• Former Grinnell Tiger, UNI Panther standout will see NFL action Sunday against Carolina

By DANN HAYES
and ZACH JAMES
powcr@dmreg.com

Ryan Mahaffey has been signed to the 53-man roster of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.

Mahaffey, a former Grinnell High School and University of Northern Iowa standout, both on the football field and in academics, was signed to the active roster for the Colts on Nov. 16.

“He is number 47 and will be on the field playing on Sunday, Nov. 27,” said Rachel Mahaffey, his mother.

She said he will play against the Carolina Panthers, adding he’ll be the starting fullback.

Ryan Mahaffey

Mahaffey, who had signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent, was on the Ravens practice squad.

While at UNI, Mahaffey started in 43 games making 25 receptions for 227 yards and six touchdowns. He was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer team as a freshman in 2007 and earned second-team All-MVFC honors in both 2008 and 2009.

Mahaffey was also recognized on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team in 2009.

While at Grinnell High School, Mahaffey was a first-team all-state pick by the Des Moines Register and was a third-team all-state choice by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Mahaffey fills the roster spot vacated by cornerback Morgan Trent, who was waived by the Colts on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

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Poweshiek County Iowa Indianapolis Colts Baltimore Ravens Ryan Mahaffey Grinnell College 2011 fullback

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The Indianapolis Colts are now the only winless team in the National Football League. That’s hard to grasp as a Colts fan. This puts them in the lead for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. It’s difficult to watch on a week to week basis with the team now at 0-9 on the season. This week the Colts lost 31-7 at home to the Atlanta Falcons.

The defense looked terrible again. If it weren’t for a single good play by cornerback Jerraud Powers(notes), the Colts would have been shutout again. Powers made his best play of the year and intercepted Matt Ryan(notes) and returned it for a touchdown. The rest of the game saw the defense beaten by big plays from Atlanta and their rookie receiver Julio Jones(notes). Jones scored on two long touchdowns of 50 and 80 yards. Jones finished the game with three catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons showed how easy it is to beat the Colts when a team plays good, mistake-free football.

The Indianapolis offense played maybe their worst game all year and only seem to be getting worse. Fans should expect Curtis Painter(notes) to improve as the season progresses and he becomes more comfortable but Painter is trending in the opposite direction. Painter was 13 for 27 passing for only 98 yards and one interception. The stats only explain part of the ineffectiveness. Painter looked confused, lost, and hurried in this game. While he has shown some signs of life, Curtis Painter should not be a starting quarterback in the National Football League.

To make matters worse for the Colts offense, Delone Carter(notes), who had shown promise, was benched for Donald Brown(notes) after fumbling on the opening drive. Carter had a great opportunity in his rookie season to seize the starting job and earn more carries without Joseph Addai(notes) injured. Carter’s fumbling issues lately are certainly not helping his case.

For the first time all season, head coach Jim Caldwell made a change that seemed to make sense. The Colts tried wide receiver Pierre Garcon(notes) as their punt returner but that experiment didn’t produce any results in this game. Garcon returned two punts for negative two yards. As a fan, this move finally shows that Caldwell is willing to change something up in an attempt to gain an advantage. Garcon is the fastest player on the team and makes sense as a punt returner.

It’s definitely different to see the Colts lose so badly at home and watch the home crowd filing out well before the game is over. The 2011 season has seen a lot of changes for the Indianapolis Colts. At this point in the season, Colts fans can’t help but hope for the best for the future. At this point that very well may mean Andrew Luck and the number one pick in the draft.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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ST. LOUIS —
Evaluation will be the primary objective tonight when the Indianapolis Colts kick off the 2011 National Football League preseason schedule against the St. Louis Rams.

 Game time is set for 8 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome. The game will be televised on WNDY in Indianapolis — also on WTHI-TV  10 in Terre Haute — and replayed later on the NFL Network.

While Coach Jim Caldwell and his coaching staff spent Friday putting their final plans in place, the Colts are expected to utilize rookies and veteran backup players most of the evening. The first offensive and defensive units aren’t slated to see more than one or two series before retiring to the sidelines.

“I think the game will give us a good indication of where we are [after the second week of training camp]. Often times you have to come back [to camp] and retool and regroup,” Caldwell said earlier this week.

 “But [the first preseason game] gives you a pretty good assessment and that’s what I think this first game will do for us. It will assess where we are and also give some of the younger guys a real taste of what the National Football League is really about.”

Depending on their position and the team’s depth situation, some veterans could see more playing time than others.

“It just depends. Every individual is a little bit different. Everybody is different. There is no blanket statement across the board,” the Colts coach said, adding that its probably time for his team to test themselves against other people.

“They would like to face another opponent other than their own teammates and they are going to get that opportunity obviously on Saturday. But that’s a good thing for both squads. We will both get a chance to really test where we are.”

One thing is certain. With no organized team activities and minicamps this past summer, due to the labor lockout, the Colts’ four preseason games take on a whole different level of importance.

“We have to give [the rookies and new players] a fair shot evaluation. We just have a little less time to do it. But everyone is going to get an opportunity,” Caldwell explained.,

“You get an opportunity every day when you are out there on the practice field. You certainly get an opportunity during preseason games. Not everyone will play an equal amount in every single game, but I think after it’s all said and done we’ll get a good look at everybody.”

• Manning traveling? — Quarterback Peyton Manning might be given the green light to make the trip. But there hasn’t been any official word as to his plans for this weekend.

“It remains to be seen. If [team medical and athletic training personnel] think it’s better for him to stay [home] he will stay [home]. If not he will go, it just depends on his rehab schedule,” Caldwell said.

• Watch to watch for — Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky will probably get the bulk of the work at quarterback against the Rams, although Nate Davis and undrafted rookie Mike Hartline may get on the field during the third and fourth quarters.

And while placekicker Adam Vinatieri will be available and may see limited playing time, punters Pat McAfee and undrafted rookie Travis Baltz should get opportunities to placekick. McAfee has displayed a strong leg in training camp, hitting field goal attempts from 65 and 70 yards.

Running backs Javarris James, Devin Moore, along with undrafted rookies Darren Evans and Chad Spann, will play. Joseph Addai may see some work, but Donald Brown and rookie Delone Carter should see extended action.

• Hughes vs. Saffold — One interesting sidelight will be a possible matchup of Colts second-year defensive end Jerry Hughes against former Indiana University offensive tackle Rodger Saffold.

Indianapolis opted to draft Hughes ahead of Saffold a year ago. Not taking an offensive tackle in 2010 made it a imperative to add two offensive tackles this year, first-round pick Anthony Castonzo and second-rounder Ben Ijalana.

Castonzo and Ijalana will work with the Colts’ No. 2 offensive line group, along with undrafted rookie center Jake Kirkpatrick.

• Injury list — Sitting out Friday morning’s practice were WR Joe Horn (back), OG Jamey Richard (calf), LB Ernie Sims (appendectomy), DT Fili Moala (foot), OG Jaimie Thomas (back), DE Jamaal Anderson (groin), DE Dwight Freeney (rest), DT DeMario Pressley (hamstring), TE Brody Eldridge (knee).

CB Jacob Lacey (Achilles) and LB Cody Glenn (neck) practiced for the second straight day. Lacey was hurt in Tuesday’s practice and has seen limited work since. He is expected to start against the Rams. Glenn’s neck issue dates back to last season.

Gotta run!.

That’s all the news for today.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and team vice president/general manager Chris Polian spoke to Indianapolis-area media during a press conference late Monday afternoon.

Irsay and Polian both attempted to address the current labor situation — the decision by the National Football Players Association to decertify last Friday and the National Football League’s subsequent option to lock players out —and how it relates to the Colts.

“[The NFLPA’s decertification] was disappointing to me. I believe this thing is going to get done through mediation, through negotiations and not through lawyers,” Irsay said.

He remains hopeful that a resolution to the collective bargaining agreement negotiations, and the subsequent law suits between the union and the league, can be settled sooner rather than later. The Colts’ owner, though, is also realistic.

“You just can’t say I’m optimistic and magically things get done. There’s a lot of heavy lifting to do. We are hoping to get back to the point of getting a deal done,” Irsay said.

Irsay is preaching patience about the labor situation. “I talk about letting the process unfold,” he said. “I believe we’ll get something done and it will be positive. But it’s not going to happen by just saying it. We’ve got to get something done.”

As far as his relationship with quarterback Peyton Manning, who is one of 10 plaintiffs in a class action suit against the NFL, and center Jeff Saturday, Irsay is fine. Saturday is a member of the NFLPA’s executive committee.

“I don’t take those sorts of things personally. Peyton, Jeff Saturday are very close friends of mine,” he said.

 

“It’s not something that you take personal. [Negotiations are] tough and you’ve got to get things resolved. You get something done, you shake hands and move forward.”

Irsay is looking forward to signing Manning to a new deal when the opportunity presents itself. “The No. 1 dynamic is getting a long-term deal done for Peyton, offering him the highest contract that’s ever been out there in the NFL,” he said. “We’re together on his legacy in Indianapolis.”

Polian, meanwhile, talked about the preparations the team has taken for the lockout.

“We’ve, to the best of our knowledge, tried to prepare for any eventuality. It’s a very fluid situation. But a lot of things are out of our control,” he explained. “We’ve done everything under the rules presented to us at this point. Those are the cards dealt to us and we’ll do our best to be prepared.”

For however long the labor impasse goes on, Irsay isn’t planning on making any personnel moves in the Colts’ offices, the coaching staff or other support workers.

“My focus [with] every single employee is getting ready for a great year. We’re not going to furlough, pay cuts or any those sorts of things. The organization’s focus is on the [April] draft and season,” he said.

As for any possible hardships for any of the 31 other NFL owners if the lockout is a lengthy, Irsay could only talk about his own situation.

“I can’t speak for other owners in terms of their finances and personal wealth. But we have to be smart enough that we can get a deal done in a timely way,” he said. “We’re on the same page. And we’re really looking forward to getting something done. I know all of the fellow owners are of the same mind set. This is something we need to negotiate and get done.”

Does Irsay fear a backlash from disgruntled fans because of the labor situation? “You always worry about that,” he said. “It’s March 14, so we’re talking about projection. You’re very sensitive to that. But to project fear is way too early.”

 

That’s all the news for today.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The Indianapolis Colts would like to make Peyton Manning(notes) one very wealthy man but if the team can’t get a contract extension signed before March 2 when the collective bargaining agreement expires, the team may franchise the quarterback, according to the National Football Post.

If it comes to that, it will cost the team $25 million but it would be a short-term loss for hopefully a long-term gain.

“It’ll get done when it gets done,” Colts team president Bill Polian said, according to NFP. “We’re in a very, very unsettled situation as an industry, so I don’t have any timetable specifically.”

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Source: National Football Post

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