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Colts: Is Montee Ball Bound For Indy?

By Dave McKee

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Are the Colts interested in signing Montee Ball? Rumors began on Sunday that he was intent on playing for the Colts.

The Colts have a thin backfield with only three running backs on the roster. Frank Gore is in his 11th season and his backups are the two rookies, Josh Robinson, and Tyler Varga. Denver released Montee Ball on September 6th and there is a wide belief that several teams have an interest in him.

The 24-year old is the newest free agent running back to come available. In the rumor mill, any team who underperformed in the running game in week one will be rumored to have ties to him.

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The credit for the scoop on Montee Ball goes to Will Peterson of the Mile High Report.

Admittedly this is pure speculation, but let’s imagine for a moment that he signs, what role would he play? and what could be expected of him on the field? Adding a fourth running back is a good idea for the Colts to consider. Admittedly, I like the idea of bringing  back Ahmad Bradshaw, because of Bradshaw’s familiarity and comfort within the system. Montee Ball is an intriguing  prospect if he can remain healthy.

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In his third year out of Wisconsin, Ball was expected to take the starting job for his own for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, injuries and coincided with competition and Ball found himself the odd man out in Denver. Montee Ball has issues as a pass-blocker  and with hands coming out of the backfield but is still young enough to correct those weaknesses and make an impact on a roster.

Injuries have impacted his on-field performance and his durability is a concern for any team looking to sign him. However, that can easily be circumvented by ensuring that he remains fresh in a change-of-pace role. If the Colts were to sign him, it is unlikely he will become the starter. Instead, he would be used as rotational back to spell Gore while he is on his pitch count. Ball averaged 4.7 yards per attempt in his rookie season and saw that dwindle to 3.1 in 2014.

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Statistics Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com:

In Will Petersen’s report, Ball was described as “Salty” after watching the Thursday night contest between Denver and Kansas City. According to Petersen, Ball told family and friends he was signing with the Colts “some point soon.” Perhaps his saltiness can carry over to on-field success? It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reported that he too has heard the rumors and “nothing definitive” has turned up so far with inquiries to the Colts organization.

With nothing definitive yet it’s time to wonder where the Colts can turn to reinforce the running back position. They have reportedly expressed interest in Ahmad Bradshaw, but little word is coming out regarding Ball at this time. Let’s see where Ball signs, he could go to Indy and work out for them knowing he would be a complimentary back or he could get an offer too good to pass up. For now we will have to wait and see.

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