Kaspers Korner

The Indianapolis Colts came in with renewed confidence from its front office that everything will be the way it was in previous years.  That is not the case as the Colts are 3-4, which is the same record as the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans.

The proff is in the performance of Marvin Harrison.  As Harrison has 23 catches for 270 yards, which is fourth in both categories behind wide receiver Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clarke, and second year wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez. 

Also, quarterback Peyton Manning’s performance has suffered as well.  Manning has many interceptions, which is nine, as touchdowns, which is ten.

On top of that you can add a large amount of games missed by starters.  Put those together and you have a receipe for disaster.

It is going to take time for many to find a new go to guy.  For a decade the two have been a tandem, but now that seems to be coming to an end.  

It will take time for the Colts to get back up to the top again.  They are going to have to cut their losses with Harrison, and strong safety Bob Sanders if they are ever going to get near it again. 

Simply, Harrison is over the hill, and Sanders is injury prone.  Add in a lot of money, and you have another reason for problems.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had a infected Bursa Sac removed a little more than a month ago.  With its removal Manning could face his career being shortend, due to it.

As Si.com’s Peter King pointed out in his Monday Morning quarterback column the Bursa Sac lubricates the knee joint.  Now, with it gone the knee will face bones going up against each other.

That is not good at all.  What it means is that the knee will deteriorate faster than what is normally expected.  Also, there is going to be a boat load of pain that Manning will have to face. 

So, what it means is that Manning will even be less mobile now.  That means Manning will face more hits, and possible injuries.  Thus, shortening his career.

Manning could easily walk away right now, and nobody will blame him.  He has a Superbowl Ring already, and with the health of many former football players in their 40’s and 50’s deteriorating faster than a normal person.  One has to start wondering how long can a person play without cutting their life expectancy in half.

All eyes will be on Manning if he is going to start the regular season or not.  After all it is basically just around the corner.

The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the best teams in the AFC for several years now, along with winning the AFC South the past five years.  With five starters starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list; it looks like the Colts downward slide into oblivion is starting.

The five starters are wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who turns 36 in August, saftey Bob Sanders, 27, defensive end Dwight Freeney, 28, linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, 27 in December, and most importantly quarterback Peyton Manning.

It is only a matter of time before all the extra playoff games take a toll on a players body.  Sanders is good, but is constantly hurt.  Of his four seasons he has only twice played in more than fourteen games.

Harrison is simply on the downside of his career.  Even the ledgendary Jerry Rice could not stop father time from catching up.  How effective Harrison will be this year reamains to be seen, as he missed most of last year.

Freeney missed nine games with a Lisfranc injury.  It usually takes surgery to heal, which he did do.  However, according to about.com one complication of the injury is post-traumatic arthritis.  It is a more accelerated version of degenerative arthritis, and may neccesitate fusion of the joint to prevent debilitating pain. Such a proceedure would end his season, again.

Hagler tore a pectoral muscle while lifting recently.  According to the Tribstar.com the pectoral injury is only the latest in a variety of injuries, since Hagler arrived in 2005 as a fifth round draft pick.

However, all eyes will be on Manning.  Manning had a infected Bursa Sac removed, which is known as Septic Bursitis.  According to medical websites it is common to think that a infected bursa sac is just inflammed, because the symptoms are similar.  

The fact that Manning had surgery to deal with it means two different things.  Either the bursa sac was hard to get to, or it was a sevre infection.  The reason being the most common way to treat Septic Bursitis is with draining it with a needle, and then a round of antibiotics.

The numerous injuries are troubling, and if they continue into the season, then the Colts could miss the playoffs for the first time in years.

The Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason had an unsual disturbance during a period of time that is quiet for them.  However, things have gotten back to normal; but that is not really the case.

In most cases it would be a typical offseason for the Colts, as pretty much there is no new news in regards to the Colts.  The only new thing is that Colt’s preseason tickets went on sale.

However, that is not the case for most Colts fans, as there is a quiet murmur amongst them.  That being for several reasons.  First, thid id head coach Tony Dungy’s last year,  The shooting outside of wide receiver Marvin Harrison’s bar has not moved foward., and finally, nobody knows how will Harrisons knee will respond this season.

Each incident by itself could be a distration for the Colts.  Now, add two more in, and now you have a receipe for disaster.

The only question that thre is now is how will each one affect the Colts during the season.

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The football world has been rocked with the news that Marvin Harrison could be involved in a shooting.  What makes matters worst is that Harrison could wind up serving more jail time then Mike Vick.

Vick is serving 23 months in jail for his role in the dog fighting ring that he established.  It is estimated that Vick will serve about 18 months, and then will be released to a half way house. 

The unfortunate thing is that Vick could have served more jail time, but Surry county Virginia’s lcoal prosecuter Gerald Poindexter has been slow with it.  Apparently, if it was not for a recently fired sheriffs deputy Bill Brinkman Vick would be serving no jail time at all.

In Harrison’s case the complete opposite might just happen in Philadelphia thanks to a killer.  Police in Philly are hunting for a cop killer, and that is not good news for Harrison.  For you see if Harrison is charged with the shooting then look for the district attorney’s office to use Harrison as the message that nobody is above the law.

With that being said Harrison could wind up serving more jail time then Vick.  Harrison killed nobody, nor any animal, unlike Vick, but still could serve more jail time.

Is it fair no, but if Harrison did do the crime then he still needs to serve the time.

The Indianapolis Colts have been a team that has not had to deal with legal issues.  That is all now changing with a shooting outside Marvin Harrison’s bar in Philadelphia, PA.

A man was shot in the hand outside of Harrison’s bar Tuesday night.  Earlier, the man was seen arguing with Harrison.  The victim left, and Harrison followed, and just shortly after that seven bullets rang out.  The most daming piece of evidence is that ballistic tests showed it came from a custom made Belgian gun.

Harrison owns one of those type of guns, but he said it never left his house.  Shortly there after the same gund that was used in the shooting was found in a bucket at a car wash Harrison owns.

The incident is a clear sign to Colts that it is time to move on without Harrison.  Harrison has bad knees, and is in the twilight of his career.  If this does not get Harrison cut, then look for a suspension from National Football Leagues commisioner Roger Goodell for violations to the Personal Conduct Policy.

The Indianapolis Colts for years have enjoyed the luxury of having two great wide receivers on their offense.  From who is visiting the Colts this week it looks like the end of Marvin Harrison’s career is coming.

When a players skills starts to drop off it drops of fast.  You can ask Tennessee Titan wide receiver Eric Moulds, who just a couple of years ago was the Buffalo Bills number one receiver.  Since, he was traded he has been a shadow of himself.  

Harrison last year missed significant time due to a knee injury, and had surgery on the opposite knee this offseason.  For a person that is 36 years old that is not good at all.  Even the Colts front office has some concerns of thier own.

The Colts have scheduled a visit with LSU wide receiver Early Doucet, and already had Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham visit this week. Both are expected to be second round picks, which is the round of the Colts top draft pick.

The Colts last year spent a first round choice on Anthony Gonzalez.   For the Colts to bring in two wide receivers for many is a clear sign that Harrison will be done soon.

However, that is probably not the case.  At this time most teams are just bringing in guys to make sure they have all their options covered.  In the case of the two wide receivers they are just mere smoke screens.  After all owner Jim Irsay went on the record as saying Harrison will be fine for the upcoming season.

Wide receivers take several years to develop, and be ready to take over a starting role.  In Gonzalez case this would be his second year, and realistically would be ready to start next year.  That would be the right time to take another wide receiver.

In the end do not be surprised that the Colts actually select a different position.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is very eager to have the 2008 season open, since this season will be the ignagural season for Lucas Oil Stadium.  Later on in the interview with the Indianapolis Star Irsay went on to say he is confident that Harrison will return to old form, after missing 11 games to injury last year.

The matter of the fact is that Harrison’s better days are gone.  in a game that can leave people paralyzed, Harrison getting into his 11th season without having suffered a major injruy is remarkable.  From the first round of the 1996 draft Harrison is one of the few that are still effective. 

The players that played last year that still play from that round one include Jonathan Ogden, Simeon Rice, Terry Glenn, Walt Harris, Eddie Kennison, Pete Kendall, Eric Moulds, and Ray Lewis.  Ogden is most likely going to retire, Rice was cut twice last year, Harris has been a journeyman, Glenn has injury problems, and Moulds is a shadow of what he was with the Buffalo Bills.

Irsay said this to the Indystar on Harrison,  “I’m not a doctor. It really comes down to their expertise. But the type of problems he’s had, there’s just no reason (for him not to fully recover). There’s no reason both knees can’t be sound. The one knee (left) that had the cartilage problem, that’s pretty much sound and ready to go. The other knee is coming along and there’s no reason he can’t be ready (for ‘08).'’

Even if Harrison come back completely healthy, with his age, how can one be sure he will not miss significant time again.  Also, at some point his play will start to slip, and will probably start to show this year.

Irsay went on that he would like Harrison to retire as a Colt, but that depends on Harrison. “That’s the way you hope it turns out, but you just don’t know. Sometimes a player is not ready to say, ‘I’m ready to retire,’ and you’re saying, ‘You should retire.’ Ideally you want that storybook type of thing. Wouldn’t it have been nice if Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice retired as 49ers and Cowboys? Yes, but you just never know,'’ said Irsay.

Only time will tell how this storied career will end.

The Indianapolis Colts will once again be at the top of the best teams in the league.  However, general manager Bill Polian has not learned his lesson when it comes to building teams.

Bill Polian will go down as one of the great general managers in National Football League history.  However, he only knows one way to build a team, and that is around the offense.  That was confirmed as the Colts signed Dallas Clark, and left guard Ryan Lilja to long term deals.

Yeah they did sign defensive end Dwight Freeney to a long term deal, but can anyone name a player on that defense besides him and strong safety Bob Sanders.

As the New York Giants have shown defense wins championships.  That is why the Colts have only won one  Super Bowl, and many can argue that if the Colts played in the days prior to free agency they would have never even won a Lombardi trophy.

Being a Bills fan I respect Polian tremendously for his ability to build teams.  On the other hand that respect only goes so far.  He is a great team builder, bit not championship teams builder.

As for the Colts they will once again win their division, but it is only a matter of time before they slip into the basement of the NFL.  That is due to how good Peyton Manning can be for, becuase once his abilities fade so will the Colts.

It will be interesting to see how long Manning’s arm lasts for.  In an age of technology, nuitrition, and work out regiments Manning may have a long time to go.  After all who would of though Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Farve’s arm would last this long.

The Indianapolis Colts were once again bounced from the post season earlier than hoped.  With their offseason started many people hope that next year key players will stay healthy, and they will add depth.

Of course the main thing that hurt the Colts was the loss of defensive end Dwight Freeney for the year with a linsfrinic injury.  Also, add on Marvin Harrison not being right for most of the year, and you have a receipe for disaster.

John Clayton has said it many times that when teams have key players out with major injuries it is not likely that team will make a lot of noise.  That was the case for the Colts this season.

The only answer to that is to get deep with this years draft.  Most of their holes are already filled thanks to general manager Bill Polian signing key players to long term deals.  Now, they just need to add to that depth.

The main positions in need of depth would be cornerback, defensive line, wide receiver, and offensive line.  The defensive line would be the main position of need.

The one thing that you can count on is Bill Polian working his cap magic, and getting things done.  Polian has done wonders with the draft, and if he works his magic again then the Colts will be in good position again to make a run at the Super Bowl.

The Indiapolis Colts lost stud defensive end Dwight Freeney to a linsfrinsic injury to his foot.  The question now is can the Colts stop running attack of the San Diego Chargers, which includes the two headed monster runningback tandem of Landanian Tomlinson and Michael Turner.

The Colts run defense was ranked fifteenth in the leauge, while allowing 106 yards a game.  Obviously, this is affected by the loss of Freeney.

That rank does not bode well for the Colts thanks in part to a 127 yards per a game average rushing attack by the Chargers.

Most likely the Colts will load the box with eight men fronts bringing up strong safety Bob Sanders to the line of scrimage, and thus forcing Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers to beat them.

The thing the Colts need to remember is that they are going up against one of the best offensive minds in the league in Chargers head coach Norv Turner.

Turner is a master at his trade, and finally got the Chargers a win in the playoffs.  If the Colts underestimates Turner tehy will lose badly.

In the end it is up to the defense to win the Colts the game, becuae if LT is running wild, then it will not be close.