Ota observations

[CR91]

From indystar

 

Luck looks great

When last we saw Luck between the lines, he was getting creamed by a pair of Denver Broncos linebackers, his kidney left with a season-ending laceration.

Throw in the sore ribs and the earlier shoulder injury and Luck was a physical mess in 2015. 

On Tuesday, when Luck made a series of accurate downfield throws to his receivers, you saw nary a hint of what he endured last season. He said he currently has no physical limitations, meaning he won’t miss any of these valuable workouts in which the Colts are installing a new offense under coordinator Rob Chudzinski.

“He looks really good,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “I think he’s in a good place.”

It was hard to disagree. Luck threw the ball with good velocity and accuracy. The latter characteristic often eluded him in the seven games he played in 2015, so it bears mentioning. But this was, of course, just practice. There’s no risk of being decked by an oncoming linebacker. But after a tough 2015, Luck values even the little things.

“When something’s taken away from you,” he said, “it does give you more appreciation of it.”

 

Offensive line shaping up

We don’t know how exactly the offensive line configuration will shake out this season. But with Hugh Thornton and Denzelle Good out with minor physical issues, the Colts went with Jon Harrison at right guard and Joe Reitz at right tackle.

Ryan Kelly, the team’s first-round pick, is expected to be the starting center while tackle Anthony Castonzo and guard Jack Mewhort will man the left side. But the right side of the line remains in flux, with competition expected.

Harrison is interesting. Barring injury, he clearly won’t be the starting center any longer. And we don’t know whether he’s got what it takes to be a full-time guard seeing how he’s only played there in one game in his two seasons as a pro. Prior to that, it had been quite some time since Harrison had played guard, but he thinks he has a shot.

“In college, my first start was at left guard, but that was for just one game,” Harrison said. “After that I went to center. But so far, I’m really enjoying guard. I feel comfortable at all three interior positions. And I’m here to compete.”

Ditto for Reitz. He started 10 games at right tackle last season and figured to have to fight for the right to do so again. But, for now, he’s holding his own.

“If we had to line up tomorrow and Joe Reitz was our right tackle,” Pagano said, “I’d feel really good.”

Alas, the Colts don’t play for another four months. So, things on the right side of the line will remain fluid.

As for the other draft picks outside of Kelly, look for them to get opportunities in the coming weeks. For now, they’re still learning what to do. It’s too early to know whether they could be factors in the competition.

 

Wide receiver battle

We tend to overlook the wide receiver position when addressing the subject of position battles. But the truth is, there is a key battle unfolding in one of the Colts’ strongest units.

While Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett are viewed as the top three receivers, the Colts have turned their attention to the fourth and, possibly, fifth spots. With the Colts moving on from aging Andre Johnson after one year, there’s a lack of proven depth in this position. The Colts are one injury away from a largely unknown player being their third receiver. (They got a not-so-subtle reminder of that when Dorsett went down Tuesday with what Pagano believed to be a hamstring injury.)

So, who is the Colts’ fourth receiver? It could be Josh Boyce, Brian Tyms or Quan Bray, a trio that has 16 career receptions between them. Or, it could be none of those. In other words, it’s wide open.

That was reflected in the performance of the backup receivers on Tuesday. The competition is already intense, with Boyce and Tyms, in particular, passing the eye test with some impressive catches that displayed reliable hands. Bray sat out Tuesday with an 

undisclosed injury.

“It’s been fun to see those guys compete,” Luck said. “And as quarterbacks, you have to get reps with them. It’s the only way to learn about them.”

Want to know how wide a net the Colts are casting? Consider: Twelve players on their 90-man roster are receivers.

This is something that will bear watching through training camp and beyond.

 

Replacing Freeman

Another area the Colts have competition is inside linebacker. D’Qwell Jackson figures to start, but who replaces the departed Jerrell Freeman?

Tuesday’s practice didn’t bring much clarity. With Jackson sitting out as a precaution, the Colts used the combination of Nate Irving and Sio Moore with the starting defense. Had Jackson been in the lineup, it’s anyone’s guess who the other starter would have been.

But here’s an educated guess: Keep an eye on Irving. The Colts, remember, signed him to a notable three-year contract last season with a max value of $9 million. A torn knee ligament sustained in 2014 still hampered him last season, but the Colts are hopeful he now can return to the form he showed with the Broncos two years ago.

“I don’t think Nate was ever 100 percent coming off that knee,” Pagano said. “I think, right now, he feels better than he’s ever felt from a physical standpoint since the surgery.”

 

Chud’s offense

Is Chudzinski’s offense a power-run, play-action scheme or an air-it-out, pass-first attack?

The truth is, we don’t know and won’t know for quite some time. Installing individual plays is not tantamount to calling an actual game and showing tendencies. So it’s hard to draw real conclusions.

But, for what it’s worth, the Colts really aired it out on Tuesday. We saw them aggressively push the ball down the field, often with a moving pocket – something that seems like a great idea to combine with Luck’s skill set and ability to throw on the run. The Colts didn’t do much in the way of running game work. Remember, Tuesday was just one of three practices this week.

But the Colts, it would appear, will not be shy about throwing deep under Chudzinski.

[Cynjin]

It will be interesting seeing how the Oline shakes out.

 

Good to read that N. Irving is feeling better.

[Defjamz26]

When you have the receivers we have, it's not surprising to hear that they've been airing it out. I want to see how he implements the TEs and how he balances out the run game.

[pgt_rob]

“If we had to line up tomorrow and Joe Reitz was our right tackle,” Pagano said, “I’d feel really good.”

 

Yep.

[lollygagger8]

If Chud sent TY and Dorsett deep, send Allen and Doyle (or Moncrief) on intermediate routes, and send Gore or Turbin out for a swing pass, that'd be awfully hard to defend against. 

 

That doesn't even account for the possibility that Luck could take off running at any time. 

 

 

[BlueShoe]

@CR91 Nicely Done!

[COLTS449]

Would it surprise anyone if we signed Marques Colston or Roddy White? I think Colston would be alright as our 4th WR actually.

[throwing BBZ]

Right now Harrison is working/hoping to be the - 6th-7th man on game day roster as the C/G.

 

 WR is a problem with depth and the lack of size at the position. Only Homers, you know, like the ones talking Super Bowl aren`t concerned.

 

[Smonroe]

29 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

Right now Harrison is working/hoping to be the - 6th-7th man on game day roster as the C/G.

 

 WR is a problem with depth and the lack of size at the position. Only Homers, you know, like the ones talking Super Bowl aren`t concerned.

 

 

I'm not that concerned, and I am a Homer.  But I'm a realist too.  If you're concerned about WR size relating to injury, there's no statistical evidence that's true.  With all the new rules, a smaller WR won't be injured any more than a big one.

 

Yes, bigger WRs can be harder to cover but it's more about their talent than size.  Antonio Brown is one of the top 3 WRs in the league.  Played 16 games. 

 

What I do agree is that depth is an issue, we have only two WRs with any real experience. 

[will426]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

 

I'm not that concerned, and I am a Homer.  But I'm a realist too.  If you're concerned about WR size relating to injury, there's no statistical evidence that's true.  With all the new rules, a smaller WR won't be injured any more than a big one.

 

Yes, bigger WRs can be harder to cover but it's more about their talent than size.  Antonio Brown is one of the top 3 WRs in the league.  Played 16 games. 

 

What I do agree is that depth is an issue, we have only two WRs with any real experience. 

Brown is the best wr past 2 years  andd he's not even a "physical specimen" lol size is nothing these days production is 

[RockThatBlue]

Thanks for posting OP. Good stuff.

[Kyle]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I'm not that concerned, and I am a Homer.  But I'm a realist too.  If you're concerned about WR size relating to injury, there's no statistical evidence that's true.  With all the new rules, a smaller WR won't be injured any more than a big one.

 

Yes, bigger WRs can be harder to cover but it's more about their talent than size.  Antonio Brown is one of the top 3 WRs in the league.  Played 16 games. 

 

What I do agree is that depth is an issue, we have only two WRs with any real experience. 

I don't think injury is the main problem with small WRs.  I feel we do not have the go up and get it, red zone fade WR.  Not only that, but typically the small WRs aren't very good at run blocking.  

[Goatface Killah]

26 minutes ago, Kyle said:

I don't think injury is the main problem with small WRs.  I feel we do not have the go up and get it, red zone fade WR.  Not only that, but typically the small WRs aren't very good at run blocking.  

 

Moncrief?

 

[twfish]

39 minutes ago, Kyle said:

I don't think injury is the main problem with small WRs.  I feel we do not have the go up and get it, red zone fade WR.  Not only that, but typically the small WRs aren't very good at run blocking.  

Yea don't sell Moncreif short at 6'2. He has a decent back shoulder route. And he is a great blocker in my eyes. I've seen him attach to corners and drive them down the field. I do think dorsett will play a tad more physical then t.y and will be a better blocker but that's just imo

[Goatface Killah]

2 minutes ago, twfish said:

Yea don't sell Moncreif short at 6'2. He has a decent back shoulder route. And he is a great blocker in my eyes. I've seen him attach to corners and drive them down the field. I do think dorsett will play a tad more physical then t.y and will be a better blocker but that's just imo

Plus he's super athletic and has some hops and I feel like he plays bigger than 6'2". I mean it took him a year to get out of the habit of jumping for every catch.

 

I also think Dorset is gonna be more like Steve Smith and play bigger than his size as well.

[Smonroe]

1 hour ago, GoatBeard said:

Plus he's super athletic and has some hops and I feel like he plays bigger than 6'2". I mean it took him a year to get out of the habit of jumping for every catch.

 

I also think Dorset is gonna be more like Steve Smith and play bigger than his size as well.

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

[MB-ColtsFan]

A moving pocket is suh-weet!!  So many more options when we

roll him out.  Gives the receivers more time to get downfield, and Luck

has the arm strength to get it there.  That alone is making me wish it

were September!

 

Thanks for the post, CR91.

[twfish]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

I don't think it was so much the organization that didn't use his height to our advantage I think it was him who didn't use his height to his advantage. Several contested balls he should have caught but didnt. Never seemed like he used his tools aside from his speed. I think he could have played more "gronkish" but just wasn't physical.

[southwest1]

12 hours ago, Cynjin said:

It will be interesting seeing how the Oline shakes out.

I think Philbin will work wonders for our line too. Yes I know, initially I had my reservations about hiring Joe but that was primarily because of the aftermath he left Miami in after he was let go & I didn't want his mismanagement of locker room talent to disrupt & destroy INDY's strong locker room chemistry. 

 

If Joe can get Gore open running lanes, I will be thrilled. Does he deserve another head coaching opportunity down the line? Not my call to make. Would I hire him? As a position coach sure. As a HC, no way in hades. 

 

I value his tutelage in the trenches & not much else. JMO. 

 

When Pagano touted Philbin's head coaching experience, I burst out laughing. I have no doubt that Joe's a good teacher, but a leader of men for an entire team? Whoa there...Let's not get carried away shall we...LOL! 

[myic90]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

 

dorsett gets separation with his eyes closed. 

 

If we utilize him right, he's going to be a monster. Grigson did great with that pick. He's loads better than fuller in my eyes.

[BOTT]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

I don't think Coby ever used his height to his advantage.  

[BOTT]

2 hours ago, MB-ColtsFan said:

A moving pocket is suh-weet!!  So many more options when we

roll him out.  Gives the receivers more time to get downfield, and Luck

has the arm strength to get it there.  That alone is making me wish it

were September!

 

Thanks for the post, CR91.

 

That whole moving pocket/rolling out was a lil too cutting edge for Pep...

[crazycolt1]

55 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

I think Philbin will work wonders for our line too. Yes I know, initially I had my reservations about hiring Joe but that was primarily because of the aftermath he left Miami in after he was let go & I didn't want his mismanagement of locker room talent to disrupt & destroy INDY's strong locker room chemistry. 

 

If Joe can get Gore open running lanes, I will be thrilled. Does he deserve another head coaching opportunity down the line? Not my call to make. Would I hire him? As a position coach sure. As a HC, no way in hades. 

 

I value his tutelage in the trenches & not much else. JMO. 

 

When Pagano touted Philbin's head coaching experience, I burst out laughing. I have no doubt that Joe's a good teacher, but a leader of men for an entire team? Whoa there...Let's not get carried away shall we...LOL! 

Give him a break. It was his first head coaching job. If my memory serves me correct there have been a few good head coaches that didn't start out so well. The list is pretty long. 8 of the top head coaches in history started out losing in their first few years. Levy, Stram, Eubank, Shanahan, Walsh, Noll, Landry and Belichick all started out losing their first few years. I am not saying that Philbin is remotely close to any of those legends but judging any head coach on their first head coaching gig is not the way to judge them IMO. Miami's problems were defiantly there when Philbin took the job. I understand he didn't get a grip on the team but he didn't have any experience when he took the job. It was more Miami's fault for not hiring an experienced head coach with a strong back ground. Just some food for thought.

[SilentHill]

Id be shocked if we didn't start two rookies on the O-line this season.

[aaron11]

3 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

dorsett was getting open last year.  the ball didnt come his way very often though 

 

MH seemed to have zero confidence in either his own arm or in dorsetts catching, so he didnt throw to him

[aaron11]

3 minutes ago, SilentHill said:

Id be shocked if we didn't start two rookies on the O-line this season.

i wouldnt be shocked, Clark and Haeg dont seem like day one starters at this point unless we are desperate

 

thornton and reitz have a good chance to be the RG and RT.  Good and Harrision both have a darkhorse chance to start too

[SilentHill]

Just now, aaron11 said:

i wouldnt be shocked, Clark and Haeg dont seem like day one starters at this point unless we are desperate

 

thornton and reitz have a good chance to be the RG and RT.  Good and Harrision both have a darkhorse chance to start too

 

they have the edge now, but Clark has RT written all over him and he is far more talented than anyone competing. It's just a matter of him actually picking it up, working behind one of the best O-line coaches in the league will help.

[aaron11]

1 minute ago, SilentHill said:

 

they have the edge now, but Clark has RT written all over him and he is far more talented than anyone competing. It's just a matter of him actually picking it up, working behind one of the best O-line coaches in the league will help.

im with you. we didnt have a true RT on the roster last year and it hurt the running game.  reitz did a good job in pass protection but we need to run it better.

[chad72]

A couple of things I would like the QB coach to work on with Luck is the fade to the end of the backside pylon in the end zone, and the back shoulder throw, which when done right and the WR-QB combo is on the same page, is pretty much indefensible. 

 

With smaller wide outs, one issue we will run into is not having big targets and zones being squeezed in the end zone. That is where our TEs and run game should be used more, and back shoulder throws that don't require large windows or catching radius will come in handy. I wouldn't mind multiple RB formations ala Norv Turner with Luck given the freedom to take it in if he sees the numbers in his favor by the goal line.

[southwest1]

50 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Give him a break. It was his first head coaching job. If my memory serves me correct there have been a few good head coaches that didn't start out so well. The list is pretty long. 8 of the top head coaches in history started out losing in their first few years. Levy, Stram, Eubank, Shanahan, Walsh, Noll, Landry and Belichick all started out losing their first few years. I am not saying that Philbin is remotely close to any of those legends but judging any head coach on their first head coaching gig is not the way to judge them IMO. Miami's problems were defiantly there when Philbin took the job. I understand he didn't get a grip on the team but he didn't have any experience when he took the job. It was more Miami's fault for not hiring an experienced head coach with a strong back ground. Just some food for thought.

Do you know a ton of head coaches that claimed at a press conference that he had complete control of his locker room when everything was fracturing & both Martin & Incognito ended up in professional therapy in their 1st full time sideline gig? Because I sure as hades don't. 

 

It doesn't matter the quality or dysfunction of the Dolphins before Philbin arrived CC1 because once Joe signed his Miami contract to run the show it's his stamp on the team now so let's drop the Miami was already in shambles rhetoric okay CC1. No one forced Joe to take the Dolphins job & his inability to know what the men in his locker room were doing under his supervision is something that will years to erase & make other owners forget. At best, Philbin was overwhelmed & at worst, he was a delegator vs a leader with no clue how to re-gain control of the players in the locker room once the hazing had reached a monumental level of bullying & or daily torture rituals. 

 

Now, is it possible that Johnathan Martin was too soft mentally to play NFL football? Maybe. However, Philbin doesn't get a pass for ignoring this & it's much bigger than a scheme or playing calling issue which gets a lot of coaches fired. Give me a break right back at you CC1. The league had to issue memos about locker room treatment guidelines to all 32 franchises after Philbin's mismanagement as HC for crying out loud CC1. I'm shocked you're so indifferent about Philbin's failure to stop the hazing actually. 

[crazycolt1]

17 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

Do you know a ton of head coaches that claimed at a press conference that he had complete control of his locker room when everything was fracturing & both Martin & Incognito ended up in professional therapy in their 1st full time sideline gig? Because I sure as hades don't. 

 

It doesn't matter the quality or dysfunction of the Dolphins before Philbin arrived CC1 because once Joe signed his Miami contract to run the show it's his stamp on the team now so let's drop the Miami was already in shambles rhetoric okay CC1. No one forced Joe to take the Dolphins job & his inability to know what the men in his locker room were doing under his supervision is something that will years to erase & make other owners forget. At best, Philbin was overwhelmed & at worst, he was a delegator vs a leader with no clue how to re-gain control of the players in the locker room once the hazing had reached a monumental level of bullying & or daily torture rituals. 

 

Now, is it possible that Johnathan Martin was too soft mentally to play NFL football? Maybe. However, Philbin doesn't get a pass for ignoring this & it's much bigger than a scheme or playing calling issue which gets a lot of coaches fired. Give me a break right back at you CC1. The league had to issue memos about locker room treatment guidelines to all 32 franchises after Philbin's mismanagement as HC for crying out loud CC1. I'm shocked you're so indifferent about Philbin's failure to stop the hazing actually. 

You seem possessed. Do you have the same animosity aimed at Sean Payton?  He wasn't even a new head coach. You give Philbin kudos for his ability as a positional coach on one hand while crucifying him with the other. I think you over think sometimes. It almost like you take it personal. It's close to sounding like a hatred of some kind. Lighten up? It's not worth getting all worked up about. He got punished for it. He got fired. Now in your opinion he don't deserve another chance?

[MB-ColtsFan]

1 hour ago, BOTT said:

 

That whole moving pocket/rolling out was a lil too cutting edge for Pep...

Lol.  So was changing the first three plays to open every game.

[ColtStrong]

10 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

 

 

What I do agree is that depth is an issue, we have only two WRs with any real experience. 

And yet people were ticked off when we took a wr in the 1st last year. Just think the position we'd be in if we hadn't taken one. That's part of the reason I can't stand this forum around draft time.

[Coltsman1788]

58 minutes ago, ColtStrong said:

And yet people were ticked off when we took a wr in the 1st last year. Just think the position we'd be in if we hadn't taken one. That's part of the reason I can't stand this forum around draft time.

Probably not much worse off  since Dorsett doesn't seem like he is able to stay healthy. He tweaked his hamstring and is now sitting out of OTA's.  Guy can't seem to stay on the field.  So some fans will still see it as a wasted 1st rounder until we see him actually stay healthy enough to get some meaningful playing time.  As it is right now...he hasn't been available much which does little to help our depth at that position.

[BOTT]

2 hours ago, ColtStrong said:

And yet people were ticked off when we took a wr in the 1st last year. Just think the position we'd be in if we hadn't taken one. That's part of the reason I can't stand this forum around draft time.

Oh no, the colts would only two stud receivers in TY and Moncrief......

[southwest1]

3 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

You seem possessed. Do you have the same animosity aimed at Sean Payton?  He wasn't even a new head coach. You give Philbin kudos for his ability as a positional coach on one hand while crucifying him with the other. I think you over think sometimes. It almost like you take it personal. It's close to sounding like a hatred of some kind. Lighten up? It's not worth getting all worked up about. He got punished for it. He got fired. Now in your opinion he don't deserve another chance?

Joe Philbin got fired by owner Stephen M. Ross because he didn't win enough games in the AFC East & Ryan Tannehill wasn't making enough strides in the passing game with touchdowns for 17 weeks. The Martin toughen up experiment didn't help sure, but it's not the sole reason Joe was dismissed. 

 

Sean Payton & Bounty Gate are nowhere near the same hemisphere because Sean lost his NFL paycheck from the Saints for an entire year & I seem to recall Philbin not losing any of his salary for his entire tenure in Florida. So, when you claim Joe got "punished," I find that argument laughable. Okay sure, lying to the Commissioner's face about Sean's knowledge of what his DC Gregg Williams was doing under his watch wasn't a smart move, but when you remember that no ledger documenting illegal pay for brutal hits was found & that Johnathan Vilma beat his suspension thru strong legal counsel all you really have is William's word of mouth & nothing else. 

 

The league found no tangible paper trail that money was being given out or distributed for sledge hammer hits on specific high profile NFL athletes. There's what you think you know as a league & what can actually be proven. 2 totally different things. 

 

Football is all about chemistry & trust & once a locker room is fractured a head coach's effectiveness & ability to be listened to & respected as the man in charge is essentially over or null & void. For that reason, Philbin doesn't deserve to be a head coach again. Position coach yes. Top dog no. How will he ever redeem himself in that scenario you ask? Answer: He won't. If Joe had said at that press conference that he made mistakes in how he handled the Ritchie & Johnathan situation & owned up to it, then yes Joe deserves another head coaching gig. However, what Philbin did is much much worse. He doubled down, pretended he had complete control of the team & the locker room, & he came across as being outraged that anybody would have the audacity to question his credibility & reputation to manage the Dolphins in a professional manner. Strength & leadership come from owning up to your shortcomings not masking your mistakes & pretending that everything is perfectly fine. 

 

I don't reward people with head coaching jobs when they insult my intelligence & act like they did nothing wrong. What happened to Martin thru Incognito is inexcusable & I take offense to anybody who thinks that what Joe allowed or willing ignored with both eyes open is how NFL business is typically conducted. It's not. 

[crazycolt1]

43 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

Joe Philbin got fired by owner Stephen M. Ross because he didn't win enough games in the AFC East & Ryan Tannehill wasn't making enough strides in the passing game with touchdowns for 17 weeks. The Martin toughen up experiment didn't help sure, but it's not the sole reason Joe was dismissed. 

 

Sean Payton & Bounty Gate are nowhere near the same hemisphere because Sean lost his NFL paycheck from the Saints for an entire year & I seem to recall Philbin not losing any of his salary for his entire tenure in Florida. So, when you claim Joe got "punished," I find that argument laughable. Okay sure, lying to the Commissioner's face about Sean's knowledge of what his DC Gregg Williams was doing under his watch wasn't a smart move, but when you remember that no ledger documenting illegal pay for brutal hits was found & that Johnathan Vilma beat his suspension thru strong legal counsel all you really have is William's word of mouth & nothing else. 

 

The league found no tangible paper trail that money was being given out or distributed for sledge hammer hits on specific high profile NFL athletes. There's what you think you know as a league & what can actually be proven. 2 totally different things. 

 

Football is all about chemistry & trust & once a locker room is fractured a head coach's effectiveness & ability to be listened to & respected as the man in charge is essentially over or null & void. For that reason, Philbin doesn't deserve to be a head coach again. Position coach yes. Top dog no. How will he ever redeem himself in that scenario you ask? Answer: He won't. If Joe had said at that press conference that he made mistakes in how he handled the Ritchie & Johnathan situation & owned up to it, then yes Joe deserves another head coaching gig. However, what Philbin did is much much worse. He doubled down, pretended he had complete control of the team & the locker room, & he came across as being outraged that anybody would have the audacity to question his credibility & reputation to manage the Dolphins in a professional manner. Strength & leadership come from owning up to your shortcomings not masking your mistakes & pretending that everything is perfectly fine. 

 

I don't reward people with head coaching jobs when they insult my intelligence & act like they did nothing wrong. What happened to Martin thru Incognito is inexcusable & I take offense to anybody who thinks that what Joe allowed or willing ignored with both eyes open is how NFL business is typically conducted. It's not. 

Wow, You write a mini novel about your hatred of Philbin and I offend you because I don't feel the same way?  I don't think I can recall anyone taking stuff like this as serious as you. You speak like your are the judge, jury and executioner.

[akcolt]

8 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I don't know enough about Dorsett to agree, but I hope you're right.  Separation is more important than speed, I want to see him hit the open spots as well as TY.

 

Moncrief is is very good and uses his size pretty well.  But we've had more than our share of bigger receivers (Nicks, DHB, for example) who had the size but not the talent.

 

Personally, I didn't think we ever used Coby's height to our advantage.

Fleener would go down in a strong breeze I was so tired of him going down on first  contact. He had the body to be really good but wasn't not sure that's on anyone but him.

 

We knew what we were getting with Haybay and Nicks. We have never had a WR with Moncrief's size and ceiling. Has everyone forgot how Moncrief crushed the combine. It was one of the best performances put on by a WR period. 

 

The question was will that freak athlete become a WR? He was young just 20 yrs old and raw coming out of Mississippi.  

 

His play had never matched his freakish athletism or he'd have gone at #4 overall instead of Sammy Watkins. He easily had better numbers at combine. If he could apply that raw talent at the WR  position he's a superstar. Guess what fellas it looks like Moncrief is putting it all together. I am really excited year 3 it's breakout time. You could see it building last year. 

 

Just in case some forget just what he did at the combine.

Moncrief's speed  really stands out on paper for me. His 4.40 forty-time at 6’2″ is particularly impressive, and his 3-cone drill (7.02) and 20 yard shuttle (4.30) is actually faster than Hilton despite having 40 pounds on him. 

Moncrief actually boasts the best vertical jump (39.5 in.) and broad jump (132.0) among this group, and it’s by a large margin. 

Lets not forget the WR class of 2014 was considered up there with the 96 class as one of the best ever.

Moncriefis a freak athlete

NFL Film's Cossell compared Moncrief to Josh Gordon

“Donte Moncrief did not play all that well this past year,” McShay said. “But if you’re a metrics guy, he’s the first pick of the draft. One of the most impressive workout freaks that you’ve ever seen at the wide receiver position.”

Grab your popcorn if Moncrief is on the verge of setting the league on fire. If he continues to gain Andrew's trust we are watching the beginning of something special. 

[akcolt]

2 minutes ago, akcolt said:

Fleener would go down in a strong breeze I was so tired of him going down on first  contact. He had the body to be really good but wasn't not sure that's on anyone but him.

 

We knew what we were getting with Haybay and Nicks. We have never had a WR with Moncrief's size and ceiling. Has everyone forgot how Moncrief crushed the combine. It was one of the best performances put on by a WR period. 

 

The question was will that freak athlete become a WR? He was young just 20 yrs old and raw coming out of Mississippi.  

 

His play had never matched his freakish athletism or he'd have gone at #4 overall instead of Sammy Watkins. He easily had better numbers at combine. If he could apply that raw talent at the WR  position he's a superstar. Guess what fellas it looks like Moncrief is putting it all together. I am really excited year 3 it's breakout time. You could see it building last year. 

 

Just in case some forget just what he did at the combine.

Moncrief's speed  really stands out on paper for me. His 4.40 forty-time at 6’2″ is particularly impressive, and his 3-cone drill (7.02) and 20 yard shuttle (4.30) is actually faster than Hilton despite having 40 pounds on him. 

Moncrief actually boasts the best vertical jump (39.5 in.) and broad jump (132.0) among this group, and it’s by a large margin. 

Lets not forget the WR class of 2014 was considered up there with the 96 class as one of the best ever.

Moncriefis a freak athlete

NFL Film's Cossell compared Moncrief to Josh Gordon

“Donte Moncrief did not play all that well this past year,” McShay said. “But if you’re a metrics guy, he’s the first pick of the draft. One of the most impressive workout freaks that you’ve ever seen at the wide receiver position.”

Grab your popcorn Moncrief is on the verge of setting the league on fire. If he continues to gain Andrew's trust we are watching the beginning of something special. 

 

[bananabucket]

3 hours ago, BOTT said:

Oh no, the colts would only two stud receivers in TY and Moncrief......

 

And our 3rd WR would be..?