Seriously, it wasn’t that much of a mystery to figure out. Had the Colts been a young playoff team already and with just a few holes left to fill, I could see them making such a trade. I should have voiced my opinion about the real target, who turned out to be who I had in mind – Miami Dolphin CB Vontae Davis. Followers of HBO’s Hard Knocks knew he was having difficulty in training camp, and the Colts’ biggest hole on the entire team is at corner.

Irsay wound up trading a 2013 second-round pick and a conditional 6th rounder for Davis, who was a late first-round pick back in 2009. Davis has played about as he was labeled out of Illinois – a very tough, very physical corner (how many 205 pound corners are there?) that plays well in run support and is a very hard hitter and sure tackler. The downside was that he has “mental lapses” where he’d just plain be out of position on a given play. He’s a supreme athlete, however, and a change of scenery could propel him into the Pro Bowl. He has the talent; does he have the desire?

July 27 2012; Davie, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby (58) answers questions from reporters after a teams practice at the Dolphins training facility. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It’s evident there are still some players on the Dolphins that probably “won’t fit” Head Coach Philbin’s “style” here – that being vanilla, quiet types. MLB Karlos Dansby has always been outspoken and while he held back from his normal antics, he and Reggie Bush both voiced concerns. Bush said “it’s tough” when asked about the trade and losing a formerly valuable defender. Dansby expanded on that a bit – nothing huge, but one thing we do know about Joe Philbin is he doesn’t like players talking to the media off-the-cuff. That’s fodder for another article, however.

The New York Jets and St. Louis Rams swapped troubled offensive tackles. Wayne Hunter was traded to the Rams for 2nd-overall pick Jason Smith. Rams’ OC Brian Schottenheimer knows Hunter from his own time in New York. Smith has had his struggles and never was the anchor left tackle that they had hoped he’d become since drafting him in 2009. They’re basically trading troubled tackles – tha’ triple “T” – hoping that the change of scenery will benefit both players.

The Steelers lost rookie RG David DeCastro to season-ending MCL or ACL damage, I forget. Does it matter? He’s done for the season, but holdout WR Mike Wallace reported to camp today – finally. He signed his RFA tender at $2.75 million for the season, which means the Steelers get the guy for the season at a bargain price but likely made an enemy.

In a case of winning the battle, but losing the war, the Steelers held firm on his contract demands, which probably left a bad taste in his mouth. When Wallace becomes an UN-restricted free agent after this season, look for him to be in colors other than the black and gold Steelers’ in 2013. The Steelers were, in their defense, under a lot of cap pressure this offseason so they had their reasons. Signing Antonio Brown to a long-term deal while leaving Wallace to twist in the wind didn’t help matters, either.

The offensive line woes continue in Cincinnati. They lost left guard Travelle Wharton for the season in their first preseason game and it appears that center Kyle Cook will miss a significant amount of time, if not the entire season, with an ankle/foot injury. He sustained it in the loss to the Packers Thursday night and has been sidelined with a walking boot since undisclosed MRI results were returned.

You can still have a short passing game with a patchwork interior offensive line…3-step drops and out, almost all timing patterns…but having an interior running game with inexperience on the inside is extremely difficult. They lost their LG and C and are starting a rookie, ex-Seminole Kevin Zeitler, at right guard. It doesn’t bode well for the Bengals’ season, facing the Steelers and Ravens’ defenders twice each.

It also shouldn’t help their fantasy values/numbers, and puts even more pressure on their good but young defense as well. This season will be a big test for Marvin Lewis and his troops already.

Here are some brief tidbits of league news as teams adjust to new players and injuries:

Only two days after Titans’ second-year pro Jake Locker pitched a stinker, he was named the team’s starting quarterback. I wouldn’t call a headline “Locker in a Shocker” exactly because he does have the upside, physical tools and athletic ability that veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck lacks, but I think the announcement was more of an attempt to focus the team heading into the season. He still needs some work, but in the long run they’ll be better off. Now that CJ2K looks up to speed – literally and figuratively – his presence will keep defenses honest and open up the passing lanes to take some of the pressure off.

Chargers’ WR Vincent Brown’s broken ankle may not keep him sidelined for the season after all, according to the team. After his surgery to repair it went well, there’s a possibility he could return to action by early to mid November.

Oct 9, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie (17) walks off the field dejected after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kansas City defeated Indianapolis 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Bad news for Indianapolis Colts’ starting WR Austin Collie – he was helped off the field looking woozy during Sunday night’s 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Collie has a history of concussions and with Detroit Lions’ RB Jahvid Best’s lingering issues with the same problem, I’m starting to think that some players are simply more prone to concussions than are others. With the horribly sad story of Junior Seau still relatively fresh in mind and the NFLPA megasuit against the NFL over TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), we’ll hear a whole lot more in the weeks and months (and even years) to come. Peoples’ long-term health, sanity, and lives are at risk here and it bears much, much further scrutiny. It appears that rookie T.Y. Hilton may be pressed into more playing time whether he’s ready or not. He’s made some good plays and a few rookie mistakes (like batting a pass intended for him into the air last night, causing an interception), but the good so far has outweighed the bad.

Andrew Luck showed his ability to get back in the Colts’ saddle and keep firing away even after throwing a pick-six to CB Ike Taylor last night. Quarterbacks need short memories in some ways, and rookies often get rattled by mistakes or missed opportunities or even mistakes by others. Luck demonstrated just that last night as he continued throwing into tight spaces, relying on his receivers to do their part. I think the Colts will be just fine offensively.

The last QB battle to be officially decided is in Miami, but I think Head Coach Joe Philbin is going to start the rookie unless Matt Moore really outplays him this coming weekend. As soon as Tannehill was drafted, I’ve been of the opinion that he would be the week-one starter because of his familiarity with Mike Sherman’s offense coming in. The only real advantage Moore has over Tannehill is NFL experience. Moore has been slow to pick up the offense and hasn’t shown much in the preseason where Tannehill has made some good plays. Both guys struggled last week against a resurgent Carolina Panthers defense, but the issues facing the offense seem to be more on the line than anywhere else. They only had 37 yards rushing, averaging less than 2 yards per carry. That just won’t get it done, and rookie RT Jonathan Martin really struggled. While Tannehill’s athletic ability might help avoid the rush over Moore, constant hits on a young QB can ruin him (ie: David Carr) for good. There’s a good case to be made either way and if Philbin wants to play it “safe,” he’ll start Moore until their line, which does have a lot of talent with 3 first-round picks (Long, Pouncey, and Martin). I’ve been saying since the beginning that the job will probably wind up in the hands of the rookie to begin with. We’ll find out soon enough.

Injuries to Washington Redskins defenders Brian Orakpo and Brandon Meriweather don’t appear to be as serious as first feared. Scans revealed no significant damage and it’s quite possible both men will be on the field for opening day.

In Buffalo, it looks like Vince Young has the second-string job behind Ryan Fitzpatrick. The team also waived veteran OLB Shawne Merriman after one season. Merriman may now have trouble finding a starting role, but could wind up with a team as injuries inevitably occur. The Bills have really added talent to their front seven in the last two years and “Lights Out” didn’t fit in the plans.