Colts agree to terms with QB Collins while Manning rehabs

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts are bringing one veteran quarterback out of retirement.

No, not Brett Favre.

The team agreed to terms Wednesday with Kerry Collins, making him the likely starter in case Peyton Manning hasn't completely recovered from offseason neck surgery when the season opens Sept. 11.

Collins said he has been given no indication that Manning won't play at Houston.

Wyche: Collins more than insurance

"Hopefully, Peyton will be back, but if he's not, maybe I can be one of the guys that can help this ballclub," Collins said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday night. "The biggest draw for me coming here was just being with a team that I have a lot of respect for and a lot of history with, and really to be with a great team and play with one of greatest quarterbacks of all time."

Collins agreed to a one-year contract and acknowledged he could be talked into staying longer than 2011.

But not everyone in the Colts' locker room was enamored with the move.

"We don't even know him, we ain't vanilla, man, we ain't no simple offense," wide receiver Reggie Wayne said. "So for him to come in here and be the starter, I don't see it. I think that's a step back."

Collins acknowledged that learning the Colts' offense in such a short time is his biggest challenge in joining the team.

"It's going to be like a foreign language," Collins said. "The concepts may be the same, but they call it something completely different. So that's going to be a challenge, and that's why I need bust my tail, get in the classroom and hopefully I can get to the point where I can get out there and operate the offense efficiently."

Colts coach Jim Caldwell wasn't available to talk with reporters about Collins, but he struck a calm tone in a statement released by the team.

"He is a veteran quarterback who has started many games and he brings dimension and depth to the quarterback position, which will be helpful," Caldwell said. "He is familiar with our division and will make a great addition to our roster."

Yet the move is another indication that Manning's streak of 227 consecutive starts, including playoff games, is in serious jeopardy.

Manning had surgery May 23 to repair a nerve in his neck, and the recovery has gone slower than expected partially, Manning said, because he couldn't work out with team trainers during the 4½-month lockout.

Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote Saturday morning on Twitter that the Colts had to be prepared to play without Manning in the opener against the AFC South rival Texans. Later that day, Manning acknowledged he didn't expect to play in the final two preseason games and that he would need the next two weeks just to get healthy.

Caldwell hasn't said when he expects Manning to return to the field after the quarterback signed a five-year, $90 million contract to stay in Indianapolis last month.

"I think he laid out pretty well where he is, and that he is working extremely hard to try and get back as quickly as he possibly can," Caldwell said Monday. "He's going to work hard at trying to get back and get ready, and he's doing everything he can to do so."

And if he's not ready? Well, there's Collins, who has played in 195 career games with the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers before retiring in July.

Collins has a career 55.8 completion percentage and has thrown for 40,441 yards, 206 touchdowns and 195 interceptions. As the starter, Collins has led his team to the playoffs four times, including a Super Bowl appearance with the Giants in the 2000 season.

Wayne, a five-time Pro Bowl pick and one of Manning's favorite targets, has supported backup Curtis Painter. And while he called Collins "a great guy," he said he was worried about the Colts improving.

"Who says Kerry's going to be the starter?" Wayne said. "Just because we bring him in doesn't mean he's the starter. He's got to learn too, right? Unless they gave him a playbook months ago, he's got to learn, too.

"I don't care who you are, I mean I'm not going to let anyone just come in here and just push someone (like Painter) aside like you're that dog now, you know what I mean?" Wayne added.

Painter has started both preseason games this year, completing 8 of 16 passes for 95 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. In Friday night's 16-3 loss to the Washington Redskins, Painter managed only one first down and couldn't get the offense past its 29-yard line despite playing the entire first half.

Painter hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2009. Another backup, Dan Orlovsky, has played in 13 games in six NFL seasons, and the other quarterback on the roster is undrafted rookie Mike Hartline.

Michael Conroy / Associated PressKerry Collins started slow in his previous two stops.Collins' first three starts with last two teams

For his part, Painter doesn't expect it to take Collins long to get up to speed.

"He's a veteran guy, been around a while. I'm sure the terminology across the league isn't too different," Painter said. "I expect he'll come in and pick it up quite well."

The good news is that Collins already has some familiarity with the Colts' brain trust.

Colts vice chairman Bill Polian took Collins in the first round of the 1995 draft, No. 5 overall, when he was in charge of the Panthers. And Caldwell was Penn State's passing game coordinator from 1988 to 1992, during part of Collins' college career.

Still, two huge questions remain.

How quickly can the 16-year veteran get up to speed in the offense, which has traditionally relied on calls at the line of scrimmage? And did Collins rediscover his passion for the game in the past seven weeks?

"I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position," Collins said in announcing his retirement July 7.

Two weeks later, Collins said he had even considered retiring at the end of last season.

Irsay had tweeted to ask for suggestions about signing a veteran free agent and on Sunday said he was in Hattiesburg, Miss., stirring speculation that he might be trying to lure Favre out of retirement (again). Instead, it was Collins.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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NFL rookies struggle to make ends meet while locked out

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The NFL lockout has prevented Marcell Dareus from cashing in on turning pro, so he mows his godfather's lawn in exchange for a place to stay.

Other rookies are low on money, too. Von Miller sleeps in the same room he had in high school. Anthony Castonzo makes deliveries for his parents' restaurant. And Aaron Williams does ranch work, throwing hay and fixing barbed-wire fences.

"Acres and acres of land; you're always moving," Williams said. "But it's better than sitting on your butt playing Xbox."

These are odd times for rookies, and more than 150 of them gathered for an NFL Players Association-sponsored symposium that concluded Wednesday. This incoming class is unlike any other, because the lockout has indefinitely delayed that first pro paycheck.

"Guys are hurting for money right now," said quarterback Christian Ponder, a first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings. "It's a crazy time, especially with the uncertainty of when we're going to start and get some money in our pocket."

To make the situation even more gloomy for players just out of college, the league is pushing for a rookie wage scale as part of a new collective bargaining agreement.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and players association executive director DeMaurice Smith spoke to the group Wednesday but didn't offer any indication as to when the four-month-old labor dispute might end. Negotiations are ongoing, but with training camps scheduled to open in about three weeks, the season remains in jeopardy.

"You come out of college with plans of making big money, and everything goes on hold," said Dareus, the third overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. "It grinds you."

Dareus, a 320-pound defensive tackle from Alabama, said he earns his keep while living in Birmingham with his godfather.

"Everybody calls him 'Sergeant,' because he was a sergeant in the Army," Dareus said. "At 6 o'clock in the morning, we're up cutting grass. He ain't playing. He's crazy about keeping his yard cut. He has kind of a big yard. We cut it twice a week and trim his hedges. It's an all-day thing."

When asked if Sergeant provides a push mower or a rider, Dareus groaned.

"He's old school."

Dareus hardly is the only extraordinary athlete settling for an ordinary summer job. Castonzo, an offensive tackle drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts, is living with his parents in Chicago and making deliveries for their restaurant, just like he did growing up.

He's a bit bigger now, though.

"When I show up at someone's door, a 6-7, 315-pound guy, they're like, 'Oooooookay. Put the food over here, please,'" Castonzo said with a laugh. "I make basically whatever they tip me. With my parents, I'm on a volunteer basis. I'm living like I'm still a college kid -- there's no money to spend."

Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young is back with his parents, too. They live in Los Angeles, and because he played at Boise State, they appreciate the chance to see more of him lately -- up to a point.

"My mom is rooting for the lockout to continue," Young said. "But my dad is saying, 'Get out of the house, son.' He's looking up the latest on the lockout every day and telling me updates."

Miller and Ponder said they're getting by partly because they made money doing rookie-card signings.

"I saved it up, because I didn't know how long this lockout was going to be," said Miller, the second overall pick by the Denver Broncos. "So I've got a couple of dollars in my pocket."

And then there's Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who's taking the biggest financial hit of any rookie. As the top overall draft pick, he might have commanded $60 million guaranteed under the old labor system. Newton was spotted Tuesday night in Bradenton grabbing a bite at a 7-Eleven.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Eagles QB Kolb tries to stay positive while trade rumors swirl

Kevin Kolb showed up to Philadelphia Eagles players' workouts Thursday. Whether or not he'll play with them next season is another question.

The quarterback, whose name has been batted around in trade speculation all offseason, can't be dealt to a new team until the NFL lockout, now in its third month, is over. When that happens is anyone's guess, so for now, Kolb is trying to make the best of it.

Carucci: Don't believe the hype The NFL lockout has left the media little about which to write and talk, so trade rumors about Kevin Kolb have taken on a life of their own, Vic Carucci writes.
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"It's pretty tough," Kolb told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "But, you all have known me for a long time, and the way I handle things is I keep my mind and keep the things out of my life. So I don't pay too much attention to it.

"It's hard when it has to do with my life. But I keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward and whatever happens I'll be ready to roll."

The Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns are among the teams mentioned are possibly being interested in acquiring Kolb, who lost his starting job last year after he was injured and Michael Vick stepped in to play at a Pro Bowl level. With his future uncertain, Kolb had stayed at his Texas home almost all offseason, but he said he feels good being back with his Eagles teammates.

"I've been working hard," Kolb said. "Obviously, these dudes have been working hard, too. It was good to get back out here, more than just the throwing, to be around the guys again."

Eagles third-string quarterback Mike Kafka, who said Wednesday that he's ready to be the No. 2 guy if needed, also attended Thursday's workout in Evesham, N.J. Vick, who organized the week's sessions, wasn't there, but the Inquirer noted the quarterback had a speaking engagement in Philadelphia in the afternoon.

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Jasper winning battle with scale while prepping for Bills career

Michael Jasper has been dropping weight the past few years, and when he embarks on a career as an NFL defensive tackle -- soon, he hopes -- he plans to be quite svelte.

Jasper, a seventh-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in last month's draft, is down to 375 pounds -- still big, even by NFL standards, but nowhere near the 448 pounds he carried not so long ago.

The 6-foot-4½ nose tackle has lost 73 pounds since leaving Middle Tennessee State after his sophomore year to transfer to Bethel, an NAIA school in McKenzie, Tenn., and he has focused on slimming down even more since his college career closed last fall.

"(Bills regional scout) Matt Hand made a deal with me initially, saying they wanted me under 400 pounds," Jasper told the Tennessean. "After the draft, I talked with coach (Chan) Gailey, and he said just to keep working hard and keep the weight off."

Jasper has become smarter about his diet while working out with his cousin, Artis Hicks, a nine-year NFL offensive tackle who played for the Washington Redskins last season.

"I've stopped eating so much and pretty much cut eating beef out," Jasper said. "I've minimized my bad carbohydrate intake, increased my vegetables and greens and water intake to kind of confuse my body so that it wouldn't hold onto so much water. It has started to flush some of the excess off.

"I feel brand new. I sleep better, I wake up feeling good, I enjoy being outside and feel like a kid again. I realize God has definitely blessed me."

Because of the NFL lockout, Jasper hasn't spoken with anyone from the Bills since the draft, and he's not sure if the team wants "me to get down to 360 pounds or anywhere near that," he said. "The way my body is, I'm not a regular 360-pound man. But I've done what the Bills asked me to do."

The average NFL nose tackle entering last season was 6-3 and 330 pounds, according to the Tennessean.

Jasper, 24, was listed at 394 pounds when he was drafted -- the heaviest player taken during the three-day process -- but Bills general manager Buddy Nix said that number was wrong.

"He's not as big as you've got him listed," Nix said after the draft. "He's down to 378 pounds, so he's drying up to nothing."

Bethel coach Dino Kaklis believes a slimmer Jasper will be a better Jasper. The lineman posted a 5.34-second 40-yard dash time, a 34-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-5 broad jump in a workout for Bills scouts, and he wasn't as slim then as he is now.

"Everything the Bills and the other NFL guys saw of Michael playing during the year was when he was at 435 pounds, and they were impressed by what he did then," Kaklis told the Tennessean. "He's at 375 now and still as strong and solid as he was. I'd say he has the mobility of a 265-pound player."

Jasper weighed just 240 pounds when he started at Mount Juliet (Tenn.) High School, but he was 380 as a senior.

"When I got bumped up to varsity my freshman year, I started to put on the weight," Jasper said. "I started drinking creatine and protein and didn't know what I was doing. Then once I got to college, the food gets a whole lot better, and I started to get even bigger."

Jasper played two seasons as a nose tackle and offensive guard at Tennessee-Martin, then transferred to Middle Tennessee State but didn't play because of grades. He became a part-time student, and that's when he ballooned to his heaviest weight, before transferring to Bethel, where he played defensive tackle in 2009 and offensive guard in 2010.

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Vinatieri could punt for Colts while McAfee is suspended

Colts punter Pat McAfee returned to practice Thursday, one day after being arrested for public intoxication and drawing a one-game team suspension.

McAfee, who missed practice Wednesday, wasn't available for comment after a short Thursday morning session.

Police say McAfee was found early Wednesday morning with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Indiana. Police said McAfee swam in a city canal in the city's Broad Ripple neighborhood.

The team said McAfee will miss the Nov. 1 game against the Houston Texans. The NFL also might levy punishment.

"He's been suspended for the Houston game. And then he'll be back after that," Colts president Bill Polian said Thursday, according to WISH-TV. "He made a mistake, he has to pay the penalty for that. And after that, it's business as usual. He's a really good young guy. He just made a mistake and he recognizes it, and we'll move on."

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said the team is examining options to replace McAfee, who punts and kicks off. Caldwell said kicker Adam Vinatieri is capable of handling all kicking duties.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cutler practices while Bears try to solve protection issues

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was hitting receivers in stride, and for once, no defenders were near him. Of course, it was only a practice drill.

Cutler was back at it on a limited basis Wednesday, three days after a brutal 17-3 loss to the New York Giants in which he was sacked nine times in the first half and left with a concussion.

For that, Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz took the blame.

"I just tried to do way too much in a short week with these guys," he said. "Whatever went wrong in that game was my responsibility."

Cutler's status for this weekend's game at Carolina was unclear. NFL guidelines say Cutler should receive clearance from an "independent neurological consultant" before playing again.

Martz said Cutler had "a meeting" after practice, presumably with a doctor, although he didn't specify. Bears coach Lovie Smith said Cutler would meet with an independent doctor, but he wouldn't say when.

Martz said Todd Collins, who left Sunday's game with a stinger, would start against the Panthers if Cutler isn't available.

Cutler didn't address the media as he usually does before practices Wednesday. That was pushed back at least until Thursday, but seeing Cutler in uniform and hitting receivers had to be encouraging for a Chicago team that saw much of the goodwill created by a 3-0 start squashed by an avalanche of sacks.

Besides leaving Cutler woozy, that barrage also placed Martz under the microscope and renewed the debate whether the personnel fits his system.

Martz's system is heavy at times on seven-step drops, an approach that welcomes pressure and can result in a beating for quarterbacks even on a team with a decent offensive line. Considering Chicago's blockers have struggled in recent years, that was one reason Martz's hiring raised some eyebrows during the offseason.

Martz's teams ranked among the top six in sacks allowed in each of his previous seven seasons as a head coach and coordinator. Yet the Bears hoped the rewards would outweigh the risks after watching Cutler be sacked 35 times while throwing a league-leading 26 interceptions last season.

Things were mostly clicking through the first three games, although there were issues in protection and the run game. Now the Bears lead the league with 18 sacks after that performance against the Giants.

Does the system need to be adjusted?

"You're talking to the wrong guy," said Martz, who added the seven-step drops are a small part of the offense. "I think we all believe in the system. Like I said, it's not what we're doing, it's just how well we're doing it. And it's new to everybody. And we've got guys who are learning how to just play, on top of it, in a highly competitive situation. We've just got to grind through it. If we're doing something we don't believe in or are suspicious about, certainly we wouldn't do it."

Martz said he's not worried about confidence after a game like that, adding, "You start worrying about confidence, you have the wrong guys. And we don't have the wrong guys. We do not have that. I promise you we don't. It's a coaching issue, period."

The Giants didn't blitz that much Sunday. They often had a clear path to the quarterback, and as the first half wore on, the Bears tried to protect Cutler with seven or eight blockers.

Not that it made much of a difference.

"It was mental, man," center Olin Kreutz said. "There was a little bit of everything really, but most of them were those guys just beating us. That's not acceptable really. We've got to go back to work, and hopefully, we can rectify it this week in Carolina."

Cutler didn't help himself, either, by hanging onto the ball and at times not seeing open receivers, although he might have been dazed even if Smith said the Bears didn't notice any symptoms until after the ninth sack.

That came on the second-to-last play of the half, when Cutler's head banged the turf while being taken down by Aaron Ross. Cutler had absorbed more than his share of hits by then.

There was a big one early in the second quarter, when Osi Umenyiora ran through tight end Greg Olsen and blasted Cutler from behind, the ball popping out and into the arms of Kreutz. Cutler got up and took a few steps toward the wrong sideline.

"They beat us time after time, and we've got to get in front of guys and get them blocked," Kreutz said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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