Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indianapolis Colts – Wide Receiver Hakeem Nicks Inks One-Year Deal

by Kent Sterling

With what might be the longest fingers and thumbs I've ever seen on a normal size guy, Hakeem Nicks should be a sticky target for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

With what might be the longest fingers and thumbs I’ve ever seen on a normal size guy, Hakeem Nicks should be a sticky target for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Indianapolis Colts certainly seem to get what they want when free agents visit.  Not sure whether they close the deals like Don Rickles in “Casino” by holding their planes at the airport until they sign, but Hakeem Nix decided to be a Colt before continuing his tour of suitors to Carolina and beyond, according to ESPN.

Nicks is 26, 6’0″, 210 lbs., and has suffered a series of injuries (high ankle sprain, hamstring and knee issues, and a broken foot) that have limited his productivity over the past couple of years, but he has always been a 50+ catch guy, and last year averaged 16 yards per catch despite not getting in the end zone.

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If healthy, Nicks will fit in nicely with T.Y. Hilton, Da’rick Rogers, Griff Whalen, LaVon Brazill, and a hopefully recuperated future hall of famer Reggie Wayne.

When a team has an elite quarterback, the least the front office can do is surround him with a competent level of tools, and with the running backs all having big red question marks next to their names, Andrew Luck needs fast men with sticky hands outside the numbers.

Add tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener to the mix, and all Luck should need are a couple of guys to help keep the rush at bay for three seconds to be able to matriculate the Colts down the field early and often in 2014.

Nicks comes to the Colts after playing five seasons with the New York Giants when he averaged 62 catches and 924 yards.

General manager Ryan Grigson’s shopping list is getting shorter and shorter, but the Colts are still without a starting center and safety to replace Antoine Bethea who left earlier this week for San Francisco.  This is a weak draft for safeties, so Grigson is likely not done courting free agents yet.

ESPN’s Mike Wells will join “Ahead of the Curve” with Fox 59’s Chris Hagan and me tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9:45a on 1070 the Fan to talk about this deal and what Grigson might have up his sleeve over the weekend.

Indiana Basketball – NY Daily News Report Mike Woodson “Could” Be Next Coach Is Nonsense

by Kent Sterling

Mike Woodson played high school basketball in Indianapolis and was a star at IU from 1977-1980.

Mike Woodson played high school basketball in Indianapolis and was a star at IU from 1977-1980.

In the type of journalism typical to New York newspapers other than the Times, the New York Daily News has asserted that if Tom Crean does not return to the Indiana University bench, current Knicks coach could be next in line.

The piece cites  “a source” who claims several prominent boosters are asking Indiana University Athletic Director Fred Glass to buy out Crean’s contract, and install Woodson as coach.

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This is what we like to call stirring the pot.  Others call it trolling.  Whatever you call it, the piece is the kind of ridiculous and predictive musing that gives everyone in media a black eye.

When asked about Crean, Glass has been as relentless in his praise as Crean is as he recruits.  The votes of confidence have never wavered, and the extent to which Glass has claimed to admire Crean has never diminished.

Questioning whether Crean will be back as coach is absurd for a variety of reasons, but the only justification needed for keeping him is that he pulled the program from the furnace, and rebuilt it during his first five seasons.

There are questions – good questions – about the direction of the program in light of this season’s reversal of good fortune, but even an ill-tempered AD with an itchy trigger finger would allow Crean to continue at least through next season to see if this solitary mess is an aberration or a trend only reversible through change.

Fred Glass is not Yosemite Sam.  He is not the rottenest, tootinest, coach firing athletic director south of Indiana State Road 46.  He is a very steady leader who saves his bullets for emergency use only.

The Daily News piece is more than likely a trial balloon on behalf of Woodson, who would love to return to his alma mater to coach the Hoosiers.  It happens all the time.  I’ve been asked to publish similar absurdities myself.  I have refused for two reasons – the post would represent an inaccuracy, and misleading information under my name would be a lie, and lying is death for a media guy like me. The second reason is that it’s just plain wrong.

Tom Crean will be the coach of the Hoosiers next year, despite a faction of fans who don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Mike Woodson will get another NBA coaching gig because he is an outstanding coach dealt a ridiculous hand by Knicks boss James Dolan – one of the biggest tools in sports.

There will come a day when Crean’s fate will be discussed because that’s the business he’s in.  All men’s college basketball coaches not named Mike Krzyzewski will eventually be fired.  That’s the business Crean chose, and he knows that better than you and I.

But day to face the sheriff will not come in 2014.

Purdue Basketball – Matt Painter Will Continue to Be the Right Guy Until He Decides He Isn’t

by Kent Sterling

Matt Painter is Black & Gold to his core, and should get the time and resources to get things right at Purdue.

Matt Painter is Black & Gold to his core, and should get the time and resources to get things right at Purdue.

The question being asked most by media types covering the Big Ten Tournament is whether the seat on which Matt Painter sits is hotter than Tom Crean’s?  The answer is that neither seat is hot so the question is moot.

Now, ask whether Painter or Crean will be sitting on a very hot seat in two years, and the debate begins.

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I have no unique insight into the internal dialogue that may or may not be raging in Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke’s mind, but Painter is a Purdue guy who has achieved a level of success that should have bought him the kind of equity that will allow him several cracks at getting it right.

The comments that Painter made last weekend after losing the regular season finale to Northwestern show a coach who admits mistakes and has an idea of how to correct them, “First of all, it’s my fault. It’s my job to get guys to play together, it’s my job to get guys to play, it’s my job to get guys to play smart, and we don’t do any of those. And so that is my fault. When you start off, people will always give you a break. But when you’re somewhere for nine years, they shouldn’t. They absolutely shouldn’t, because it is my fault we are in this position.”

“We have to a recruit a more unselfish player, we have to recruit a tougher player. We have some of those guys in our program, some guys who don’t.

“And that’s my fault. This isn’t a school district, I recruited these guys.”

The first step to fixing a problem is identifying it, and Painter did that in no uncertain terms.  From his comments, we can infer that Painter believes he has recruited kids who are selfish and weak.  The correction is to recruit Purdue type guys.  Programs that wander from their own culture do it at their own substantial peril, and this Boilermaker unit did not look anything like those successful teams of the past.

There is a reason it isn’t as simple as it sounds to go out and get a Chris Kramer, JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, etc…, and it’s that everyone has figured out what Painter was an early adapter to – that unselfish kids who can flat shoot it win basketball games.

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To be fair, most coaches have always known that, but Painter was able to build relationships with those guys while Mike Davis looked for answers in Alabama and other points south.  By the time Kelvin Sampson got to Bloomington, those kids were Boiler ready, and Indiana had to troll in murky waters with impermissible phones calls for kids with strange ideas on how to spend their free time.

Once the lake with all the great fish was being depleted of its stock, Purdue lowered its standards and the result was predictable.

Painter has decided to hell with recruiting against his own instinct and culture to grab the types of kids that won championships during the 1980s and 1990s for Gene Keady.

A friend of mine who is as big a Purdue honk as there is says that he and his friend used to call Painter “the Waterbug” because of the tirelessness of his movements on the defensive end of the floor.

What Purdue needs are more waterbugs, and Painter seems to have figured out that turning great athletes into waterbugs is every bit as impossible as turning waterbugs into great athletes.

Purdue will be back to being Purdue in two years.  Hopefully, Burke and the Purdue boosters who like to think they call the shots will give him the time and room to get it done.

Big Ten Tournament – Nine Fun Facts to Enhance the Joy of Watching Big Ten Hoops

by Kent Sterling

UnknownThe Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of my favorite events on sports calendar – at least when it’s hosted by Indianapolis, the city built for exactly that purpose.  As you enjoy the event this weekend, here are nine things to look for – both on the court and off to make you a better fan and more informed visitor.

Nowhere is Ike & Jonesy’s mentioned as the port of first and last resort for locating cougars looking to dance to the hits of the 1980s.  I regret the omission.

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  1. A little less than a half century ago, the big hitters in Indy convened to decide on a theme that might uniquely brand the city and drive its development.  Doing everything with an eye on hosting a Summer Olympics, Indianapolis developed as a city built to host big sporting events.  As you enjoy the festivities this weekend, remember and thank those men of vision who laid the foundation that brought the Pacers, Colts, Big Ten Football Championship, Super Bowl, NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, Big Ten Basketball Tournament, and so many more events.  No, Indy will never host an Olympics, but it has hosted almost everything else.
  2. Ohio State has had an almost incredible run over the last eight years in the Big Ten Tourney.  The Buckeyes have won four of the last seven, and played in the finals two other times.  Bet against Ohio State at your own risk.
  3. Bankers Life Fieldhouse is nearly 15 years old, but still holds up as the finest basketball arena in the world.  Unlike many multipurpose arenas constructed over the past quarter century, the Fieldhouse was built was one thong in mind – making attendance at a game more enjoyable.  Concerts and rodeos are held here, but the primary purpose is to showcase the game of basketball, and that is done to perfection every time the doors open.
  4. There has been no home cooking at the Big Ten Tournament.  Indiana has only participated in the finals of the tournament one time in the 16 years the Big Ten Tournament has been held, and has never won it.  Purdue earned a spot in the finals in lost in the inaugural event in 1998, and won it in 2009.  Other than that, early exits for the two Indiana teams.
  5. The tournament has only had two homes – Chicago (8 times) and Indianapolis (hosting for the 9th time).  The sites will alternate between the two through 2016, and then it will be up for bid again.  There is no reasonable explanation for the logic of ever allowing the event to leave Indy.  The fan and team experience here is far better than what is possible in Chicago.  The United Center holds an addition 5,000 people in the rafters, but is that really worth forcing the other 18,000 to pay for cabs to the game, pay ridiculous tariffs to park, and stay in overpriced hotels?
  6. There is no home court advantage for Indiana teams playing nine of these tourneys in Indy.  If Northwestern can keep it rolling to win the tournament, Nebraska can win today against Ohio State, and Michigan can win beat Illinois and either Ohio State or Nebraska, Purdue will own the worst overall record in the history of the event at 9-16.  Indiana will be percentage points ahead with their 10-17 record.
  7. In the last 12 Big Ten Tournaments, the #1 or #2 seed has won all but once.  The lone exception was Purdue, the third seed in 2009 – the only time it won.

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  1. If Ohio State can win the tournament, Aaron Craft could become the only player to repeat as tournament most valuable player.  Craft made plays yesterday that annoyed opponents and thrilled fans.  He’s a special player who Thad Matta will find impossible to replace.
  2. Under Tom Crean, the Hoosiers are 2-6 in the Big Ten Tournament – last year’s run to the semifinals was the best finish in his six years at Indiana.  Mike Davis was 6-6, Bob Knight was 1-3, Kelvin Sampson and Dan Dakich were both 0-1.

Indiana Basketball – A Whimper Rather Than a Bang Ends the Hoosiers Season

by Kent Sterling

UnknownIndiana had their chances – up 38-33 with a chance to extend the lead to seven, but the shots that missed for Illinois earlier started to fall and the turnovers that have plagued the Hoosiers all season extracted their toll.  And the season ended for this young Hoosiers team.

Of course, Indiana will be invited to the NIT, as will all schools sporting both a winning record and 17K+ arena, but that invitation is like going to be like a timeshare presentation in order to eat a good steak.  Sure, it’s basketball, but at what cost.

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Worse than losing to Illinois 64-54 is Indiana looked listless in losing.  There was very little passion exhibited by anyone other than Will Sheehey, who was understandably urgent as this was his last rodeo for the Hoosiers.

His next stop will be Greece, Israel, or some other outposts where a young man with his size and skill can earn a lot of money.  Gone are the days of meaningful basketball for the love of the game in front of adoring fans.

The Hoosiers turned the ball over 16 times, which was the weakness though out the season that cost Indiana a chance to win games like this.  The most troubling aspect of the turnovers was their seeming inability to not repeat the mistakes that caused them.

It hard to say who might join him leaving Bloomington, other than seniors Evan Gordon and Jeff Howard.  Noah Vonleh may leave a dearth of size on the Hoosiers front court by bolting for the millions available to him in the NBA.

The offseason between the sophomore and junior seasons is the time feet get hot and cars get packed for a more suitable place to exhaust remaining eligibility.

Plenty of time to talk about how disenchanted several of the Hoosiers looked on the floor and off during this 10-point beating, that was 51-48 with under five minutes to play.  Vonleh missed the front end of a one-and-one, and that was it for Indiana’s chances to advance to play Michigan tomorrow.

So Indiana sits with a substandard 17-15 record, and no hope of an NCAA Tournament bid.  This is the first step back for the Hoosiers under Tom Crean after four seasons of step by step progress.

Fans have yet to see how Crean responds to a backslide, and it will be interesting to see what, if any, consequences are brought to bear for the players as they retool for next year.

And Crean has yet to see how the fans respond to taking a step backwards after years of disappointment authored by predecessor Bob Knight (his last five years were hard to swallow), Mike Davis (minus the 2002 trip to Atlanta), and Kelvin Sampson.

Twelve months from an outright Big Ten Championship, the Hoosiers finished eighth, and ran their all-time record in the Big Ten Tournament to 10-17.

The question is how much of the equity built through winning the Big Ten was eaten by the Sweet Sixteen loss that followed and this season where the team could never gel for more than 40 minutes at a time.

It’s likely the questions about the future of the Indiana program will outnumber the answers for another eight months when the team next takes the floor.

The Hoosiers were very young, and they won’t have a senior next year, unless a spot opens for a fifth year transfer like Evan Gordon was this year.

But there is some doubt whether this will be a team on the come in 2015, or a program that peaked and went under Crean.

 

Butler Basketball; Disappointing Season Ends in 51-50 Big East Tourney Loss to Seton Hall

by Kent Sterling

UnknownIt’s been almost a decade since Butler experienced a season like this one.  Sometimes we forget that in the middle of all that excellence through the Collier, Matta, Lickliter, and Stevens years that Butler won only 13 games in 2004-2005, but they did.

That aberrational season was in the Horizon League, so who knows how many games would have been lost against a reconstituted Big East.

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What is known is that this first season with Brandon Miller at the helm has ended, and unhappily with a 14-17 record.  Like three of the early conference season losses, this was so close – so within Butler’s grasp during the final minutes – that the team might wonder what all that scrapping was for.

Down 45-32, the Bulldogs stormed back through junkyard dog defense and excellent rebounding.  The Alex Barlow half court heave at the buzzer would have won the game, as likely would the previous possession that ended in a turnover after a great hustle play of defense by Seton Hall.

Khyle Marshall was outstanding for Butler, scoring 44% of the total points.  Kellen Dunham and Alex Barlow had a tough time, combining to hit only 3-21 from the field for a total of seven points.

But this season won’t be remembered for how it ended tonight in Madison Square Garden.  Butler was relentless in its desire to fight, and equally consistent in its unsatisfying results.  Once the three losses came in overtime to Villanova, DePaul, and Georgetown, the snowball started to roll downhill until the Bulldogs came through the other end of the tunnel with regular season ending wins at DePaul and at Hinkle Fieldhouse against Seton Hall.

A lot of the talk about the Bulldogs this year was about whether Brandon Miller was ready to lead a Big East program built by four special predecessors, and the verdict in the minds of many is not yet ready to be rendered, but in my mind the final three games were huge.

With nothing to play for, Butler continued to believe.  They had no chance – zero – to win the Big East Tournament, but still they kept fighting.  They came up short tonight after finding success at the end of the regular season, but the fight was there.

A coach unready for the challenge entrusted to Miller might have lost his leadership compass and turned against his team, but Miller stayed the course, and the Bulldogs responded.  Miller’s success or failure will have a lot to do with his wins off the court on the recruiting trail.  As he learned this year, it’s hard to win when outmanned.

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Calling the Bulldogs outmanned isn’t a slight to the current players, but a simple statement of fact.  Whether of not these Bulldogs succeed on the court, they will find their way in the real world in large part due to what they learned while responding to the adversity faced this season.  If I’m hiring a young man, I’ll take the less gifted bulldog all day.

Butler will move on, re-tool, and succeed.  They lose Marshall but return Roosevelt Jones, the rest of the roster, and add four-star power forward Kelan Martin out of Louisville Ballard and 6’7″ Tyler Wideman of Lake Central High School.

This season won’t be remembered fondly by fans like the two National Championship finalists are, but they continued to live without question the legacy instilled by Collier, Matt Howard, Ronald Nored, Matthew Graves, Mike Marshall, and so many others.

When cornered, they fought instead of cowering.  The result won’t define the 2013-2014 Bulldogs.  Their tenacity will, and future teams will benefit from it.

NBA Draft – It Will Never Be Fixed Because the Fix Is In

by Kent Sterling

Like his predecessor David Stern, Silver wants basketball players to spend more time in college. Also like Stern, the reason is about the cash - not the kids.

Like his predecessor David Stern, Silver wants basketball players to spend more time in college. Also like Stern, the reason is about the cash – not the kids.

No one in sports ever asks, “What’s in the best interest of the kids?” unless it’s also in the best interest of the person asking the question.

In the case of the changes being proposed to NBA Draft eligibility the best interest of draftees isn’t in the same time zone as the real motivation not being voiced by many NBA honchos, including commissioner Adam Silver.

Silver is campaigning for a mandatory two-year gap between high school graduation and NBA Draft eligibility.  He says it would be “good for the game.”  What he means is that it would allow the owners to make more money.

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We know it’s about the money because it’s alway about the money.  NBA franchise owners aren’t running orphanages, for God’s sake.  These are businesses, and – first and foremost – businesses are designed to make money for those who own them.

Players get wealthy too, but Silver wants to delay their wealth for an additional year because that will also delay the onset of a max contract for another year.  Unfortunately for Silver, what’s good for the owners is not necessarily good for the general managers who manage the basketball side of the business.

There is very little job security for the GMs of losing teams.  The fortunes of the losers would be adversely affected by a 2015 draft that featured only those who felt they were unready for the 2014 draft, so those GMs are against it.  GMs who traded a valuable asset for a 2015 draft pick would also be outraged by that change because the value of what they received would be altered, regardless of their draft position.

The original change to a one-year delay in eligibility was championed by those who claimed 18-year-olds were emotionally and physically unready for the rigors of the NBA.  What the NBA really meant was that wasting a year of first contract cash while a kid develops made the owners physically ill.

A trite conversion of a biblical saying suggests that the Golden Rule is “Those with the gold make the rules,” and that is just as true at Madison Square Garden as on Wall Street.

It’s all about the money.  It’s always about the money.  In many NBA issues there is a little room inside the margins to try to do the right thing for the players, but not with a fundamental change in the manner in which future players are procured.

The best plan, and by best I mean the fairest for the players would be for a potential draftee to be allowed to enter the workforce pool whenever the hell he wanted to, and let the teams decide whether he is the best option on the board.  Anything less is a money grab, plain and simple.

No fan should begrudge the owners desire to make money as long as that greed is accompanied by a legitimate effort to provide a quality product, but a little truth would be refreshing.

If Silver and the 30 team owners want to change the structure of the draft, they should at least be honest about the primary reason – which is…  Everyone?  C-A-S-H!

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The NBA isn’t along in its craving for increased margins.  The NFL is no different, but their version came with the yakking about player safety.  That had as much to do with the longterm health effects of 50-year-old former players as all-you-can-eat buffets are about food quality.

Just know what to listen for when you listen to guys like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or Silver prattle on about what’s good for their respective leagues.  Everything they say means, “Our owners want more money.”

Indiana Pacers – Andrew Bynum Rocks in Pacers 93-84 Win Over Celtics, and Is the Key to NBA Title

by Kent Sterling

Andrew Bynum appeared capable of dominance in his victorious debut.

Andrew Bynum appeared capable of dominance in his victorious debut.

So far, so good.  The resurrection of Andrew Bynum’s career as an Indiana Pacer got off to a very good start last night as the sometimes laconic center posted eight points and ten rebounds in 16 minutes.

If Bynum can find a way to put up a 48-minute average of 24 points and 30 rebounds through the final 18 games of the regular season, the Heat, Spurs, and Thunder can say goodbye to any dreams of home court advantage throughout the NBA Playoffs.

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That’s very unlikely, but Bynum was very active last night while still appearing a little detached from the social fabric of the team.

One of the most interesting revelations that has been proffered during the media’s insatiable examination of Bynum to figure out what makes him tick is that his hobby is rebuilding computers – a solitary exploit akin to senior citizens putting together jigsaw puzzles.

Assembling computer parts is not the hobby of a social person, and Bynum has not appeared to be a welcoming force on a team during his career.  Calling him aloof presupposes a conscious decision to avoid social engagement, which is unfair.  People like Bynum just find social interactions uncomfortable and unnecessary.

I’m assuming all of that because like most, I don’t know Bynum.  I watch and evaluate, but sharing some deep psychological profile is neither my goal nor field of expertise.  Can he play basketball?  That’s the question that will determine Bynum’s value to the Pacers, not whether he’s a lot of fun on the team bus.

And last night, Bynum showed there is still ability left to dominate the interior against a team without a true NBA center.  He isn’t going to win any team sprints, but when Bynum puts his ample rear end into the pelvis of a defender, the possession should be over and the Pacers should earn a deuce.

After the next four games against terrible teams (76ers 2x, Pistons, and Knicks), the road gets steep for the Pacers over the final 14 contests of the regular season.  Two against the resurgent Bulls, two against the Heat, one each against the Spurs and Thunder will be a stiff test.  Immediately following the Knicks, the Pacers will face a gauntlet of the Bulls, Grizzlies, Bulls, Heat, and Wizards – all playoff teams.

The Pacers have a much better second unit with a healthy and energetic Bynum, and those two things appear to be linked.  Pain tends to erode enthusiasm, and balky knees have been a big part of the Bynum equation for a long time.

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Whether the Pacers trainers have been able to strengthen the areas around Bynum’s knee to the point where he can play with minimal pain through 18 regular season games, and up to 28 playoff tilts is to be seen, but the positive is that the back-to-backs will be over once April begins.

It’s safe to assume that coach Frank Vogel will sit Bynum on the back end of the remaining three back-to-backs, and Bynum has a puncher’s chance of staying on the floor 16 minutes per game for the rest.

This fascinating season for the Indiana Pacers is becoming more and more fascinating, and whether Bynum has another 688 minutes (43 games times 16 minutes) of all-star quality basketball left is his knees and mind, is the latest captivating question.

Indianapolis Colts – Ryan Grigson Gets Busy Signing CB Vontae Davis and DE Arthur Jones

by Kent Sterling

Moss doesn’t grow too thick under Indianapolis Colts GM Ryan Grigson.  The busiest of the busy general managers wasn’t done when he signed kicker Adam Vinatieri to a two-year extension.

At 1:45p, the Colts tweeted that 41-year-old Adam Vinatieri signed his deal.

At 4:24p, the Colts tweeted that Sergio Brown would be back:

At 4:44pp, the Colts tweeted that Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones inked a deal:

At 5:00p, the Colts tweeted that Vontae Davis would be back, and CBS reported the deal is for five years, $39 million with $20M of that guaranteed.

That’s a busy day, and I doubt Grigson is done.

Indianapolis Colts – Did Grigson Overspend on Specialists Adam Vinatieri and Pat McAfee?

by Kent Sterling

Adam Vinatieri has snow on the roof and the basement, but as long as his foot stays warm, the Colts want him in Indianapolis.

Adam Vinatieri has snow on the roof and the basement, but as long as his foot stays warm, the Colts want him in Indianapolis.

There are two ways to go about building a roster – go cheap on kickers and punters, and hope for the best.  Or invest in known quantities at those two positions, and attack the headache spots elsewhere with slightly diminished resources.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson made the decision today to sign kicker Adam Vinatieri to a two-year extension.  Punter Pat McAfee signed a five-year deal last week worth $14 million.  That removes all doubt that hoping for the best is not in Grigson’s lexicon.

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Compared to many other teams who churn their specialists, the Colts will spend approximately $5-million more to assure excellence on special teams.

While Colts fans correctly love both McAfee and Vinatieri, when they see back-up cornerbacks get torched or a left guard whiff on a block that causes mayhem in the pocket and Andrew Luck being dropped to the turf, it’s worth evaluating without emotion which they would rather see – anonymous specialists who do their best or Luck on his ass/an opposing wideout torching a undrafted free agent backup cornerback?

Those are the decisions Grigson and the other 31 NFL GMs make everyday.  With a specific amount of cash to allocate everywhere, decisions and sacrifices must be made.

Both McAfee and Vinatieri are coming off solid seasons that exposed a downside should the Colts have decided to move on without them.  A dearth of picks in the upcoming NFL Draft makes addressing those needs difficult.

Grigson is a grinder who does his homework, and it’s possible that if he saw a punter or kicker that he could take as a UFA, the decision to move on without McAfee and Vinatieri might have been made.  Neither you nor I have any clue whether there is another Graham Gano or Johnny Hekker out there, but Grigson does.

Another key is the very limited free agent class this offseason.  If Grigson decided to invest his cash elsewhere, would it make any difference?

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If it’s my money, I do exactly what Grigson did.  McAfee is excellent and if the Colts special teams can cover punts and kickoffs without the need for him to make one too many tackles, he will be elite for the duration of his deal.  Vinatieri fits for the next two years while Luck is still shy of his first huge deal.

In free agency, you sign to your needs rather than allow more needs to be created through not signing your own.

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