linebacker who can play rush linebacker on occasion or ILB and is excellent in coverage...He is also a thumper with excellent closing speed

I like it but instead of wasting Holmes long term I would sign Dominic raiola on a 1-2 year deal until Holmes is ready. I think raiola is rated very highly and would be a much cheaper stop gap.

[Gavin]

I like it but instead of wasting Holmes long term I would sign Dominic raiola on a 1-2 year deal until Holmes is ready. I think raiola is rated very highly and would be a much cheaper stop gap.

Brian De La Puente would be brought in to start at Center, I think he is better