NFL Nation: Gijon Robinson
Colts' lineup alterations unsurprising
There was a bit of suspense about the lineup.
Donald Brown is sill starting at running back, where Joseph Addai and Mike Hart are out. Gijon Robinson starts at tight end with Brody Eldridge out. Tyjuan Hagler will play weakside linebacker for the injured Clint Session and Jacob Lacey will play right cornerback in place of the ailing Jerraud Powers.
Pat Angerer stays at strongside linebacker, ahead of Philip Wheeler, and Kyle DeVan remains at left guard.
The inactives for Indy: CB Justin Tryon, S Bob Sanders, CB Jerraud Powers, RB Joseph Addai, RB Mike Hart, LB Clint Session, TE Brody Eldridge, DT Antonio Johnson.
The inactives for Philly: QB Mike Kafka, WR Chad Hall, RB Joique Bell, CB Ellis Hobbs, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, T King Dunlap, G Reggie Wells, TE Clay Harbor.
Indianapolis Colts cutdown analysis
Biggest surprises: Undrafted running back/returner Devin Moore, undrafted offensive tackle Jeff Linkenbach and undrafted cornerback Brandon King all won roster spots. Defensive tackle Mitch King, who also ranked as a long shot when camp started, survived. So did Gijon Robinson, the primary blocking tight end in recent years who figures to lose snaps to rookie Brody Eldridge. John Chick, a CFL star, lost out to Keyunta Dawson in his bid to be the fourth defensive end.
No-brainers: Two out of three of the return candidates were going, and those turned out to be Brandon James and seventh-rounder Ray Fisher.
What’s next: The team traded an undisclosed pick to Washington for defensive back Justin Tryon, so it appears more settled with cornerback depth. Despite fan desires for a change from Curtis Painter, I’d expect he’s locked in as the backup quarterback to Peyton Manning. The team is currently 10 deep on the offensive and defensive lines, but there doesn’t seem to be a spot screaming out for help at the expense of a lineman right now.
Third-and-short still a concern for Colts
Matthew Emmons/US PresswireConverting more consistently on third-and-short is one area the Colts hope to improve upon in 2010.And we often end up hitting on third-and-short offense.
It’s not that the Indianapolis Colts were bad in such situations. They converted overall third downs at a league-best clip of 49.2 percent.
Still, in a couple of big situations in the past two postseasons -- the end of a loss in San Diego two seasons ago and the end of the first half of Super Bowl XLIV -- failures on third-and-short had a big bearing.
“You get that first down, it’s probably never spoken about,” center Jeff Saturday said. “… A lot of [third-and-one] is you’ve got nine and 10 guys in the box, you have a single safety back behind it, your corners are up either in press or man-to-man. You have a lot of players up in there filling gaps.
“We’re a one-back offense so we don’t have somebody really leading through. So if you don’t get a clean block or they are blitzing and somebody steps in the gap, it’s tough to always get it. It’s a definite mindset. We actually did improve last year compared to the year before. But those are the things, when 10 guys are in the box, there are 2 minutes left on the clock and you can run it and eat up their last timeout, that’s what you’ve got to get done.
“… Anytime you’re extending drives with runs, you’re solving a lot of people's problems.”
Three factors are at play as the Colts look to improve at clutch conversions:
Falling
Gijon Robinson, Colts tight end: Short yardage rushing has been an issue for the Colts, and while they didn’t spend a lot on the offensive line -- just fourth-rounder on Tennessee guard Jacques McClendon -- they did look to upgrade their blocking tight end.
Fifth-rounder Brody Eldridge out of Oklahoma is a stronger point-of-attack blocker than Robinson and could make a big difference for Joseph Addai or Donald Brown on plays aimed to get around the corner. Robinson's blown block that resulted in a Peyton Manning sack late in a 2008 season playoff loss at San Diego still stings.
Eldridge could prove a big help to incumbent tackles Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem or whoever replaces them, and his ability to help against pass rushers won’t make things any harder on Manning either.
Rising
Eugene Wilson, Texans free safety: The Texans feel better about Wilson, who was on IR with a foot injury for the last six games last year, than I do. Paired with the physical Bernard Pollard, Wilson needs to prove he can be a consistent and rangy free safety, and show better ball skills as he looks to set a tone for a group of young corners.
With nine draft picks, the Texans steered clear of selecting a safety, hitting cornerback in the first and fifth rounds. The Texans apparently are content with what they’ve got to cover the deep middle of the field against the likes of Peyton Manning (twice), Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.
The alternative at this point is Dominique Barber and perhaps Troy Nolan, who missed his rookie year with hand injury.
Colts add Eldridge as run-blocking aide
The Colts stayed put and went with defensive end Jerry Hughes, while Gronkowski went 42nd to the Patriots.
But Indy did address the position at pick No. 162 with Brody Eldridge from Oklahoma.
At 6-foot-5 and 261 pounds, he’s two inches and six pounds bigger than Gijon Robinson, the incumbent blocking tight end, and two inches and 11 pounds heavier than another tight end who can block, Tom Santi.
From what I’ve read, he’s a guy with fullback and interior line experience who’s not much of a pass-catching threat but can bring some fire to blocking work.
UPDATE, 2:00 p.m. ET:
Polian: “We thought Gijon could fill that role, that was his strong suit in college. This young man is much stouter, much stronger.”
Jim Caldwell: “He’s a guy that is a very fine in-line blocker, one that you’ll be able to see can handle the edge, both from a pass protection standpoint and also from a run game standpoint. He certainly will be able to give us some help in our short-yardages situations. He’s a guy that is going to have to develop a little bit, in terms of the passing game, but overall, I think he’s going to be a great addition for us.”
Houston Texans
While DeMeco Ryans in the middle and Brian Cushing on the strongside are fixtures, the weakside and linebacker depth rate as a secondary issue for the Texans. They could use a pick on the right guy. Gary Kubiak said early this week that Kris Brown can expect competition as the team’s placekicker starting in OTAs. That allows for the possibility the team could use a late pick on a kicker.
Indianapolis Colts
While the team was pleased with the progress of Antonio Johnson and Daniel Muir and expect a second-year jump from Fili Moala, it could still look to add another bigger defensive tackle. Tyjuan Hagler was the starting strongside linebacker at the start of the season, but when an injury ended his season Philip Wheeler took over. That could be a spot Bill Polian addresses. As the team looks for better run-blocking linemen, is Gijon Robinson judged as a sufficient run-blocking H-back/tight end or might there be a better option available than Robinson or injury-prone Tom Santi?
Jacksonville Jaguars
Linebacker hasn’t gotten as much attention as defensive end and the secondary in pre-draft talk so far, but only Daryl Smith is safe from competition. The Jaguars loaded up with three wide receivers in Gene Smith’s first draft, but they lack playmakers and can use a solid guy opposite Mike Sims-Walker if they smack into one during the draft. Indications are the Jaguars will stick with a David Garrard-Luke McCown starter-backup tandem, but Jacksonville needs to develop another quarterback.
Tennessee Titans
Even presuming Michael Griffin bounces back from a very poor third season, Chris Hope will turn 30 early in the fall and the Titans primary depth at safety is Vincent Fuller, who they need playing nickel. Tony Brown, Jason Jones, Jovan Haye, Sen’Derrick Marks and Kevin Vickerson look like a reasonably talented and deep group, but Haye and Marks underwhelmed in their first seasons. Drafting a tackle wouldn’t be a surprise. If Kevin Mawae doesn’t return as a backup center, the Titans will need an interior offensive lineman to back up the three starters.
AP Photo/Nick WassWhile he admits he made some mistakes, Colts tight end Tom Santi made the most of his time on the field in Sunday's win over the Ravens.Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, as they improved to 10-0 with a 17-15 win over the Ravens, second-year tight end Tom Santi came to symbolize both themes.
The Colts were without Gijon Robinson, a starter who does a lot of blocking in the shadow of Dallas Clark, helping keep Peyton Manning clean and create room for Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. While he was in Indianapolis recovering from a concussion, Santi got the call.
Santi proved himself a capable blocker and a largely reliable target for Manning, chipping in with six catches for 80 yards.
He also had three costly plays -- a lost fumble near the goal line, an apparent alligator-arms moment in another scoring chance and a false start penalty.
“Everybody makes mistakes. You’ve got to watch, how do they handle it afterwards?” Addai said. “He was able to handle it afterwards. He hasn’t been playing a lot. This game he did a lot of good things. Yeah, he fumbled. But you’ve got to kind of let that go. I know he’ll learn from it, but move on. He did a great job for us today and I know he’ll improve from there.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Reggie Wayne said of the positive contribution. “He does it every day in practice. So now he just turned it over to the game. I think he did a pretty good job, minus the fumble. But that happens. I’m just glad it didn’t cost us.”
The Colts don’t so much plan to feature a guy as they allow Manning to take what’s available.
Robinson isn’t generally a large piece of the passing offense. Santi had a sense in the middle of the week that he’d be in line for a good share of the work that usually goes to Robinson.
Clark made a spectacular one-handed catch in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown to cap the game’s opening drive. Other than that, Baltimore did things defensively that prompted Manning to look elsewhere, and he turned to Santi for four of his 12 first-half completions.
“We saw some things, and obviously the quarterback is pretty good back there and he does a great job putting us in great position,” Santi said.
Down 9-7 in the second quarter, Manning placed a pass to Santi over the middle and in the middle of a crowd for a 22-yard gain. Santi got nailed, suffering a neck injury that briefly forced him from the game. It was a key play on a touchdown drive that put Indianapolis ahead 14-9.
Instead, he ended the Colts’ first possession after the half when he was clobbered at the 1-yard line, hit low by Ed Reed and then high by Ray Lewis, who jarred the ball free for Dwan Edwards to recover.
Just about anyone might have coughed it up when scrunched by two eventual Hall of Famers.
Santi didn’t know who the defenders were.
"That’s a bad play on my part," he said. "I definitely left points out there. As far as I am concerned, that’s unacceptable."
The Colts' defense didn’t allow it to translate into points. While Baltimore moved 84 yards on the ensuing possession, Billy Cundiff missed a 30-yard field goal wide right.
Later, with Dawan Landry closing fast, Santi seemed tentative on a ball he could have pursued more aggressively on a second-and-goal from the 7. Just before the 2-minute warning, he was whistled for a false start.
He said both errors were a matter of lost focus. On the pass, he needs to come out of the break faster and be ready for it quicker.
“I definitely left some plays out there,” he said. “As you can see we’ve got a good team with a lot of great veteran leadership and that’s what we’ve talked about the whole year. Play the next play, next man up and when it’s your time, go out there and perform.”
He will enjoy the win, review the film, then shred it, mentally, as he knows his coaches will.
Then, if still needed, he will plug back in to the next-man-up, play-the-next-play philosophies that are a big part of why the Colts are the AFC’s lone undefeated club.
He’ll simply look to be the kind of player Wayne says all of the Colts are supposed to be.
“We’re like machines,” Wayne said. “They program us to keep pushing, don’t fall. Keep chugging away, chugging away. There is no time to point fingers or put your head down. Just keep going, keep going and find a way to get it done.”
Halftime thoughts on Colts from B'more
- The Ravens secondary gave up some monster plays on the Colts’ first drive. But it recovered nicely for two picks of Peyton Manning, who forced the first and didn’t look off Ed Reed on the second. Baltimore’s secondary was supposed to be a big issue here. It’s more than holding its own up to this point. But the offense needs to cash in with more than field goals.
- While we’re on secondary play -- the Colts don’t get enough credit for theirs, and it’s been very good. Even Tim Jennings, considered the weak link in the current group, had a nice break up of a Joe Flacco pass intended for Derrick Mason. A lot of hands on a lot of passes so far.
- Considering the Indy turnovers, the defense has to be happy about holding the Ravens to field goals. You always have to think that Manning and the Colts offense are going to take advantage of any team that settles too often for field goals. Baltimore has not been very aggressive on the plays just before Billy Cundiff’s been called on for field goals.
- Plug them in and play. Gijon Robinson stayed in Indy with a concussion. Tom Santi is not only blocking well in his place, he’s making big catches, too. Manning can make a lot of players look good, but the Colts have been developing depth behind Dallas Clark and Robinson for a while now with Santi and Jacob Tamme in the background. Santi, who has four catches for a game-high 61 yards, got popped on a big reception late in the first half and was hunched over on the sideline for a time but appears OK now.
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| Scott Boehm/Getty Images | |
| New coach Jim Caldwell has made a number of changes and the Colts appear happy with the alterations. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
INDIANAPOLIS -- Dwight Freeney didn't shoo Tony Dungy out the door and wasn't begging for alterations to a formula that has brought the Indianapolis Colts great success.
But Freeney is content with new coach Jim Caldwell's changes at defensive coordinator and special teams coach. The Colts' star defensive end surveys a landscape that no longer includes Ron Meeks and Russ Purnell and feels just fine.
"I think that's one thing people need to understand: We had a lot of success in the years with Meeks and Purnell and, yeah, we are changing personnel as far as those coaching positions are concerned. But change is not always a bad thing," he said. "If you look at the end result, and I'm not saying it was their fault, but we only achieved the end goal once even though we were very successful.
"And I'm not saying it was because of them. But there is always room for improvement. You never know -- you change things around, it brings new energy, it brings new fire. We could see some bigger things."
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That energy was palpable early in camp from a team that overcame a lot to go 12-4 last year, then botched a big opportunity in a playoff game in San Diego.
The Colts have had a smooth transition because they anticipated the change and had Caldwell serve as associate head coach under Dungy. Caldwell removed Meeks and Purnell, replacing them with Larry Coyer and Ray Rychleski, respectively.
But the other key people in the organization who provide major stability are still in place -- Bill Polian is still the team president and Peyton Manning is still the quarterback.
Like Freeney, Polian believes some change can be a good thing.
"Sometimes that's good -- you hear a different voice, you hear a different approach, it gets the message across in a different manner," Polian said. "Both are excellent coaches, both are terrific guys.
"They're both organized and they're both good teachers, so I don't think there is any real change there. But maybe the way the lesson is taught might be a little bit different and it's probably, in the end, good."
Key questions
1. Can the third-down defense get Manning the ball back?
The Colts tied for second worst in the league in third-down conversion rate, allowing teams to convert on third down 47.4 percent of the time. Bend-but-don't-break is going out of fashion under Coyer, according to many of his players. And with third down as a focus, they hope to get the offense back on the field and allow their best people to spend more time working.
Only six teams fared worse in time of possession than the Colts (28:39) last year. No matter how opponents try to play keep-away, getting Manning and the offense on the field more must be a priority.
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2. Does Manning have the weapons and protection?
Reggie Wayne has been the de facto No. 1 receiver for a while already. And Anthony Gonzalez is primed for a great year in his third season, with a lot more opportunities to come. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie were both impressive early in camp and appear primed to be steady contributors, and Donald Brown provided a second running back with dynamic possibilities.
The protection question may be a bigger conc
ern. Charlie Johnson has been inserted at left tackle. While he has been an effective fill-in, if he is the guy for 16 games, defensive ends named Mario Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch are going to find the holes in his game. Perhaps Tony Ugoh responds to the demotion and seizes the job back. Either way, could Manning have to worry more about getting hit from a blind side rusher than he has in the past?
3. Can special teams provide a boost?
Mediocre to poor special teams have been the norm for the Colts, and under Dungy there seemed to be a level of tacit acceptance. Enter Rychleski, a fiery and passionate special teams coach who Caldwell hired from South Carolina. As in many of the departments where the Colts ranked poorly in the past, just a moderate improvement can make a big difference.
The return games have been the worst element. T.J. Rushing is the leading candidate right now, but rookies Collie and Jerraud Powers could provide a boost. Another rookie, Pat McAfee is slated to be the new punter.
Market watch
Working predominantly as the third receiver last season, Gonzalez had 664 receiving yards. Bumped up to No. 2, he should be poised to top 1,000 yards and improve on the four touchdown catches he totaled in 2008. He is typecast by too many as a slot guy, but in three wide receiver sets it appears more likely that Wayne or Collie will line up inside.
Gonzalez is a complete receiver who has established a great rapport with Manning -- so much so that Manning invited the receiver to serve as his caddy at a pro-am golf tournament in April.
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| Scott Boehm/Getty Images | |
| The Colts are counting on Donald Brown to have a big impact in his rookie season. |
Newcomer to watch
While most analysts figured the Colts would look wide receiver or defensive tackle late in the first round, Polian spent the 27th pick in the draft on highly productive UConn running back Brown. An indictment of Joseph Addai? Perhaps. An upgrade over Dominic Rhodes? Absolutely.
The Colts' plans for Brown and their opinion of Addai after an off year in which he struggled with with knee trouble are both unclear. But Caldwell has made it clear he anticipates significant work for his top two backs. Brown was effective in his first preseason action, even as it came against a mix of second- and third-string Minnesota defenders. High draft picks on offense are expected to help right away and rookie running backs regularly plug in and excel. It's what Addai did in 2006 as the league's leading rookie rusher and it's what Brown may well do in the same offense.
Observation deck
Kicker Adam Vinatieri (hip) isn't expected back until the very end of the preseason. When he's kicking again, he will work intensively with McAfee, his new holder, to get their rhythm and timing down. ... If everyone is healthy in the secondary, work as the dime won't be sufficient for safety Melvin Bullitt. Expect the Colts to creatively find other ways to get him on the field regularly. His development likely means Antoine Bethea won't be re-signed when he becomes a free agent. ... Ryan Lilja is the best run blocker on the line and will also help Jeff Saturday provide an additional veteran influence on the younger players in the offensive line meeting room. ... While Harrison was locked in to lining up in the right, Reggie Wayne will move from the left into the slot, making him tougher to predict and defend. ... Curtis Painter's preseason play could determine his fate. The team doesn't intend for the rookie quarterback to be Manning's backup this season -- that's still Jim Sorgi's job. But injuries and numbers at other spots could impact their ability to keep three signal-callers. Ideally they would have Painter on the practice squad, but what if someone else wants to sign him away? ... Gijon Robinson can block and catch and qualifies as a starter. Buy the development of two second-year right ends could cut into his time. Jacob Tamme runs good routes and has good hands, qualifying as more of a pass catcher while he's emerging as a better blocker. Tom Santi can be a combination guy but has had health issues. ... Because the Colts added three big bodies to the defensive tackle mix -- veteran Ed Johnson and rookies Fili Moala and Terrance Taylor -- two guys who contributed in the interior last year could see far less action. Keyunta Dawson has been moved to end and Eric Foster could get caught in a numbers crunch. ... If Philip Wheeler and Clint Session lock in the outside linebacker spots, then Freddy Keiaho and Tyjuan Hagler will give the Colts something they have not often had -- veteran linebackers available for a lot of special teams work. ... Dante Hughes looks to have fallen out of favor, which creates a lot of opportunity for Powers. ... Maybe I just caught him on a good couple days of practice, but receiver Taj Smith looks like a guy with real potential to develop. Look for him on the practice squad again.
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| Donald Miralle/Getty Images | |
| Instead of trying to convert a critical third-and-short on the ground during a playoff game against the Chargers, the Colts chose to pass with regrettable results. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The line on a crucial play in the NFL's statistical game book read the same as any other.
3-2-IND 9 (2:30) (Shotgun) P.Manning sacked at IND 1 for -8 yards (T.Dobbins).
Were it annotated, that sack of Peyton Manning on the final play before the 2-minute warning of the Indianapolis-San Diego wild-card playoff game Jan. 3 could also read:
Season-ender symbolized season-long inability to gain a couple of yards on the ground when needed, caused sleepless nights.
If the Colts could have converted that third-and-2 from deep in their own end, they could have run out the clock and advanced to a divisional-round game in Pittsburgh. Instead, they punted the ball back to the Chargers, watched San Diego drive to a tying field goal, win the overtime coin toss and move 75 yards to a game-winning touchdown.
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| Icon SMI | |
| The Colts were last in the league in yards-per-carry average in 2008. |
Those six feet cost Indianapolis at least one additional week of playoff life.
And those six feet drove a lot of offseason work -- on execution, on the run game, even, perhaps, on the roster.
A championship-caliber team, no matter how pass-reliant, needs to be able to turn and hand the ball off and come up with 2 yards on a crucial play. The Colts didn't even try to run it. Their intention was a short pass. But the line was out of sync at the snap, tight end Gijon Robinson let linebacker Tim Dobbins break free immediately and Manning had no choice but to swallow it as Dobbins quickly wrapped him up and dropped him.
"It was the play, when you really try to narrow it down, that kept us from advancing," said head coach Jim Caldwell, then the associate head coach. "And when you have something like that, obviously it's going to leave an impression, an indelible mark that you won't forget. It's important for us to improve in that area and make certain that doesn't happen to us again."
Robinson said once the game was over he let it go and moved on, looking to learn from it. He couldn't, or chose not to, recall how things unfolded.
"I made a mistake," he said. "I definitely want to get out there and show and prove to everyone that I am going to be twice as good as I was."
The maitre-d is accepting reservations for Thursday's chat. Expected to be the biggest of the year, it will take place here.
Comments? Complaints? Compliments? You can get those and Christmas gifts of any size to me through the mailbag.
Onto some headlines...
Houston Texans
- Getting to .500 again would be big, but the Titans are a big obstacle, writes Megan Manfull.
- John McClain says three more wins and 9-7 are improbable, but not impossible.
- Replay McClain's chat.
Indianapolis Colts
- Gijon Robinson relished his big day and the Colts sign running back Najeh Davenport, writes Phillip B. Wilson.
- What has to happen for the Colts to get a playoff spot, from Mike Chappell.
- Wilson's preview page for the Lions game.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Details of Matt Jones' suspension from Michael C. Wright.
- A Q&A with Maurice Jones-Drew.
Tennessee Titans
- Michael Silver has Jeff Fisher atop his coach of the year ballot.
- Rookie corner Cary Williams was signed off the practice squad, says Terry McCormick.
- Carolina's running backs are encroaching on the Titans' Smash and Dash nickname, blogs Estwick.
Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
Greetings from Houston, where I'll check out the Texans this morning. But first, a quick spin around the division...
Houston Texans
Andre Davis is looking to build on last year's strong finish, writes Megan Manfull.
Will Demps has made himself a nice career by refusing to take no for an answer, Steve Campbell says.
Back after missing time with a hamstring injury, cornerback Demarcus Faggins is back at practice. He took a lot of heat last year from fans and media. The Chronicle's notebook also says Andre Johnson (groin) probably won't play Saturday night against Denver.
Dale Robertson says Sage Rosenfels is doing just fine accepting his status as Houston's No. 1A quarterback.
Indianapolis Colts
Three of the four starters in the Colts secondary were pretty much inseparable during the offseason, Mike Chappell tells us. Bob Sanders was busy rehabbing his shoulder. For the first time since 2000, Indianapolis is heading into a season with the same secondary as the year before.
Owner Jim Irsay is excited about the new stadium and says a fast start is imperative for the Colts. The Indianapolis Star's notebook also tells us because the team is so thin at linebacker right now, it's playing a lot of nickel defense.
Gijon Robinson in largely unknown but the tight end could be a significant piece of the Colts, writes Colts.com.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Here's an incredibly detailed account of the back and forth between the Jaguars and Derrick Harvey's agent. Great reporting by Vito Stellino.
Stellino shares his pluses and minuses so far for the Jaguars. He sees the offensive line as a concern.
Michael C. Wright chats with former defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who's now head coach I Atlanta.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams worried that TV cameras at yesterday's practice were filming defensive signals, according the Times-Union's "Observation Deck."
When he decided where to sign, rookie Lamar Myles decided experience with the Jaguars' linebackers was more important that the opportunity for a roster spot, Wright reports.
Tennessee Titans
I watched the Titan defense work against the Ram offense at yesterday morning's practice, then was en route to Houston. The Tennessean's Jim Wyatt focused on the other side of the ball and says Vince Young had a very good day.
Fan favorite Drew Bennett felt the love as he returned to Nashville as a Ram, according to Jessica Hopp. Click on the screen to the right for a video on Bennett.
Game-day shuttles in Nashville will continue, as a private company will take over for the city, The Tennessean reports. It'll now cost $10 instead of $7.
Eddie George watched a practice and said Chris Johnson reminds him of a Marshall Faulk, says The Tennessean's notebook.
