2011 Colts Training Camp

            Training camps for NFL teams are open, and preseason football is right around the corner. The Indianapolis Colts have been at Anderson University since Sunday and are getting ready for the regular season. The biggest news coming out of camp this past week has been punter Pat McAfee nailing field goals from 75-yards away. Yes, this is what training camp is all about!

            
            Off the field the Colts have been signing veteran players and free agents. The signing of Peyton Manning led to the signing of Joseph Addai, Ryan Diem, and Antonio Johnson. Indy also signed free agents linebacker Ernie Sims, defensive end Jamaal Anderson, and defensive tackle Tommie Harris. I was taken aback by these pickups, as the Colts very rarely big name players. Team President, Bill Polian, explained that the three new players all played in the same defensive scheme that the Colts use, the Cover 2.

            
            The Colts start pre-season games on August 13^th, against the St. Louis Rams. They play at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Washington Redskins on August 19^th and on August 26^th they play the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Finally, they finish September 1 in Cincinnati for the I-74 Rivalry.

Spoiled Rotten

You know who makes the maddest in the sports world? People that complain “season ticket” prices are too high. Really? You’re complaining because you’re paying too much for a WHOLE season’s worth of homes games? You hear this all the time, from NFL to MLB to NBA to the NCAA. My god, I can only imagine how perfect it would be to have the luxury of owning season tickets to ANY sport or team. I would probably kill a terrorist to be able to see every Colts’ game.

               

I have been to:

4 Indianapolis Colts games

5 Indianapolis Indians games (never seen a victory for the Indians by the way)

5 Indiana Pacers games

2 Indiana Ice games

1 Notre Dame game (a gift from my wonderful girlfriend)

 4 races at IMS

2 St. Louis Cardinals games

1 St. Louis Blues games

               

That all may seem like a lot, but compared to the hordes that have been buying season tickets for years, that’s nothing(or the spoiled kids who have parents that buy tickets). Not to mention, of the 24 things listed, 14 were free to me (and my parents).Every one of those sporting events were moments that I will never forget, and isn’t that what a sporting event SHOULD be? It should be something that you can tell your friends or family about. It should be something your child and yourself should remember.

               

For so many, having tickets to a game like the ones listed are just as necessary as having food on the table. I grew up in a fortunate household, don’t get me wrong. But I didn’t see my first Brickyard 4oo until my dad won tickets in 2008, and I live right down the street from the track! I will NEVER forget walking around the track all morning, then sitting next to my dad, watching Jimmie Johnson drive to victory. 

I’m proud of how my parents raised me. I’m proud that I was old enough to truly appreciate going to a Colts and Pacers game.

-still never been to Disney World though!

                

I will always be willing to pay astronomical prices for tickets to sports events, but what about the up and coming fans, or the ones who want to learn more about a certain sport? The kids and people who are curious about a sport but can only see it on television like I once was?

Television can only do so much. You can’t hear the same crack of the bat, or the same referee whistles, or the same squeaking of shoes on a court, or the same roar of the engines. To truly capture the essence of a sport, you have to see it in person, and a lot of people are missing out on that.

NFL Draft 2011: Colts Preview

Ah, the NFL Draft is here once again, occurring once a year like the annual excitement of Chicago Cubs fans for the upcoming season, and then their bitter disappointment by June. I am not a huge fan of the Draft. It’s just as asinine as all the college football “Signing Day” coverage. It’s insane to put so much media attention and emphasis into the unpredictable athletic futures of young men. I will watch the first round Thursday night and probably some of the second round Friday night. Beyond that though, my only concern will be seeing who the Indianapolis Colts decide is worthy of playing in the NFL.

Everybody and their mom think the Colts’ primary concern in the draft is an offensive lineman. I could not disagree more. For me, the biggest concern is on the defensive line.

Kerry J. Byrne, who writes for Sports Illustrated, also has the same opinion as he wrote “The Colts averaged 3.77 YPA on the ground in 2010 (27th league-wide). But plenty of teams have won Super Bowls with poor running attacks, including many worse than the one Indy fielded in 2010. In fact, as noted above, the Super Bowl champ Packers did not run particularly well, either: just a tiny shade better than Indy with an average of 3.81”. (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011)

               

You gotta believe that the reason for the poor run game was the lack of a dangerous passing game. Tight End Dallas Clark went down in Week 6, receiver Austin Collie in Week 10, and receiver Anthony Gonzalez only played in two games. When a star tight end like Clark goes down, teams that would usually use a cornerback to cover him can now bring in a linebacker to cover the slower Jacob Tamme (back up to Clark). That extra linebacker is able to play more of the middle of the field and is a better tackler than a cornerback.

               

Plus, it’s not exactly the Colts have a dangerous threat at running back. Maybe the Colts should try and find a legit back. Addai is never going to be a superstar, nor is Donald Brown, or any tail back on the Colts roster.

               

Byrne also brings up two important statistics concerning Indy’s defense. The first is the fact they gave up 4.57 YPA on rushing attempts. The second is that Indy’s defense forced quarterbacks to make negative passing plays only 7.1% of the time, only the Denver Broncos had a worse percentage! Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are fantastic defensive ends, but it was so glaringly obvious that teams were able to run right past them up the middle last season. The Indianapolis Colts front office and its fans need to look at all the statistics from last season before jumping into this year’s draft.

Peter King and Don Banks of Sports Illustrated have Indianapolis drafting offensive lineman Nate Solder from Colorado; who both say that Solder is a great pass blocker. Mike Maycock, Bucky Brooks, and Steve Wyche from NFL.com also believe the Colts will draft Solder. Only Pat Kirwan from NFL.com thinks the Colts will select a defensive tackle, that being Corey Liuget from Illinois.

It’s guaranteed that the Indianapolis Colts will draft either an offensive or defensive lineman in the 2011 Draft, but which will remain unknown until about 24 hours from now. The Colts will also be looking for help in the secondary, and perhaps at the running back position, and the heir to Mr. Peyton Manning.