[Garafolo] Colts are signing OT Austin Howard | Edit: Official now!

[onebad150]

OK ...... Andrew can start throwing a REAL football now... Coast is clear

[stitches]

45 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

Any idea who was released to make room for the big guy?

 

[TomDiggs]

46 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

Any idea who was released to make room for the big guy?

 

Looks like we waived Isaiah Williams (G) when we brought in Howard.

 

 

My bad- looks like Stitches posted it just as I did. Sorry for the duplicate response.

[ColtStrong2013]

Depth in the trenches. Ballard will continue making these moves. Year after year. It's about quality depth on the lines. Frank Reich's first comments about the offensive line was that it wasn't about having 5 starters that could play, it was about having 8 or 9 starters... because in any given year that is a reality. It certainly has been for this franchise. 

[LockeDown]

Blard wanting more picks for core guys still  So do we have 2 extra picks next year now?  Comp and part of Jets trade?

[NewColtsFan]

10 minutes ago, LockeDown said:

Blard wanting more picks for core guys still  So do we have 2 extra picks next year now?  Comp and part of Jets trade?

 

Yes...    we have the Jets 2nd round pick and the 4th round comp pick.   So right now, 9 overall picks.

 

[Boiler_Colt]

14 minutes ago, LockeDown said:

Blard wanting more picks for core guys still  So do we have 2 extra picks next year now?  Comp and part of Jets trade?

Yep, so now I have two teams to root for each week. The Colts and whoever plays the Jets.

[Finball]

24 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

Yep, so now I have two teams to root for each week. The Colts and whoever plays the Jets.

 

Jets do play one team twice that is pretty hard to root for..

[CR91]

I think this had more to with Ballard not liking what hes seeing currently at RT then anything else. Lets face it, Howard is way better then Good, Haeg, or Clark. A line of AC Nelson Kelly Mewhort Howard with Slauson Smith Good Haeg and Clark as depth sounds real good to me

[Boiler_Colt]

6 minutes ago, Finball said:

 

Jets do play one team twice that is pretty hard to root for..

2-14 should still be bad enough to pick #1 and give us #33

[HOF19]

9 minutes ago, CR91 said:

I think this had more to with Ballard not liking what hes seeing currently at RT then anything else. Lets face it, Howard is way better then Good, Haeg, or Clark. A line of AC Nelson Kelly Mewhort Howard with Slauson Smith Good Haeg and Clark as depth sounds real good to me

The talent level of that AC  Nelson  Kelly  Mewhort  Howard  group the best we have had in a while ?????.........MAYBE .

[Luck 4 president]

Do we know the details of his and McCain’s contracts? 

[stitches]

1 minute ago, Luck 4 president said:

Do we know the details of his and McCain’s contracts? 

 

[Barry Sears]

I don't think there's any doubt that the OL talent has been upgraded pretty significantly.  Couple that with the new offense that will likely use a short, quick release passing attack and the new blocking schemes, and we should see a BIG improvement in pass protection and in keeping Luck upright.

[Coffeedrinker]

Why are people excited about this pick?  He is not a good tackle.  He's an okay run blocker but a terrible pass blocker.  Since so many people like PFF here are some quotes.

 

He had a good game against the Texans and was one of the top 5 players for the Ravens (according to PFF stats).  here is the quote

Quote

From PFF:

T AUSTIN HOWARD, 81.5 OVERALL GRADE

Austin Howard was strong in pass protection and did not allow a single pressure, leading to a grade of 84.7 in pass protection. Howard, like the Ravens offensive line, has had an up and down season, as he’s surrendered 21 pressures through 11 games. Baltimore’s lack of offensive weapons was obvious at times tonight as they struggled to push the ball downfield and sustain productive drives.

 

 

Here is another when he was going to face Clay Mathews and he was a key match-up

Quote

From PFF

T Austin Howard vs. Edge Clay Matthews – Howard has struggled in pass protection this season, though Matthews surprisingly hasn’t been as effective rushing the passer this season. Matthews’ pass-rush grade of 74.2 ranks middle of the pack among all edge defenders, and he has accumulated just 20 pressures in 245 pass-rush snaps. His pressure rate of 8.2 percent ranks sixth worst among edge defenders with at least 185 pass snaps played. Howard will look to turn things around after grading below average in each of his last four games. He will look to build on his Week 9 performance where he allowed just one pressure (a hurry).

 

I don't mind that Ballard signed him but if Good is healthy I don't think there is any way Howard takes that spot from him.

[That Guy]

The optimist in me is saying:  "Yay!  Sign ALL the offensive linemen!"

 

The pessimist in me is saying:  "Please don't be another Todd Herremans!"

[stitches]

16 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

Why are people excited about this pick?  He is not a good tackle.  He's an okay run blocker but a terrible pass blocker.  Since so many people like PFF here are some quotes.

 

He had a good game against the Texans and was one of the top 5 players for the Ravens (according to PFF stats).  here is the quote

 

 

Here is another when he was going to face Clay Mathews and he was a key match-up

 

I don't mind that Ballard signed him but if Good is healthy I don't think there is any way Howard takes that spot from him.

He's solid, he's not great but not bad either. He ranked average last year by pff (71.6 grade, no 36 tackle in the league) and has been ranking about that level throughout his career. He has 88 starts in the league. Here are some of his grades through the years:

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-t-austin-howard-signs-with-the-ravens

 

2012: 77.4

2013: 74.9

2014: 53.1 (as a guard)

2015: 82.6

2016: 66.9 (while battling shoulder injury)

2017: 71.6

 

He's been firmly average-ish throughout his career. Something we cannot say about any of the other right tackles on the roster. This is why people are excited - not because we are getting a pro-bowler, but because we are getting a huge improvement over what we already have. Average is good for this line and it's not like we are tying ourselves to him for the long term. It's a 1 year deal. 

[Coffeedrinker]

4 minutes ago, That Guy said:

The optimist in me is saying:  "Yay!  Sign ALL the offensive linemen!"

 

The pessimist in me is saying:  "Please don't be another Todd Herremans!"

or Winston Justice

Or Mike McGlinchy (or whatever his name was)

or....

[Coffeedrinker]

4 minutes ago, stitches said:

He's solid, he's not great but not bad either. He ranked average last year by pff (71.6 grade, no 36 tackle in the league) and has been ranking about that level throughout his career. He has 88 starts in the league. Here are some of his grades through the years:

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-t-austin-howard-signs-with-the-ravens

 

2012: 77.4

2013: 74.9

2014: 53.1 (as a guard)

2015: 82.6

2016: 66.9 (while battling shoulder injury)

2017: 71.6

 

He's been firmly average-ish throughout his career. Something we cannot say about any of the other right tackles on the roster. This is why people are excited - not because we are getting a pro-bowler, but because we are getting a huge improvement over what we already have. Average is good for this line and it's not like we are tying ourselves to him for the long term. It's a 1 year deal. 

But that's just it, he's not a huge improvement or even a minor improvement over anything on the Colts roster.  Haeg graded better than Howard at RT (Haeg's poor grade was at guard).  And Denzelle Good looked better than Haeg before and after his injury.

[Myles]

15 minutes ago, stitches said:

He's solid, he's not great but not bad either. He ranked average last year by pff (71.6 grade, no 36 tackle in the league) and has been ranking about that level throughout his career. He has 88 starts in the league. Here are some of his grades through the years:

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-t-austin-howard-signs-with-the-ravens

 

2012: 77.4

2013: 74.9

2014: 53.1 (as a guard)

2015: 82.6

2016: 66.9 (while battling shoulder injury)

2017: 71.6

 

He's been firmly average-ish throughout his career. Something we cannot say about any of the other right tackles on the roster. This is why people are excited - not because we are getting a pro-bowler, but because we are getting a huge improvement over what we already have. Average is good for this line and it's not like we are tying ourselves to him for the long term. It's a 1 year deal. 

Also remember that each good member of an O-line makes the others better.  In recent years, that was each dragging another down.   We may see them picking each other up in the next few years. 

I like the signing.   Mainly because we have the money and it is more depth. 

[throwing BBZ]

LMAO that Slowhort wins the RG spot. Camp fodder!

[stitches]

15 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

But that's just it, he's not a huge improvement or even a minor improvement over anything on the Colts roster.  Haeg graded better than Howard at RT (Haeg's poor grade was at guard).  And Denzelle Good looked better than Haeg before and after his injury.

I'm done making small sample pronouncements for this line - i was doing the exact same thing before last year - "oh, but if the line gets healthy... but Clark looked good in those 3 games to end the year, lets give them a chance"... No, I'm done with this - this is what brought us broken Luck and most hit QBs in the league year after year... And Ballard seems to have made the exact same conclusion - until they show it over a more representative sample and prove it on the field, you cannot assume your line is fixed. That's why he doesn't seem to spare resources this off-season to fix the line. 

 

Look at it this way - the very least you achieve (if you truly believe Haeg or Good are the long term solutions at the position) is to force them to earn it against a player that has been a solid pro for the last 8 years or so... I have absolutely nothing against Haeg or Good winning the spot as long as they truly win it against an average NFL tackle. If they do that it will mean that they are better than average and this would be even better than having a stop gap in Howard for one year and still being in the search for long-term solution after this year. 

[Flash7]

We have a healthy competition now for the right guard spot with Mewhort, Slauson, and Braden Smith.

 

We now have a healthy competition for the right tackle spot with Howard, Good, and Haeg. 

 

We have to trust that the coaches will evaluate each player, regardless of draft position or salary, and play the best player/unit.

[TomDiggs]

12 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

But that's just it, he's not a huge improvement or even a minor improvement over anything on the Colts roster.  Haeg graded better than Howard at RT (Haeg's poor grade was at guard).  And Denzelle Good looked better than Haeg before and after his injury.

 

Howard isn't amazing but he is better than "just a guy".

 

In his last 3 seasons (40 games) he has 11 total penalties (4 false starts, 4 holds) and has allowed 12.0 sacks.

 

That comes out to an average of 4.4 penalties and 4.8 sacks per season based on a pro-rated 16 game schedule

 

 

Compare that to:

 

Good- 4.7 penalties, 4.7 sacks

Haeg- 4.1 penalties, 6.5 sacks

 

Basically (at the very worst), Howard is as good as or slightly better than Good and Haeg but he has done it for longer and has held those averages over a greater number of contests.

 

If he had a similar year to last year where he only allowed 4 sacks on the season and committed 4 penalties on the year then I would be more than content with that out of a 16 game starter at RT.

 

 

I know these numbers don't tell the whole story (i.e. pressures, etc). But considering we dont have many metrics to go off of for OL and we don't have full insight into what goes into a PFF grade or any other grade for OL, I just tried to get some context.

 

Again, not saying Howard is amazing. Not saying he is even going to unseat Good or Haeg. But he is at least in the same ballpark with more experience. And considering Good's health history, I would not want to put all my eggs in his basket.

 

 

 

 

[MikeCurtis]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

If the OL stays healthy and is well coached this should be the best OL in franchise history.

 

I'm hoping this OL will be top-8 in the NFL this year...    that's top 25-percent in the league...   for what we've invested this should be an attainable goal...

 

but, Statistically speaking,  according to OL.com .........  Just kidding 

 

Great post.... very excited myself

 

waiting on Breeland.........   

[MikeCurtis]

50 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

Why are people excited about this pick?  He is not a good tackle.  He's an okay run blocker but a terrible pass blocker.  Since so many people like PFF here are some quotes.

 

He had a good game against the Texans and was one of the top 5 players for the Ravens (according to PFF stats).  here is the quote

 

 

Here is another when he was going to face Clay Mathews and he was a key match-up

 

I don't mind that Ballard signed him but if Good is healthy I don't think there is any way Howard takes that spot from him.

....... air going out of my balloon..............

 

 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Yes...    we have the Jets 2nd round pick and the 4th round comp pick.   So right now, 9 overall picks.

 

 

This pretty much confirms that May 8 was the day.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, CR91 said:

I think this had more to with Ballard not liking what hes seeing currently at RT then anything else. Lets face it, Howard is way better then Good, Haeg, or Clark. A line of AC Nelson Kelly Mewhort Howard with Slauson Smith Good Haeg and Clark as depth sounds real good to me

 

There's almost nothing going on currently in practice that would give Ballard info to do anything.    

 

Odds are this decision was made more than a month ago when we had Howard in for a meeting...    we likely told him that we'd have a contract waiting for him on May 9 if he hadn't reached agreement with another team before then.   And now that the magic date arrived, we offered and he accepted.

 

Otherwise, I wouldn't read too much more into this signing... 

 

[Colts1324]

After this signing, I really wish we would have went with josh Jackson or Eli Harold at pick # 37. 

 

While saying that, do you guys think it is possible we use Smith as a back up left tackle this year to see if he can take Castonzo’s reign when his contract is up?  He has practiced/played left tackle for limited snaps before. 

[Kris Benton]

Does anyone know where we are currently cap wise? A little off topic but haven't seen any updated numbers for a while. We should have quite a bit to spend next season or the year after. 

[CR91]

9 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

There's almost nothing going on currently in practice that would give Ballard info to do anything.    

 

Odds are this decision was made more than a month ago when we had Howard in for a meeting...    we likely told him that we'd have a contract waiting for him on May 9 if he hadn't reached agreement with another team before then.   And now that the magic date arrived, we offered and he accepted.

 

Otherwise, I wouldn't read too much more into this signing... 

 

 

Ballard didn't get a "feel" from them

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, Coffeedrinker said:

Why are people excited about this pick?  He is not a good tackle.  He's an okay run blocker but a terrible pass blocker.  Since so many people like PFF here are some quotes.

 

He had a good game against the Texans and was one of the top 5 players for the Ravens (according to PFF stats).  here is the quote

 

 

Here is another when he was going to face Clay Mathews and he was a key match-up

 

I don't mind that Ballard signed him but if Good is healthy I don't think there is any way Howard takes that spot from him.

Agree 100%. 

[richard pallo]

1 hour ago, MikeCurtis said:

....... air going out of my balloon..............

 

 

Really?  You want a 31 yr. old journeyman on a one year contract to beat out Good.  I'm pulling for Good to win the job like he did last year but this year he gets those injuries behind him and settles in as our permanent RT.  Howard then settles in as a veteran backup for the year.  

[Yoshinator]

Nice signing. Should either provide some nice depth, or could actually be the starter at RT for us. Hopefully he balls out for us this year.

[Hoose]

According to the initial post, they release Isaiah Williams, G. 

[DougDew]

I never understood the concept of a "really good signing" being only 1 year term.  If he was a player deserving of a "good signing", you'd think we'd want to secure him for more than one year.

 

To have competent competition at RT is a good thing, but a one year contract has to mean the player is viewed as a stop gap until something better comes along. 

[DougDew]

2 hours ago, Coffeedrinker said:

But that's just it, he's not a huge improvement or even a minor improvement over anything on the Colts roster.  Haeg graded better than Howard at RT (Haeg's poor grade was at guard).  And Denzelle Good looked better than Haeg before and after his injury.

Yes.  Good is still probably the best RT on the roster when healthy.

 

But Ballard signed Howard and Grigson drafted the other guys so that makes Howard better by default.  Haven't you been here long enough to understand that?

[PrincetonTiger]

17 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I never understood the concept of a "really good signing" being only 1 year term.  If he was a player deserving of a "good signing", you'd think we'd want to secure him for more than one year.

 

To have competent competition at RT is a good thing, but a one year contract has to mean the player is viewed as a stop gap until something better comes along. 

He is 31

[CR91]

Hes wearing 79. Chris Mccain 76

[TheRustonRifle#7]

Glad for the signing...let's just remember that he is 31 and no one else wanted him....that said, I LOVE the depth of the offensive line!