Question for long time Colts fans…..

[NewColtsFan]

This question concerns Bill Polian’s time with the Colts. 
 

Other than Adam Vinatieri, what other players can you remember Polian signing in Free Agency.   I’m sure there were some.  
 

Anyone?    Can you help?  
 

Thanks in advance….  

[DougDew]

When Polian first got here, he signed a few. 

 

DE Chad Bratzke

S Chad Cota 

 

Edit:  Yes, Jeff Burris, a Corner.

 

and there may have been a few lesser players. 

 

In a few years he signed Cory Simon, a DT stud with Philly who somehow fatted-out of his playing time almost immediately as a Colt. 

 

There was that FA QB from his time in CAR (cant remember the name) to start when PM went down late in pre-season.

 

He traded for Tyrone Poole when he signed Bratzke and Cota. 

He traded for Booger during the SB years.

 

That's all I got.

[Dunk]

Booger McFarland

Chad Cota 

Jeff Burris

Tyrone Poole

[Nesjan3]

Similar to Ballard he never really dabbled very heavily in FA. IMO the NFL has changed though. It also doesn't hurt that he drafted   

-Peyton Manning (which wasn't a no brainer, Leaf was considered as good or better). 

- Edge

- Reggie Wayne

- Dwight Freeney

- Dallas Clark

- Robert Mathis

- Bob Sanders

Literally in consecutive drafts with 00 being the one year he didn't hit.

[Dunk]

Also brought back

Terrance Wlikins for return duties after he left in free agency

Rob Morris also returned and played better than his first stint. I think he was weak side, played better at middle.

[Dunk]

11 minutes ago, DougDew said:

When Polian first got here, he signed a few. 

 

DE Chad Bratzke

S Chad Cota 

 

Edit:  Yes, Jeff Burris, a Corner.

 

and there may have been a few lesser players. 

 

In a few years he signed Cory Simon, a DT stud with Philly who somehow fatted-out of his playing time almost immediately as a Colt. 

 

There was that FA QB from his time in CAR (cant remember the name) to start when PM went down late in pre-season.

 

He traded for Tyrone Poole when he signed Bratzke and Cota. 

He traded for Booger during the SB years.

 

That's all I got.

Kerry Collins is the QB

[GoColts8818]

13 minutes ago, Dunk said:

Booger McFarland

Chad Cota 

Jeff Burris

Tyrone Poole

booger was a trade
 

Monte Reagor

Corey Simon 

dom Rhodes (he came back)

Brandon Stokley

Quadry Ismail

Chad Bratzke

Terrance Wilkins (again he came back)

Mike Vanderjagt

Carey Blanchard

Mark Rypin

Brock Huard

Jeff Saturday

Gary Brackett

Daniel Muir

Melvin Bullitt

Ryan Lilja

Raheem Brock (was drafted by the Eagles but they didn’t save enough cap space to sign him so the Colts were able to snag him)

Kerry Collins

 

 

[DougDew]

1 minute ago, GoColts8818 said:

booger was a trade
 

Monte Reagor

Corey Simon 

dom Rhodes (he came back)

Brandon Stokley

Quadry Ismail

Chad Bratzke

Terrance Wilkins (again he came back)

Mike Vanderjagt

Carey Blanchard

Mark Rypin

Brock Huard

Jeff Saturday

Gary Brackett

Daniel Muir

Melvin Bullitt

Ryan Lilja

Raheem Brock (was drafted by the Eagles but they didn’t save enough cap space to sign him so the Colts were able to snag him)

Kerry Collins

 

 

Technically yes, Polian signed back up players and kickers.  I assumed OP was looking more at signing immediate starters with higher price tags.

 

For example, IIRC, he signed Brackett as a backup to MLB Rob Morris, whom he drafted 26 but was later moved to SAM as Brackett won the starting role.

[GoColts8818]

4 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Technically yes, Polian signed back up players and kickers.  I assumed OP was looking more at signing immediate starters with higher price tags.

 

For example, IIRC, he signed Brackett as a backup to MLB Rob Morris, whom he drafted 26 but was later moved to SAM as Brackett won the starting role.

Reagor, Simon, Stokley, Ismail, Bratzke, Saturday, Muir, Collins, and Lilja were all signed as starters plus the three secondary players listed in the post I quoted.  Worth noting Wilkins was signed as the starting return man and Rhodes was brought back as the second back and split reps during the 2010 season getting starts in three of the four games he was here.

[ArmchairQB]

Polian and Ballard have very similar philosophies.  Draft well and develop your own guys and try and sprinkle in where it makes sense.  Grigson drafted like he was playing darts blindfolded and tried to make up for it with splash FA signings.  I think Ballard approach is much more sound.   There’s a bunch of teams out there that make big FA splash signings every year and all it does is land them in salary cap hell. 
 

as was mentioned the biggest FA signing by Polian was probably Corey Simon.  What a disaster that was.  But good topic 

[jemack]

I know he's not a player but signing Dungy from Tampa to replace Mora changed everything.

[GoColts8818]

3 minutes ago, jemack said:

I know he's not a player but signing Dungy from Tampa to replace Mora changed everything.

Yep people often forget the Colts were regressing under Mora until Dungy came in.  Seems like people over look the impact Dungy had on those Colts teams for some reason.  He was the missing peace to make them an elite franchise for a long time.

[Mick J.]

30 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Yep people often forget the Colts were regressing under Mora until Dungy came in.  Seems like people over look the impact Dungy had on those Colts teams for some reason.  He was the missing peace to make them an elite franchise for a long time.

 

He was overrated.  

[#12.]

Cornelius Bennett

[Hawkeyecolt]

Simon was a trade initially.  He played well enough his first year then fleeced the Colts when they gave him a new contract. 
 

I was going to mention Montae Reagor.  Similar to the Autry and Ebukam type of signings.  The Stokely signing was an under the radar signing that was a big success. 

[Superman]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

Technically yes, Polian signed back up players and kickers.  I assumed OP was looking more at signing immediate starters with higher price tags.

 

For example, IIRC, he signed Brackett as a backup to MLB Rob Morris, whom he drafted 26 but was later moved to SAM as Brackett won the starting role.

 

Gary Brackett was a UDFA, so even he wouldn't count.

[Mick J.]

The OPs topic seems like justification to retain Ballard 5 more years, regardless of progress or lack of and knowing that he won't sign high priced FAs. 

[GoColts8818]

1 minute ago, Mick J. said:

The OPs topic seems like justification to retain Ballard 5 more years, regardless of progress or lack of and knowing that he won't sign high priced FAs. 

The op post says nothing about Ballard.

[Mick J.]

Just now, GoColts8818 said:

The op post says nothing about Ballard.

 

Or Dungy

[Superman]

32 minutes ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Simon was a trade initially.  He played well enough his first year then fleeced the Colts when they gave him a new contract. 

 

That's not how that went.

 

Corey Simon was franchise tagged by the Eagles in offseason before the 2005 season. He held out of all offseason camps, and training camp. The Eagles rescinded the tag after training camp, before the regular season started, so he became a free agent. Then the Colts signed him right before the season started. 

 

So even the one high profile free agent signing that Polian made was kind of a weird circumstance. We didn't sign Simon in the frenzied high of free agency, like you would think. He was a late summer addition, only available after most teams' rosters were already set and there were probably no other bidders.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2145502

 

Simon wasn't in great shape for the Colts in 2005. He played 13 games, then had surgery in the offseason before the 2006 season. He went on PUP before the year, and wound up missing the entire year. He never reported to the Colts after the season. The Colts released him prior to the 2007 season.

[GoColts8818]

1 minute ago, Mick J. said:

 

Or Dungy

Yes but someone else brought Dungy up the in the thread.  You just threw Ballard bit in out of no where.  

[GoColts8818]

44 minutes ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Simon was a trade initially.  He played well enough his first year then fleeced the Colts when they gave him a new contract. 
 

I was going to mention Montae Reagor.  Similar to the Autry and Ebukam type of signings.  The Stokely signing was an under the radar signing that was a big success. 

Simon was released by the Eagles and Polian signed him as a free agent.  The DT that was a trade was Booger the following year when Simon went south.  

[cbear]

Booger and Rob Morris were two huge reasons we won that sb. Morris went into that phone booth and changed from Clark Kent to superman. Not sure what finally clicked for him, but glad it did. 

[GoColts8818]

22 minutes ago, cbear said:

Booger and Rob Morris were two huge reasons we won that sb. Morris went into that phone booth and changed from Clark Kent to superman. Not sure what finally clicked for him, but glad it did. 

I am glad someone besides me remembered Morris.  Most of the time people go oh they got Sanders back and championship oh yeah they got Bogger too and completely forget Rob.  Don’t get me wrong I am not going to take anything away from Sanders he was a huge part but Booger and Morris were also key for the turn around too.

[indyagent17]

17 hours ago, Dunk said:

Booger McFarland

Chad Cota 

Jeff Burris

Tyrone Poole

And oh yes, they won a Super Bowl with Polian as general manager

1 hour ago, cbear said:

Booger and Rob Morris were two huge reasons we won that sb. Morris went into that phone booth and changed from Clark Kent to superman. Not sure what finally clicked for him, but glad it did. 

Absolutely adding McFarland and a healthy Bob Sanders brought Indianapolis its  first championship