Eldridge was replaced by QB David Legree, a free agent quarterback out of Hampton University. 

This move is a little puzzling to me. Losing Eldridge is not a huge loss, and with the signing of Andre Smith earlier this week, the Colts were a little crowded at the tight end position. And, of course, the Colts could use another camp arm with Chandler Harnish being hurt. S

Still, Eldridge does have value as a blocking tight end, and while he would definitely be behind Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, he's actually played in games, unlike Smith, Kyle Miller, or Dominique Jones (all UDFAs or waiver pick ups). Apparently the coaches didn't see that him, however, or were possibly concerned about his injury history. Eldridge has had hand and rib injuries in the past, as well as knee surgery last summer, which Indy Star's Phil Wilson thinks he may never have fully recovered from. 

The Colts are now carrying five tight ends, with a combined zero snaps of experience.

I'd like to apologize to our readers for my lack of writing over the last two weeks, where school and work have kept me swamped. Fortunately, from here on out, I'll be able to provide consistent content all summer, with a focus on statistical and video analysis. 

In preparation for the summer, I'd like to let you know the type of studies I'll be looking at over the summer, and ask you guys (and gals) for suggestions and requests. 

First, I'll be doing some major statistical gathering, and plan on revamping the Colts Authority statistics page. The new page will include complete basic statistics for the 2009-2012 seasons, as well as tracking of advanced statistics such as DVOA, EPA, WPA, etc. from year to year (and week to week where possible). By gathering the team statistics in one place, we hope to make it easier for you, the reader and (presumably) Colts fan, to have accurate statistical information available to you. 

Second, I'll be doing several statistically themed analysis studies throughout the summer. I will be continuing analysis on drafting, specifically by taking a few different numerical looks at the drafts. I'll also be looking at how different factors correlate to winning, how the 2011 Colts failed at that, and where the 2012 Colts appear to be headed for that category. I'm open and willing to study other topics this summer, and would love to have some reader suggestions or requests that I could tackle. 

Third, I will be doing a film study on what looks to be key players for the 2012 Colts, attempting to nail down exactly what the players on the rosters do well and what they don't. This should give us some idea of how they should be utilized this season, and whether or not the new schemes, formations, and game plans will put them in a position to succeed. These likely won't include rookies, simply because it is so difficult to predict NFL productivity from college film. This list of players tentatively includes the following: 

Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner

Brandon McKinney

Samson Satele

Winston Justice and Mike McGlynn

Austin Collie and Donnie Avery

Jerraud Powers

Kevin Thomas and Chris Rucker

Tom Zbikowski

I'm looking forward to a full summer, and can't wait to dive into it. If any of you have any ideas for other studies, analysis, or any other types of articles you'd like to see this summer, leave a comment or contact myself or any of the other CA writers. 

My email is kyle@coltsauthority.com 

Twitter: @coltsauth_kyle

Nate caters to the geeks of our world with his "Way Too-Early Awards" for the Colts. That's right--he's handing out some very special hardware before these guys even complete OTAs:

The Wedge Antilles Award (Offensive MVP)

Reggie Wayne has never been the star of the show, but if there are fireworks going off, he probably had some part to play in them. Wayne is going to be the emotional core of the 2012 Colts. I doubt he'll have impressive stats by the end, but it's his job to lead the team and teach the young guys what winning means in the NFL.

How good was Marvin Harrison in 2002? So good that I can't even consider Reggie Wayne's 2007 masterpiece as the Indianapolis nominee.

4. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts might have the worst defense in the NFL this season. Their run defense was abysmal last season. Indianapolis has nowhere to go but up in this department and additions such as Cory Redding, Brandon McKinney and Josh Chapman should help shore up the run defense at the line of scrimmage. Still, such a drastic scheme change really leaves Indianapolis in a bind on this side of the ball for 2012.

Under contract are running back Vick Ballard, a fifth-round pick, wide receiver LaVon Brazill (sixth round), linebacker Tim Fugger (seventh) and quarterback Chandler Harnish (seventh).

Luck is mixing football with classes in Palo Alto, Calif., but missing invaluable work nonetheless. "For him to be here, taking snaps, building chemistry, the timing with the offense, timing with the receivers, all those kind of things . . . it's days lost,'' coach Chuck Pagano said. "It's like money you never get back.''

The team has provided Luck with a playbook and other information, and the line of communication remains open and active.

"Last night he called me and it's killing him not to be here," Pagano said.

• Fifth round pick RB Vick Ballard
• Sixth round pick WR LaVon Brazill
• Seventh rounder LB Tim Fugger
• Mr. Irrelevant, QB Chandler Harnish

As you can see, all of these signings are of the late round picks, with OL Justin Anderson being the only pick in this group that has not been signed. It has also been reported that early fifth round pick Josh Chapman has been signed to a four-year deal, although this was not confirmed by the Colts. 

Other recent moves by the Colts include the release of CB Mike Holmes, who was on the practice squad last season for the majority of the season. He was put on the roster for the final four games, but was never active. 

Holmes was replaced by TE Andre Smith, who was on the roster for eight games for the Bears last season, but was also never active. 

Other notes from the last few days: 

• Delone Carter is reportedly recovering from thumb surgery, per Mike Chappell of the Indy Star. Chappell also told us that new QB Chandler Harnish will be sidelined for a few weeks with a "knee issue." 
• Attendance at the OTA's has reportedly been phenomenal, a good sign for a rebuilding team. Donald Brown mentioned that attendance has bee "100%", and Coach Chuck Pagano seemed very pleased with the turnout. It's good to see that commitment from the holdover Colts from the old regime, especially a guy like Reggie Wayne, who usually trains in Miami over the offseason. 
• The idea that the Colts may have started their OTAs too early, or had more than the allotted ten sessions planned, is wrong. The Colts scheduled to start their OTAs this past Monday, went through Wednesday, and will do the same next week. The final four will come on June 4-7. 

The other thing I wanted to talk about was the fact that the Colts are aiming for a 3-4 base defense. Yes, the defense will likely be a hybrid in 2012, I fully expect them to run a large percentage of their base defense from a four down linemen front. As I wrote about back in April, the Ravens actually spent more time in a four down linemen look than they did in a three down linemen package, and when describing how the defense will use certain players in 2012, Pagano continually used the Ravens' defense as an example. I expect the Colts run something very similar to the Ravens next year, with a 3-4/4-3 hybrid.

However, I firmly believe that the Colts are aiming towards eventually fitting into a more traditional 3-4 category. Irsay referred to the system as a 3-4 in a tweet this week, but I don't think that wording has any bearing on the matter. What matters is that Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky refers to the defense as a 3-4, saying: "let’s transform ourselves into a system from a 3-4 perspective."

When we look at the numbers from Manusky's defense (San Diego), we find that he LOVES having three or less down linemen. During the 2011 season, San Diego used three down linemen 56% of the time, and only two down linemen 40% of the time. That's three or less linemen 96% of the time! So, while I think the Colts will definitely have a hybrid look this year, I completely believe that they are attempting to transition into a much more traditional 3-4 type of defense. 

What's Different?: Top seeds are going one-and-done at a shocking rate since 2000. The problem has only gotten worse with five of the last seven top seeds losing after their bye week to a team that had to win on Wild Card weekend.

First, kudos to Scott whose work is long overdue for recognition. Second, the guy needs to slow down because at this rate he's going to uncover every great mystery in sports before I have a chance to catch up on all the episodes of Vepp I've already missed. He's on fire...

This is where the road becomes somewhat treacherous. As the saying goes, "Lies, damn lies and statistics." As you probably know, without context and understanding statistics can easily be manipulated and misunderstood. Guys like Cris Collinsworth make a living reading poorly understood statistics and twisting them into meagerly coherent sentences. TV networks blow little bits of some hard-working statisticians' research across the bottom of the screen in some vague attempt at improving their credibility. In the end, most of that effort masks the truth.

Manny Diaz, defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns, has figured out that trick [via SmartFootball.com]:

But Diaz has another trait, one that separates him from many in his profession: he's a stat-hound, and somebody who stays on top of the latest advanced statistical metrics.

According to Diaz, the trend started when he became a graduate assistant at Florida State. Diaz attended school at the Tallahaase powerhouse, but didn't play football. And after graduating, he went to work in television, becoming a production assistant on "NFL Countdown." But Diaz had a desire find a place on another side of the game — as a coach — and he joined the FSU staff in 1998.

...

“You can win a national championship by making people kick field goals in the red zone,” Diaz said. “And you can finish last, in theory, in red zone defense. It just doesn’t make sense.”

In other words, "bend, don't break" may have actually been the key to success after all.