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Jonathan Hankins interesting comment..


MarquisJ

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3 hours ago, dodsworth said:

I can easily see top 10 defense in the NFL with the additions

in the offseason. It's not a stretch to say both the offense

and defense could be top ten.

 

We still need a passrush.  Our secondary should be greatly improved with additions of Wilson and Hooker and the DL should be improved with Langford coming back, Anderson having another offseason under his belt and Hankins.

 

Seems like Sheard and Basham have pass rush potential, but we don't really have anyone proven there.... without that, we're not going to  be top 10 in D.

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17 minutes ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

We still need a passrush.  Our secondary should be greatly improved with additions of Wilson and Hooker and the DL should be improved with Langford coming back, Anderson having another offseason under his belt and Hankins.

 

Seems like Sheard and Basham have pass rush potential, but we don't really have anyone proven there.... without that, we're not going to  be top 10 in D.

Very good point, maybe we can get some kind of a pressure up the 

middle with our much upgraded D linemen and our injured guys

getting back on the field. 

 

With a push up the middle it would make it easier for the 

linebackers to get to the QB with the big fatties not being

an after thought.

 

It also doesn't hurt having younger and faster legs in the defensive 

backfield.

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Hankins is coming from the stand point of what they achieved last year with the Giants.    He's looking around and seeing similarities.

 

The Giants had a pretty stout defense last year using some of the similar parts that we have in place.

 

Their starting corners were a Rookie  Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins

Their Safety Tandem was  a 2nd year Landon Collins and the Rookie from Boise State.

 

Their interior DL was Hankins and Damon Harrison

 

You had another rookie at ILB with BJ. Goodson

 

Their DE were JPP and Olivier Vernon. 

 

Team was mostly built through Free Agency and the draft.

 

I can see where he's coming from a little bit.

 

There are quite a few similarities.

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He is a new player in the locker room.  When asked a question on expectations what do you expect him to say?  He followed it up nicely with everything is on paper and now they need to show what they can do.  He said what any player would say IMO.

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I can say I do love our Safety Tandem with Geathers and Hooker.

 

I do love our corner tandem with Wilson and Davis.  There's some unknown element there with Wilson but definitely good stock. I like 2 of our depth pieces with Melvin and Butler.

 

I do like a healthy Henry Anderson teamed up with a healthy Langford and Hankins in the middle.   I do like some of our depth guys with Mcgill, Ridgeway.  There's potential there with Grover Stewart and I personally think Margus Hunt will be good depth.

 

I think we have a decent set of pass rushers between Simon, Sheard, Basham, Ayers.    I think that's a good 4.  None of them are JPP, but JPP was coming off the firecracker incident so not as explosive as he used to be and Olivier Vernon has never been a huge sack guy.   He's solid at best.

 

Don't really think the Giants ILB were miles above the guys we have to be honest.

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1 minute ago, krunk said:

I think we have a decent set of pass rushers between Simon, Sheard, Basham, Ayers.    I think that's a good 4.  None of them are JPP, but JPP was coming off the firecracker incident so not as explosive as he used to be and Olivier Vernon has never been a huge sack guy.   He's solid at best.

Well done with the bolded comment.  I like to play on words there...lol

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We're still wating to see how the edge and ILB situation pans out.  I think our secondary is much improved, as is our DL/Edge situation.  But other than Hankins, I only see rotational parts.  Sheard will be afull time guy, but doubt he'll be a staple of this defense.  We've added youth at ILB, but no one that you really need to game plan for.  We put some good talent there with perhaps Basham being a surprise on the edge, and I think we've at least got a good enoug hdefense to retake the division and maybe even win a game or two in the playoffs.  I doubt we're contenders unless we just hit a hot streak at the right time.

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I appreciate the confidence and swagger. I hope he hasn't lost touch with reality. It would be a monumental coaching effort to get the Colts defense in the top five in the AFC, much less the best defense. We definitely don't have the best defensive talent. 

 

Still don't have a lead dog pass rusher. Not sure about our second corner. The safety situation is up in the air, and our first round pick hasn't been cleared to play yet. We don't know who our ILBs are, and we definitely don't know if we can cover the middle. I feel confident that we'll be strong against the run, but if if we're not disciplined on the edge and a play gets to the outside, I'm not confident that our ILBs can make the play (partly because I don't know who they will be). 

 

Too many question marks with personnel, to say nothing of the questions with coaching. 

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If you guys actually watched the video, the questioner asked Hankins if they will be the best defense in the AFC South. I don't think his intention was to say the best in the conference.

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10 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

Very good point, maybe we can get some kind of a pressure up the 

middle with our much upgraded D linemen and our injured guys

getting back on the field. 

 

With a push up the middle it would make it easier for the 

linebackers to get to the QB with the big fatties not being

an after thought.

 

It also doesn't hurt having younger and faster legs in the defensive 

backfield.

 

Yes, hopefully a push up the middle will help (it was just a couple seasons ago Hankins had 7 sacks).  Also, having big bodies to eat OL blockers up should help free our LBs to get to the QB.  That said, we don't really have any proven NFL caliber LBs on this roster in terms of being solid week-in-week-out passrushers. 

 

I think Grover Stewart and a fully healthy Anderson can help with this issue, too.

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59 minutes ago, MTC said:

If you guys actually watched the video, the questioner asked Hankins if they will be the best defense in the AFC South. I don't think his intention was to say the best in the conference.

 

Good to know, I didn't watch the video yet. 

 

Still, that means leapfrogging the Texans, who were the best defense in the league, based on several metrics. And they're getting back JJ Watt, presumably. So even that's a little unrealistic at this point.

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1 hour ago, MTC said:

If you guys actually watched the video, the questioner asked Hankins if they will be the best defense in the AFC South. I don't think his intention was to say the best in the conference.

The Texans were the best defense in the league.  The Texans are in our division.

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1 hour ago, MTC said:

If you guys actually watched the video, the questioner asked Hankins if they will be the best defense in the AFC South. I don't think his intention was to say the best in the conference.

 

Hey he needs to have more swagger than that!  haha

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11 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

The Texans were the best defense in the league.  The Texans are in our division.

 

I just said this same thing, but I was under the impression the Texans were actually the best in the league. I know they were #1 in yards, but I thought they were up in the top 5 or so in turnovers, sacks and points, and on 3rd down also. 

 

They were 11th in points (20.5/game, Colts were 22nd with 24.5, the Pats were 1st at 15.6); 11th on 3rd down (38%; the Colts were 25th at 42%, the Bucs were 1st at 34%); 26th in turnovers (17 total, tied with the Colts; the Chiefs were 1st with 33); 24th in sacks (31 total, the Colts had 33; the Cardinals were 1st with 48).

 

So yeah, they're defense is overall better, and it's not even up for discussion. And they get back JJ Watt, presumably healthy and looking to make up for lost time. But they lost their best corner (Bouye), a solid edge (Simon, not a great loss to them, but he's a disciplined run defender), and a starting safety (Demps). Wilfork also retired, which is 500 reliable snaps at NT.

 

Watt was just smacking homers at a charity event this weekend, so I assume his back is fine and he'll be 100% pretty quickly. If he's not, they could backslide. Assume Clowney has his best season in a contract year. They're most likely still the best defense in the division.

 

This is to say nothing about the great strides the Colts defense would have to take to even be close to the Texans.

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8 hours ago, indyagent17 said:

If we get into the top 15 in all defensive categories I would be ecstatic!  and that would translate into 2-3 more wins a season and set the tone for a playoff run. Defense wins championships 

 

That's all that is needed... We can be and need to be a mid-table defense. And as bad as we were last year, it is achievable.

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7 hours ago, Smonroe said:

"...Hankins was immediately sent to the drug testing facility..."

 

More like the psychiatric ward lol.

Obviously he didn't notice we still probably lack a intimidating edge rusher and unprovens at ILB.

I'm hoping Sheard can put enough pressure on qb's and RB's & TE's are covered better this season.

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From a guy who concerned me a bit with all his "high balling" free agency rumors, I'm very please to hear his confidence! I hope he really plans to come in and do work. We have a winning culture. We've been really disappointed in this team that last couple years, but there are a lot of teams who wish they could even scratch 8-8 most seasons. Let's get back to the top where we belong. I'm most happy to hear about the winning mentality he's seeing. I have to think most of the team, even the veterans, think of this as a wonderful opportunity to start over and make this team into something special again. Ballard on paper put together a stellar off-season. Let's see it start to translate onto the field! 

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  • If these things happen...

 

1 - Hankins balls out, stays healthy, stuffs the run, demands double teams, keeps our ILB's clean to make plays, and thus will help the pass rush. Is a top 3-5 NT in the NFL. Which he's fully capable of and had a Pro Bowl caliber year.

 

2 - Sheard and Simon have great years and each put up 8-10 sacks a piece.

 

3 - Basham has a great rookie year, and puts up 6-8 sacks

 

4 - Hooker comes in, balls out from week 1 on and is a terror for QB's as a roaming centerfielder

 

5 - Wilson comes in and has a Marcus Peters type rookie year, or at least plays very well oppo Davis

 

6 - Anderson and Ridgeway take big steps forward, and one if not both become very good DT's

 

7 - Langford stays healthy and plays like he did in 2015

 

8 - Geathers stays 100% and becomes the hard hitting enforcer we all know he has the potential to become. I wanna see him play a full season and just come down and lower the boom on ball carriers, and is a force vs the run, and just lays some dudes our ala Devontae Freeman.

 

9 - Butler is 100% and consistent in the slot all year

 

10 - Sean Spence has the big time breakout year I'm expecting and makes a name for himself.

 

11 - Anthony Walker Jr. is a big time gem and starts oppo Spence and has a really solid rookie year.

 

If even 7-8 of these things happen its possible. The thing is. Its all possible but will it happen???

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At this point, I'll take middle of the road (15th-18th best). There will have to be an adjustment period. I hope Henry Anderson and Langford stay healthy and that we can generate a consistent and productive pass rush. I'm excited to have Basham.  

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We don't need the top D in the conference. I love Hankins attitude It's possible but it would take a lot of ifs breaking our way. We just need a solid D that can get off the field and create our share of turnovers. If we can get that we will be battling for the playoffs again.

 

It's exciting to have young guys we hope to see improve rather than old guys we hope to find the fountain of youth. Our LB's will determine our fate. To say the cupboards were left bare would be an understatement.  Every LB we drafted from 2012-2016 is out of the league except Morrison who may make that a 100% this preseason.

 

I think we are solid on DL. The addition of Hankins should really give that unit a boost. I think we get a surprise from a guy like Hunt or McGill add in the return of Anderson and Langford. The fix at NT should make this group the strength many thought it was last year. We have good young pieces in Hankins Anderson Ridgeway potentially Stewart. 

 

I'm high on the back end. Davis claims to be healthy and in a contact year. I think Melvin is a solid CB and Wilson will be a very good press CB maybe the best scheme fit in this class. Hooker's range playing centerfield should allow us to get up in WR's this year. We should make plays back there. Geathers health will be important. I think we have 3 guys to be excited about moving forward in Wilson Hooker and Geathers. 

 

The OLB's I think will hold up vs the run. The question is still where will the pass rush come from. The answer hopefully is everywhere. We aren't going to have a big dog pushing 20 sacks. We will need contributions from everyone. I see Sheard being what we expect. I think Simon could surprise. We need Basham to be a quick study and help from guys behind them,  

 

The biggest question mark of the D is at ILB. I  think Spence and Jackson are our best 2 ILB's today. We have Bostic who hasn't played in a year coming in off a foot injury. Walker a rookie coming off a disappointing season. Rhodes needed a year to adjust.  I think he could surprise. Morrison was not impressive last season. 

 

This group is by far the biggest question mark. If Bostic can help and Walker is the steal some think he is we could be really good. We could just as easily be looking for help here as teams cut to 53. 

 

The D is moving in the right direction. This is the first off season in some time it didn't feel like a complete afterthought. We knew one off season wasn't going to fix everything. We added some good pieces in FA and the draft now lets see what Monachina can do with them. 

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I think ultimately Spence and Walker is who they want to see on the inside. Edwin will make it a tight race. May even win it. If Walker shows hes ready in the preseason I think they let Bostic or Morrison go. They are already talking Walker up the same way they talked Morrison up last season.

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On 5/15/2017 at 9:53 AM, bababooey said:

Not a top defensive team, won't be for a couple more years,  but if we can at least be a top 15 or 20 team that should be enough to get us into the playoffs considering we were dead last in almost everything and only needed one defensive stop, or one first down, or one touchdown which was the difference between winning and losing several games last year.

 

so much truth

 

 

we could've easily been a 10 win team last year, smh. 

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On 5/15/2017 at 9:34 AM, MarquisJ said:

Jonathan Hankins believes Colts on paper have the best defense in the afc! Over teams teams like the Broncos & Texans etc. What are you guys thoughts on this? Personally I think it could be true and love the confidence!

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000808784/article/johnathan-hankins-colts-have-the-best-d-in-the-afc

Well, on paper, it's always possible. The things that have to happen is:

 

1. Players have to play as they are hyped up to be. 

 

2. Rookies have to come in and pan out like we envisioned they to be. 

 

3. Can't afford injuries, especially in the back end of the defense. 

 

4. We will absolutely have to develope our pass rush 200% better than last season. 

 

5. Everyone has to gel together and play on the same page. 

 

6. Defensive coordinator has to adjust his schemes to his personnel better. 

 

Same can be true about all teams. The number 1 defense last year could be  #22 this season with losses of FA guys and new replacements not panning out as well as an injury to a key guy/s. 

 

another aspect of having a successful defense is having an offense that can score and stay on the field long enough to give the defense a rest. If we go 3 and out too often, I don't care what stars we have, they will get tired and less effective and prone to an injury. If our offense can dictate the game plan of the other team ( making them catch us not us catch them) our defense can certainly be successful and improve in the top part of the defensive standings. 

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I think with relatively good health they could approach top 20, maybe high teens if everything works out like we all hope.  What worries me most is depth.  A few injuries here and there and that significantly changes the outlook for this defense.  There just isn't much depth besides maybe the DL.

 

Still, it's a great start for Ballard and he's doing about everything you could ask for so far.  It just may take another year or so to get it where we all want.

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On 5/15/2017 at 9:34 AM, MarquisJ said:

Jonathan Hankins believes Colts on paper have the best defense in the afc! Over teams teams like the Broncos & Texans etc. What are you guys thoughts on this? Personally I think it could be true and love the confidence!

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000808784/article/johnathan-hankins-colts-have-the-best-d-in-the-afc

 

He might as well have come out and said we had a "Dream Team"

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On 5/15/2017 at 8:53 AM, bababooey said:

Not a top defensive team, won't be for a couple more years,  but if we can at least be a top 15 or 20 team that should be enough to get us into the playoffs considering we were dead last in almost everything and only needed one defensive stop, or one first down, or one touchdown which was the difference between winning and losing several games last year.

I remember in 2005 reading something similar about our defense and then we won the Superbowl lol. Someone said the same thing about the Falcons defense  last year and look what happen. Anything can happen and we been having a lot miracles happen on defense. Also we got Robert Mathis helping with the DE's, so who knows.

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OK, It has been a while since this comment has happened.  I just found an article breaking down the possibilities of how the Colts could do defensively next year. (on the tail of Hankins' Blurt)

 

https://www.numberfire.com/nfl/news/14663/the-indianapolis-colts-aren-t-going-to-be-the-afc-s-best-defense

 

Even though the title suggest's he was wrong,...It gives some pretty good explanations as to why it may be 'enough'.   The entire write-up ends with this:

 

"More likely with the new additions and Year 2 of a coordinator, the Colts could find their way into that 10-spot ranking jump from the bad defenses before them, putting them somewhere around the 19th-best defense.

That doesn’t sound impressive, but an average defense would be quite a step forward. And if all things break right for the offense -- which is probably a safer bet -- average could be enough."

 

 

That alone has optimism written ALL over it.  (in MY opinion)

 

 

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