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09 Mar 2012

Indianapolis Officially Cuts Pretty Much Everyone Else

Joseph Addai, gone. Melvin Bullitt, gone. Gary Brackett, Dallas Clark, Curtis Painter, gone. The massive turnover in Indianapolis continues.

I wonder how much time these guys have left. Gary Brackett played one game last year, and 30-plus undersized middle linebackers with health issues don't really have a great track record. Bullitt has only played six games in the last two seasons. Dallas Clark managed only 11 games this year, six the year before. He's 33 and his numbers went way down without Peyton Manning this season. You've got to figure that Clark, like Reggie Wayne, would love to go wherever Manning goes. I suppose he could be useful as a second receiving tight end if you don't expect to get 16 games out of him.

Joseph Addai should have a couple years left as a committee back somewhere, and I'm guessing Curtis Painter ends up holding a clipboard as the third quarterback for another team, but I'll be shocked if he ever starts another game.

Posted by: Aaron Schatz on 09 Mar 2012

62 comments, Last at 12 Mar 2012, 2:53pm by Floyd

Comments

1
by jackgibbs :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:23pm

NOT CURTIS PAINTER!

12
by RickD :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 8:03pm

Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking.

2
by Purds :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:24pm

What the hell's going on out here?!?

3
by Phyrre56 :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:43pm

Makes sense. None of those guys is going to be viable by the time Andrew Luck is any good. (Assuming he does develop into a franchise QB.) This will free up their cap space, and if they tank next year in Luck's freshman debut then they just get more high draft picks, which are more valuable now than ever before in the cap era.

27
by Ranccor :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 12:12pm

Agree. As a Colts fan, I approve of these cuts.

32
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:11pm

I was going to say I'd have kept Addai around because he always seems to do a good job in blitz pick-up and a veteran back who does that well is probably a nice thing for a rookie quarterback to have.

Then I looked up what they were paying him.

4
by AJ (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:45pm

why are people surprised? these are the exact players who led the colts to their 2-14 record. Do you think anyone was surprised when the 0-16 lions proceeded to gut their entire roster?

8
by Purds :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:13pm

Actually, as a Colt fan, I am not surprised once I think about the names here -- lots of older/injured guys who cost more than they're worth. At the same time, as a Colt fan, I am also not used to change. The Colts haven't gotten more than a handful of FA signings in the past decade, and when you cut this many guys, and you're expecting the old regime (draft and undrafted FA's only), you at first wonder, who they hell are they going to put on the field? Of course, the new regime might dip into the FA pool more than Polian did.

5
by DavidL :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:56pm

Ladies and gentlemen, your Indianapolis Colt!

17
by The Hypno-Toad :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 9:38pm

I snickered out loud. My 9 year old son didn't seem to think it was as funny as I did.

26
by Noah of Arkadia :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 11:02am

Very funny!

------
We are number one. All others are number two, or lower.

6
by Podge (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 6:59pm

The only one that surprises me is Addai, as I thought he was a decent enough 1A or 1B running back. I guess you can get that for virtually nothing though, so presumably just a cap saving move.

Unless the Colts don't know they can stop sucking for Luck now.

33
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:12pm

They were paying him far too much. His contract averaged nearly $5m a year, which was just ridiculous.

7
by Dfields (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:10pm

The entire team was undersized with health problems.

10
by Purds :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:14pm

Except the 6' 5" guy with the rocket laser arm.

11
by Cro-mags (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:37pm

...that just missed a whole season due to an unresolved health issue.

22
by Purds :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 11:05pm

You missed the joke -- he's still 6' 5". (Of course I knew he missed the year. I think mice in Africa knew he missed the year.)

24
by rfh1001 :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:45am

(Average sports fans in the UK don't know who Peytin Manning is.)

34
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:18pm

I'd say the average sports fan in the UK might vaguely know who Peyton Manning is. They couldn't tell you which team he played for - they've probably never heard of the Colts, and there might be a fair bit of "Oh, yeah, that guy, um, what's he called again?" But I'd say he's in the second tier of NFL players in terms of UK name recognition, where the first tier consists entirely of Dan Marino*. Favre, Brady and Montana probably share it with him. Outside of those 5 guys, I don't think there's a single other player who a significant proportion of Brits have even heard of.

*OJ Simpson doesn't count, not least because most people in the UK probably just think he was an actor.

37
by James-London :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:34pm

The Refrigerator is in at least the second tier of name recognition.
And yes, I understand that doesn't say great things about the average Brit's comprehension of the NFL...

Phil Simms is a Cretin.

39
by Big-Hairy-Andy :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 5:01pm

The Fridge is the first person I thought of on reading Mr. Shush's post too, though I bet even most people who've heard of him couldn't tell you his actual name.

44
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 11:43pm

Do non-football fans know who Perry is, though? I'm not sure.

45
by Big-Hairy-Andy :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 2:05am

I knew who he was in the 80s/early 90s, almost a decade before I started following the game.

48
by Mr Shush :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 9:20am

Maybe it's an age thing. I was 2 when the Bears won the Super Bowl, so Perry was definitely not on my radar at the time. Montana is certainly the first player I remember being aware of, probably watching some kind of highlights/repeat/taped-off-the-tv video of Superbowl XXIII or XXIV.

46
by rfh1001 :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 8:06am

Maybe you might hit a fifty per cent name recognition for Manning among self-described sports fans, but I think I'd take the other side of the bet.

(Name recognition for what the BBC calls 'Other Sports': I was at the swimming the other day. Duncan Goodhew gave out a medal. I think he might still be Britain's most famous swimmer. Maybe Rebecca Adlington, but maybe still Duncan Goodhew. And Sean Kerly is probably the first and only hockey player most sports fans will be able to name.)

49
by Mr Shush :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 9:26am

You're probably right. I think it's about 50-50 among the sports fans in my office, but that's a small sample which includes a guy who went to high school in Minnesota and lived next door to Daunte Culpepper.

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know who Duncan Goodhew is. Rebecca Adlington, absolutely, and for my money she'd be far more widely known, not least because of the Frankie Boyle spoon thing. I also don't know who Sean Kerly is, to the point where I don't even know if he plays field hockey or ice hockey. I do remember Callum Giles, though.

51
by rfh1001 :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 9:57am

Your rather hurtful point being that I am ten years older than you. I will go and cry into my tea and cheese sandwiches while standing by my totally guessed stats, on the basis that most sports fans are ten years older than you. One day they won't be, and you won't like it any more than I do.

(Basically, the point holds that there are very few Other Sportsmen who hit the consciousness, and it's always because of Olympics or similar, and Goodhew/Adlington won gold (and Goodhew was bald, which was big for recognition), and Kerly / Giles were the faces of the GB hockey team, but Kerly was the face of one that was actually really good.)

53
by Will Allen :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 12:19pm

He ever mention ol' Daunte's lawn care habits? I have friends in that neighborhood.

47
by rfh1001 :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 8:08am

I think they might well remember, vaguely, the Refrigerator. I think that in the second rank you might also get Walter Payton, for similar reasons.

40
by Jerry :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 6:20pm

FWIW, the average American is about as knowledgeable about English footballers. After Beckham, you need to find a fan who cares about soccer.

54
by JIPanick :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 8:52pm

I thought Beckham played for LA?

55
by Intropy :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 9:12pm

Well there's that English guy Art Rooney, and then I remember there being a bald dude who liked to headbutt people. Oh, and Pele.

56
by FrontRunningPhinsFan :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 7:57am

Most sports fans are probably becoming aware of who Messi is here, now. After all he's done recently he's been getting highlights on ESPN.

But in the same respect as football players in UK - "Oh yeah, that guy. I've heard his name he must be pretty good..."

57
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 9:47am

I guess to achieve true fame in the Anglophone lands west of the Atlantic, Messi will have to appear as himself in a film in which he's kidnapped by a crazed transsexual former substitute goalkeeper who blames Messi for his failure to save a decisive penalty in a Champions League final due to his interference with some eccentric pre-kick ritual. Possibly with Jim Carrey brought to life through the miracles of motion capture technology and Andy Serkis.

58
by FrontRunningPhinsFan :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 10:26am

It couldn't hurt.

60
by Dr. Culturally Aware (not verified) :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 1:06pm

On a bus in England in 1997, I overheard a conversation in which an Englishman expressed his regret about the OJ Simpson affair to an American women... because of the loss of OJ Simpson's acting talents. True story.

61
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 2:23pm

I'm not in the least surprised. I knew who he was before the trial . . . because of Naked Gun.

62
by Floyd (not verified) :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 2:53pm

I was in the UK when the whole OJ thing went down. The tabloids referred to him as "OJ Simpson, star of the Naked Gun movies".

9
by MilkmanDanimal :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 7:14pm

Addai can still give you 8-10 carries/game, he can catch, he can block . . . Tampa's a lovely place to live, Joseph.

31
by tonic889 (not verified) :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 3:45pm

Forget Tampa, Baltimore will take you.

13
by JIPanick :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 8:05pm

Blowing it up and starting over.

Is this a more or less thorough housecleaning than Houston in '94?

14
by Pat Swinnegan :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 9:12pm

Those second two paragraphs left me feeling really quite... old.

15
by justanothersteve :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 9:14pm

So why is Robert Mathis, a 31 year old DE, franchised?

42
by Sisyphus :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 6:33pm

Apparently they think of him as a 3-4 rush outside linebacker though I can't ever remember seeing him do much in reverse so I am uncertain about his coverage skills. This makes Freeney expendable and while they are reportedly trying to trade him I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they cut him also.

16
by Independent George :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 9:26pm

You're cut too, shushy.

(Low quality vid, but still funny)

18
by tuluse :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 10:13pm

Namath, you stay.

38
by CathyW :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:44pm

That was my first thought when I read this, exactly.

19
by AnonymousB (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 10:33pm

So these players on offense. Bad in '11 b/c they got old, or bad in '11 because no Manning? Bad in '11 because the backup plan was Collins-Painter-Orlovsky? Little of everything?

20
by AnonymousB (not verified) :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 10:34pm

So these players on offense. Bad in '11 b/c they got old, or bad in '11 because no Manning? Bad in '11 because the backup plan was Collins-Painter-Orlovsky? Little of everything?

35
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:21pm

All of the above, I think.

21
by Aloysius Mephis... :: Fri, 03/09/2012 - 10:36pm

I laughed aloud at the headline - I half-expected it was for an Onion article.

Indy takes this "rebuilding" thing pretty literally.

23
by Earl Dittman (not verified) :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 12:41am

It appears that the Colts are just starting over from scratch, cutting all ties to the 'good ole days'. I think it's a smart move. Now, whether they are able to fill the roster with useful talent is the next question. I think the Colts may be bad for the forseeable future.

36
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 4:23pm

It's essentially impossible to be bad with a truly elite quarterback. If Luck's as good as advertised, they'll be at least a playoff contender by 2014 at the latest.

52
by Noah of Arkadia :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 11:54am

...or is it that it's impossible to be considered elite without being a contender?

------
We are number one. All others are number two, or lower.

25
by Michael LaRocca (not verified) :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 9:06am

They cut Curtis Painter?! Bring back Jim Sorgi.

28
by Dan :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 12:15pm

How many of these guys will join Manning on his new team?

I'll put the over-under of ex-Colts who sign with the same team as Manning at 2.5.

29
by tuluse :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 1:42pm

I'll take the under. You just never see things like that happen. The Giants didn't bring in another other Rams with Warner, ditto Brees and Saints, Culpepper and Dolphins.

It's also unlikely a team could afford more than just Manning, especially if they're a good team already and are using significant cap room on their own players.

50
by Rabbit :: Sun, 03/11/2012 - 9:30am

I think this situation is somewhat different then your examples because Saturday, Clark and Wayne have all talked of possibly retiring, something they would be less inclined to do if they played for a team built to win now - which would be the team that acquires Peyton. That team would also benefit by surrounding him with talented pieces familiar with his game.

30
by Drunkmonkey :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 2:47pm

I would find it awesome if the team that signs Manning also signs Painter to be his back up. Although now that everybody realizes he really can't play, that's most likely not happening.

41
by Sisyphus :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 6:28pm

Maybe this an attempt by the Colts to spur jersey sales in Indianapolis. Clearly any jersey currently in the closet of a Colts fan is now obsolete.

43
by Hurt Bones :: Sat, 03/10/2012 - 7:00pm

I thought cowboys were the only ones who spurred anything. The day colts start spurring, I'm guessing I've a found a new ice rink.

59
by TV_Pete (not verified) :: Mon, 03/12/2012 - 12:57pm

I bet Denver wouldn't mind paying a few pennies to pick up Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne for a couple years to help out Peyton Manning.

Denver could sign them now to small, incentive-based salaries and that would help encourage Peyton to go to Denver.