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Weekend of surprises reveals much about Indianapolis Colts' personnel philosophy
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Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian (AP Photo)
A weekend of surprises for the Indianapolis Colts spilled into the first week of the regular season, doing so in surprising fashion. The latest surprise -- like many throughout the weekend -- says much about the team's philosophy regarding personnel, and why the team has been successful in recent seasons.
The latest surprise?
Second-year LB Philip Wheeler, widely assumed to be the starting strong-side linebacker, won't be -- at least not for the opener Sunday against Jacksonville. Fifth-year veteran Tyjuan Hagler, a likable, talented player who has battled injuries throughout his NFL career, apparently will be.
The Colts announced the change with a switch on the depth chart on their official website Monday afternoon.
That was the surprise, and here's what it says about the Colts' operating philosophy:
*** WHAT DO THE COLTS HAVE TO DO TO WIN THE AFC SOUTH? READ IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S FIVE KEYS HERE . . .
When the Colts make decisions on who starts -- and even who makes the team -- where or even if a player was drafted just doesn't matter.
A caveat here:
I must apologize to Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz for writing this this evening. He's writing something along the same lines Tuesday morning. We discussed the topic Monday, with each of us taken by the Colts' willingness to part ways with drafted players. If you've covered the NFL for any length of time, you've seen franchises and general managers hang on to drafted players long after it's obvious they can't play because draft picks are how GMs/Presidents are judged publicly. Cutting draft picks is admitting mistakes, and it takes guts to do it. What Colts President Bill Polian always has been willing to do in his Colts tenure -- a 12-year tenure that includes a Super Bowl title, six division titles and nine playoff appearances -- is make decisions based on not what's best for his "draft grades," but rather, for the franchise, and that was the case this weekend. Thursday night, after a preseason loss to Cincinnati, Polian spoke with Voice of the Colts Bob Lamey saying, "We're not going to keep anybody because they were a draft choice. We're going to keep the guys who we think can win in the National Football League. That's the sole criteria. If you can't, then we'll figure out what to do from there." Polian in the next few days more than made good on the words, making made what had to be difficult decisions to release a slew of players from recent draft classes, keeping instead unknown/undrafted free agents around the roster:
* At defensive tackle, where the Colts released 2009 fourth-rounder Terrance Taylor and kept 2008 waiver-wire acquisition Dan Muir, 2008 free-agent signee Antonio Johnson (signed off the Tennessee practice squad) and 2008 rookie free agent Eric Foster.
* At offensive guard/center, where the Colts released 2008 sixth-rounder Steve Justice and kept 2009 free-agent signee Kyle DeVan (signed from ArenaFootball2).
* At cornerback, where the Colts released 2007 third-rounder Dante Hughes and 2007 fifth-rounder Michael Coe and kept 2009 free-agent rookie Jacob Lacey.
* At defensive end, where the Colts released 2008 fifth-rounder Marcus Howard.
The trend holds elsewhere around the lineup, notably at offensive left tackle, where 2006 sixth-rounder and former backup Charlie Johnson is starting ahead of 2007 second-rounder Tony Ugoh.
That's the gist of Bob's column, I imagine, and as of Monday afternoon, I wasn't going to write about it, then came the news that the Colts had moved Hagler past Wheeler into the starting role. As was the case with Ugoh, it would have been easy to stay with the earlier-drafted player, even if that player wasn't the better player, and if it sounds like playing the best player is obvious and routine, just let me say I've seen plenty of cases where it doesn't happen. There have been more than a few in the blogosphere questioning Polian's recent drafts in recent days, but it's far better to admit a mistake and move on than to keep the mistake around and have him hurt the team on the field. There's a commercial all over sports talk radio these days about an investment company asking what's the best time to sell underachieving funds. The answer is, "Now," and the same is true of drafted players who can't play or just don't fit.
"Is one of those things in which you just look at the facts," Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. "You have to be brutally honest with yourself and make a determination based on fact and fact alone. If you add emotion into it, then things become a bit more difficult.
"When you look at the facts, sometimes it clears things up for you."
So, criticize Polian's recent selections if you want. Just credit him for seeing the facts -- and making the necessary decisions -- too.
*** BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER: IFR Editor John Oehser looks at the 2009 depth chart HERE.
*** THE CUTS: A list of the roster moves to get down to the 53-man limit HERE.
READ "COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: A NEXT-DAY GLANCE AT THE COLTS-BENGALS GAME WITH PRE-CUT DAY COMMENTS FROM INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN . . .
RECENT COLTS NEWS
* QB Jim Sorgi to remain backup behind QB Peyton Manning
* Colts place CB Michael Coe, two others, on waived-injured
* CB Kelvin Hayden says he'll return for regular-season opener
* K Adam Vinatieri taken off PUP list
* Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell finds the positives in loss to Cincinnati
* Colts move S Bob Sanders off the PUP list
* Colts S Bob Sanders will play sooner rather than later
MAGNIFICENT SEVENS, 2009 PRESEASON COLTS THOUGHTS
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
EXAMINER SERIES: TWENTY PRE-TRAINING CAMP QUESTIONS WITH THE COLTS . . .
1) Will Jim Sorgi be the backup quarterback?
2) Will Special Teams be Special?
3) Who will be the Colts' breakout player in 2009?
4) Will loss of former Head Coach Tony Dungy hurt in 2009?
5) What will defense look like in 2009?
6) Will DT Ed Johnson impact the defense in 2009?
7) How important is the return of OG Ryan Lilja in 2009?
8) Will K Adam Vinatieri be ready in 2009?
9) Will WRs be improved in 2009?
11) Will S Bob Sanders be healthy in 2009?
12) Will secondary be one of NFL's best in 2009?
13) Who will start at RB in 2009?
14) What roles will Tom Moore and Howard Mudd play in 2009?
15) Can QB Peyton Manning improve again in 2009?
16) Will the Colts be OK at LB in 2009?
17) Will CB Kelvin Hayden make the Pro Bowl in 2009?
18) Can TE Dallas Clark make the Pro Bowl in 2009?
19) Can OT Tony Ugoh develop into franchise-level LT?
20) Can the Colts win the Super Bowl in 2009?
THE POSITION-BY-POSITION PRE-TRAINING CAMP SERIES:
- The QUARTERBACKS
- The RUNNING BACKS
- The TIGHT ENDS
- The WIDE RECEIVERS
- The OFFENSIVE TACKLES
- The OFFENSIVE GUARDS
- The CENTERS
- The DEFENSIVE ENDS
- The DEFENSIVE TACKLES
- The LINEBACKERS
- The CORNERBACKS
- The SAFETIES
OTHER EXAMINER COLTS TOPICS . . .
- Colts QB Peyton Manning on Steve McNair
- Steve McNair's career often intertwined with the Colts
- QB Peyton Manning omitted from ESPN.com's All-Decade team
- The best of the Indianapolis Colts blogosphere . . .
- Manning: Influence of Tony Dungy still felt around Colts
- Mudd, Moore return inevitable, happy end to long story
- Colts to allow sponsors on practice uniforms
- Why Colts QB Peyton Manning is primed for another big season
- Re-signing DT Ed Johnson makes DT situation even better
- SERIES: Peyton Manning Top 10 underrated moments.
- Breaking Down the 2009 Colts Schedule
- A recap of the Colts' 2009 NFL Draft
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