New Guys: Running backs Clifton Dawson (from free agency) and Chad Simpson (from the practice squad), offensive guard Ryan Lilja (from the PUP list), defensive tackle John McCargo (from the Bills), linebacker Tyjua Hagler (from the PUP list)

Gone But Not Forgotten: Running back Mike Hart (to the IR), defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey (to the waiver), a 2009 fourth round draft pick (to the Bills)

To go along with Hart, Ramsey, and the pick leaving, Joseph Addai is out for two to four weeks with a torn hamstring.  Ryan Lilja also won’t play immediately, and there will have to be two more cuts for Lilja and Hagler before the Packers game.  Here is a rundown on the players we’ve picked up:

Who Is Clifton Dawson?

Most of you remember Dawson.  He was on and off the roster during training camp, and he has been with the team since the 2007 training camp besides a short stint with the Bengals at the beginning of the 2007 regular season.  He is a graduate of Harvard majoring in economics, and he set the record for rushing yards in a career for Ivy League players.  He ran for 4,841 yards while gaining over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons.

Dawson was not drafted in the 2007 National Football League draft, but he was taken by the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League draft.  He ended up signing with the Colts following the two drafts.  He didn’t make it through the final cuts, but after he was cut by the Bengals, the Colts resigned him and kept him on the roster for the rest of the season.  Last year he carried the ball 30 times for 64 yards and one touchdown.

Until Addai gets back, Dawson will be the number two back behind Dominic Rhodes and will get some carries.  When Addai comes back, Dawson will take a special teams role I would assume.

Who is Chad Simpson?

Chad Simpson was an undrafted free agent from the 2008 NFL Draft who signed with the Colts following the draft.  He came out of the Division formerly known as 1-AA Morgan State and was the MEAC player of the year in 2007.  In the preseason, Simpson ran for 49 yards on 16 carries.  In the preseason game against Carolina, he had 27 of those yards on only 4 carries.  Here was my description after he signed with the Colts in the spring:

“Chad Simpson/RB/Morgan State-Simpson is the 4th leading runner in Morgan State history, but he only played 2 years there. His freshman and sophomore years were spent as a kick returner at South Florida. He ended up being a letterman in track at Morgan State as well. Chance of Making 53 man roster: 22.5%. He could be the returner the Colts are looking for.”

So as you can see, he was talented enough to play D-1A, and he was great at Morgan State.  His lettering in track shows his great speed.  I still think that he could be a great returner, and I hope Dungy gives him a shot in Lambeau come Sunday.

Who Is John McCargo?

While I was writing this, I got some disturbing news.  From Pro Football Talk, an unnamed source (probably the Redskins’ electrician or wherever Florio gets his info), John McCargo failed his physical.  I’ll believe it when someone who knows something about football and journalism posts it, but if it is true I AM PISSED.  We got ripped off.  Now the trade deadline has passed and a trade that has probably been in the making for a week now is gone and we can’t get another defensive tackle.  Of course, you have to remember this was the guy that said Dungy was retiring last season.

So on the assumption Mike Florio is a liar, here is a Bills fan rundown on McCargo:

“He was drafted in 2006 by Marv after we traded up into the 1st to get him.

He broke his foot in 2006 and didn’t play at all.

In 2007, he was rotated in between Tripplett and Williams and he was a fan favorite, as he was getting a lot of pressure in the backfield, getting a lot of tackles for loss.

Well, we got Marcus Stroud in the offseason, and we expected him to challenge Kyle Williams for the #2 DT spot. He came into camp overweight, and was reported to be not all that interested in football (translation: lazy). He of course didn’t even come close to winning the spot; he was actually the #4 DT on our team, behind Stroud, Williams, and FA pickup Spencer Johnson.

Overall, he is considered a bust in Bills-land, and I feel that what we got for him (a 4th rounder) is pretty nice. And before you bring up the “well Bill Polian must have seen something in him” argument, remember that Marv Levy, former fellow Buffalonian with Polian (Marv was coach and Polian was GM during the Bills consecutive SB years) drafted him, so they may have just seen the same things in him that weren’t really there.

So overall, I’d call him a bust that shows a bit of promise and might have a few good moments, but don’t expect him to contribute a whole lot. As a point of reference, some Bills fans even think Larry Tripplett is better than him (I disagree, but each to his/her own).”

He didn’t even get to 30 tackles last year, so he wasn’t the best defensive tackle in the land, but he was big (6-2, 307) and was the nose tackle we have needed.  This is a bummer if it is true.

Tyjuan Hagler is back in practice and will play against the Packers.  Whether he will start or not has not been released yet.

In case you haven’t heard, the Colts had to dump 5 players by today.  The sad part is that two of them weren’t cut but placed on the Injured Reserve.

TJ Rushing and Zac Herold both were placed on the IR today.  Rushing hurt his right knee in the Buffalo game, and Zac Herold’s injury cause did not come up on a Google search.  Herold was not going to make the roster, so that’s not a big problem.  However, Rushing was really improving as a returner.  The other players in contention for returning are Pierre Garcon, Courtney Roby, Chad Simpson and Devin Aromashodu.  Here are the stats from this preseason so far:

KR: Returner/# of Returns/Yards/Yards Per Return/Long/TDs

PR

I took out TJ Rushing for both types and Keiwan Ratliff for punt returns, as it is doubtful that he would return anyways.

Right now, I would put my money on Courtney Roby making the roster as the kick returner and Pierre Garcon returns punts.  Roby had a great 66 yard return on Sunday that almost went all the way back for a score.  Pierre Garcon runs out of bounds too much on his kick returns, and I haven’t seen enough of Aromashodu and Simpson to include them.  Garcon is a natural punt returner.  His cutting ability is one of the reasons why he will make the team.

The players that got cut were K/P Adam Crossett, RB Clifton Dawson, and LB Marcus Richardson.  Crossett is not a surprise.  He’s been a good punter and an adequate kicker, but the only way he would play for the Colts during the regular season would be because of injury.  Richardson was a recent addition after Danny Verdun was cut.  Neither of those should shock anyone.  Clifton Dawson did surprise me, however.

Dawson has not been great during the preseason, but if you were to ask me who the three worst players on the active roster were, Dawson would not even be in contention.  I thought that Dan Davis, Sam Giguere, or Antonio Smith would be cut before Dawson.  Dawson isn’t even the worst running back.  That dubious title goes to Kenton Keith.  Maybe he was cut but refused to leave the Colts complex parking lot, and Polian just said, “Ah, screw it.  He can stay.”  In fact, I will just assume that’s what happened.

So with these cuts and injuries, a new roster prediction is necessary.  Here is my full roster prediction:

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

RB
Joseph Addai
Dominic Rhodes
Mike Hart

H-B
Gijon Robinson

WR
Reggie Wayne
Marvin Harrison
Anthony Gonzalez
Devin Aromashodu
Roy Hall
Pierre Garcon
Courtney Roby (KR)

TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme
Tom Santi (injured)

LT
Tony Ugoh
Dan Federkiel

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday (injured)
Steve Justice

RG
Charlie Johnson
Mike Pollak

RT
Ryan Diem

LE
Raheem Brock
Robert Mathis
Josh Thomas

RE
Dwight Freeney
Marcus Howard
Curtis Johnson

NT
Ed Johnson
Collin Ferrell

UT
Keyunta Dawson
Eric Foster
Darrell Reid

SAM
Clint Session
Tyjuan Hagler (injured)

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Philip Wheeler (injured)

WILL
Freddie Keiaho
Jordan Senn

CB
Marlin Jackson
Kelvin Hayden
Tim Jennings
Dante Hughes

FS
Antoine Bethea
Brannon Condren

SS
Bob Sanders
Matt Giordano

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Hunter Smith

LS
Justin Snow

IR
CB Michael Coe
CB/RS TJ Rushing
TE Zac Herold

Practice Squad
RB Chad Simpson
WR Onrea Jones
OL Corey Hilliard
OL Tala Esera
DL Ben Ishola
LB Kyle Shotwell
DB Brandon Foster
DB Jamie Silva

5 To Sign In Case Of Injury
QB Quinn Gray
OL Michael Toudouze
DL Jeff Charleston
LB Ramon Guzman
DB Melvin Bullitt

Order of other 9 cuts
1. Keiwan Ratliff
2. Kenton Keith
3. Victor Worsley
4. Jared Lorenzen
5. Sam Giguere
6. Tyrice Thompson
7. Darren Marquez
8. Joe Bradley
9. Dan Davis