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Can the Colts Survive Without Robert Mathis


Andy

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It depends on how Hughes is progressing. Obviously he is talented, but he has nearly 0 experience and isn't as good a pass rusher or player as Mathis. If we don't resign Mathis, I won't be very happy and I will expect Hughes to have a big season right off the start. Personally, I think Mathis stays a Colt

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At this point I believe Mathis is more important to us than Freeney.

I HATE hearing that Mathis is only successful as a result of Freeney on the other end. What a crock. Make no mistake about it: Mathis IS a Pro Bowl caliber DE, and he's an integral piece of our offense.

With Freeney being no spring chicken any longer, I'd like to see us emphasize keeping Mathis OVER Freeney.

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I HATE hearing that Mathis is only successful as a result of Freeney on the other end. What a crock. Make no mistake about it: Mathis IS a Pro Bowl caliber DE, and he's an integral piece of our offense.

i'm not sure i'd go so far as to say he's more important than freeney, but i can see what you mean

i do agree that he is a lot better than he gets credit for due to freeney. he could be a franchise defensive player for quite a few teams in this league

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Chick and Hughes are the future.

Mathis and Freeney are the legends. Let them stay and teach the youngsters.

Mathis and Freeney have plenty left in the tank. No need to call for Hughes or Chick yet. Are they the future? Who knows. But Freeney and Mathis have many more years left of scaring offensive coordinators and throwing QBs to the ground.

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At this point I believe Mathis is more important to us than Freeney.

I HATE hearing that Mathis is only successful as a result of Freeney on the other end. What a crock. Make no mistake about it: Mathis IS a Pro Bowl caliber DE, and he's an integral piece of our offense.

With Freeney being no spring chicken any longer, I'd like to see us emphasize keeping Mathis OVER Freeney.

Id say its more mutual. Mathis' success is due in part to Freeney, but the same can be said for Freeney, although in my opinion to a smaller degree and more due to style/power.

I believe the point most would make was when Freeney was injured and taken out of the game and Mathis struggled after.

Its not a fair assessment, and had it been that way for multiple games, then yeah you could say its due to Freeney, but since it wasnt, it makes no sense to say its entirely Freeneys fault Mathis is successful.

Heck, I think hes faster than Freeney...I still think of one game where the announcers were talking about the angle of Mathis' body to the ground on an edge rush, he looked to be past 45 degrees! Almost like the speed-skaters!

Anyway, he still has a year left, and while anything is possible, I think they will re-sign him after that. Hughes would have to make one heck of a jump to replace him, or they would have to pick someone up that can step right in to some big shoes.

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oh, i meant future-future. not call on them yet. I meant for Frathis to show them the ropes and their years of knowledge.

I agree with you 100%. Chick had lots of success in the CFL (as did Cam Wake, and we all saw how that turned out) and Hughes is very talented. Teerlink, Freeney and Mathis just need to show them the ropes and we'll have a wicked rotation at DE. Hughes and Chick just need to bulk up to stop the run because Hughes is only about 255 lbs and Chick is about 250. Other than that, our DE rotation will be awesome.

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Its not a fair assessment, and had it been that way for multiple games, then yeah you could say its due to Freeney, but since it wasnt, it makes no sense to say its entirely Freeneys fault Mathis is successful.

Indeed. With raheem brock or whatever backup we put in (Let's face it: Our depth at DE isn't exactly ideal... I'll even venture to say it's a fair clip below "average") they can doubleteam Mathis and not really have to worry about anything else.

I'd like to see Freeney re-structure his deal to keep Mathis, and have a three man rotation with Freeney, Hughes, and Mathis. I dunno about Chick... I never really seen much to be impressed with out of him...

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I believe they can and will survive without Mathis if that is the case. IMO, Hughes will show why he was drafted in the 1st round this year and have a similar impact that Moala did last year at DT. Some guys take longer to develop and it really can't be easy to have to be behind Freeney and Mathis....I am sure he studied now its time to put it to work :rock:

Even if Hughes does falter I like the idea of using Foster at DE more, he is an under rated player who has a habit of making things happen. Chick was a beast in the CFL maybe a year of NFL schooling will help him as well? And if all that doesn't happen and Indy can't give Mathis a long term deal to his liking then they can Franchise him. Let's face it PM will sign his deal this year leaving the tag open next year for one of Mathis or Wayne.

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If Hughes steps up his game, the Colts could "survive" without him, but we'd be much better off by having the trio of Freeney, Mathis, and Hughes.

Honestly, if Mathis plays out the last year of his deal, and Hughes steps up, I could see them letting Mathis walk. It certainly isn't ideal, but it would leave money for other things... perhaps a DT?

As for Mathis being more important than Freeney, I wouldn't go that far. Freeney is the most consistently double teamed member of our front 4. That leaves one on one match ups for everyone else. Mathis is likely the 2nd most double teamed guy. Both are extremely valuable contributors, but Freeney has the speed AND power to get it done on both levels. Mathis has some power in his game, but not anywhere near the likes of Freeney.

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I would say yes, it would just be a lot more difficult. We aren't using solely the Tampa 2 defense anymore (although that is still the definite majority). The Tampa 2 revolves around pressure from the front 4. If we don't get pressure with the front 4 then our defense will crumble. I think the only way we could survive without Mathis is if we got a consistent thread in the opponents from the same DE position or either of the tackle positions. I also feel that Hughes will be getting a lot of playing time this year to see if we can do without Mathis since it is a contract year.

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that's a bleak future...

You never know, Hughes is a very accomplished college player. He has potential to do well in the NFL. Chick has done really well in the CFL and he also has tons of potential for the NFL. It's very possible that all 4 of Chick, Hughes, Freeney and Mathis are part of the DE rotation next season

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Indeed. With raheem brock or whatever backup we put in (Let's face it: Our depth at DE isn't exactly ideal... I'll even venture to say it's a fair clip below "average") they can doubleteam Mathis and not really have to worry about anything else.

I'd like to see Freeney re-structure his deal to keep Mathis, and have a three man rotation with Freeney, Hughes, and Mathis. I dunno about Chick... I never really seen much to be impressed with out of him...

Gonna be hard to plug Raheem Brock in since he played for the Seahawks last year. He's not coming back, either. He wanted out of Indy because he wanted to start as a DE and was stuck behind all-pros Freeney/Mathis.

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