INDIANAPOLIS – Vontae Davis had his version of the story. The Indianapolis Colts had their version of how things went down with the cornerback.
Who’s right?
Colts general manager Chris Ballard was on WFNI-1070 AM on Thursday afternoon and said that they never heard any complaints from Davis about his groin. It was revealed late Wednesday night that Davis should get groin surgery, news that Ballard said he was surprised to hear.
When it comes down to it, though, it really doesn’t matter who’s right because Ballard tried to alleviate any possible distractions during the Colts' final seven games by releasing Davis on Thursday morning.
The release of Davis doesn't hurt the Colts' future because the team didn't plan to re-sign him once he hit the free-agent market next spring. The Colts tried to trade him prior to the deadline last week.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who has been adamant that it was a coach’s decision on why Davis didn’t travel to Houston for the team’s game against the Texans last weekend, spoke to the media on an unscheduled day Thursday without taking any questions.
“Every decision that we make, that I make, is based on two things -- that’s what’s best for the football team and what gives us the best chance to win,” Pagano said. “This isn’t about one guy. Nobody is bigger than the team and it starts with me. I’m not. Nobody is. Only thing that matters is the football team and winning. We love Vontae. I love Vontae. I’m grateful for the contributions that he’s made over the last six years. We’ve been together for a long time. He’s done a lot of great things for us. We’re putting this to bed. We’re not going to talk about this anymore. We’re not going to answer any more questions about it. ... We wish Vontae nothing but the best moving forward. It’s Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.”
Pagano immediately stepped away from the podium. And in the eyes of the Colts, Davis becomes a distant memory.
That’s the hope at least.
The focus is now on the current group of Colts cornerbacks instead of playing a game of merry-go-round on who is right in the Davis situation. If the past six days have been any indication, this could have turned even messier. The Colts can spend the final seven weeks of the season evaluating the rest of the defensive backs to see which ones they believe fit the roster for next season.
Instead of it being Davis as the elder statesmen for the Colts' cornerbacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, it'll be Rashaan Melvin and his five years leading the way for a group that features rookies Kenny Moore II, Nate Hairston and Quincy Wilson, second-year players D.J. White and Chris Milton, and fourth-year player Pierre Desir -- depending on which players are active.
There will be plenty of bumps along the way with this young group. The Colts are fine with that, because it's not all about today for the franchise; it's more about the future.