Catching my breath on free agency

This is the point at which we all second guess the signings. This is how I categorize them:

Awesome
Darius Butler

Gosder Cherilus

Great
Donald Thomas
Greg Toler
LaRon Landry

Okay, they must know something
Ricky Jean-Francois
Lawrence Sidbury

WTF?
Erik Walden

I put Butler at the top not because he's an outstanding player, though he quite a good one, but because of how the team handled his signing. They took him off the scarp heap, allowed him to play his game, and he excelled. His reward was a contract, but it was tempered by the fact that he signed under the understanding that he would be the team's third corner. Considering the egos corners have, that's impressive.

You'll hear lots of "good riddance" and "you got swindled" by sour grapes-spewing Lions fans in reference to the Cherilus signing. Take it for what it is. Cherilus was the last first-round pick of the much-reviled Matt Millen, and he struggled as a rook, then was hit by injury. But Cherilus isn't to blame for who drafted him, nor his injuries. And although like many a tackle (look at Duane Brown, for example) who may look disastrous as a rook, he found himself later on.

I watch a lot of the Lions because of where I live, family connections to the city and because I like Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson, and I can tell you that Cherilus has made himself one of the best right tackles in the league, stalemating guys like his old rival Jared Allen.

Thomas was seen as a talent who could never put it together until he got to New England. Great, thanks for coaching him up, guys. He steps in as by far and away the most talent guard the team has had in years.

My feeling on Toler vis-à-vis Jerraud Powers are unchanged. They have similar talent levels, but Toler gets the edge because he is more physical.

I've never been a huge Landry fan because I think he's one of those guys who concentrates more on the big hit than consistently strong safety play, but, with that said, he gets the job done.

RJF? I get that he plays all three line positions, but does he do any of them particularly well?

Sidbury's a boom-or-bust guy. Full of excellent physical attributes, for sure, but the Falcons must have benched him for a reason.

Walden, Walden, Walden. I gotta say it again. They must know something I don't.

And now they've signed LaRon Landry

More tomorrow. I'm at work and sleepy.

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

Free agent frenzy

There will be a lot of sad faces in Coltsville today. many of the free agents Indy fans have been public in their desire for signed elsewhere right away. Paul Kruger is a Brown, Andy Levitre a Flaming Thumbtack and Louis Vasquez will be protecting Peyton Manning in Colorado.

Perhaps more important is the fact that the team could not come to a deal with Jerraud Powers before he hit the open market. It's sad, because he's a quality player and guy, but the Colts brass are too smart to pay two guys No. 1 corner money.

As I write this (I'm at work), the announcement just came through that through that the Colts signed former first-round pick Gosder Cherilus. Although he'd had some problems with injuries and speed rushers in the past, he was outstanding for the Lions last season at right tackle, especially in pass defense. He's a plug-and-play starter, so his presence and the tender offer to Jeff Linkenbach make the likelihood of the team re-signed Winston Justice slim. Too bad, great guy, but Cherlius represents an upgrade.

Cherlius is still young-ish (28), but has a lot of miles on his tires. An excellent pass blocker and plus run blocker, his biggest liabilities are his penchant for penalties, and his injury history. He was arrested once for his part in a bar brawl years ago, but does not seem like a character risk at all. I'm not sure how big the contract is, but it's for five years, so it's probably quite large.

And now it's come to my attention that an old favorite of mine, Greg Toler, has signed with the Colts. Arizona's third corner last season after recovering from a nasty ACL tear in 2011, he played very well. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he allowed just a 41.4 completion percentage for a 51.5 passer rating. He also graded out as the team's best corner in run support.

Better in man than zone coverage, Toler is big and strong enough to make a real impression as a press corner. Many fans will probably expect him to be a slot guy, but he's way more effective outside. Three years at $15 million makes me think he's expected to start opposite Vontae Davis. I'm okay with that.

Lawrence Sidbury is interesting. Coming out of college, he was a much-desired pass-rushing prospect in 2009. He seems to have all the tools, and appeared to be emerging as a pass-rushing force in 2010 with four sacks, but the Falcons benched him and he added just one more sack in two years, playing sparingly. I don't know why the Falcons soured on him, just that they did.

He'll get a chance to compete, but does not look like the pass rusher the Colts need to make the next step.

The Colts also added much-traveled guard Donald Thomas. He had some issues, especially in pass protection, in the past, but played very well with the Patriots last season. An accomplished run blocker (contrary to common opinion, smaller guards often excel in the running game). If he's as good as he looked last season, the Colts have a strong candidate to start at guard.

I'm not nearly as nuts about another Colts' signing, outside linebacker Erik Walden. A college DE who's spent some time in Dallas, KC and Green Bay, Walden has collected just nine sacks in 66 games played. Last season in Green Bay, he played a lot and showed a few flashes, but nothing I got excited about. Not much against the run, but pretty decent in coverage. Since the Colts gave him $16 million for four years, they must see something I don't.

And he spent a weekend in jail for allegedly punching out his girlfriend.

Late note: The Colts also re-signed Darius Butler. Yisssss.

Love me tender

The Colts announced today that they will be offering tender offers to restricted free agents Jeff Linkenbach and Cassius Vaughn, and to as exclusive-rights free agents Joe Reitz, Martin Tevaseu and Josh Gordy.

Before we get into details, I think it's important to point out that they did not offer tenders to Seth Olsen, AJ Edds or Deji Karim. Olsen and Edds aren't surprising -- Olsen has been ineffective and Edds, though talented, is injury-prone -- but Karim is an explosive return man, something none of the other players on the roster have proven to be yet.

I know lots of Colts fans are unhappy to see Linkenbach return, but I think he deserves a shot to compete for a roster spot if not a starting job. Similarly, Vaughn had some rough stretches last season when he was called upon to start, but could be an effective depth player.

Reitz, though not great, was probably the Colts' best guard last season, and he's still learning the position. Getting him back is very important. Tevaseu is a depth-only guy, but with two of the three nose tackles ahead of him coming back from severe injuries and the other an unrestricted free agent the Colts are not likely to re-sign, having him back at a bargain-basement price is a wise idea. Gordy had some nasty burns in coverage last season, but still has some potential and isn't a bad special-teams guy. Again, bring him back is a prudent move.

Cut veterans

The free-agent market is rapidly expanding as teams cut veterans or tell free agents not to expect an offer. Anyone who reads even just a little ColtPlay knows I'm skeptical when it comes to signing veteran free agents, but a few makes some sense. One has kind of piqued my interest.

Eric Winston is a top-of-the-line right tackle who has been cut twice in two years for reasons related to the salary cap. Aside from a few too many penalties, Winston is a consummate right tackle as both a run and pass blocker. He's a good person, a team guy and he won't turn 30 until around midseason. The Colts would be an excellent landing place for him, especially if he'd like to get some measure of revenge against Houston, which surprised him with his release after a stellar 2011 campaign.

Many of the other veteran options don't seem like good fits for the Colts. A case could be made for some. Michael Jenkins has some great skills, but lacks the toughness to be the big receiver the Colts need. Dunta Robinson (an old favorite of mine) was burned very badly last year, and looks very much like he's lost his mojo. Michael Turner is interesting as a blocking and short-yardage option, but his days as a feature back are in the past. Stewart Bradley's history of injuries make him a non-starter. Gerald Sensabaugh has some skills, but is not a sure tackler or intimidating hitter. John Abraham can totally still bring it, but is 35 and coming off some injuries (which he played through). He has played outside linebacker in the 3-4 in college, but that was back in 1999 when Andrew Luck was in fifth grade.

Other than those guys, not much is out there.

Catching up

Sorry about the time off, busy with books and publication bans and all kinds of other mishegoss.

First on the agenda has got to be reports that the Colts are actively seeking to sign a pair of defensive backs -- Cary Williams and Ed Reed -- from the Ravens. The reports seem less backed in fact than they do from speculation based on the facts that the Colts need defensive backs and that Colts head coach Chuck Pagano  is familiar with both players as a former defensive coordinator of the Ravens. Add to taht the fact that the Ravens are cap-strapped after having made Joe Flacco the highest-paid player in NFL history, and it makes great sense.

I like Williams, but I think his price tag will be inflated after his great performances in the playoffs and Super Bowl. He'll command a long-term, top-dollar contract, and I'm not 100 percent sure he's worth it. His presence would no doubt improve the secondary, but I'd balk if he's expecting franchise-tag numbers. I'm even less sure about Reed. Although his leadership qualities and experience are undeniable, I'm pretty sure I saw him begin to decline last season. If they do sign him, and they could well, the shorter the contract (and the less guaranteed money) the better.

***
As far as keeping their own free agents is concerned, the media consensus is that the Colts are concentrating on cornerback Jerraud Powers first, defensive lineman Fili Moala second and corner Darius Butler third. That kind of makes sense since Powers has No. 1 potential when he's healthy, Moala fits the system well and was very promising before he went down last season and Butler player like an all-star last season (but only after years of being beaten while playing for other teams).

Of course, that came after the team placed a franchise tag on Pat McAfee. Both sides have said they they want to work out an equitable long-term deal, and they probably will. I can't say often enough how imporatnt McAfee is to the team, and it would be a horrible mistake to let him go.

So where does that leave the rest of the Colts free agents? Outside looking in.

***
Everyone's talking about the Mike Chappell Jim Irsay interview. The big revelations about Bill Polian being open to trading Peyton Manning in 2004 and about how the 2012 draft would have unfolded if the Colts did not have the first pick certainly are interesting, but, since they are both based on what-if scenarios, not taht important in any real sense.