What if? (Edgerrin James 2001 injury)

[Dark Superman]

What if Edgerrin James never tore his ACL in 2001? For those of you who remember, Edge was hands down the best RB in the league from 99-01. Before his injury, he was the complete back who could do it all. He was explosive, good hands, great blocker, and had some of the sickest cuts I had ever seen. He was the bell cow for this offense and made this offense special. So if Edge didn't get hurt and the Colts still drafted Wayne, Clark, and picked up Stokey in FA. Do you guys think the Colts would own a few more rings?

 

I think we would have won at least one more ring. (Possibly 2005 when we lost to Pittsburgh by a field goal) Edgerrin could take so much pressure off Manning, especially on the road and even in a place such as Foxboro. He could block, catch passes, or carve up a defense when handed off the ball. I know our defense was below average, but if the Colts had a lead in one of those games, or even kept it close, I think having a healthy EJ would make all the difference in the world.

 

I see A LOT of Edgerrin James in Saquon Barkley. Can you really pass up someone like Barkley if he's there when the Colts are on the clock? Andrew Luck needs a guy like Barkley to help take a ton of pressure off of him. Barkley is a stud at finding even the smallest of holes to explode through and his presence alone would help take a lot of pressure off of #12 

 

I know a lot of people wouldn't want a RB with the top 5 pick, but if Chris Ballard pulled the trigger on Barkley, well let's just say I would be all for it. Give Luck Barkley, Another WR, And some Offensive Line help, and the Colts offense could be scary good in 2018.

 

If Saquon Barkley is wearing the blue and white Shoe on his helmet in 2018.

Look out rest of the NFL.

[NannyMcafee]

The only way I'm okay with drafting a RB early is if we attack oline aggressively in FA. It's great to play what ifs, and edge was special before and after the injury. But you can't compare a draftee to a HOF finalist in the sense that things will work out just as good as it did when we drafted edge. 

 

We could draft him, but if the oline remains second priority, you won't see a ton of success. JMO. I like how you weaved James into the conversation, while talking about drafting Barkley. 

[Dark Superman]

2 minutes ago, NannyMcafee said:

The only way I'm okay with drafting a RB early is if we attack oline aggressively in FA. It's great to play what ifs, and edge was special before and after the injury. But you can't compare a draftee to a HOF finalist in the sense that things will work out just as good as it did when we drafted edge. 

 

We could draft him, but if the oline remains second priority, you won't see a ton of success. JMO. I like how you weaved James into the conversation, while talking about drafting Barkley. 

Because Barkley reminds me a lot of a young EJ.

The offensive line is going to be addressed this off-season one way or the other.

But I agree with you, Mcafee. If Chris Ballard can upgrade the offensive line prior to the Draft then picking Barkley would make a ton of sense.

Upgrading the line and bringing in a talent like Barkley protects Andrew Luck and gives him more time in the pocket, as well as a lethal RB who can do it all.

 

[WERC82]

EJ is my all time fav and with a solid OLine Barkley as our first pick is absolutely best thing the Colts could do.

[aaron11]

1 hour ago, NannyMcafee said:

The only way I'm okay with drafting a RB early is if we attack oline aggressively in FA. I

that needs to happen regardless of the plan for our next running back.  we have a ton of cash, we can even afford to over pay for Oline

 

personally i wont be mad if we take barkley but he would not be my first choice.  id like to see us go defense there, and oline in the second or third

[Dark Superman]

Imagine if the Colts landed Norwell in FA and re-signed Jack Mewhort who returns to full health next season. Then Ballard lands us an RT somewhere along the line and the Colts offense suddenly became one of the scariest in the league.

 

But yeah, the Offensive Line is our main priority because we all know without Luck the Colts aren't going anywhere.

 

But fix the line and draft Barkley if we're still picking at 3.

[WERC82]

Two really good guards and an every down 4+ yards per RB and we win #1 seed.

[crazycolt1]

I think all of the positions brought up have validity. We have so many needs and picking in the first 4 or 5 we have to hit a home run no matter what position is picked.

[imacoltfan]

4 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

What if Edgerrin James never tore his ACL in 2001? For those of you who remember, Edge was hands down the best RB in the league from 99-01. Before his injury, he was the complete back who could do it all. He was explosive, good hands, great blocker, and had some of the sickest cuts I had ever seen. He was the bell cow for this offense and made this offense special. So if Edge didn't get hurt and the Colts still drafted Wayne, Clark, and picked up Stokey in FA. Do you guys think the Colts would own a few more rings?

 

I think we would have won at least one more ring. (Possibly 2005 when we lost to Pittsburgh by a field goal) Edgerrin could take so much pressure off Manning, especially on the road and even in a place such as Foxboro. He could block, catch passes, or carve up a defense when handed off the ball. I know our defense was below average, but if the Colts had a lead in one of those games, or even kept it close, I think having a healthy EJ would make all the difference in the world.

 

I see A LOT of Edgerrin James in Saquon Barkley. Can you really pass up someone like Barkley if he's there when the Colts are on the clock? Andrew Luck needs a guy like Barkley to help take a ton of pressure off of him. Barkley is a stud at finding even the smallest of holes to explode through and his presence alone would help take a lot of pressure off of #12 

 

I know a lot of people wouldn't want a RB with the top 5 pick, but if Chris Ballard pulled the trigger on Barkley, well let's just say I would be all for it. Give Luck Barkley, Another WR, And some Offensive Line help, and the Colts offense could be scary good in 2018.

 

If Saquon Barkley is wearing the blue and white Shoe on his helmet in 2018.

Look out rest of the NFL.

In 2004 and 2005 Edge had over 3,000 yards rushing a 4.4 avg. and 22 rushing TD's. Tack on another 95 receptions and over 800 yds. receiving. I guess I'm missing the point. He was definitely recovered in 04-05.

[Colts_Fan12]

1 hour ago, WERC82 said:

Two really good guards and an every down 4+ yards per RB and we win #1 seed.

No we don't the defense isn't near good enough this team is no where near a one seed team

[IinD]

I'd quickly lose faith in Ballard if he picks a RB in the top 5.

 

We have no oline or pass rush.

 

How can some watch this oline and hope a rb is picked? We have way more pressing needs.

[Dark Superman]

27 minutes ago, IinD said:

I'd quickly lose faith in Ballard if he picks a RB in the top 5.

 

We have no oline or pass rush.

 

How can some watch this oline and hope a rb is picked? We have way more pressing needs.

Really?

I think he would be stupid to pass Barkley up.

I don't care that he's a RB. He's too good to pass up for an Offensive Lineman or Linebacker.

[crazycolt1]

4 hours ago, NannyMcafee said:

The only way I'm okay with drafting a RB early is if we attack oline aggressively in FA. It's great to play what ifs, and edge was special before and after the injury. But you can't compare a draftee to a HOF finalist in the sense that things will work out just as good as it did when we drafted edge. 

 

We could draft him, but if the oline remains second priority, you won't see a ton of success. JMO. I like how you weaved James into the conversation, while talking about drafting Barkley. 

I'm with you. Bringing Edge into the picture does make one think.

With that said we were set up pretty good at the offensive line when Edge was drafted.

Tarik Glenn, Steve McKinney, Adam Meadows and Jeff Saturday were all very good offensive linemen.

We have no where near that type of talent on the offensive line right now.

If we had that type of talent then picking a stud RB in the 1st. round may not be a bad idea but not this up coming draft.

[Dark Superman]

Getting a player as talented as Barkley is RARE.

Chubb is talented, but I don't trust that he will translate to the NFL.

Look what Ezekial has done for the Cowboys,

Barkley is better than Elliot.

[crazycolt1]

Just now, Dark Superman said:

Getting a player as talented as Barkley is RARE.

Chubb is talented, but I don't trust that he will translate to the NFL.

Look what Ezekial has done for the Cowboys,

Barkley is better than Elliot.

Good point but the Cowboys had one of the best offensive lines when Elliot was drafted.

Now look how the Cowboys suck when missing Elliot.

[Dark Superman]

Just now, crazycolt1 said:

I'm with you. Bringing Edge into the picture does make one think.

With that said we were set up pretty good at the offensive line when Edge was drafted.

Tarik Glenn, Steve McKinney, Adam Meadows and Jeff Saturday were all very good offensive linemen.

We have no where near that type of talent on the offensive line right now.

If we had that type of talent then picking a stud RB in the 1st. round may not be a bad idea but not this up coming draft.

Normally I would never want to take a RB in the top 10 of a Draft.

But Barkley is different.

Luck needs a RB behind him like Barkley.

You can't pass that chance up if you care about Luck.

Bringing in Barkley helps the Colts establish a running game which will keep defenses from loading the box and blitzing so often.

Barkley can catch the ball as well and BLOCK.

If Chris Ballard is sitting there at #3 and Barkley is on the board and if he passes him up. He will regret it. And 90% of the people on here will be complaining about it halfway down the season when Barkley is tearing up the league.

[Dark Superman]

1 minute ago, crazycolt1 said:

Good point but the Cowboys had one of the best offensive lines when Elliot was drafted.

Now look how the Cowboys suck when missing Elliot.

If their offensive line was so good then no matter who they had run the ball they should be able to produce.

It looks to me that Ezekial makes their line look a lot better than what they are.

 

[Dark Superman]

6 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I'm with you. Bringing Edge into the picture does make one think.

With that said we were set up pretty good at the offensive line when Edge was drafted.

Tarik Glenn, Steve McKinney, Adam Meadows and Jeff Saturday were all very good offensive linemen.

We have no where near that type of talent on the offensive line right now.

If we had that type of talent then picking a stud RB in the 1st. round may not be a bad idea but not this up coming draft.

Our offense was pretty stacked from 99-01. The only thing we really lacked was good receivers behind Marvin. If we had a guy like Reggie Wayne to line up next to Marvin back then, who knows what would've happened.

Our defense was trash as I remember.

The secondary especially.

[crazycolt1]

Just now, Dark Superman said:

If their offensive line was so good then no matter who they had run the ball they should be able to produce.

It looks to me that Ezekial makes their line look a lot better than what they are.

 

Injuries is what happened to the Cowboys offensive line. They haven't been able to protect Prescott either.

[Dark Superman]

1 minute ago, crazycolt1 said:

Injuries is what happened to the Cowboys offensive line. They haven't been able to protect Prescott either.

Didn't two of their offensive lineman retire last year?

[Dark Superman]

3 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Injuries is what happened to the Cowboys offensive line. They haven't been able to protect Prescott either.

They also lost Free and Leary..

[crazycolt1]

1 minute ago, Dark Superman said:

Didn't two of their offensive lineman retire last year?

Could be, I would have to look it up.

I am not saying taking a stud RB would be a bad thing but games are won and lost by players in the trenches. That has always been true and it's not changing.

[NannyMcafee]

3 hours ago, aaron11 said:

that needs to happen regardless of the plan for our next running back.  we have a ton of cash, we can even afford to over pay for Oline

 

personally i wont be mad if we take barkley but he would not be my first choice.  id like to see us go defense there, and oline in the second or third

 

 

I agree completely. We as fans have been watching the oline decline every year since 2008. 2006-2007 Addai rushed for 1000+ each year. 

 

After that is where it gets interesting. If I'm not mistaken, Gore has been our first 1000 yard rusher since then. You're talking about almost 10 years without a 1000 yard rusher. And in the same time span, i think there has been around 4, 100 yard rushing games. 

 

When you cant run block you become predictable. Stop us from passing the ball and you slow the Colts way down. I understand why everyone wants a running back early every single draft. Having a rush attack makes things run silky smooth, and you can control time of possession easier. I just don't see why we have to get a running back before we get an oline. Let's say your top RB gets injured? No other guy is going to make things happen behind our line. Upgrade the line, you upgrade the running game, which means you upgrade the entire team. 

 

So it's really just a debate between RB and Team. Do you want a better team? Or a better RB? 

 

(Just thinking out loud) 

[crazycolt1]

5 minutes ago, NannyMcafee said:

 

 

I agree completely. We as fans have been watching the oline decline every year since 2008. 2006-2007 Addai rushed for 1000+ each year. 

 

After that is where it gets interesting. If I'm not mistaken, Gore has been our first 1000 yard rusher since then. You're talking about almost 10 years without a 1000 yard rusher. And in the same time span, i think there has been around 4, 100 yard rushing games. 

 

When you cant run block you become predictable. Stop us from passing the ball and you slow the Colts way down. I understand why everyone wants a running back early every single draft. Having a rush attack makes things run silky smooth, and you can control time of possession easier. I just don't see why we have to get a running back before we get an oline. Let's say your top RB gets injured? No other guy is going to make things happen behind our line. Upgrade the line, you upgrade the running game, which means you upgrade the entire team. 

 

So it's really just a debate between RB and Team. Do you want a better team? Or a better RB? 

 

(Just thinking out loud) 

If we look at those teams who do have an elite running game they all have something in common. Their offensive linemen. Most of those teams can plug any running back in and have great success.

The Vikings lost their best RB and still have a great running game.

Atlanta can plug any one of their two RBs in and be good.

Those teams who have a great RB are good as long as that player stays healthy. That player goes down and their running game goes with them. The ones who have a great offensive line can plug just about any RB in and still do good.

[NannyMcafee]

Just now, crazycolt1 said:

If we look at those teams who do have an elite running game they all have something in common. Their offensive linemen. Most of those teams can plug any running back in and have great success.

The Vikings lost their best RB and still have a great running game.

Atlanta can plug any one of their two RBs in and be good.

Those teams who have a great RB are good as long as that player stays healthy. That player goes down and their running game goes with them. The ones who have a great offensive line can plug just about any RB in and still do good.

 

Which makes RBs like edge a luxury. As much as the NFL has changed, some things just don't. 

[Chrisaaron1023]

6 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

What if Edgerrin James never tore his ACL in 2001? For those of you who remember, Edge was hands down the best RB in the league from 99-01. Before his injury, he was the complete back who could do it all. He was explosive, good hands, great blocker, and had some of the sickest cuts I had ever seen. He was the bell cow for this offense and made this offense special. So if Edge didn't get hurt and the Colts still drafted Wayne, Clark, and picked up Stokey in FA. Do you guys think the Colts would own a few more rings?

At that time i was too young to really care about football. i remember my dad was really into fantasy and he had Edge. He was all excited about him and liked him alot. Then when i started liking the Colts, he didn't like the Colts at all lol. 

 

To answer your question. I don't think we could've one more. He was there in 03' 04' 05 and those were the best chances we had. 

 

And are we not sure about Marlon Mack? Or he is he really not an every down back?

[WERC82]

2 hours ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

No we don't the defense isn't near good enough this team is no where near a one seed team

Healthy and with a ball control offense the defense is certainly good enough. The way we play now even when we score our drives are only 4 minutes long. If you can put together more 7, 8 and 9 minute drives in a game the defense has a lot less work to do. All we really need is better ILB's. 

[Colts_Fan12]

Just now, WERC82 said:

Healthy and with a ball control offense the defense is certainly good enough. The way we play now even when we score our drives are only 4 minutes long. If you can put together more 7, 8 and 9 minute drives in a game the defense has a lot less work to do. All we really need is better ILB's. 

Exactly and they don't grow on trees if we get a better o line and Barkley we can't have the better linebackers too

[indyagent17]

His Injury at KC probably costs us a shot at the superbowl that and the next year

[IinD]

2 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

Really?

I think he would be stupid to pass Barkley up.

I don't care that he's a RB. He's too good to pass up for an Offensive Lineman or Linebacker.

This is just one of those times where folks will have to disagree. Speaking strictly for myself, if he drafted a RB on draft night my first reaction would be 'what the #?'...

 

I'm done seeing guys like Vuj, hoping for a healthy Mewhort, Haeg and Good get Luck killed next year. I have no problem having them as backups, but none of them are good enough to be penciled in as starters next year. I want talented T or even a Guard honestly even though some would say that's a bad move (drafting a G that high).

 

They haven't even been mediocre, they're worse then that.

 

 

[Dark Superman]

2 hours ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

At that time i was too young to really care about football. i remember my dad was really into fantasy and he had Edge. He was all excited about him and liked him alot. Then when i started liking the Colts, he didn't like the Colts at all lol. 

 

To answer your question. I don't think we could've one more. He was there in 03' 04' 05 and those were the best chances we had. 

 

And are we not sure about Marlon Mack? Or he is he really not an every down back?

I love Mack. But nowadays, you need two RB's in order to establish a consistent running game for an entire season. The punishment these backs take is vigorous. No matter how good your star running back is, you need a quality 1-2 punch to keep guys fresh for an entire season.

Mack has shown us flashes that he can play in this league. He's a smaller back, so giving him the ball 25 times a game would be career suicide. I would be comfortable giving Mack the ball 10-15 times a game and someone like Barkley around 20 per game since he's a much stronger back with a much larger frame.

 

I'm drooling over the fact the Colts could possibly be going into 2018 with both Mack and Barkley as their 1-2 punch in the backfield. That's crazy!

[Dark Superman]

1 hour ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

Exactly and they don't grow on trees if we get a better o line and Barkley we can't have the better linebackers too

What?

[Dark Superman]

1 hour ago, IinD said:

This is just one of those times where folks will have to disagree. Speaking strictly for myself, if he drafted a RB on draft night my first reaction would be 'what the #?'...

 

I'm done seeing guys like Vuj, hoping for a healthy Mewhort, Haeg and Good get Luck killed next year. I have no problem having them as backups, but none of them are good enough to be penciled in as starters next year. I want talented T or even a Guard honestly even though some would say that's a bad move (drafting a G that high).

 

They haven't even been mediocre, they're worse then that.

 

 

You can draft an offensive lineman every round of the draft and none of them could live up to potential.

The Draft is, and will always be, the great big unknown.

You never know what you're getting until it comes time to produce on the football field.

 

[Dark Superman]

2 hours ago, NannyMcafee said:

 

Which makes RBs like edge a luxury. As much as the NFL has changed, some things just don't. 

I can't believe Ricky Williams went ahead of him.

Watching Edge play before he blew out his knee is poetry in motion.

The guy literally could do it all.

[Colts_Fan12]

28 minutes ago, Dark Superman said:

What?

You are not gonna fill every spot with great players like some of you think 

[crazycolt1]

28 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

You are not gonna fill every spot with great players like some of you think 

We don't need great players at every spot. Just average would work.

[Colts_Fan12]

3 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

We don't need great players at every spot. Just average would work.

We need way better then average at he linebacker spots 

[crazycolt1]

1 hour ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

We need way better then average at he linebacker spots 

No we don't. All we need are players who do their jobs at an average level. It's nice to have a player or two that are better than average but it's not as important as having those who make plays. They don't have to make hi light plays to win ball games. Just having players who can make tackles and do what they are paid to do.

[BlueShoe]

If Edgerrin doesn’t get hurt in 2001 then Dominic Rhodes doesn’t own the most yards rushing in a rookie season by an undrafted rookie RB. 

 

Our offensive line was very good back then. Plus Peyton put us in great situations.

 

We would have also likely won too many games to draft Freeney. It would have changed our entire franchise. 

[Dark Superman]

38 minutes ago, BlueShoe said:

If Edgerrin doesn’t get hurt in 2001 then Dominic Rhodes doesn’t own the most yards rushing in a rookie season by an undrafted rookie RB. 

 

Our offensive line was very good back then. Plus Peyton put us in great situations.

 

We would have also likely won too many games to draft Freeney. It would have changed our entire franchise. 

I thought about Freeney earlier today when thinking back on the 2001 season.

Domenic Rhodes had a solid career as a Colt. But he's nowhere near as talented as EJ.

I would take a healthy EJ over Domenic Rhodes every single time. But who wouldn't?