My best offseason for Colts

[BProland85]

We start with free agency...

 

OLB Anthony Spencer (Yes Kruger has more ties to Pagano, but Spencer has more ties to Grigson and the state of Indiana. Plus Spencer is a better all around player and does the dirty work for a defense. Remember, we werent good at rushing the passer or stopping the run. Spencer helps with both)

 

CB Mike Jenkins (We were interested in him before the season, so I see us still being intersted in signing him for a cheaper contract. He could compete for the other starting spot opposite Davis)

 

CB Antoine Cason (Has ties to Jimmy Raye, and he is a bigger corner at 6-1 which we need. Cason and Jenkins will compete for the starting job, the other will compete with Butler for nickel.)

 

NT Isaac Sopoaga (Gives us a 3rd NT in case Chapman or McKinney cant stay healthy. Sopoaga is still solid at 31 years old.)

 

OG Louis Vasquez (OG is a bigger need than OT, and Jimmy Raye has ties to Vasquez as does one of our OL coaches. I dont think Levitre will be available, and Vasquez fits our OL very well so it makes sense.)

 

As for our own guys I have us resigning OL Reitz and Justice, CB Butler, P McAfee, DE Moala, and LB Fokou

 

We fix both our secondary and pass rush with this free agency. Plus we get a very good starter on the OL. I would love these signings because we could then focus on DL and adding one more starter on the OL in the draft.

 

Draft...

 

*Indy trades 24th pick and 6th rounder to Arizona for their 2nd, 3rd, 5th round picks.*

 

2nd(via trade)- OG Larry Warford (We get our other mauler at OG and now have 2 very good interior blockers in Vazquez and Warford.)

 

3rd(via trade)- SS Phillip Thomas (We get our SS to play alongside Bethea. Thomas is not only a big hitter with his size at 6-1, 215, but he also is a ballhawk which we need in the backfield.)

 

3rd- RB Marcus Lattimore (We get our big power runner that Pep Hamilton will want for this power offense. Ballard will still share time with Marcus and Brown could be used as trade bait. We may keep Brown until Lattimore is completely healthy but he could be a steal at this point.)

 

4th- OLB Chase Thomas (Gives us some young talent at the OLB position. Mathis will be 32 soon so getting a young guy in case Hughes doesnt continue to progress will be worth it. Plus you can never have enough pass rushers.)

 

5th(comp pick for Garcon)- DE Joe Kruger (We get a guy to develop at DE since we need some youth there.)

 

7th- K Dustin Hopkins (I think its time to let Vinatieri retire so we can save money there and go young at K.)

 

Thoughts? I think with this free agency and draft we solve most of our issues and next year we can draft a future #1 WR for Luck.

[FalseStart]

We start with free agency...

 

OLB Anthony Spencer (Yes Kruger has more ties to Pagano, but Spencer has more ties to Grigson and the state of Indiana. Plus Spencer is a better all around player and does the dirty work for a defense. Remember, we werent good at rushing the passer or stopping the run. Spencer helps with both)

 

CB Mike Jenkins (We were interested in him before the season, so I see us still being intersted in signing him for a cheaper contract. He could compete for the other starting spot opposite Davis)

 

CB Antoine Cason (Has ties to Jimmy Raye, and he is a bigger corner at 6-1 which we need. Cason and Jenkins will compete for the starting job, the other will compete with Butler for nickel.)

 

NT Isaac Sopoaga (Gives us a 3rd NT in case Chapman or McKinney cant stay healthy. Sopoaga is still solid at 31 years old.)

 

OG Louis Vasquez (OG is a bigger need than OT, and Jimmy Raye has ties to Vasquez as does one of our OL coaches. I dont think Levitre will be available, and Vasquez fits our OL very well so it makes sense.)

 

As for our own guys I have us resigning OL Reitz and Justice, CB Butler, P McAfee, DE Moala, and LB Fokou

 

We fix both our secondary and pass rush with this free agency. Plus we get a very good starter on the OL. I would love these signings because we could then focus on DL and adding one more starter on the OL in the draft.

 

Draft...

 

*Indy trades 24th pick and 6th rounder to Arizona for their 2nd, 3rd, 5th round picks.*

 

2nd(via trade)- OG Larry Warford (We get our other mauler at OG and now have 2 very good interior blockers in Vazquez and Warford.)

 

3rd(via trade)- SS Phillip Thomas (We get our SS to play alongside Bethea. Thomas is not only a big hitter with his size at 6-1, 215, but he also is a ballhawk which we need in the backfield.)

 

3rd- RB Marcus Lattimore (We get our big power runner that Pep Hamilton will want for this power offense. Ballard will still share time with Marcus and Brown could be used as trade bait. We may keep Brown until Lattimore is completely healthy but he could be a steal at this point.)

 

4th- OLB Chase Thomas (Gives us some young talent at the OLB position. Mathis will be 32 soon so getting a young guy in case Hughes doesnt continue to progress will be worth it. Plus you can never have enough pass rushers.)

 

5th(comp pick for Garcon)- DE Joe Kruger (We get a guy to develop at DE since we need some youth there.)

 

7th- K Dustin Hopkins (I think its time to let Vinatieri retire so we can save money there and go young at K.)

 

Thoughts? I think with this free agency and draft we solve most of our issues and next year we can draft a future #1 WR for Luck.

 

 

"Luck’s offensive line was extremely subpar as well. Only left tackle Anthony Castonzo deserves to start at this level. Luck was hit a league-high 14 times when throwing. His receivers dropped an NFL-worst 50 passes. And the average distance of Luck’s passes was further than any quarterback in the game.

Simply put, Luck’s 18 interceptions and 54.5 completion percentage were the result of the Colts throwing him to a big-league offense right away. The Colts (21st-ranked scoring defense, 26th-ranked total defense) would have been 4-12 without Luck. Instead, he led an NFL-record-tying seven fourth-quarter comebacks and they finished a ridiculous 11-5."

 

1. Trade + Somebody or 7th RD to Arizona, KC... for (2nd, 3rd, 5th) (Compensatory: 5th for Garcon)

2. Larry Warford (G)

3. Menelik Watson (OT) (Might need to use an available pick & 3rd pick to move up into the 2nd)

3. Brandon Jenkins or Chase Thomas or Jonathan Bostic (LB) or DaRick Rogers (WR)

4. Kwame Geathers (NT) or DJ Swearinger (SS)

5. Ray Graham or Jonathan Franklin or Kenyon Barner (RB)

5. Darius Slay (CB) or Brian Winters (OL) or Cobi Hamilton (WR) or Joe Kruger (DE)

6. Montori Hughes (DL) or Micah Hyde (CB) or Josh Evans (FS)

7.     :throwback:

FA

Killeen (OLB/DE), Kelley (WR), Seattle (S), Kruger (DL), Baker and/or Levitre (OL)

 

Nice mock!  I cannot see Lattimore especially an injured Lattimore...definitely not in the 3rd...with a healthy Franklin, Taylor, Graham, Barner, Gillislee, Bell, etc... 

[tydontlie]

I like it, but instead of two corners how about we switch Cason out with a tackle? Also, I am almost certain we will add another WR either in free agency or the draft..Especially since you don't have us resigning Avery.

[Nobody]

I like it minus the Lattimore pick. He's a reach there, IMO. I'd go with Taylor or Bell.

[Nobody]

I like it minus the Lattimore pick. He's a reach there, IMO. I'd go with Taylor or Bell.

And Hyde is probably a safety in the NFL, FYI, or else he should be in a zone scheme.

[Gavin]

If by some dumb reason we neglect all our other obvious needs and go rb in in the 3rd then Montee Ball without question is my guy, 5140 yards on 924 carries and 77 touchdowns, no brainer, power back

[NewColtsFan]

We start with free agency...

 

OLB Anthony Spencer (Yes Kruger has more ties to Pagano, but Spencer has more ties to Grigson and the state of Indiana. Plus Spencer is a better all around player and does the dirty work for a defense. Remember, we werent good at rushing the passer or stopping the run. Spencer helps with both)

 

CB Mike Jenkins (We were interested in him before the season, so I see us still being intersted in signing him for a cheaper contract. He could compete for the other starting spot opposite Davis)

 

CB Antoine Cason (Has ties to Jimmy Raye, and he is a bigger corner at 6-1 which we need. Cason and Jenkins will compete for the starting job, the other will compete with Butler for nickel.)

 

NT Isaac Sopoaga (Gives us a 3rd NT in case Chapman or McKinney cant stay healthy. Sopoaga is still solid at 31 years old.)

 

OG Louis Vasquez (OG is a bigger need than OT, and Jimmy Raye has ties to Vasquez as does one of our OL coaches. I dont think Levitre will be available, and Vasquez fits our OL very well so it makes sense.)

 

As for our own guys I have us resigning OL Reitz and Justice, CB Butler, P McAfee, DE Moala, and LB Fokou

 

We fix both our secondary and pass rush with this free agency. Plus we get a very good starter on the OL. I would love these signings because we could then focus on DL and adding one more starter on the OL in the draft.

 

Draft...

 

*Indy trades 24th pick and 6th rounder to Arizona for their 2nd, 3rd, 5th round picks.*

 

2nd(via trade)- OG Larry Warford (We get our other mauler at OG and now have 2 very good interior blockers in Vazquez and Warford.)

 

3rd(via trade)- SS Phillip Thomas (We get our SS to play alongside Bethea. Thomas is not only a big hitter with his size at 6-1, 215, but he also is a ballhawk which we need in the backfield.)

 

3rd- RB Marcus Lattimore (We get our big power runner that Pep Hamilton will want for this power offense. Ballard will still share time with Marcus and Brown could be used as trade bait. We may keep Brown until Lattimore is completely healthy but he could be a steal at this point.)

 

4th- OLB Chase Thomas (Gives us some young talent at the OLB position. Mathis will be 32 soon so getting a young guy in case Hughes doesnt continue to progress will be worth it. Plus you can never have enough pass rushers.)

 

5th(comp pick for Garcon)- DE Joe Kruger (We get a guy to develop at DE since we need some youth there.)

 

7th- K Dustin Hopkins (I think its time to let Vinatieri retire so we can save money there and go young at K.)

 

Thoughts? I think with this free agency and draft we solve most of our issues and next year we can draft a future #1 WR for Luck.

 

 

Because I question Lattimore's readiness for the upcoming season,  I don't think we can afford to take him.   Which is a shame.  But his questionable status makes him a luxury pick.    It's one thing to spend a #5 on Chapman.   It's a 5, and even if we got nothing from him -- which we did -- he should still have a long productive career for us.

 

But if we're trading down -- which I strongly advocate and believe we'll try to do -- then we need to be sure to get someone that plays and contributes this year.    And I just don't think that's clear with Lattimore.    Maybe we'll have a better read at the combine,   but I suspect we'd need to examine right before the draft,  that's 2 months after the Combine.   You might get a whole new medical reading on his health.

 

So, I'd pass on him and take another player that we're confident will contribute in 2013.

[NewColtsFan]

If by some dumb reason we neglect all our other obvious needs and go rb in in the 3rd then Montee Ball without question is my guy, 5140 yards on 924 carries and 77 touchdowns, no brainer, power back

 

Some thoughts on Monte Ball...  he's someone that the more I see him, the more I like him...

 

But.....

 

He's got some issues...    and you've listed one of them.... 924 carries.   Believe it or not,  that will be a big red flag for a number of teams.    He's lost a lot of tread off his tires.    I saw a graphic in the last two weeks on the Alabama RB situation.   They've been splitting duties for years.    Ingram had Richardson.   Richardson had Lacy...   Lacy had some stud freshman.   The point being that no one had more than about 550 carries in a season.    Low wear and tear.    Fresh legs.    I noted that because Stanford's Stepfan Taylor has something around 750-800 carries -- not good.

 

I'm not saying either guy won't be a good pro.   I think both Ball and Taylor will.   But NFL teams will be wary of how much use they've had and how much mileage they have left.

 

One other thought....   I'm also not sure I see Ball as a pure power back.   I think he's a glider and a slasher.   I see some Matt Forte in him,  or a very, very, very poor man's Marcus Allen.   Ball is 5'11" and 210 and has a fair amount of elusiveness in his game.    He's also got some power to his game...   but it's just one element, and not his main element.    Just my opinion....

[Gavin]

Some thoughts on Monte Ball...  he's someone that the more I see him, the more I like him...

 

But.....

 

He's got some issues...    and you've listed one of them.... 924 carries.   Believe it or not,  that will be a big red flag for a number of teams.    He's lost a lot of tread off his tires.    I saw a graphic in the last two weeks on the Alabama RB situation.   They've been splitting duties for years.    Ingram had Richardson.   Richardson had Lacy...   Lacy had some stud freshman.   The point being that no one had more than about 550 carries in a season.    Low wear and tear.    Fresh legs.    I noted that because Stanford's Stepfan Taylor has something around 750-800 carries -- not good.

 

I'm not saying either guy won't be a good pro.   I think both Ball and Taylor will.   But NFL teams will be wary of how much use they've had and how much mileage they have left.

 

One other thought....   I'm also not sure I see Ball as a pure power back.   I think he's a glider and a slasher.   I see some Matt Forte in him,  or a very, very, very poor man's Marcus Allen.   Ball is 5'11" and 210 and has a fair amount of elusiveness in his game.    He's also got some power to his game...   but it's just one element, and not his main element.    Just my opinion....

Agreed on all accounts, I still stand by my statement that if we somehow defy logic and and go rb in the 3rd then Ball is my man but the chances of that happening in my opinion are next to zilch

[coltsfanatic24]

I like the Jenkins and Vasquez signing that's about it. Hughes had 4 sacks last year with limited time i think he can be a 10sack guy if we can draft a interior defensive linemen. Which leads me to the draft i really like Kawann Short 6'4 315 lbs DT/DE he has very good pass rushing skills and is stout vs the run. Purdue ran a 3-4 and he played DE a lot of the time but also played some NT. Redding played great last year but he'll be 33 and Moala is coming off of an injury. Short would be dominate opposite Redding with Chapman at NT which will free up Hughes and Mathis with one on one match ups vs the offensive tackles.