Your Surprise Starter

[Defjamz26]

I was reading a BR article that listed Ridgeway as the surprise starter for the Colts. I just wanted to see everyone's surprise starter prediction.

 

I have two. If Jackson gets suspended I think Morrison will start next to Moore. I think if he does really well they might leave him in.

 

My second is D'Juon Smith. I think they drafted him too high to just be a rotational back. I think he can beat out Butler for the nickel spot, but if they lose like Robinson as a nickel, he starts on the outside.

[backshoulderfade]

Scott Tolzien

[pgt_rob]

9 minutes ago, backshoulderfade said:

Scott Tolzien

 

Please, no. I couldn't deal with another season without Luck.

 

I'm going to say Erik Swoope about midway through the season due to injury to Dwayne Allen. lol

[bradgt04]

TJ Green if Adams can't hold up...I hope he can though.  

[UKColt13]

Antonio Morrison next to DQ. Crowded corps with Irving and Sio but I think Antonio has a higher upside than both of the others.  

[Smonroe]

40 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

I was reading a BR article that listed Ridgeway as the surprise starter for the Colts. I just wanted to see everyone's surprise starter prediction.

 

I have two. If Jackson gets suspended I think Morrison will start next to Moore. I think if he does really well they might leave him in.

 

My second is D'Juon Smith. I think they drafted him too high to just be a rotational back. I think he can beat out Butler for the nickel spot, but if they lose like Robinson as a nickel, he starts on the outside.

 

Depends on how you define 'starter'.  If you mean for any game in the season, you probably have two.  People will get hurt and be replaced, maybe for a game or more.

 

If you're talking week 1, I think there's only a couple positions that could fit your criteria - RG, RT, ILB. 

[IndyD4U]

1 hour ago, backshoulderfade said:

Scott Tolzien

 

You're banished from posting for a week....

 

[Valpo2004]

Joe Haeg would be my surprise starter.  I think we got a steal in him.  He's a 2 time all American OL in FCS.  Sure it was FCS, but if I remember right his QB just got drafted #2 overall.  

 

I would not be at all surprised to see him starting at RG or even possibly RT this year.  

[krunk]

2 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I was reading a BR article that listed Ridgeway as the surprise starter for the Colts. I just wanted to see everyone's surprise starter prediction.

 

I have two. If Jackson gets suspended I think Morrison will start next to Moore. I think if he does really well they might leave him in.

 

My second is D'Juon Smith. I think they drafted him too high to just be a rotational back. I think he can beat out Butler for the nickel spot, but if they lose like Robinson as a nickel, he starts on the outside.

 

I ran that Moore and Morrison scenario through my head a couple times during the offseason. I'm sure they put thought into having the 2 Alpha males playing next to each other.  Hard to imagine him playing over DQ this year though.  And then on top of that you have Nate Irving who can sub for DQ too.  Nice to think about, but I think it may be harder to see in 2016.  Who knows?

[richard pallo]

Moe Wilkerson

[SteelCityColt]

2 hours ago, pgt_rob said:

 

Please, no. I couldn't deal with another season without Luck.

 

I'm going to say Erik Swoope about midway through the season due to injury to Dwayne Allen. lol

 

1 hour ago, IndyD4U said:

 

You're banished from posting for a week....

 

 

Easy there... he didn't say Tolzien was starting at QB, he might have a Pryor like conversion

[krunk]

Denzelle Good at the guard position

 

With Andrew Luck Signed, Colts Have Offensive Future In Place

On Wednesday(right after the Luck contract signing), Jim Irsay touched on this very subject(touched on players he liked):
 

We really like Denzelle Good . He’s a guy that’s just got to keep his weight in line, but he is a guy that can play guard and tackle well in this league, we feel

http://www.colts.com/news/article-1/With-Andrew-Luck-Signed-Colts-Have-Offensive-Future-In-Place/e5869ad5-ef6c-499e-a7f4-742cf065d085

[Superman]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

 

I ran that Moore and Morrison scenario through my head a couple times during the offseason. I'm sure they put thought into having the 2 Alpha males playing next to each other.  Hard to imagine him playing over DQ this year though.  And then on top of that you have Nate Irving who can sub for DQ too.  Nice to think about, but I think it may be harder to see in 2016.  Who knows?

 

What if Moore, Irving, Herrera, Sylvestre and Morrison all have outstanding preseasons? Could D'qwell be a surprise camp cut?

[krunk]

11 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

What if Moore, Irving, Herrera, Sylvestre and Morrison all have outstanding preseasons? Could D'qwell be a surprise camp cut?

 

I've thought about that several times in my head Supe.  I won't lie to you bro. It's just hard for me to see them let him go after how well he played last year.  Colts are usually loyal to guys like that.  I wouldn't be mad if they did, but I'm just looking at how they operate.

[krunk]

13 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

What if Moore, Irving, Herrera, Sylvestre and Morrison all have outstanding preseasons? Could D'qwell be a surprise camp cut?

 

I've been putting a lot of thought into it to be honest. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, krunk said:

 

I've thought about that several times in my head Supe.  I won't lie to you bro. It's just hard for me to see them let him go after how well he played last year.  Colts are usually loyal to guys like that.  I wouldn't be mad if they did, but I'm just looking at how they operate.

 

He's clearly a favorite of the staff. But if the young guys outplay him, I don't think they'd be too resistant to letting him go. We have an almost entirely new defensive staff, including the coordinator. And they showed last year that they'll overhaul an entire unit if they think they have the right guys in place.

 

It's a long shot, but I think D'qwell is close to done, he's a liability in coverage, and it's time to move on before he takes a drastic drop. I wouldn't force it, but if the young guys made it possible, I'd be all for it.

[krunk]

6 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

He's clearly a favorite of the staff. But if the young guys outplay him, I don't think they'd be too resistant to letting him go. We have an almost entirely new defensive staff, including the coordinator. And they showed last year that they'll overhaul an entire unit if they think they have the right guys in place.

 

It's a long shot, but I think D'qwell is close to done, he's a liability in coverage, and it's time to move on before he takes a drastic drop. I wouldn't force it, but if the young guys made it possible, I'd be all for it.

 

I think we have enough young talent at the ILB positions to let him walk I'll say that.  With him being an older player I'm not sure how much they'd play him in the preseason to make it a DQ versus the young guys type of thing.  I think it would just be hey we like what the young guys did so we will just stick with it.  Not necessarily that DQ was bad or underperformed in the preseason.  The guys that we did let go last season they were also bad in the previous season too so it was all the more easy.  DQ was pretty good last year overall.

[CR91]

3 hours ago, IndyD4U said:

 

You're banished from posting for a week....

 

 

Not a lifetime ban?

[ColtsFanMikeC]

5 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I was reading a BR article that listed Ridgeway as the surprise starter for the Colts. I just wanted to see everyone's surprise starter prediction.

 

I have two. If Jackson gets suspended I think Morrison will start next to Moore. I think if he does really well they might leave him in.

 

My second is D'Juon Smith. I think they drafted him too high to just be a rotational back. I think he can beat out Butler for the nickel spot, but if they lose like Robinson as a nickel, he starts on the outside.

 

With Anderson not 100% to be at full health come the start of the season, I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Ridgeway starting come game 1.  Ridgeway is very powerful and seems to be able to play anywhere along the line in a 3-4.  I could easily see our week 1 starting DL with Langford, Ridgeway and Jones or Langford, Parry, and Ridgeway.

 

I imagine, especially as we are working Jones and Anderson back into the mix, it will not really matter much who the DL on the field for the first snap are, though.  We will need a rotation, and whether or not Ridgeway is listed as a starter, I think he'll see significant time on the field at multiple DL positions.

 

14 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

He's clearly a favorite of the staff. But if the young guys outplay him, I don't think they'd be too resistant to letting him go. We have an almost entirely new defensive staff, including the coordinator. And they showed last year that they'll overhaul an entire unit if they think they have the right guys in place.

 

It's a long shot, but I think D'qwell is close to done, he's a liability in coverage, and it's time to move on before he takes a drastic drop. I wouldn't force it, but if the young guys made it possible, I'd be all for it.

 

I agree with you that DQ is close to being done.  However, he's played very well against the run the past 2 seasons and has provided leadership at the ILB position.  I think a major knock on Nate Irvin is that he is also a liability in pass coverage.  That said, I'm optimistic about our young players at the position (including Nate).  I like the Morrison pick, but I have a feeling the staff will take the same approach with him that they did with Sio and Nate last year (i.e., play them sparingly to ensure their recovery from knee injury doesn't have any major set backs).  I highly doubt DQ gets cut this year -- I don't foresee him being here after this year, though.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

As for my surprise starter, I'm going to go with one of the rookie OLBs.  I'm going to say Bates, since he was drafted.  The reason for this is because I see Mathis being used strictly in pass rush situations and Cole being used almost solely in pass rush situations.  Again, like DL, I don't really think it matters who is the 'starter' because I expect us to be rotating at the position and will not be shocked in many cases to see guys like TJ Green/Clayton Geathers switch to hybrid LBs (Nickel and Dime packages).

[Archer]

Just to throw another name out there, how about T.Y. McGill?  I'm not a believer in Jones' ability to overcome two straight big injuries at his age, and I think Anderson will be worked in very slowly. McGill looked really good at the end of last year...

[backshoulderfade]

5 hours ago, pgt_rob said:

 

Please, no. I couldn't deal with another season without Luck.

 

I'm going to say Erik Swoope about midway through the season due to injury to Dwayne Allen. lol

I am from the future and wasn'the guessing. Also, we trade our next 3 first rounders for Darius Heyward Bey.

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

 

I think we have enough young talent at the ILB positions to let him walk I'll say that.  With him being an older player I'm not sure how much they'd play him in the preseason to make it a DQ versus the young guys type of thing.  I think it would just be hey we like what the young guys did so we will just stick with it.  Not necessarily that DQ was bad or underperformed in the preseason.  The guys that we did let go last season they were also bad in the previous season too so it was all the more easy.  DQ was pretty good last year overall.

Basically how I feel. Morrison has way more upside than DQ. DQ didn't really make any game changing plays last season. I think he peeked last season. Plus if he gets suspended even 1 game, he might not get his job back. The staff is high on Morrison and Monachino might prefer him.

[pgt_rob]

44 minutes ago, backshoulderfade said:

I am from the future and wasn'the guessing. Also, we trade our next 3 first rounders for Darius Heyward Bey.

 

hahaha Ouch...

[DougDew]

Morrison by midseason.  And who will be playing next to him is anybody's guess.

[krunk]

What I like about the Morrison and Moore scenario is you have 2 big time hitters sitting there in the middle to stuff the run.  Both of those guys arrive at the football in a bad mood.  I don't like Morrison so much in the passing game. He's somewhat okay in zone, speed issues with man coverage. Either way the receiver whether that be a back on a dump off or a WR on a crosser is going to think twice about getting hit by either one of those guys. Both of them play with a lot of passion which I like. Guys that play with a lot of passion inspire the other guys on the D to amp it up a bit.  That's how it always was with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.  They were so passionate that everybody else played at another level also.

[Defjamz26]

15 minutes ago, krunk said:

What I like about the Morrison and Moore scenario is you have 2 big time hitters sitting there in the middle to stuff the run.  Both of those guys arrive at the football in a bad mood.  I don't like Morrison so much in the passing game. He's somewhat okay in zone, speed issues with man coverage. Either way the receiver whether that be a back on a dump off or a WR on a crosser is going to think twice about getting hit by either one of those guys. Both of them play with a lot of passion which I like. Guys that play with a lot of passion inspire the other guys on the D to amp it up a bit.  That's how it always was with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.  They were so passionate that everybody else played at another level also.

Moore has to start one way or another IMO. He's probably the only guy we have who can cover at the ILB position. I don't see any scenario in which he doesn't start IMO. He also hits hard and has a nose for the ball. Also, wasn't Morrison calling the defensive plays for the D in rookie mini-camp

[Hoosiernsavga]

I say Ridgeway will start on the DL until Anderson is 100%. 

Smith starts at some point as the #3 CB.

I'm going to go with a big surprise and say Tyms starts at WR due to injuries and not being deep at WR. 

[JPFolks]

12 hours ago, krunk said:

Denzelle Good at the guard position

 

With Andrew Luck Signed, Colts Have Offensive Future In Place

On Wednesday(right after the Luck contract signing), Jim Irsay touched on this very subject(touched on players he liked):
 

We really like Denzelle Good . He’s a guy that’s just got to keep his weight in line, but he is a guy that can play guard and tackle well in this league, we feel

http://www.colts.com/news/article-1/With-Andrew-Luck-Signed-Colts-Have-Offensive-Future-In-Place/e5869ad5-ef6c-499e-a7f4-742cf065d085

It seems like if this were true, they wouldn't have spent 4 draft picks on O-Line.  Sure, we need 2 new starters, but 4 picks for one slot?  I don't think they believe in him as much as he's suggesting.  After all, they moved Harrison to RG... he shouldn't even be there in early practice.  If he's currently a viable or our best option, even this early, that does not bode well for Good or our other draft picks.  After all, we put the rookie center in, why not one of the 4 draft picks at RG to start building chemistry with our center and LG? 

[JPFolks]

11 hours ago, Superman said:

 

What if Moore, Irving, Herrera, Sylvestre and Morrison all have outstanding preseasons? Could D'qwell be a surprise camp cut?

I really wouldn't be surprised at all.  If these other guys can't supplant him, we're in trouble.  I would have much rather kept our other ILB instead of letting the Bears sign him.  I saw a discussion where he was called the under the radar FA steal of the year.  

[RockThatBlue]

14 hours ago, IndyD4U said:

 

You're banished from posting for a week....

 

Only a week? More like for life.

[krunk]

8 hours ago, JPFolks said:

It seems like if this were true, they wouldn't have spent 4 draft picks on O-Line.  Sure, we need 2 new starters, but 4 picks for one slot?  I don't think they believe in him as much as he's suggesting.  After all, they moved Harrison to RG... he shouldn't even be there in early practice.  If he's currently a viable or our best option, even this early, that does not bode well for Good or our other draft picks.  After all, we put the rookie center in, why not one of the 4 draft picks at RG to start building chemistry with our center and LG? 

Dude its off season camp. They put a bunch of people in a bunch of places. Not every move that is made is a now move in regards to your draft comments. Owner of the team has spoken highly of this kid multiple times and you still keep skirting around to other miniscule details. We are talking about a 7th round pick. There's no need for Irsay and the coaches to play psychological warfare over that.

[krunk]

8 hours ago, JPFolks said:

It seems like if this were true, they wouldn't have spent 4 draft picks on O-Line.  Sure, we need 2 new starters, but 4 picks for one slot?  I don't think they believe in him as much as he's suggesting.  After all, they moved Harrison to RG... he shouldn't even be there in early practice.  If he's currently a viable or our best option, even this early, that does not bode well for Good or our other draft picks.  After all, we put the rookie center in, why not one of the 4 draft picks at RG to start building chemistry with our center and LG? 

Oh God stop it. Good was hurt for most of that camp. Not placing much emphasis on offseason camp.

[krunk]

8 hours ago, JPFolks said:

I really wouldn't be surprised at all.  If these other guys can't supplant him, we're in trouble.  I would have much rather kept our other ILB instead of letting the Bears sign him.  I saw a discussion where he was called the under the radar FA steal of the year.  

How is Freeman a FA steal?

[Defjamz26]

10 hours ago, JPFolks said:

It seems like if this were true, they wouldn't have spent 4 draft picks on O-Line.  Sure, we need 2 new starters, but 4 picks for one slot?  I don't think they believe in him as much as he's suggesting.  After all, they moved Harrison to RG... he shouldn't even be there in early practice.  If he's currently a viable or our best option, even this early, that does not bode well for Good or our other draft picks.  After all, we put the rookie center in, why not one of the 4 draft picks at RG to start building chemistry with our center and LG? 

I said the same thing a few months ago. Haeg or Blythe could be a surprise starter at RG. I don't think Good can be a permanent starter here. Clark has the highest upside at RT. He'd be battling Thorton, Haeg, and possibly Blythe (played Guard before he was a center at Iowa). Good can be a quality backup.

 

I wouldn't think much of them moving Harrison to RG. He sucks at Center and Thorton has been injured. I don't think he'll get first team reps at RG in training camp.

[krunk]

17 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

Moore has to start one way or another IMO. He's probably the only guy we have who can cover at the ILB position. I don't see any scenario in which he doesn't start IMO. He also hits hard and has a nose for the ball. Also, wasn't Morrison calling the defensive plays for the D in rookie mini-camp

Yeah he called the defensive plays but so did Herrera last year and most of us know hes on his way out the door. I dont know what to take from that. I can definitely see Morrison getting a chance to start. I dont see it near as much if Dqwell and Nate Irving are retained. If that happens my gut says they will use him similar to how they used former 4th round draft pick Andrew Jackson. I remember Jackson in his first year being used primarily on goal line, special teams, and red zone situations.

[krunk]

3 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

I said the same thing a few months ago. Haeg or Blythe could be a surprise starter at RG. I don't think Good can be a permanent starter here. Clark has the highest upside at RT. He'd be battling Thorton, Haeg, and possibly Blythe (played Guard before he was a center at Iowa). Good can be a quality backup.

 

I wouldn't think much of them moving Harrison to RG. He sucks at Center and Thorton has been injured. I don't think he'll get first team reps at RG in training camp.

Thats disrespectful. Now even Blythe another 7th round center who is short, needs strength developement, has very little guard experience, let alone NFL experience has a better chance to be a starter than Good? Im sorry but you get more and more ridiculous on this subject. I usually have good conversations with you my bro but not on this subject.

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

Yeah he called the defensive plays but so did Herrera last year and most of us know hes on his way out the door. I dont know what to take from that. I can definitely see Morrison getting a chance to start. I dont see it near as much if Dqwell and Nate Irving are retained. If that happens my gut says they will use him similar to how they used former 4th round draft pick Andrew Jackson. I remember Jackson in his first year being used primarily on goal line, special teams, and red zone situations.

How many years are left on Irving's contract? The two things that make me skeptical of him are his injury issues and how much longer he'll even be here. DQ is old and Moore and Morrison are young and hungry. 

 

1 hour ago, krunk said:

Thats disrespectful. Now even Blythe another 7th round center who is short, needs strength developement, has very little guard experience, let alone NFL experience has a better chance to be a starter than Good? Im sorry but you get more and more ridiculous on this subject. I usually have good conversations with you my bro but not on this subject.

He should have went much higher than the 7th. And he's an Iowa lineman, so he's extremely well coached and probably more NFL ready than people think. Much like Ferguson who went undrafted but even our own team looked at him in the 4th.

 

And you should do more research on how Iowa operates. You don't just come in and immediately play Center. Ferentz makes guys come in and play guard(and maybe some tackle) first for like 2 seasons. So Blythe is plenty experienced at guard. He was taught how to be a good lineman, not just a good Center. Plus he's played in a zone scheme. That experience at Iowa puts him ahead of a guy like Good IMO. Same with Haeg. He was a 2 time 1st team all conference pick at his level. I'm not bashing Denzell but he has REAL competition now. Who was he really competiting with last year outside of the starters?

[krunk]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 11:29 AM, Superman said:

 

He's clearly a favorite of the staff. But if the young guys outplay him, I don't think they'd be too resistant to letting him go. We have an almost entirely new defensive staff, including the coordinator. And they showed last year that they'll overhaul an entire unit if they think they have the right guys in place.

 

It's a long shot, but I think D'qwell is close to done, he's a liability in coverage, and it's time to move on before he takes a drastic drop. I wouldn't force it, but if the young guys made it possible, I'd be all for it.

I see Stephen Tulloch got released from the Lions.  Seems his story is similar to Dqwell Jacksons.  Tulloch led the Lions in tackles last year, so much so that he was described as a tackling machine. He is 31 years old.

 

Tulloch was a tackling machine during his stint in Detroit. He amassed more than 100 tackles in four of his five seasons. He might be best remembered by the national audience for tearing his ACL in 2014 while celebrating a sack of Aaron Rodgers.

 

The ten-season veteran led the Lions in tackles in 2015 with 107 in 16 starts. However, his lateral mobility was clearly diminishing. A liability in coverage at this stage of his career, Tulloch could latch on with a club as a two-down, run-stuffing inside linebacker.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000673054/article/detroit-lions-cut-veteran-linebacker-stephen-tulloch

[rock8591]

Blythe would be hard pressed to even be a backup, he is just too undersized for the position in today's NFL not just in height and weight, but arm length, hand size, and slow speed. Goode has a huge advantage in size and length alone.

[Coffeedrinker]

My surprise starter is Dorsett starting over Moncrief as the #2 WR.  I am a pretty big Moncrief fan, I like his game a lot but Dorsett is just too fast and too good of a route runner to be limited to a #3 role.