I'll be honest, I haven't been the biggest fan of Ryan Grigson and the Colts' strategy in free agency. 

That's not saying I think he's "lost" free agency or that he's a bad GM. As long as you don't kill your team's long term future in free agency, you're doing just fine. The danger of free agency is paying a huge contract to a risky player. Grigson avoided that, for the most part. As long as you don't ruin your team's chances in free agency and you draft well, you're a pretty good GM in my book. So far, Grigson has done both. 

That being said, I do think that the Colts have let a very good opportunity go to waste this offseason. They had the money to dramatically improve their team with a good free agent class. While they certainly have improved the team without mortgaging the future, which is always a good thing, they could have been much more efficient and impactful had they played the market better. 

Welcome back to the Colts Authority Tweetbag. As always, to join in the conversation, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or fire off a tweet with the #CATweetbag hashtag.

I'll take tweets on absolutely any subject except IU basketball. I'm not ready to go there yet, ok?

Q:

@natedunlevy: How would you grade Grigson from day 1? And what do you give him just for the FA period so far? #CATweetbag

— Rational Homer(@jroehling1018) March 29, 2013

Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts made a trade today and announced that restricted free agent offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach has signed his one-year qualifying offer.  In the trade, Indianapolis sent reserve defensive end Clifton Geathers to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for former USC fullback Stanley Havili (6-0, 245, 25 yrs. old).

(John E Sokolowski USA Today Sports)

After Darrius Heyward-Bey left both Indianapolis and Detroit without a contract, fans of the Colts and Lions alike are left to ponder what other options remain, should DHB (or, in Colts land, Whopper Jr. – Thanks, Mr. Irsay) sign somewhere else.  According to Dave Brikett of the Detroit Free Press, DHB is using his flight home to think about what to do. They also reported that DHB thinks he would be a great fit for the Lions’ offense. 

Although Heyward-Bey and Matthew Stafford know each other and share the same agent, the Colts have an advantage in the whole situation: winning.  Since 2009, Indianapolis has gone 37-27, while Detroit has been 22-42.  The organizations are complete opposites in that regard, with the 2011 season being Indy’s first losing season in a decade while the same year was the Lions’ first winning campaign since 2000 and first double digit win total in 15 years.  It’s likely neither team made an offer he liked very much, given his shaky career numbers, but if Heyward-Bey wants to be a part of a winning organization, the Colts are the clear-cut choice. 

Nevertheless, we're going to look at a few notable names remaining on the market along with three intriguing draft prospects.

(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

First, let us be clear. This is not the "whopper,” Jim Irsay spoke of.  At least, we don’t believe it is.  A little over a week ago, the owner had Colts fans all speculating, and dreaming about whom the team was trying to sign as they worked on a mega deal to land a “whopper” at wide receiver.  It was not unlike Christmas Eve, except Santa never came.  The whopper deal never happened, and Irsay shifted gears to sign a backup quarterback instead (which he followed with the ‘soft pillow’ tweet).  Thus, a vacancy remains at wide receiver. 

This is the time in free agency to find players looking to sign one-year contracts and rebuild their careers or take one more shot at their dream.  It’s the dollar menu of free agency, where teams can find decent players at a low cost.  Enter, the Whopper Jr., better known as Darrius Heyward-Bey.  Heyward-Bey, of course, would be the replacement for the departed Donnie Avery, who was, himself, a player looking to rebuild his career.

Welcome to the first installment of a semi-regular series looking at the free agent pickups by the Indianapolis Colts.

This series will focus on how the players played against Indianapolis.

Erik Walden, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, was the recipient of the most controversial free agent deal given by the team.

Walden was highly criticized by the scouting/analytics site Pro Football Focus, who named the signing the worst of the year.

Interestingly enough, his best game of the year by PFF standards came against Indianapolis. He registered three hurries, and the only pass defended awarded to him by PFF last year. He also had two tackles and an assist. T

Here's what the tape tells us about Walden's ability.

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Madden franchise, EA Sports is holding an NCAA-style tournament to pick this year's cover athlete. Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck has made it through to the 2nd round, where he'll face Packers LB Clay Matthews. If you want to see Luck on the cover of this year's Madden - or if you believe in the Madden Curse and want to make sure Matthews wins - you can head over to ESPN to vote.  And if you'd like more information, including pretty charts and the entire bracket, you can get it here.

Welcome to the first edition of the #CATweetbag.

It's not at all dedicated Alf (let the reader understand), but rather is a chance for me to selfless give back to the Colts community by answering your questions and occasionally making fun of you.

Who wouldn't want to read that?

All questions can be sent to me at twitter or via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you want included in the Friday tweetbag, be sure and use the #CATweetbag hash tag.

On to our first question.

Q:

@natedunlevy #CATweetbag Are the new contracts front-heavy on the cap? So we can cut players that don't work out and not have big dead $?

— lezmaka (@lezmaka) March 18, 2013

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, while people were still debating the merits of signing a high-priced backup for Andrew Luck, the Colts quietly picked up a veteran nose tackle, Aubrayo Franklin (6-1, 317 pounds, turns 33 in August), from the San Diego Chargers.  A little over a week ago, U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken was reporting that San Diego wanted to re-sign Franklin, calling him a “proven fit in the Chargers defense.” 

Franklin, however, nearing the end of his career, opted to play for a winning team and an old coach instead and signed a one-year $890,000 contract with the Colts.  “Just the chance to get back with my former defensive coordinator, Greg Manusky,” he said yesterday. “Plus these guys made the playoffs and I feel like they are a contender again.”

Jim Irsay tweets, Matt Hasselbeck and Aubrayo Franklin sign... we'll talk about this and more on tonight's show, live at 8pm ET. At 8:30pm will be joined by B/R's Tyler Brooke to discuss the Colts acquisitions and look at their remaining needs as we head towards April's draft.