Your mother warned you about trading for defensive tackles

There's no sense elaborating much on this little NFL tidbit: Broncos DT Gerard Warren was traded to the Raiders today for a ham sandwich (or an undisclosed draft pick, we're not sure). As Big Blue Shoe writes over at the estimable Stampede Blue, it's hard to understand why the Raiders would give up anything for a player who was going to be cut eventually, but that's why they're the Raiders. It's likely just a second-day pick, but when those second-day picks turn into the Antoine Betheas of the world, they're nice to have around.

For fallout purposes, this could mean Warren Sapp is on his way out in Oakland. We sure hope so; we'd love to have Sapp on this team. Sapp + Dungy = True Love. Or maybe just a top-15 defense. You make the call.

The sky is falling...

How could things get worse for the Colts, you say? Just two weeks ago, the optimism was building to a crescendo. Sure, the Patriots had upgraded many of their weaknesses, but other than the departure of a few replaceable defensive starters, the Colts losses were minimal. Then, the sky cracked and began to tumble. Tarik Glenn retired. Tony Ugoh, a rookie, became the guardian of Peyton Manning's blindside. Next, Corey Simon was cut, ending any thoughts of his acquistion actually fortifying our defensive interior.

And yesterday the sky landed on Colts fans heads: Booger McFarland may miss the entire season with a patella tendon tear. We had just returned from seeing The Bourne Ultimatum last night (phenomenal, BTW) when we turned on the NFL Network and this sentence scrolled across the bottom of the screen: A. McFarland out for season.

Shit. We're not going to say McFarland was a Pro Bowl-caliber player, by any means, but he was a capable run stuffer at the DT position. Those are a rarity for the Colts. His play in the playoffs was a big reason for the defense's sudden turnaround. Losing him for the entire season is, if not a death blow, as close as it gets. Our DT depth was shaky to begin with; those in line to replace McFarland have only a handful of NFL tackles combined. We're not prepared to concede this season or hand the AFC Championship to the Chargers or Patriots, but we're not blind. The Colts are starting the season behind the 8-ball.

We're going to be written off. Analysts will begin to say we'll be lucky to win 10 games, or simply return to the playoffs. Maybe they're right. But we still believe. At this point, when everything seems to be going wrong, what else can you do?

Well, shit...

Tarik Glenn has made it official - he's done. We'll wait until around week three of the regular season until we close the book on him for good, but it looks like he's really hanging it up. Now we'll see what Charlie Johnson and Tony Ugoh are made of. This is a big blow, no question. The sky isn't falling, but repeating just got a whole lot tougher.

Our favorite line from the thrown together press release:

And he said he realized the timing – five days before the Colts are scheduled to report to 2007 Training Camp – “wasn’t the greatest.”

No shit.

The Colts, for some reason, have activated Corey Simon

Just when we were celebrating the Colts' Best Team ESPY win - oops - we stumbled upon this story that the Colts have activated Corey Simon from the PUP list. We dont' know why - we assume it's a technicality aspect of his eventual release - but it has us intrigued. It's July, any NFL or Colts-related news intrigues us. Get here, September, you're turning us all into freaks.

We don't want to ruin the surprise for you or anything, but...

This is what happened at last night's ESPY Awards ceremony, held right here in our backyard. Hint: if you're a Colts or Chargers fan, it was a good time had by all.

Yeah, that's a horseshoe imprint I just left on your forehead...

Last "Colts receiving their rings post," for real. We're not even going to write anything about it. We're just going to admire the picture above. Gee, that sure is nice. How much do you think a replica goes for?

We're at the 11-weeks-and-counting mark, people

With the NBA Finals tanking, our synapses finally recovered from Verlander's no-no, and the big movie release this week a Fantastic Four sequel, it's finally dawned on us that we're now less than three months from the start of the 2007 NFL season. So, it's time to do a little league housecleaning, if you'll bear with us. We find a story that's out there, give our take, and let you decide what's what.

Eli Manning is still on the Hot Seat

- The younger Manning tells the NY Times he's "well aware that this has been characterized as a make-or-break season, both for him, and for Giants Coach Tom Coughlin." The story starts out as a puff piece, with an anecdote about Manning's work with elementary schoolers, but inside there's one specific piece of information that has us eager to draft Eli in the middle rounds of our fantasy draft.

New Giants QB coach Chris Palmer is focusing primarily on improving Manning's footwork, and hoping his efforts will result in a bump in the fourth-year QB's notoriously unstable accuracy. We think the Giants watched last season's opener against the Colts more than a few times over the winter, and what they discovered is that Peyton Manning's newfound mobility allowed him to complete several throws after the pocket collapsed. If Eli can show the same improvement, the Giants may be a playoff team again in 2007

Can Laurence Maroney carry the load?

- All those pundits penciling Maroney in for a 1,600-yard season with all the new weapons surrounding him might want to dial down the excitement, because he's still deflecting questions about his offseason shoulder surgery. According the Boston Globe he's saying he'll "be out there, when he can be out there," but can the Patriots afford to put their Super Bowl hopes in the hands of a banged-up sophomore runner? Yes, they can, if you believe what the team says about not pursuing Tennessee castoff Chris Brown. We don't buy it. Expect to see Brown in Patriots camp by late July.

The Raiders are turning to the shotgun

- New Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin is all about the shotgun. That's shocking, since No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell operated mostly out of the same formation while at LSU. Moving on.

Jim Brown likes what he sees out of Jamal Lewis

- Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown is extremely pleased with the skills set newly acquired Brown Jamal Lewis has shown in the team's mini-camp. "That fucker will run you over," he says to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Browns don't have any other options, with former starter Rueben Droughns signing with the Giants in the offseason, so the team better hope Brown knows what he's talking about.

Colts to receive Super Bowl rings in private ceremony

No, this isn't really news, but we couldn't resist. The Super Bowl Champion Colts will get their bling in a ceremony tonight at an undisclosed Indianapolis location. And Peyton Manning tells the Indy Star he hopes everyone will be there, even those who jumped ship for the cash.

"Besides the 15-year reunion of Super Bowl XLI, or 20-year (reunion), this group won't be together again. There is some sadness in that, but also some celebration. This will truly be the cap-off of what we did last season and be a good send-off into the upcoming season. It's going to be an exciting event. It would be great if all those guys came back. I hope that happens.''

One ring? Any silly bitch can win one ring!

Peyon Manning is an assassin. We know this because of the 49 touchdown passes in 2004, the three consecutive passing titles, and the Colts' 50-14 regular-season record over the past four years. He will do anything to win, and he doesn't just want to win, he wants to rip your heart out while winning. We'll never forget his statement to Jim Irsay and Bill Polian prior to the 1998 NFL Draft that "he'd win for them," but that if they picked Ryan Leaf he'd "kick y'all's asses for the next 15 years."

We're pretty sure Irsay and Polian are quite pleased with the way things have worked out. But what separates Manning from every other quarterback in the NFL - Brady included - is his devotion to his craft. Sorry, Tom, but we can't see Peyton carousing with supermodels and changing diapers in the offseason. We picture Manning at home in his basement - his dog Colt under his feet - with a giant remote aimed at a big-screen featuring Adalius Thomas's 2006 season highlights. Don't think he hasn't noticed that the media have already "crowned the Patriots' asses."

Take this example from today's Indianapolis Star:

Jim Caldwell, who has served as the Colts quarterbacks coach since 2002, monitors the workload for all of his QBs. Caldwell conceded it can be difficult to keep the reins tight. This offseason, he tried to persuade Manning not to start throwing until May 1. Manning balked.
"I was like, 'May 1st? That's a long time not to throw. At least give me the 24th (of April),' '' Manning said.

Or this one from Colts.com, regarding his approach to "summer sessions":

"This is what we call our teaching time. I do think it’s important to spend some time with the young guys one on one and try to give them the ins and outs of the offense."

Oh, and this should make NFL defenses happy; it appears Joseph Addai will be lining up in the slot more this coming season:

"It’s been a huge part of our passing game this past year. Hopefully, that can continue – especially with Joe and hopefully, DeDe. You like to get those kinds of matchups with them on linebackers who probably aren’t as good a cover guys as safeties and corners. That’s been a good match-up for us."

We're not saying the Colts are a lock to repeat, by any means. We'd just like to point out they have won the past three meetings with New England - averaging 35 points a contest - and the Patriots' defense isn't getting any younger.

Colts keep QBs on "pitch counts" [Indy Star]

A Fun Time [Colts.com]

Peter King makes picks so you don't have to

Peter King is first out of the blocks with his Super Bowl XLII picks and he makes the bold declaration that the first regular season game of the 2007 season will also be the NFL's title game. That's right, the Colts and the Saints, and he predicts it will be possibly the highest scoring Super Bowl ever, 44-37, Colts. Super Bowl picks in June, eh Peter? We're not sure that's the greatest idea, seeing how training camp is still about six weeks off and Peyton Manning hasn't even had a chance to develop his latest offensive weapon, rookie wideout Anthony Gonzalez.

But we'll go with it, if only because it's nice to see at least SOMEONE in the media not penciling the Patriots in for February already. Could this be a jinx? Possibly. Then again, the Colts have been picked by many pundits to win the Super Bowl for years now and last year, finally, many of them were right. Realistically, we'll say the Saints have the much easier road to Glendale. The Bears are an 11-5, maybe 12-4 team, the Eagles have McNabb issues, the Seahawks are only getting older, and Carolina is still in identity-crisis mode. Honestly, we think the Saints biggest challenge comes in the form of the revamped 49ers.

As for the AFC, well, that bitch is loaded. New England, Indy and San Diego represent possibly the three highest-quality teams ever to compete in the same conference. Even better is as defending division champions all, they'll be competing in a round robin tournament to decide homefield throughout the AFC playoffs. Our money's on whoever wins that takes the Lombardi trophy. We're Colts fans, so we'll take them, especially because we'll be at the Colts-Chargers matchup in San Diego in November. We have to take them, if only because the thought of us becoming one-and-done champs and handing the crown back over to the Patriots is just too painful to comprehend.

Monday Morning QB [SI.com]

Indianapolis loses Super Bowl bid. Didn't see that one coming.

Pssst... no one here has probably gathered this yet, but we really like the Colts. We also like the Cardinals, to a lesser degree, but still - fan. Despite the Cardinals' awful start to this season, the last 12 months or so have been exceedingly rewarding. So are we upset that Indianapolis missed out on an opportunity to host a Super Bowl (albeit four years from now)? Nope. Never thought it was remotely possible in the first place. Honestly, why would the NFL pick a cold-weather city in the middle of the country over one of the league's most powerful owners and his looming megastadiadome? The Colts' new stadium (named after an oil company) cost $675 million. The Cowboys' new stadium (fostered by a man who made his name selling oil) cost $1 billion. One billion dollars. Go ahead and soak that in. It also seats nearly 30,000 more people. Why did Indianapolis ever think it stood a chance? None of the league's owners want to freeze their asses off in Indy during the last week of January, no matter how many enclosed walkways lead to the soon-to-open Lucas Oil.

But hey, they still get the rings, right?

Jerry Jones can dance [Dallas Morning News]