As reporters and fans scramble to guess at the player to whom Colts owner Jim Irsay was referring when he said (via Twitter, obviously): (1) trade winds are blowing; (2) the team would be giving up a high draft pick for a “serious” veteran starter; and (3) the owner would be getting out the check book if/when the trade happens, Irsay has added an update (via Twitter, obviously) several hours after he went back behind the curtain.
Said Irsay: “It’s standing still...at 1am...shut it down...as Paul Simon says.. ‘There’s only so much you can do..go on and get some rest...’”
This could mean that the talks have stalled. Or, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen suggested during halftime of the Cardinals-Titans game, Irsay could simply be messing with everyone.
Assuming that Irsay wasn’t throwing a curve ball, perhaps in the hopes of stirring up a trade market for Maurice Jones-Drew in order to get him out of the division, there’s no further smoke to suggest that any one specific player has been targeted.
A source with knowledge of the situation in Indianapolis believes that Steelers receiver Mike Wallace would be the most likely player to justify the team sending a high pick and Irsay writing a big check, given that Wallace has been holding out in Pittsburgh. With former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians bringing the offense with which Wallace is familiar to Indy and with starting receiver Austin Collie out once again due to his latest concussion, that move still makes the most sense.
The Steelers have said they won’t trade Wallace, but the reality is that, unless they’re willing to give money to two receivers for an offense that supposedly is tilting back toward the run, they’ll have Wallace for one more season.
The Colts also need defensive help, but there’s no veteran player looking for big money that should have triggered such a boisterous reaction from Irsay. Ravens cornerback Cary Williams would make the most sense, given his ties to Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, but if it’s Williams the fans will wonder why Irsay got himself all worked up over it. There’s no indication that the Cowboys have decided to suddenly reverse their position that cornerback Mike Jenkins won’t be traded.
We’ll continue to keep our eyes focused on Irsay’s Twitter page. If nothing else, maybe we’ll learn some song lyrics we didn’t previously know.