Notes from Wilson

When I call him Wilson, I feel like Dr. House…

So what to take from this? That Wheeler didn’t distinguish himself enough in the preseason to keep the job. Hagler has started before, so he gets the call. I know I mentioned in at least one of the preseason blogs that I wasn’t noticing Wheeler much. Didn’t think much of it beyond that because the Colts kept trotting him out there as a starter until the final preseason game, when Hagler played extensively and Wheeler was out there for just a couple plays, I think it was, and almost all of the other regulars sat.

When a team plugs in a third-round pick like Wheeler in camp, the inference is that they would like to see him hold that job, that they think he’s the best player for the position. But that obviously isn’t so. Now we have to wonder about Wheeler’s future. He enters his second year as a backup and a special-teams regular, not the initial expectation. I’m happy for Hagler, who has done the roller coaster, yo-yo existence with this team in the past, but he has to prove he can stay healthy. I remember when he was installed as a starter and had 11 tackles, I think it was, in a win at Carolina a couple years back. But then he got hurt again.