Another day, and more news on the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line.
And while the official signing of OT Adam Terry was widely known throughout the weekend, news on Monday also came that the Colts are reportedly considering signing veteran free-agent guard Richie Incognito, voted by his peers the NFL’s dirtiest player last season.
Incognito, a third-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, finished last season with the Buffalo Bills. Mike Berardino of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that he will visit the Dolphins, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Colts also interested.
Berardino also reports that Incognito has been fined “nearly six figures for various on-field incidents so far in his brief NFL career.”
Incognito (6-feet-3, 324 pounds), who has made 47 career starts, joined Buffalo last season after a “run-in with coach Steve Spagnuolo during a Dec. 13 game against the Titans,” Berardino writes.
“Incognito received a pair of personal foul penalties in that game, both for head-butting an opponent,” he wrote. “He was fined $50,000 by the league and threatened with a possible suspension.
“A native of New Jersey who grew up in the Phoenix area, Incognito withdrew from Nebraska in 2004 after being suspended for a variety of misdeeds, including a misdemeanor assault charge. He also briefly enrolled at Oregon, where he was dismissed for failing to meet certain team conditions.
“Upon his arrival in the pros, it didn’t take Incognito long to earn a reputation for nastiness. Last season he was voted the NFL’s dirtiest player in a Sporting News poll of 99 players; a similar poll in Sports Illustrated named him the seventh-dirtiest player in the league.”
Incognito addressed the issue upon signing with Buffalo.
“You can call me what you want,” he told the Buffalo News in December. “I’m a hard-nosed football player. I bring my ‘A’ game every Sunday.”
Berardino quotes Rams General Manager Billy Devaney, “There is the 90 to 95 percent of Richie that is outstanding. It’s the other 5 or 10 [percent] when the dark Richie kicks in and it becomes a problem.”
IFR analysis: If true, this yet another sign the Colts are indeed serious about getting bigger on the offensive front. ESPN AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky addressed it on Monday, noting that newly-signed Terry is, “ is two inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than any Colts offensive lineman from 2009,” and adding that, “At 6-4 and, 310, Andy Alleman qualifies as a big guard.” Writes Kuharsky, “Clearly Indy’s push to get bigger on the offensive line is underway. And adding two low-cost players when they cannot bring in any true unrestricted free agents because of the final eight rule is a good start. . . . Terry and Alleman have to rate as projects for them — and this is a team with a good history of plugging in players like this and getting a lot more out of them than other teams could or would. . . . But offensive line is their biggest need, as they look to replace the released left guard Ryan Lilja and upgrade from left tackle Charlie Johnson and right guard Kyle DeVan. Terry and Alleman give the Colts some bigger options in the mix. If they are going in that direction, I’d expect they’ll be joined by a bigger draft pick or two.” Even if Incognito joins the mix, too, I expect Kuharsky is right, and that whatever free agency continues to bring, the additions on the offensive line won’t stop until after the draft. This has turned into a fascinating offseason story, an on-the-fly-change of philosophy on a team that rarely has made drastic changes on a year-to-year basis.

I can’t think of another signing that would make the Pacers happier. Wouldn’t they just love to see a brawler join our little angels?