..it's time for the Bears to part ways with Devin Hester.

Now now now. Before you click the "get me outta here" button and dismiss me, let me remind you that it was yours truly that said waaaaaaaaaay back in 2006 that Cedric Benson was a cancer and needed to go. Many of you railed against me for saying that, and not only did I turn out to be right, but Benson was one of the main reasons why my Colts were able to dominate your Bears in Super Bowl 41. So know that when I say "Get rid of this guy" I'm not doing it because I have some secret agenda. I truly mean that if you want your team to win more games in 2008, get rid of Hester now.

There's two reasons for this. One, Hester's value is the highest it will ever be. The Bears might even get a first round pick for him. Bears fans need to face the fact that this is a rebuilding team, and the playoffs are a pipe dream. The other reason?

Hester is an entitled idiot.

Case in point, his comments that his $450,000 a year salary isn't enough for him to go out and play. Forget the fact that he signed a contract two years ago, and that he has no real true position other than kick and punt returner. These experiments with Hester as a starting WR are laughable. Numerous NFL scouts, like Tom Marino, have often said the reason Hester can't play any one true position is because he's too dumb to learn them. Now, Hester wants more money, and is willing to hold out of camp to get it.

Sorry Bears fans, but Hester is not worth more money is he is only a returner. I know his returns are dynamic, but if you guys had an offense that could score and a defense that could stop someone, you wouldn't need his dynamic returns, would you. Hester is now willing to lose $15,000 a day in order to prove his point.

Does that sound like a smart man to you?

I know Hester wants to get paid as a WR, but Hester must first prove he can PLAY the WR before he gets paid like one. If some other team wants to be dumb and pay him Reggie Wayne-like money, let them eat it. In the age of the cap, one cannot afford to overpay players like Hester if you want to stay competitive.

Trade him now, and thank me later.

From Colt Homer over at Naptown's Finest:

But I could see Gray passing Sorgi before the Hall of Fame Game.  Gray was waived by the Texans for not picking up the system quick enough.  That could be a problem since the Colts have a much more complicated system than the Texans.

Lorenzen is just a camp body.  And a big one at that.

Not a good sign. The Texans offense is about as simple as it gets, folks. It's a zone blocking scheme with designed bootlegs which shorten the field for the QB. It's also very run heavy, and Quinn had trouble learning it.

Not good. Quinn might not last a week.

Part 1 of our Training Camp Rankings Chart:

Today, all players under contract for the Indianapolis Colts are required to report to Rose Hulman Institute for the start of mandatory training camp for the 2008 season. Nearly 48 hours after Bill Polian said he "didn't care" if his draft picks were signed in time for camp, a flurry of activity has seen Indy signed top pick Mike Pollak; 6th round picks Mike Hart and Pierre Garcon; TE Jacob Tamme; and DE Marcus Howard. One interesting note out of the rookie signings: Howard got a 4 year deal. Not sure the terms, but it is a tad unusual for a 5th round pick to get a 4 year deal. Maybe Indy really sees something in Howard.

The Colts also made some moves in (gasp!) free agency! I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the position the moves the moves for: Quarterback.

Rotoworld has picked up a story floated by the Internet's resident Joan Rivers (Mike Florio) that the Colts have signed former Jags QB Quinn Gray and former Giants QB Jared "I'm really fat" Lorenzen (tip to farris6659). Of course, in usual Florio style, rather than report the news he simply starts making stuff up, speculating the moves are a sign that Peyton Manning will not be ready for the regular season. Gee, thanks Mike. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Indy trying to upgrade its back-up QB position, which for the last few years has been manned by the immortal Jim Sorgi.

Quinn Gray, Indy's new back-up QB?

Photo via cache.daylife.com

Or, maybe Indy signed Gray so they could get the inside dirt on the Jaguars new offense, which (with WR Jerry Porter out all pre-season with a hamstring injury) looks surprising similar to the Jaguars offense the Colts swept last season.

Starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (or PUP) list are DE Dwight Freeney, OG Ryan Lilja, SS Bob Sanders, and QB Peyton Manning. When he gets signed, rookie TE Tom Santi will also join these men on the PUP. Because of this injury to Santi, in my mind Jacob Tamme is now the front runner to replace Ben Utecht as the starting #2 TE. Tamme will have a leg up on learning the offense, working with the QBs, and he'll have a chance to prove he can block at the pro level. There is also Gijon Robinson, who already knows the offense.

I'll try posting my training camp depth chart list later today. We will also be getting updates from site reader Matic. For a complete schedule of training camp, click here. If you have the chance to drive to Terre Haute and attend camp, I strongly suggest you do so. It is a lot of fun. And when you are done, log in here and post your thoughts on players, coaches, and other training camp news.

Can you smell it in the air, folks? I can.

IT'S FOOTBALL! GO COLTS!

In a whirlwind of last minute deals, the Colts have signed all but three of the draft picks. Those two are LBer Philip Wheeler, OG Jamey Richard, and TE Tom Santi. Of the two, Wheeler is the priority, as no matter what Tom Santi will start training camp on the PUP list, along with seemingly everyone else on this team. Joining Santi on the too-hurt-for-training-camp list are Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, and Ryan Lilja.

It's getting be that time folks, and this year we have much more to offer in way of... (gimme a drumroll, Ringo)...

FANTASY FOOTBALL!

SB Nation has partnered with AOL Fanhouse to create SB Nation The Fanhouse Leagues. Each SB Nation football blog has created a league specific for their blog. This allows you, the readers, to log into the league and play fantasy football with me and other Stampede Blue readers.

We're using Flea Flicker, which many of you used last year and said good things about. You should notice an ad on the front page of Stampede Blue, or anywhere on AOL Fanhouse. Click the link, find the Stampede Blue league, and resigster.

Of course, I have already created my team (The Peyton Manning Experience) and have first dibs on drafting Peyton. Well, ok... second part is a lie. Rules and regs of the league are coming. In the meantime, register and get ready for me to kick your ass!

A day after Bill Polian gave a big middle finger to his unsigned draft picks, their agents, and their union, Tony Dungy stepped in and painted a much rosier picture of the Colts situation as they enter training camp. Dungy stated that Manning will be back in roughly 3 weeks, and will play in pre-season. Yes, I know. A shocker, indeed. Anyone who said Manning might not play was trying to make news, not report it. Dungy also had some very encouraging news about Marvin Harrison:

“The last I heard from the doctors meeting was that Marvin would be ready to go,” Dungy said of his 35-year-old receiver. “He’s been running and feeling good and everyone is optimistic.”

Based on last year's botched job, many are more than a little cynical of Dungy's prognosis of Harrison. However, unlike last year, Marvin is running and not feeling pain. That's a very good sign. If Marvin is healthy, and it sounds like he is, other NFL teams thinking they have a shot at the Colts just made one big collective groan.

And unlike Bill Polian, Dungy does indeed care that the drafted rookies get signed before camp. In fact, he thinks they'll all be there. With yesterday's signing of 6th rounder Pierre Garcon, Dungy has reason to be optimistic:

The optimist in Dungy also anticipates a rash of rookie signings before Thursday’s midafternoon reporting deadline.

On Tuesday, sixth-round pick Pierre Garcon, a receiver, became the first of Indy’s nine draft picks to sign. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Colts also appear close to an agreement with their top pick, offensive lineman Mike Pollak, who was taken late in the second round.

“Things are going smoothly and we expect him to be in camp on time,” said Ken Zuckerman, Pollak’s agent.

One of the more humorous aspects of the Colts is how Yin and Yang the combo of Dungy and Polian are. It's likely one of the reasons why they have been so successful together. The one bit of bad news for Virginia fans is presumed #2 TE tom Santi will start training camp on the PUP with a (sigh) infected bursa sac. This is the same thing Manning had surgery on.

Honestly, I'm getting real tired of reading the words "infected bursa sac."

Yes, I know this is a "duh!" ranking. Just testing out my nifty little chart. Does it look good?

From smonroe in the comments for this article:

A cool training camp blog would be your daily depth chart rankings.

I LIKE THIS IDEA! So, from the start to the end of training camp, we will feature our daily depth chart rankings. These rankings will change based on perceptions from camp, who is starting where when pre-season begins, and other unforeseen factors. Excellent suggestion by smonroe.

I'll have my first training camp depth rankings later today.