While most view the Colts schedule as a cruel joke, I see the glass half-full. Granted, it is statistically the second hardest schedule in the league (behind Pittsburgh) and sure the Patriots have the NFL’s easiest schedule and a crappy division, let’s be positive. Maybe it is a good thing that the Colts drop a few and don’t have home field advantage.

     Last time I looked, the last 3 Super Bowl champs all played in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. Last time I checked the Colts are winless when they have a bye in the playoffs. Last time I checked the Colts won the Super Bowl by going on the road. Just something to ponder. Also, if a team has to play AT Pittsburgh, AT San Diego, home for New England (on a short week) and then deal with the TOUGHEST DIVISON in the league, maybe they will be the most playoff ready team at the end of the year…..or it could all backfire. Just something to ponder.

2008 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

Week 1: Chicago                 8:15     NBC
Week 2: at Minnesota       1:00     CBS
Week 3: Jacksonville         4:15     CBS
Week 4: BYE
Week 5: at Houston           1:00     CBS
Week 6: Baltimore             1:00     CBS
Week 7: at Green Bay        4:15     CBS
Week 8: at Tennessee        8:30    ESPN (Monday Night)
Week 9: New England        8:15     NBC
Week 10: at Pittsburgh      4:15     CBS
Week 11: Houston               1:00     CBS
Week 12: at San Diego        8:15     NBC
Week 13: at Cleveland        1:00    CBS
Week 14: Cincinnati            1:00    CBS
Week 15: Detroit                 1:00    FOX
Week 16: at Jacksonville    8:15    NFL NETWORK (Thursday Night)
Week 17: Tennessee           1:00    CBS

After looking over the Colts draft, I think a caller into my Sunday Night show said it best when he mentioned that this was “long overdue.” The offensive line needed a little support. They needed depth badly. As good as the starting unit is, injuries, as we saw last year, can be disasterious. I like the picks. Mike Pollak can compete for a starting job at right guard while serving as insurance for Jeff Saturday who is in the last year of his deal. The rest of the Colts draft class shakes out like this:

Round 3: LB Phillip Wheeler from GA Tech (Good open field tackler. Good speed and good fit for the cover 2. If he doesn’t play a lot of LB, look for his impact on special teams.)

Round 4: TE Jacob Tamme from Kentucky (Converted WR who went to play TE. Has great size at 6′4 and 234 lbs. Look for him to help fill the void left from Ben Utecht.)

Round 5: LB Marcus Howard from Georgia (Great pass rusher. Not much on coverage, but could be used like Robert Mathis who was also a LB in college.)

Round 6: TE Ton Santi from Virginia (Tamme will be the pass catching TE, while Santi will be the blocking TE.)

Round 6: C Steve Justice from Wake Forest (another insurance policy for Jeff Saturday and can also play guard which is needed badly.)

Round 6: RB Mike Hart from Michigan (Will have a spirited competition with Kenton Kieth for the back-up RB spot. Not fast, but great skills. Hard runner who could pick-up those tough 3rd and shorts. Also a good blocker with a chip on his shoulders. He will either win the back-up RB spot or be the last one cut.)

Round 6: WR Pierre Garcon from Mt. Union (Speedy with great hands, but can he do it against top notch competition?)

Round 7: C Jamey Richard from Buffalo (More depth for the line and hopefully one of the 3 centers drafted can be the eventual replacement for Jeff Saturday.)

       As for the rest of the NFL, It wasn’t a draft filled with big name guys, but the few that had those names didn’t fare very well.

-Hawaii QB Colt Brennan went in round 6 to Washington
-USC QB John David Booty went in round 5 to Minnesota
-Tennessee QB Erik Ainge went in round 5 to the NY Jets
-Michigan WR Mario Manningham went in round 3 to the NY Giants
-Notre Dame S Tom Zibikowski went in round 3 to Baltimore

It took a while, it took longer than it should have, but the man who is lucky to still have a jon FINALLY got it right with the most storied aspect of his job. Hiring Tom Crean was 100% the best thing that could happen to IU. Losing out on Tony Bennett was the best thing that could happen. If given the choice between Bennett or Crean, I’ll take Tom Crean.

     Few coaches get more out of less than Tom Crean. He knows how to recruit, has a history of success and WINS THE RIGHT WAY. It took a while, but FINALLY, like Purdue, Butler, and IUPUI, Indiana has a fantastic coach who respects the game and will do things the right way. It may take a few years to fix the mess left by the Sampson era, but if Indiana fans are patient, he will bring good things.