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09/10/2010 -
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Charlie Johnson understands the stakes in Sunday's season opener against Houston.
As the Indianapolis Colts' left tackle, he must keep former No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams away from Peyton Manning. As part of the offensive line, he's one of five guys responsible for keeping Manning upright. And as the only veteran with any experience protecting Manning's blind side, well, Johnson needs to play at his best - even if he's hurt.
The Colts don't allow anyone to make excuses.
``No matter who is out there, we expect them to play at a high level,'' Johnson said Thursday. ``That's the way it was before I came here, and that's the way it will be here long after I'm gone.''
This is no typical challenge for Indy.
The offensive line has traditionally ranked among the league's best at preventing sacks, but is coming off a dreadful preseason in which the Colts allowed eight sacks and committed 12 turnovers.
Part of the reason: Injuries.
Johnson sprained his right foot in practice Aug. 6 and didn't make it back onto the field until Wednesday. Four days after Johnson got hurt, Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Saturday, the anchor of Indy's line, didn't return until last week.
The Colts added another complication Wednesday with their most surprising move of the summer - releasing former second-round pick Tony Ugoh. The Colts were so convinced Ugoh would blossom into the left tackle of the future that they traded a 2008 first-round pick to San Francisco so they could take Ugoh with the 42nd overall pick in the 2007 draft.
Things never worked out.
After starting 23 games in his first two seasons, Johnson beat out Ugoh for the starting job last summer. This year, the Colts had hoped Ugoh would win the vacant job at left guard.
Instead, Johnson's early injury forced Ugoh to return to his old spot, and Jamey Richard wound up the big winner when Johnson went down with a foot injury Aug. 26 at Green Bay.
``Tony certainly has had one of those tough stretches during the preseason, up and down,'' coach Jim Caldwell said Thursday. ``Basically we were not quite certain about his health. We weren't quite certain that he'd get back, so we had to make a decision.''
Ugoh's release could come with a steep price.
If Johnson can't play Sunday - and he's making no guarantees - Manning's blind side will likely be protected by 6-foot-4, 311-pound Jeff Linkenbach, an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati.
``I know there's a chance I'll play,'' Linkenbach said. ``If I do, I've just got to go out there and execute.''
Executing in this offense is never easy for rookies.
Tight end Dallas Clark has repeatedly said it took him three years to learn all the nuances of Manning's no-huddle system and rookie linemen have contended previously that it takes time to figure out Saturday's calls, too.
Just don't expect the Colts to simplify the calls for Linkenbach.
``Link had better get ready,'' Saturday said with a smile. ``We've never done that as long as I've been here. Whoever is out there is the team that we'll field, and we'll run our offense the way we always do.''
The good news for Indy is that it appears Saturday and Manning will be working in tandem at Houston.
Though neither Caldwell nor Saturday have officially said Saturday will start, he did go through all drills for the second straight time Thursday.
Johnson did only limited work for a second straight day as he tests the foot, but things are sounding better and Johnson insists there is nothing for fans to worry about.
``I'd say if we had two or three first or second-year guys in there, I'd be concerned,'' Johnson said. ``With guys like me and Jeff, though, we have a lot of experience.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Giants down Padres to begin key series
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain threw eight-plus solid innings and
was backed by an offense that smacked four home runs, as the San Francisco
Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 7-3, in the opener of a critical four-game
series.
<< Colorado travels for inter-conference match-up with Red Bulls
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids travel to take on Red Bull
New York on Saturday in an inter-conference clash between the two Major league
Soccer clubs at Red Bull Arena.
Colorado (9-6-7) is riding high after two straig
<< United, TFC square off at BMO for 'important game'
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last-placed D.C. United travels to take on a
desperate Toronto FC club on Saturday afternoon in Major League Soccer action
at BMO Field.
The Reds (7-9-7) are in must-win mode if they have any hope of m
<< Findley misses PK as RSL, Seattle battle to draw
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC battled
to a scoreless draw in Major League Soccer action in front of over 36,000
fans at Qwest Field on Thursday night.
RSL (12-4-8) moves into a tie with Columbus
Hogs can expect the unexpected against La.-Monroe >>
Louisiana-Monroe will have one factor in its favor when it tries to pull off the upset against No. 14 Arkansas: the element of mystery.The Warhawks are only now playing their season opener, and that means no scouting report from last weekend to help
Florida CB Brown making gains after years of pain >>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Just hours before Florida's season opener, cornerback Jeremy Brown was still wearing a protective boot on his right foot.A teammate landed on him in practice earlier in the week, leaving Brown on crutches and out of the start
LSU's versatile Shepard sees himself as play maker >>
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -Russell Shepard's career at LSU isn't turning out quite as he had envisioned, and that might be the best thing that ever happened to him.The Tigers' quarterback-turned-wide receiver has remade his game in the mold of dynamic p
No. 9 Iowa understandably wary of Iowa St >>
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -The rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State has become predictable.The Hawkeyes are usally expected to pound the underdog Cyclones - and it usually doesn't happen.Iowa State has made life miserable for the rival Hawkeyes, winning s
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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