Mo' signin's

Continuing on the free-agent front, I see that the Cardinals have signed Jerraud Powers in what now looks like a trade of talented, but injury-prone cornerbacks. As much as I like Powers, I think the Colts came out slightly ahead due to Toler's size and aggressiveness.

The Redbirds also swiped the Colts' backup quarterback Drew Stanton. I'm not sure this is a big a loss for Indy as it is for the desert-dwellers. The reason Stanton made the move, from what I hear, is that the Cards are giving him a shot at a starting job. Stanton lacks the deep accuracy and the ability to sell play action for that. He's a backup, not a guy you want to pay big money (three years, $8 million) to.

That puts the Colts in the market for a backup quarterback. Many fans have said they think the job should be handed to Chandler Harnish, but I'm not sure he's ready. The traditional thinking is that it's best to bring in a veteran to help mentor a young starter, but I'm not sure what Andrew Luck still has to learn other than some magic mojo possessed by greats like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Recently cut erstwhile Buffalo starter Ryan Fitzpatrick is smart and wily, he could be a great pickup if he's cheap. Other than him, the free agent market looks kinda bleak with Rex Grossman at the top. Or they could use one of their few, precious draft picks on a Kirk Cousins-like rookie backup. I have a soft spot for Arizona's Matt Scott, who I think could be a dynamo in this offense, but he's not much more polished than Harnish was last year.

And another former Colt will be wearing red this season -- Donnie Avery signed with the Chiefs. It became clear earlier in the offseason that, despite his decent performance in his one season in Indy, Avery was not part of the team's future. The two receivers they drafted last year have much higher upsides and are slim speedsters in the same mold as Avery. If the Colts wanted to sign a receiver, I'm sure their preference would be for a bigger, stronger guy.

And another now former Colt, Moise Fokou, will be in the powder blue of the Flaming Thumbtacks. Fokou's certainly not a bad player, but not a difference-maker, and one who played a decreasing number of snaps last season. It should not be hard to replace the team's fourth-best option at inside linebacker.

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but does the starting lineup look like this?

QB Andrew Luck
HB Vick Ballard
WR TY Hilton
TE Dwayne Allen
RT Gosder Cherilus
RG Joe Reitz
C Samson Satale
LG Donald Thomas
LT Anthony Castonzo
TE Coby Fleener
WR Reggie Wayne

RDE Fili Moala
NT Josh Chapman
LDE Cory Redding
ROLB Erik Walden
RILB Kavell Conner
LILB Jerell Freeman
LOLB Robert Mathis
RCB Greg Toler
LCB Vontae Davis
SS Tom Zbikowski
FS Antoine Bethea