Cut Grades

[SubZero]

Over the past week the Colts made some very big cuts on the team. Alot of people i see arnt too happy about it but lets see how it really is.

Dallas Clark: I think this move is a good move. Clark had some bad drops and fumbles last year. He is still a good player but he is past his prime. We would be better off with Tamme and if we drafted a TE like Fleener or Allen. His salary takes a big cap hit.

Grade: C+

Joseph Addai: I think this is the best cut of them all. Addai has declined alot from his rookie year. He has missed lots of games with injurys and he is the weekest runner on the team. Even though Brown is inconsistant he was dynamic and is showing improvement.

Grade: A-

Gary Brackett: He is still a great player but he is the odd man out in the defense. He it to small and doesnt fit into a 3-4 defense. Brackett takes a hit to the cap space. With Angerer and Conner likely starting at both ILB spots then it leaves brackett out.

Grade: B-

Melvin Bullitt: Again another good player but he is easily replaceable. He also takes a pretty big cap hit. He is also very injury prone. In two seasons in a row he was on IR.

Grade: B+

Curtis Painter: There is really no explination here. He is atrocious and will never play an NFL snap ever in his life.

Grade: A+++

[MTC]

We can still resign Brackett to a cheap contract. I'm sure that can work.

[chrisfarley]

We can still resign Brackett to a cheap contract. I'm sure that can work.

he really doesn't fit into Pagano's scheme I really dont think we would sign him back. He's too undersized.

[CR91]

no way do i want brackett. this is a move that should have happen a long time ago

[ConnecticutColt]

Oh I rate the cuts and A overall....retool this entire team now that Peyton is gone...Peyton made everybody better....Without HIM these players are just average at best....The defense benefitted so much when we had the lead....The defense was the pits this past year...Time to reface the D....wish they'd done that before...Where's the beef???? Here it comes!!!

[fireside]

Did all these players get cut this week?

My day is getting worst by the minute.

[jemack]

Did all these players get cut this week?

My day is getting worst by the minute.

Sorry to ruin your year, but.... Peyton too

[David Wagner]

To keep a forest healthy you have to make strategic thinning (cutting) decisions. The dead wood has to go and the dead wood is going from the colts. Dallas Clark very nice tight end but not if you r going to use a power run game with a lot of man blocking. I wish him well where every he lands.

Addai has been in decline for half a decade. cannot stay healthy. This poor pick by polian forced the colts to draft another running back in the first round which could have been used to bolster our weak defense. bracket is not suited for the 34 defense. you need linebackers who can take on offensive lineman and who have a nasty disposition to be in the 34 defense.

[1959Colts]

We can still resign Brackett to a cheap contract. I'm sure that can work.

Please lets just let Brackett move on.

It's time for a new look.

[BOTT]

brackett isn't and never was anything close to a great player....

[Smonroe]

This is mainly a passing league and Brackett was excellent at playing the pass. He could cover a TE a lot better than Angerer has managed so far. He certainly could fit any new scheme. Polian said he could play nickle LB in a 3-4. But, Polian never knew football from what I've read here lately.

Everyone has their opinion, this is mine. And apparently it was the opinion of the Colts since he was a captain.

[Jason_]

I've never, ever been a fan of Brackett. Glad to see him gone. I'm sure he is a great guy but the only reason he worked in our defense was the tampa 2 and even in that regard I would say he was above average at best. I'm not surprised by Addai and Bullitt. Both have been injury prone and Brown really came on this past year, especially once they altered the offense to a more downhill running style with a fullback. I think that's most likely the type of offense we'll be running next year so Brown should fit in very well. Hopefully Carter can get over the fumble-itis and be a high quality backup. Also not sure but we might still have Darren Evans on the practice squad and he showed some promise. Worst case we can draft a mid round back like Cyrus Gray or Chris Polk, or wait till a late round for a guy like Jeff Demps.

the only disappointment I have is not being able to trade Clark. I hope they at least tried before simply releasing him. I wouldn't be all that surprised if teams refused to make a deal believing that Clark would be released anyway, something I'm afraid is also going to happen with Freeney. If they didn't even try to trade Clark then I would be pretty disappointed unless for some reason they saved more money by terminating the contract then they would have by trading, though my understanding is it would be the same either way.

**edit...so overall I give these cuts an A

[shakedownstreet]

i think painter will be invited to a camp. he has the physical tools, but he just doesn't have that special killer mentality to perform in live games. he's actually the perfect camp arm

[LJpalmbeacher2]

i think painter will be invited to a camp. he has the physical tools, but he just doesn't have that special killer mentality to perform in live games. he's actually the perfect camp arm

Hopefully,for his sake,if Painter does go to camp somewhere, the #1 QB will let him practice once in a while.

[Indeee]

A++ on all cuts

[King Colt]

Hate to see Dallas go but hopefully he will find a home. The others especially Adai, "adios". Adai was a bum from the get go.

[John Dee]

Believe me everyone.... There will be football after Manning.

[John Dee]

Hate to see Dallas go but hopefully he will find a home. The others especially Adai, "adios". Adai was a bum from the get go.

Bet U didn't say that about Joe in 06....

[Captain Americolt]

So does anyone see our starting LB group next year being Wheeler(if re-signed), conner, angerer, and mathis?

[HOFClipboardHolder]

Wheeler is way too small to play OLB. There are safeties in this league bigger than Wheeler

[ReMeDy]

Curtis Painter would be a great drinking buddy. Beyond that, he cant do anything right.

[Andy]

I give the cuts to the 5 Colts guys an A-. Frees up cap space and they all have replacements (except Bullitt, but they'll find one).

Dallas Clark (A): No use and inconsistent without Manning, too much money and frees up space.

Gary Brackett (A): Love the man, he's one of my favorites, but he was getting old and they had no use for him.

Joseph Addai (B+): A healthy Addai is the best running back on the team and he has proved it in the past. He's very dynamic. The problem is, he's never healthy.

Melvin Bullitt (B-): Frees up some space, but they should have kept him. He knows the system and they should have brought in some competition so it elevates his game or makes him a backup. Not the smartest move, but over time we'll see how it ends up.

Curtis Painter (A-): The only QB going into next year that knew our system, so he had some value for teaching, but as a QB he's not very good. He had 2 good games, but that's it. He wasn't expensive.

Peyton Manning (??): Time will tell how it ends up. If he goes to a team and does badly, then the Colts win. If he doesn't and Luck doesn't pan out in a couple of years, then I say the Colts lost. It could go either way... ask at the end of the year.

[wegotchucky]

Brackett was getting to old.

Addia never lived up to his potential.

Clark was an overrated slot reciever, but still had excellent hands.

Bullitt was another Sanders minus the actual play making ability. Plus he didn't like to wrap-up his tackles.

Painter wouldn't and shouldn't have ever been our teams third QB, let alone starting QB. He will never start in the NFL, except for practice squads.

Manning will end up throwing more INTs than TDs this upcoming season, and it will stem from his injury.

We are heading into the unkown, and I like it.

[Mouthfire]

I agree with all the cuts except Clark. Dallas suffered from inadequete QB play last year... otherwise, he's been spectacular.

Also, looking at the draft, I doubt we're going to pick up a tight end with any of the first 3 picks. We have too many holes to fill at bigger need positions, like DT, WR, CB, etc (not to mention QB).... I thus seriously doubt we pick up Fleener, Allen, or any other top-flight TE in the draft.

[IMissMarvin]

Brackett - Bracklett was a Colt for a long time so it saddens me to see him go. But his game was based on speed/ coverage skills, and not size/shooting the gap. Clearly Angerer is fresher and has more upside at this point in his career, but is much cheaper, so this was really a no-brainer. B+

Addai - Addai is a solid scat back with good blocking and pass catching skills, however I feel he would be better suited as a situational back than in a starting position. He just isn't a very good run between the tackles kind of back. I think the Colts should try to fill the void at half back in FA or the draft. A

Painter - Nothing really needs to be said about this one. A+

Clark - This is another sad loss. Although nagging injuries slowed him down tremendously last season, I still think Dallas Clark is one of the better pass catching tight ends in the league. Without Peyton Manning throwing him the ball this year, you would have to wonder if he could generate any measure of that same type of production. I think this cut had more to do with Clark's ridiculous overpriced salary than anything else. Alas, it was probably a smart move for the organization. but Clark will be missed. B

Melvin Bullit - I don't really understand this one. The Colts really missed his presence in the secondary this past season, and the last thing they need is yet another void back there. C-

Phillip Wheeler - Like Gary Brackett, Wheeler's playing style is best suited for Polian's style of defence, which is subsequently what the Colts' are going to be trying to get away from (or so I hope). B+

Manning - The most tragic of all losses. This one is gonna hurt for a long time. I still have mixed reactions on this, but again, its all part of the business. This is going to be horrible right now, however the long term benifets of Luck is potentially more significant to the short term benefits of Manning at this point in his career. B

[Blackhawk4]

Wheeler is way too small to play OLB. There are safeties in this league bigger than Wheeler

You might want to check that again. Only one who might actually be bigger than wheeler is Laron Landry and he hasn't even been able to stay on the field the last couple of years Wheeler can play OLB in a 3-4. He's shown he can rush the passer and is quicker than alot of people think. His coverage play has improved so asking him to drop back won't be a problem. Wheeler can definitely be utilized in a 3-4 defense.

[OldManP]

Hopefully,for his sake,if Painter does go to camp somewhere, the #1 QB will let him practice once in a while.

Exactly!

[Crasher_Roth]

Addai- Sad to see Joey go, he had some decent years before injuries really took hold of him, I think if he was bitten by the injury bug so often he could still be a productive back and someone to help Luck's development, but due to the injuries somewhat glad to see him go, hopefully he can latch on somewhere and have some good seasons. Grade B+

Clark- Another one I'm sad to see go, but again due to injuries I'm not sure how much he has left, he might still be able to produce as a secondary target on a top team, but he'd more than likely be the #1 guy here and I don't think he's capable of that any longer, another good move that could open the door for a rookie TE (Fleener? Charles?). Grade A

Gary Brackett- See Clark & Addai. I'm not so sure how he would fit in with the 3-4 defense, he would have been a nice veteran presence to have, but not worth the cap space. Grade: A

Melvin Bullett- I had such high hopes for him but it appears the position is cursed w/season ending injuries, he would make a nice backup for a contender, and he played good filling in for Bob all those years, but despite all that he was a really good player, just spent more time on IR than the field. Grade: B

Curtis Painter- Sad to see him go, truly am, he's the reason we're getting the best QB prospect since Peyton himself, plus the fact that he's more likely to be in an un-employment line than football pads come August, I hate seeing the un-employment rate go up. But he's a terrible QB, needed to go. Grade: A+...plus any extra credit you feel like adding.

[Jaric]

I'm not even going to attempt to address the Peyton cut. I think it was the best option for both parties but still.

The only other one I even kind of question is the Dallas Clark one. And that's only because if he could return to something resembling prior form it would have been a nice option for Luck to throw to. That said, I agree he wasn't worth his contract.

Which sucks, because I loved Dallas's goofy butt.

[schwamm]

Which sucks, because I loved Dallas's goofy butt.

This is an awfully public place to be making such admissions...

[Jaric]

This is an awfully public place to be making such admissions...

Did I saw that out loud? Crap.

My wife warned be about drinking two cups of coffee in the morning. I completely lose my inner monologue.

[HOFClipboardHolder]

You might want to check that again. Only one who might actually be bigger than wheeler is Laron Landry and he hasn't even been able to stay on the field the last couple of years Wheeler can play OLB in a 3-4. He's shown he can rush the passer and is quicker than alot of people think. His coverage play has improved so asking him to drop back won't be a problem. Wheeler can definitely be utilized in a 3-4 defense.

You forgot Adrian Wilson, Matt Hensen and Taylor Mays. Getting a sack or two as a 4-3 LB, in no way means he can rush the passer, especially as a 3-4 LB. A 3-4 LB has to go toe to toe with a tackle. Wheeler is going to get swallowed up on every pass atempt as a rusher.

[Blackhawk4]

You forgot Adrian Wilson, Matt Hensen and Taylor Mays. Getting a sack or two as a 4-3 LB, in no way means he can rush the passer, especially as a 3-4 LB. A 3-4 LB has to go toe to toe with a tackle. Wheeler is going to get swallowed up on every pass atempt as a rusher.

He rushed the passer in college at times as well. He can do it, but he isn't asked to do so as well. He's not the type of OLB who's going to be a pure pass rusher and that's his only duty. He's good enough to drop back and be the OLB that can play coverage. He isn't the kind to set the edge in a run play, but on 3rd down when you're asking for speed rush he has it.

[04DarkShadowGT]

The only one I would have considered keeping is Addai because the best thing he does is pick up pass rushers. I have a feeling Luck is going to need all the help he can get in that aspect. Might have been worth the $$ to keep Luck upright as much as possible.

[Rich Cannon]

Over the past week the Colts made some very big cuts on the team. Alot of people i see arnt too happy about it but lets see how it really is.

Dallas Clark: I think this move is a good move. Clark had some bad drops and fumbles last year. He is still a good player but he is past his prime. We would be better off with Tamme and if we drafted a TE like Fleener or Allen. His salary takes a big cap hit.

Grade: C+

Joseph Addai: I think this is the best cut of them all. Addai has declined alot from his rookie year. He has missed lots of games with injurys and he is the weekest runner on the team. Even though Brown is inconsistant he was dynamic and is showing improvement.

Grade: A-

Gary Brackett: He is still a great player but he is the odd man out in the defense. He it to small and doesnt fit into a 3-4 defense. Brackett takes a hit to the cap space. With Angerer and Conner likely starting at both ILB spots then it leaves brackett out.

Grade: B-

Melvin Bullitt: Again another good player but he is easily replaceable. He also takes a pretty big cap hit. He is also very injury prone. In two seasons in a row he was on IR.

Grade: B+

Curtis Painter: There is really no explination here. He is atrocious and will never play an NFL snap ever in his life.

Grade: A+++

I dont think Addai was our weekest runner, but really couldnt stay on the field and at this point is very replacable. All in all well said..

[mvbighead]

Melvin Bullitt (B-): Frees up some space, but they should have kept him. He knows the system and they should have brought in some competition so it elevates his game or makes him a backup. Not the smartest move, but over time we'll see how it ends up.

Knows the system? You mean, the system they USED to play?

As far as I'm concerned, I don't care for some of the cuts myself, but Bullitt had to go. Can't stay healthy, and was a solid player at best. We can find other solid players that can actually play 12+ games a season.

To me, we're going to be hitting FA, and hitting it hard. Not for premiere players, but for depth that suits the defense we are going to run. We're going to be grabbing handfuls of guys that make sense. So, cutting Bullitt means nothing because they'll bring in another guy who will hopefully be just as good or better, and remain healthy.

[Mouthfire]

Knows the system? You mean, the system they USED to play?

As far as I'm concerned, I don't care for some of the cuts myself, but Bullitt had to go. Can't stay healthy, and was a solid player at best. We can find other solid players that can actually play 12+ games a season.

To me, we're going to be hitting FA, and hitting it hard. Not for premiere players, but for depth that suits the defense we are going to run. We're going to be grabbing handfuls of guys that make sense. So, cutting Bullitt means nothing because they'll bring in another guy who will hopefully be just as good or better, and remain healthy.

Actually, I think we'll make some some FA splashes in subsequent years, not this year.

This year, we'll have a lot of dead cap space from the FA's we released. Which is fine, since we're in rebuilding mode and not in a hurry to win now.

[chrisfarley]

Knows the system? You mean, the system they USED to play?

As far as I'm concerned, I don't care for some of the cuts myself, but Bullitt had to go. Can't stay healthy, and was a solid player at best. We can find other solid players that can actually play 12+ games a season.

To me, we're going to be hitting FA, and hitting it hard. Not for premiere players, but for depth that suits the defense we are going to run. We're going to be grabbing handfuls of guys that make sense. So, cutting Bullitt means nothing because they'll bring in another guy who will hopefully be just as good or better, and remain healthy.

yes, and this all happens starting at 4 today, why 4? , haven't the foggiest.

[Tark The Shark]

Here is my grades on the cuts

Clark: A-

He was a very good player for us the past few years but he was injured the past couple years and is in the downward swing of his career, I give it a A- because of the lack of weapons we could have still used Dallas to help out Luck.

Addai: A

He was a good player in 06 and 07 but hasn't been the same since that time. Donald Brown can do his job better than Addai. I give it an A because we could have used him as our third down back and help with pass protection to help Luck.

Brackett- A

Good player throughout his career, he was always very consistent until he got injured. This is the same case as Addai and his back-up played better than he did hence, made him expendable. I thought we could still use Brackett in our defense but with Angerer and a new defensive scheme, as Sound Of Music would say, so long, farewell.

Bullitt- A+

He is like a Bob Sanders to me except without the production that Sanders had and that is why I think most people kept Sanders around because of his production. Bullitt and only one good season and just got injured two straight years and I say good riddens to him.

Painter- A+

I guess there was a reason why Collins came in and beat out Painter and Collins was there for 2 weeks while Painter was there 3 years. Painter was good his first couple games but as soon as teams were able to study him, they killed him, he was oblivious to pressure and always went with his first read, I gave Painter the benefit of the doubt and I am glad we are now going with Luck as our future QB.

[oldunclemark]

Hard to grade the cuts until we see who replaces them, isnt it?