INDIANAPOLIS – Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson took to the podium for 15 minutes on Thursday afternoon.
While topics varied on anything and everything, which will be talked about all offseason long, here are five quick hitters from the Colts brass.
Mike Adams A Priority
Chuck Pagano: "He's still got good football left in him. There's still gas left in the tank. Try to tell him that there isn't, then you'll have yourself a fist fight on your hands. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder for a long, long time. I fully expect him to come back and play at a high level."
Bowen's Analysis: The most newsworthy personnel item of Thursday's talks came with the importance of bringing Adams back in 2015. Both Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson were pretty convincing in vouching for bringing back the free agent safety in Adams. The Colts have questions back there with the release of LaRon Landry and the pending free agency for Adams and Sergio Brown. Now, even if Adams returns in 2015, safety is still a major need this offseason for the Colts. Is Brown a full-time starter (something he's never done in his five NFL seasons)? Adams will turn 34 years old in 2015 so the allure of a young safety would be key for the Colts future in the secondary.How Does Robert Mathis' Health Impact The Pass Rush Need?
Chuck Pagano: "We all know how Robert is wired. We know what's in his DNA. If anybody can come back, and be productive, it's him. I have all the faith and the trust that Robert is going to do everything within his power to get himself back and get back on the football field."
Bowen's Analysis: No real update on Mathis's rehab after his September Achilles injury. While the uncertainty over Mathis' health for the 34-year old pass rusher lingers, does that raise the need for an additional pass rusher in 2015? The Colts had very similar sack numbers in 2014, even without Mathis this past season, but that number in losses hovered around zero in virtually every defeat. The Colts have plenty of depth at outside linebacker but a specialty pass rusher isn't going to be overlooked especially with the elite quarterbacks all over the AFC.The Need For Trench Help
Ryan Grigson: "History shows no matter what the schemes start looking like, this team's spreading them out, December and January it comes down to physical football and we believe we know about that very well and we've learned some hard lessons in that respect. It's won in the trenches so if you can bolster that defensive and offensive line, that's why you'd like 20 picks every year."
Bowen's Analysis: This theme was a constant from both Pagano and Grigson on Thursday. It started following the Colts AFC Championship loss and will be turned into physical additions throughout the offseason. In listening to GM's talk this week, the defensive line group looks to be fairly deep in this draft. The Colts have selected just two defensive linemen in the last three drafts. That could very well change in 2015.No Updates On Cory Redding, Reggie Wayne
Chuck Pagano: "We'll just kind of wait and see where they're at on that, where their mindset is moving forward. I don't really have an update right now."
Bowen's Analysis: As far as the Colts facing retirement, no update on the futures of Cory Redding and Reggie Wayne. Let's start with Redding. If he does retire, the need for defensive linemen is even higher this offseason. Redding has been a productive cog on a banged up defensive front the last few years. Wayne is in the rehab process from an injury riddled 14th NFL season. Can Wayne return to the player we saw in the first six games of the 2014 season? These two should reach decisions in the coming weeks with free agency in early March and then OTAs beginning on April 20.Sense Of Urgency?
Ryan Grigson: "Heck yeah. Heck yeah. Heck yeah. Like I've said many times I don't know why you get out of bed in the morning with these jobs in this league if you don't have that belief that you can win it all. I'd hate to be in that situation. That's our goal and what we're trying to do every day and every move we make has that in mind."
Bowen's Analysis: Probably the most emotion we saw out of Grigson on Thursday was here, when asked if there is a sense of urgency after being a game away from the Super Bowl. The Colts have a full allotment of draft picks and a very good cap situation to hit the offseason. This time next month, the free agency period will have quieted down and the Colts will have a great idea of what the draft needs are with the roster climbing towards 90 players (right now it is at 78).
