Posts tagged Melvin Bullitt
The Colts Mold: Free Agent Safety Market Values
Jun 28th
Yesterday, we discussed the proposed salary cap increase and how it will affect the Indianapolis Colts as they enter the free agent signing frenzy that will likely begin in early July. Although official salary numbers are hard to determine, we loosely projected that the Colts should be able to retain most of their own priority free agents — even if Peyton Manning plays at the $23 million franchise tag level in 2011.
With so many players set to enter unrestricted free agency though, there is a possibility that teams like the Colts will sign an uncharacteristically high number of outsiders. The best way to determine who Indianapolis is likely to take a close look at is to determine which players fit the team’s greatest areas of need, which players are most likely to fit in the Colts scheme, and which players are within the team’s budget. More >
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Implications of New Salary Cap on 2011 Colts Roster
Jun 27th
ESPN recently reported that the players and owners may agree on a proposal to increase the NFL salary cap to around $120 million. If this is the case, it is important to know exactly how far under the cap Indianapolis sits, as it has also been released that the tenders issued by the Colts to players who were formerly restricted free agents are no longer valid. Coltzilla just added a salary cap feature in order to help readers identify where the team stands financially.
Although Peyton Manning is currently on the books under an exclusive franchise tag, and is slated to make $23 million in 2011, Coltzilla predicts that Indianapolis will reach a permanent long-term contract with Manning shortly after the new collective bargaining agreement has been finalized. If no long-term agreement is reached, Indianapolis is set to have $14.5 million in cap space. If he does sign a new deal, the cap may increase by approximately $7-9 million — based upon the approximate $14.7 million yearly average of his 2004 deal (leaving $21.5-23.5 million in cap space). More >
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Colts Priority Free Agents: External Options
Jun 23rd
Although Indianapolis does not have a history of signing numerous outside free agents in the off-season, this year could be different. With the very real possibility that veterans like safety Melvin Bullitt, tackle/guard Charlie Johnson, defensive tackles Daniel Muir, Eric Foster, and Antonio Johnson, and running back Joseph Addai could all depart via free agency, uncharacteristic off-season choices may become the rule.
Although rumors have been relatively meaningless during the lockout they may take a step closer to reality in the coming weeks. More >
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Indianapolis Priority Veteran Free Agents: Current Colts
Jun 22nd
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Since it was reported that the players and owners are close to reaching a new CBA agreement, and details have started to spill out into the media, NFL teams have had to get into high gear in order to prepare for a free agency free for all. It has been reported that free agency rules would push back the unrestricted free agency eligibility to four years from five.
The result is that dozens of players who were previously tendered offers by their current teams will be free to negotiate with and sign with the highest bidding team. There is no doubt that this is a win for the players side in the negotiations but it could be a loss for team’s who were previously protected.
The Indianapolis Colts will have to compete with all other team’s if they hope to re-sign veterans like Joseph Addai, Melvin Bullitt, Antonio Johnson, Charlie Johnson, Daniel Muir, and Clint Session. More >
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Why It’s Easy to be an Indianapolis Colts Fan: Perpetual Underdogs
Jun 15th
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Professional sports is a religion for a lot of people, and while they have a variety of reasons for following their favorite players or teams — raised to be a fan, proximity, winning, etc. — being a fan is not always easy.
Consider how frustrating it must be for fans who have to deal with ongoing public relations nightmares from players who get into considerable trouble — or front offices who regularly sign players with troubled histories. Being a fan can also be difficult when a team has built a reputation for failure or mediocrity — Colts fans who have been around for awhile should be very familiar. No time can be more difficult for a fan base than when an elite player retires — a situation the Colts will face when Peyton Manning decides to hang it up.
But there are things about the Indianapolis Colts that will not go away, even when the wins do. It is what makes it relatively easy to remain a Colts fan, and is part of what will hold the fan base together when (arguably) the greatest quarterback to ever play football moves on. More >
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Assessing Positional Value for the Colts 2011 NFL Draft: Safety
Apr 20th
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The Colts are in a state of transition at the safety position. 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders will not return to Indianapolis and has signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers. While this arguably “weakens” the position, what offsets the blow is that Sanders has not been a meaningful part of the rotation for three years. Losing Sanders, in some regards, is like losing something that was not really there.
What the Colts can be sure of is that safety Antoine Bethea is with the team long-term and is playing at a very high level. He is one of the league’s top safeties and is also one of the most reliable.
The uncertainty surrounds what will happen with strong safety Melvin Bullitt when the collective bargaining agreement negotiations are ironed out in court. If the Colts are able to honor the offer they made to Bullitt prior to the lockout, the team has a starter who is durable enough and strong enough in the Colts system to be a part of a very strong secondary. If, on the other hand, Bullitt’s restricted status is nullified from the court’s ruling, Indianapolis will be faced with players who have either never started in the NFL, who have not spent meaningful time in the Colts system, or who are coming off of relatively major injuries. Assuming they do not work out a long-term weal with Bullitt. More >
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Colts Vice Chairman Polian Says Good Draft Hit Rates are Lower than Many Expect
Apr 8th
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Our friend Paul Kuharsky of ESPN’s AFC South Blog, discussed what a good draft batting average is between Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian and Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt. Below are a couple of interesting quotes from Polian but the full story the read at ESPN.com.
I think you have to divide it into top 12 and bottom 20. If you’re in the top 12, it ought to be in the .640 range. That’s about 4.5 guys on average per year out of the seven. You measure that at the end of three years and what you are measuring is whether or not those guys become winning players, guys that contribute to wins. Bottom 20 is .571, that’s four out of seven… You either make it or you don’t. We’ve been above the .570 mark when you count collegiate free agents like Melvin Bullitt who come in and play, and they count. So we’ve been above the .570 mark. This past year we could get close to the .640 mark drafting 31st but it’s early.
Do you judge yourself harshly? The answer is yes. The guy either is a winning player or he’s not.
See a chart illustrating Polian’s break down between top 12 picks and bottom 20 picks at the link to the full story above. With all of the discussion in recent years regarding the Colts draft success in the early rounds and whether a draft is a hit or a miss, the discussions and different perspectives from two men who head their teams draft day operations are rather insightful.
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Combination of Lockout and 2011 Draft Class Could Benefit Colts
Mar 22nd
2011 is one of the busiest and potentially difficult off-seasons for the Indianapolis Colts in Peyton Manning’s career. To this point, the team has had to part ways with veteran safety Bob Sanders, has been unable to nail down a deal with franchise quarterback Peyton Manning, and has numerous questions regarding the future contracts of many steady contributors over the last two seasons.
Some of the questions may be answered — assuming a new CBA gets worked out that does not nullify the moves the franchise has already made — as the Colts have issued tenders to players like starting running back Joseph Addai, veteran linebacker Clint Session, defensive tackles Eric Foster and Daniel Muir, and assumed starting strong safety Melvin Bullitt. This still leaves the team’s sole nose tackle, Antonio Johnson in limbo, and kicker Adam Vinatieri floating around with an uncertain future. More >
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Colts’ Strategies During CBA Uncertainty, Part 4
Mar 4th
In January, Bill Polian indicated that the Colts had developed strategies to address each of four possible outcomes pending the CBA negotiations. The previous three posts explored what the Colts’ team-building strategy might look like should a CBA agreement be reached before, shortly (2-4 months), or long (5+ months) after the deadline. This post looks at the final possibility – that the NFL and NFLPA agree to operate under some undefined “set of rules.” Given that the deadline to reach a new agreement has been extended until tonight at midnight, this scenario could still play out like any of the other three, depending on what rules were agreed and when.
The “set of rules” could be the same as applied in 2010, or — depending on when these rules are agreed — they could dictate that there will be a shortened free agency period post-draft, or no free agency. If the rules are truly undefined, the strategy is likely to be to make only the roster moves about which the Colts feel absolutely certain (which it appears they have already done – franchise-tagged QB Peyton Manning, released now-Chargers S Bob Sanders, and tendered RB Joseph Addai and SS Melvin Bullitt). Then they wait – if it becomes clear that rules won’t be set prior to the draft, then they would implement their draft-then-free-agency strategy. Would-be free agents can’t go anywhere, and the team has likely done their analysis to be ready once the rules are defined.
I suppose what’s most interesting is the fact that Polian claims there is a strategy for what he himself identifies as “undefined.” It makes me wonder whether he inadvertently revealed something about the owners’ strategy in terms of proposing certain rules to proceed with the 2011 season if a CBA cannot be negotiated.
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