Blueblazes
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Posts posted by Blueblazes
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Raji is not special. In fact, in his most productive season when he was a rookie, things seemed to fall in his lap vs. his own ability to create disruptions. On the other hand, we can't keep saying our guys are good (i.e. Redding, RJF, Chapman, etc.) if in most games, the opposition averages 4.0-4.5 ypc, usually with at least one explosive run. Raji's not the answer, but it baffles me that no matter who the management is or who the coaches are, the Indy Colts can not find people or strategy to stop the run consistently. It's certainly not as important to stop the run as it was 20 years ago, but we at least need to be middle of the pack in ypc.
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I said in another thread recently that I felt Pagano needed like an advisor or assistant head coach to help him next year, but didnt think it would be him..... Why are we trying to become the Cleveland Browns? Pagano, Arians, Manusky and now Chudzinki all were on the Browns staff together at one point. I know it's how most NFL teams operate, but I'm tired of all the "hire only my BFF's" that goes on
Actually 2 of those hires are very good (Arians and Chud). I do think the D needs something more.
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Chud is a solid offensive mind and a good QB developer. His Panther teams finished 7th and 12th in the NFL in 2011 and 2012, with a rookie QB in 2011 and a banged up Oline both years. Our Oline was bad but we have Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson (hmm), TY Hilton, Coby Fleener and actually 2 dependable O linemen and still finished 17th in the NFL. Chud will add to the offensive thinking as well as help develop Luck. And yes, if Pep's offense doesn't improve quite a bit, I'm sure Pagano won't hesitate to plug in a proven O coordinator very fast.
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I think Kurt Warner proved a point on this argument. I remember people were saying if he wins the Super Bowl vs the Steelers, he would be a Hall Of Famer. If he loses, he won't be. So Warner gets them ahead, the defense folds, and they lose. So because their defense doesn't get the job done, Warner isn't a Hall Of Famer? Dumb...Dumb...Dumb. Dan Marino was a great QB. Jim Kelly was very good. They never won a Super Bowl. But Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco did. Makes no sense.
You are on the money. Particularly with the Warner analogy. The defense let them down so he's not a HOF'r?? Trent Dilfer, Joe Flacco, Jim Plunkett, Jeff Hostetler and Doug Williams won Super Bowls. Fran Takenton, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Dan Fouts, Warren Moon among others did not.
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Real problem is both Bethea at this stage of his career and Landry probably play closer to the box, so unless we are going to play a lot of 3 safety looks, it won't be worth the money spent if Bethea is looking anywhere close to $5 mil. a year. Get some younger legs with range and let Landry play closer to the box and hope Landry does not have tackle blunders like he had with Blount.
Yep. My thoughts on both exactly. I knew Landry was not good in coverage, but that whiff on Blount was a key play in the game. Sure he's fine vs. the run, but we honestly need a very good (not just good) cover safety in at least one of those spots.
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It would be amazing what this team would accomplish with even one more very good O-lineman. Even just looking at Colts teams from the past you see how much even one ''very good'' O-lineman improves things. When we attained George Kunz in '75 (along with a couple other O-linemen) it created time for Bert Jones to pass as well as helped open holes for Lydell Mitchell. When we added Ron Solt to Chris Hinton and Ray Donaldson, it helped taking the next step and opening holes for Dickerson. Also adding Kirk Lowdermilk and Will Woolford to the line, it helped our upstart '95 O-line. Anyhow, one more ''very good'' O-lineman would work wonders for this team (Mack C (Cleveland).
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They didn't overspend on Thomas. First of all the contract is not that big ... we were paying McGlynn nearly $2 million for his poor play, so $3.75 million for a good guard is not unreasonable. On top of that the contract was structured so that if he was a bust we could dump him after the season cheaply (and still can). It looks to me like Grigson was trying to lock in a "top tier" guard for a bargain price right before he had a break out year. I am critical of some of Grigson's moves, but he played that signing perfectly ... you can't blame him for the injury.
It's not just the fans, its everyone involved that expects results in pretty short order. They may have some "roadmap" of where they want to be in 2018, but if they aren't putting a winning product on the field before then there's a good chance they never see 2018.
No reasonable scenario puts Satele at Center in 2014 ... I don't care what the "roadmap" says.
You are right we don't know all of that stuff, but some things can be reasonably assumed and educated guesses can be made based on what we do know and what we have witnessed on the field. Also I think many fans have the ability and frequently do look beyond 2014.
The amount of information we have access to applies to most things, there would be no discussions on this forum if we only discussed things that we had access to most of the information about.
I can confidently say "I am not comfortable with McGlynn or Satele being starters next season". I don't care what the coaches have seen in practice or any other information they have access to; if either of those 2 scrubs are are starting next year Grigson needs a new mapmaker, because his roadmap is giving him the wrong directions..
Outstanding thoughts, in every point.
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It would be good to know how he graded out on PFF ratings. I would say his range is average to above average. On the other hand, Gosder exceeded my expectations on the right side.
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the Patriots have had stellar offensive lines the entire time Brady has been there.
In those years, they started out as a run the ball team, morphed into a passing team, a WR team, a TE team, and this year a great short yardage running/passing team.
We shouldn't be concerned about being a "Run the Ball" team. We should be concerned about getting a great O line, even if it means overpaying FAs and/or picking the best O linemen even before their projected rounds.
If the core is strong, like the Patriots, and we have a great QB, we can be anything we want and adapt to the strengths that the skill players bring.
You, my friend, have hit the nail on the football head. The O-line makes the team go. It is not just the old axiom, but it is the way the game is played today as well. I have wondered why a proverbial genius such as Polian did not realize that. But that's a debate for another thread. But yes, the O line not only does the obvious which is creating holes for runners, but creating time for the QB is the secret to a prolific passing game. Watch Brady and you will see he has about 4-5 seconds each time he drops back. (In fact a study was done during the '10 season that showed Peyton took 2.6 seconds on average to pass the ball and Brady has 4.6 seconds on average that year). Notice what Peyton can do with an extra second or 2 to throw it in Denver. He's destructive to defenses to say the least. O lines even affect the defense in that they wear down defenses as well as paving the way for the offense. A day fighting a physical Logan Mankins totally wears down a D lineman so much more than a day fighting one of our ''quick guards'' of the previous administration. But yes, in summary, you have found the answer to the puzzle.
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I was mostly comparing the 2010-2011 drafts and not putting down Grigson.
I wish you people would allow a person to post an opinion without bashing!
I feel you man. The problem with forums like anything else online or in emails or texts, is that people come across more cras than the person probably intended. Also, with forums, there are so many opinions that there is bound to be at least one person that disagrees if you were to say "in the daytime, when there are no clouds in the sky, the sky is blue". At least one person would disagree, probably more
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Honestly with this sort of thing I think you are better off specifically naming the mistakes that where made. Or at the very least players who are not performing up to what we invested in them.
Trading AQ Shipley was IMO a mistake
Werner and Richardson are not performing up to the investment we made in them. Although it's too early to dump them. Coby Fleener didn't do much his first year either.
But when you do that you have to balance that with the steals that we've made.
TY Hilton
Chapman
Brazil - A minor steal for the 6th round.
Dwayne Allen
Freeman - Signed as a free agent out of the CFL for a minimum contract. HUGE STEAL
Davis was probably a steal trading a 2nd round pick for him.
Da'Rick Rodgers and Griff Whalen may both be steals. It just remains to be seen if they can perform next year. I would say what we've gotten out of Whalen already makes him a minor steal.
So you have a lot more steals right now then you have mistakes and potential mistakes.
Wow, I have found someone that I agree with on nearly every player's evaluation. Amazing. And to answer the original post, I agree that i get frustrated from time to time seeing some impact players on other teams that I wish we had gotten. But I do think we are on a much more proactive track than we were with Polian. In the Polian years, while we were always good, there were always key areas that we could have improved on with fairly low investment. IMHO Polian missed on these role players that were out there that would have come fairly cheaply, but would be stubborn and not even sign those. Much less hugely impactful free agents. I'm glad Grigs has appeared to be totally proactive thus far. Hope it continues.
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1-a run-stopping D lineman--one for now, but need 2-the current group just didn't get it done despite 2 free agents coming in
2-ILB-Freeman is solid at one ILB, but we need the other to be a run-stopper as well
3-OLB-I just don't see Werner being more than servicable, but he is so young i will give him a chance. I see his best years at 6-8 sacks. I think we need more, espcially to replace Mathis as he ages
4-cover safety
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What I think will happen:
TRich 1st team
Ballard 2nd team
Choice 3rd team
whomever 4th team
What I would like:
Brown 1st team
Choice 2nd team
Ballard 3rd team
TRich 4th team and make him prove he's good
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Werner: 35th among 34 OLBers (out of 42)
Mingo: 38th among 34 OLBers
Jarvis Jones: 30th among 34 OLBers
Ziggy Ansash: 30th among 43 DEs (out of 52)
Dion Jordan: 28th among 43 DEs
They were all pretty underwhelming.
I can believe this ranking. He really didn't do anything to warrant a first round pick, but there weren't any breakout players at that point. I do like to look back and say ''what if''. The players taken after him that would not have been bad were Corderelle Patterson WR (if he keeps his nose clean), Giovani Bernard RB (good rookie RB-but we have decent RBs), Eddie Lacy (definitely a good pick) and we could have had Geno Smith instead, too (jk).
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I dont care what the season statistics are..Im talking about the playoff run and playoffs. Tell me how and what these teams did down the stretch and in the playoffs. I think your stats are scewed because of the beginning of the year. When its time to get serious, there is a serious attitude change. (I'll include Baltimore and last years San Fran team as well)
As I said, stopping the run is a good thing, but it's not the final answer in today's NFL. And in answering your question above, I was actually surprised that the facts illustrate this even more. 3 of the last 4 Super Bowl winners in their playoff runs:
Ravens 2012-teams averaged 142 yds per game rushing against them in the playoffs and SB (this avg yards rushing per game- 142 yds) would have ranked them 31st in the NFL this year vs. the run)-in fact the 49ers ran for a whopping 182 yds against them in the SB.
Giants 2011-in their playoff run and SB, teams averaged 111 yds rushing per game against them-(this would have ranked them 18th in the NFL vs. the run per game)
Saints 2009 -teams averaged 122 rushing yds per game during their playoff and SB run. 122 yds rushing per game against them would have ranked them 26th in the NFL during the season this year.
Once again, stopping the run is a good thing, but it can't be the mantra like it once was.
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??? So we dont want to be able to run the ball or stop the run....OK.. Gotchya...I suppose the 49ers, Patriots and Seahawks should change their philosphy as well.
The 49ers are barely above average at stopping the run ranking 12th in the league and the Patriots are 29th in the league vs. the run. The top 4 teams vs. the run are Cardinals, Panthers, Jets, Lions. Only one of those even made the playoffs. Not saying you don't want to stop the run, but it's a different NFL today when prioritizing strategies.
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Yes, Vasquez would have helped tremendously. Hopefully, we can pick up Mack and/or a RG. With Thomas coming back, at least we have a fairly decent LG. After what we've been used to seeing the past several years, you would be surprised at what a difference even an average Oline would make. (And yes, even Levitre's off year at 13th ranked would have been a huge improvement).Constanzo's getting better after a fairly rough rookie year. Cherilus did better than I expected and was very good (like his salary). Plug in a decent Thomas and add at least one top notch FA at C or RG and we'll be much better next year.
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it took Brown 5 years to finally produce , right? and wasn't everybody wanting to get rid of him?What did we do go out and sign Bradshaw and if stayed healthy Brown would not have got the opportunity he did.
Not sure where the idea came that it took DB 5 yrs to produce. His yards per carry his first 3 yrs would have been TR's best year ever, 3.6 ypc as a rookie, 3.9 2nd year, 4.8 3rd year. Then 3.9 4th year and 5.3 this year. And all of those years were behind bad run blocking lines. His career avg at 4.3 exceeds just about any RB we've had. Yes he has never been given the opportunity to carry the ball a lot, but given his opportunities, he's done quite well. I'm thinking Trent would take DB's worst year at 3.6 for sure.
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Those weren't the only 2 options. Could have found someone else for a second or 3rd round pick. They might not have had the flashy 3rd overall selection moniker, but they could have still been a solid back.
And we were even stupider for giving a first rounder to them, at least they got something in return.
Wait, where is the trusty response from someone that ''these people are paid to make these decisions, so they must know way more than anyone else that watches the game." ?Because they are paid to make these decisions, kind of like coaches, doesn't that mean they know more than anyone else? Ryan Leaf, Trent Richardson, Akili Smith were all decisions made by someone that is paid to make these decisions, so they must have been right.
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Sorry for your bad experience as well. But it doesn't surprise me. The conduct on the old Colts board and numerous stories like yours don't surprise me at all when relating to NE area fans. If my favorite MLB team was not in the playoffs, I used to pull for the Red Sox out of sentimentality before they won a World Series, until i realized what type of fan their area has. I went to a Colts game in Charlotte a few years ago, and the fans were totally fine. I'm from NC, but they didn't know I was from NC, for all they knew I drove down from Indy, but they were great. And hopefully the NE type fan is not an example of NFL fans all over the country.
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Even the best GMs make good choices but some bad. I'll just hit the highlights. First off, we are 22-10 under Grigs, so can't say much bad, overall (since his pick of Luck had a lot to do with this 22-10 record). He did a good job thinking the Oline needed help, but it needs way more help. Cherilus's big contract proved to be a good decision. Thomas will return, but we need to solidify C and RG with true top notch players and not medocrity in order to go to the next level. TE's and WR's galore right now, especially if Reggie has 2 good years left. TY was a great pick. RB will be influx depending on the decison to sign DBrown and Bradshaw. Yes, TRich has not looked like a good deal yet and next year we should know for sure-but yes, not good right now. Defensively, Warden was ok but too high priced for the payout and Werner is still TBD, but didn't show a lot. Freeman was a true find. We need another LB if Warden really is mediocre. The Dline wasn't up to par vs. the run and was disappointing when it came down to it. RJF was not a real stuffer, nor was Franklin. Still need to work on that. Redding was a good pick up 2 years ago. CB's are fine. Inconsistent at times, but fine overall. Safety's are about what I thought, Landry is a solid safety vs. the run but not good vs. the pass. It will be interesting to see what we do with Bethea. He was good and bad.
I'll give Grigs a "B" at this point, based mainly on the 22-10 and led by his pick, Andrew Luck and TY Hilton. CB's were improved for the most part. Still need Oline improvement badly--if that happens you will be shocked at what this offense can do.
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No way around it being totally objective: TRich was a bust if you look at this season (and his history with Cleveland as well). Management and the coaching staff will give him next season to prove something, since a first rounder was burned to get him. I see him picking up his game, but not ever getting to 4.0 ypc unless he runs behind the '90s Cowboys o-line. I definitely hope I am wrong and he proves his history wrong and proves me wrong. I want him to be a force so bad. But I just don't see it based on reality to this point in his career.
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That premise is 100% correct.
If we had a dominant offensive line....DEAR GOD.....I could only imagine how incredible this offense would be.
We've all seen how dominant that Andrew is when he actually has time to step up in the pocket or make all of his reads, AND if we had better blocking for Trent/Donald/Ballard......JUST WOW.
Seriously, we would be the number one offense in the league with Andrew, our RBs, our TE's, and WR's all healthy behind a line like Denver or NE.
COME ON GRIGSON!!! FREE AGENT OL FTW!!!
On the money. At all levels of football, the O-line is the most important group of any team. Yes, the QB is the most important position in the NFL (and probably college), but the O-line getting fixed will change a lot of the results for this talented group of Luck, Brown, Hilton, Wayne, etc.
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i agree. We should offer him 4/24 mil...any higher,then let him walk.
Good number. That would be about right. $6M per year puts him in the top 16 CBs in the league. That's about right for him I would say, too.
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Alex Mack and Chudzinski are good friends
in NFL Draft, Scouting, and Free Agent Talk
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Yes, exactly. Going as far back as you want to go, an elite center has a huge impact on the Oline and therefore the team as a whole. The '60s Packers had HOF Jim Ringo and Ken Bowman after that. The '70s Steelers had HOF Dave Webster. In the mid-'70s we added Ken Mendenhall and improved greatly. When we added Kirk Lowdermilk (and yes LT Will Wolford too) in the mid 90s, it was no coincidence that we became a competitive team then. We find Jeff Saturday and install him at center and we improve on the O line. No, these moves in particular were not the total reason the teams improved, but they did have a great impact.