In a somewhat surprising move for a Super Bowl team, the Indianapolis Colts parted ways with starting guard Ryan Lilja today.
Lilja has been a fixture on the team with the best regular season record over the last seven years, culminating in two Super Bowl appearances and a victory in 2007.
Lilja had 67 career starts for Indianapolis and also bounced back nicely from missing the entire 2008 season with a bum knee by starting every game in 2009.
He was due a $1.7 million roster bonus, but according to the Indianapolis Star the move was not financially driven. The motive was apparently the Colts’ desire to get bigger along the offensive line, making the 290-pound Lilja a casualty in this shift of strategy.
Lilja immediately becomes arguably the top guard on a free agent market that is scarce of impact players. Ben Hamilton and Bobbie Williams are other best options for teams looking for a starting guard.
It would not surprise me one bit to see the blocking-challenged Seattle Seah...
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