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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Seahawks Hire Ryan Grigson

June 13th, 2018 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

Former Colts GM Ryan Grigson is back in the NFL. The Seahawks have hired him to join their front office, according to an announcement from his agent.

[RELATED: Cowboys “Holding Out Hope” Of Acquiring Earl Thomas?]

Grigson, 46, was the Colts’ GM for five years until he was fired after the 2016 season. Outside of landing Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Coby Fleener, and Dwayne Allen his first draft, the rest of Grigson’s draft record was rather spotty. Meanwhile, his trade of a first-round pick for Browns draft bust Trent Richardson in 2013 probably stands as his most infamous move.

Grigson hooked on with the Browns in 2017, but he was let go by John Dorsey‘s regime. It’s not immediately clear what he’ll be doing in Seattle under GM John Schneider, but it’s likely to be scouting-focused. Officially, Grigson will serve as a consultant, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link) hears.

Latest On Colts QB Andrew Luck

June 12th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has still not thrown a regulation-size football since October — while he resumed throwing today, Luck tossed a high school football during practice, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

This isn’t the first time Luck has used smaller-sized football as part of his rehabilitation process, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who notes Luck previously threw kiddie-sized footballs in April. Luck, who missed the entirety of the 2017 campaign with a shoulder injury, will be on a scaled-back schedule during training camp, per Holder, although Schefter reports Luck won’t have any physical limitations.

The story of Luck’s rehab, of course, is filled with stops and starts, and Colts management maintained at various points in 2017 that Luck was in no danger of missing the season. So while it’s fair to take today’s news with a grain of salt, Luck himself does appear to have a more optimistic view of his own health than he’d held previously. “Absolutely,” Luck said when asked if he’ll be ready for Week 1, tweets Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. “No knock on wood. I believe it in my bones.”

When healthy, Luck is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL: he posted more than 70 combined touchdowns in 2014 and 2016, and the 28-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler. But Luck was limited to only seven total games in 2015 and 2017, and it’s fair to wonder whether his shoulder will hold up for a full season.

Colts Waive WR Kolby Listenbee

June 7th, 2018 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Kolby Listenbee is looking for a job. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have waived wideout Kolby Listenbee from the IR. The receiver will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed.

The TCU product was originally projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, but he ended up falling to the Bills in the sixth round. Listenbee was unable to stay healthy during his lone season in Buffalo, and he was released by the team last offseason. He eventually caught on with the Dolphins practice squad before signing with the Colts. He inked a futures deal with Indy back in January, and he was waived/injured last month before ultimately landing on the injured reserve.

With Listenbee out of the picture, that means there’s one less receiver competing for one of the final roster spots. Kasen Williams, Deon Cain, Krishawn Hogan, and Seantavius Jones are currently listed at the bottom of the team’s depth chart.

Chuck Pagano Wants To Coach Again

June 6th, 2018 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

Chuck Pagano wants to get back in the game. Pagano says that he hopes to return to the NFL sidelines, one year after going 4-12 in his final year with the Colts. 

[RELATED: Colts DE Chris McCain Arrested]

“Absolutely. I’m young. I’m 57 years old,” Pagano said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). “I’ve got a couple years left in me. I’ve got unfinished business. I’d love to have another opportunity, I just love being around the guys, being on grass and competing.”

Things didn’t go as planned for Pagano and the Colts in 2017 (particularly since they were without the services of Andrew Luck), but he did coach the team to three consecutive 11-5 campaigns from 2012-2014. In 2014, the Colts advanced to the AFC Championship game but were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl-champion Patriots.

All in all, Pagano owns a career 53-43 regular season record as an NFL head coach. Before the Luck-less ’17 season, Pagano was 49-31 over five years.

Colts DE Chris McCain Arrested

June 5th, 2018 at 5:59pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

[UPDATE: The Colts have issued a statement regarding McCain.]

Colts defensive end Chris McCain was charged with battery stemming from an incident that occurred in January, according to TMZ. McCain is accused of spitting on a woman and “forcefully grabbing her neck.” The incident happened in Los Angeles.

Details on the situation are scarce, but McCain certainly could be looking at a suspension here. If he’s punished under the league’s new domestic violence policy, it would be for a minimum of six games. It could help explain the puzzling situation earlier this offseason when the Chargers tendered McCain, who was a restricted free agent of theirs, and then mysteriously rescinded the offer without much explanation. It was odd at the time because McCain was coming off a productive season, but perhaps the Chargers learned about the incident.

McCain was then on the open market for a couple of weeks and drew little known interest before he was eventually picked up by the Colts. Pass-rush was a weakness for the Colts last season, and they were certainly counting on McCain to help them there.

Initially signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, McCain spent the past two seasons with the Chargers. He got the first real meaningful playing time of his career last year and played well, racking up 17 tackles and five sacks with two forced fumbles in a limited rotational role behind Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

Could Colts Cut John Simon?

May 31st, 2018 at 2:12pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Colts could conceivably cut John Simon this summer, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. Simon performed well in an injury-shortened 2017, but new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is looking to play him at defensive end rather than middle or strong-side linebacker. Simon, listed at (a perhaps inflated) 6’2″and 260 pounds, is undersized for DE and may not have the speed needed to get around pass blockers. Given that Simon is now battling with edge rushers like Jabaal Sheard, Tarell Basham, Kemoko Turay, Chris McCain, Tyquan Lewis, it’s possible that he might not make the final cut. Simon, who signed a three-year, $14MM deal with the Colts just last year, has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal. The Colts would save $3.28MM against the cap by releasing Simon.

Colts DC Matt Eberflus Discusses McDaniels Ordeal

May 27th, 2018 at 8:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Back in January, Matt Eberflus was hired to be Josh McDaniel‘s defensive coordinator in Indy. Of course, things quickly changed. After having accepted the gig, McDaniels rejected the Colts and decided to stick with the Patriots.

The Colts ended up settling on Frank Reich as their new head coach, but general manager Chris Ballard still ended up honoring the coaching contracts that had already been signed. That meant that despite the unexpected coaching change, Eberflus ended up sticking around as the Colts’ defensive coordinator.

While the Colts’ front office has been pretty clear about their feeling on McDaniel’s flip-flopping, the team’s coaching staff has been relatively quiet. Thanks to an ongoing interview series by Andrew Walker on Colts.com, we’ve got to hear some of Eberflus’ thoughts on the ordeal. While the entire article is worth reading, we’ve highlighted some of the notable soundbites below…

On his reaction to Josh McDaniel’s decision to not take the Colts coaching gig and remain with the Patriots:

“Yeah, when you get a situation like that — and I was here with Chris (Ballard), because Chris and I had been talking and I got hired here beforehand — so to me it was a situation where I trusted in Chris, where Chris’ vision was and what he was doing, what he’s all about — the kind of man he is; really the kind of organization this is, from Mr. (Jim) Irsay all the way down. And, to me, it was not unsettling at all. It was very calming to me; it wasn’t a problem, and I knew I wanted to be here, and I’m excited to be here in Indianapolis.”

On whether he was questioning his job security after the team hired Frank Reich as their head coach:

“No. Nope. As soon as it happened, Chris walked right in my office and we had a conversation, and it was done from that point.”

On his feelings about the defensive coordinator gig after learning about McDaniel’s decision:

“Well, you know what? In life adversities happen, and it’s how you handle them that count.”

On transitioning his mindset from being McDaniel’s defensive coordinator to being Reich’s defensive coordinator:

“Well, I just found out right from the beginning what kind of guy Frank Reich is. I mean, he is a high-character — same with Chris, same with Mr. Irsay. You find that out when those things happen, and you’re dealing with solid individuals and a solid franchise. And, to me, it was, ‘Step forward from there and let’s go.’”

Veteran QB Josh Freeman Retires

May 26th, 2018 at 12:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Josh Freeman is calling it quits. The veteran quarterback, who was playing for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, told Montreal coaches on Saturday morning that he is going to retire (via CFL.ca). Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times confirmed that Freeman is indeed hanging up the spikes.

“We would like to thank Josh for his work and dedication. He was a consummate professional throughout camp,” said Montreal general manager Kavis Reed. “We respect his decision and we wish him the best in the future.”

That makes it sound as if Freeman retired of his own accord, but in reality, he may have been forced into the decision. Per Florida Football Insiders (citing Joey Alfieri of TSN690), the Alouettes had already decided to release Freeman before he decided to call it a career.

The 2009 first-round pick had several productive seasons in Tampa Bay, starting all but one regular season game between 2010 and 2012. One of his best campaigns came in 2012, when he completed 54.8-percent of his passes for 4,065 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He also proved to be a solid runner during his NFL career, compiling 946 rushing yards on 205 carries. Freeman’s tenure in Tampa Bay didn’t end on the best of terms, and he ended up bouncing between the Vikings, Giants, Dolphins, and Colts.

After having not played in the NFL since 2015, Freeman got a workout with the Alouettes last year. He ended up signing a two-year deal with the organization back in January.

We here at PFR wish Freeman the best in the next stage of his life.

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