A Kruger Rumor (edit: Kruger to the Browns)

[throwing BBZ]

Avril? What a poor idea. Bo don`t know football.

 I get that all here didn`t intently watch all three Ravens Playoff games, and closely watch Kruger.
 If you did, and understood what was going on, there is NO WAY you would think he is less than an EXCELLENT player.

 I highly doubt Kruger will get $12M. But, the odds the Salary CAP jumps considerably in 2015 is very high, so that number would affect us less. Kruger IMO, will be super reliable at his position and make the players around him better. Watch him go to Clev. ;)

NFL contracts are typically set up as 3 year deals, and if the player is living up to the deal and is still considered worth the rest of the money, he isn`t cut.
 One great thing about our position is we do not need to back end these new contracts.
I would think it would serve better to front load (like Mathis) and have the 4th & 5th year salary`s a little lower as we are ready to pay last seasons new players when they become FA.

[throwing BBZ]

I would rather have Kruger also. But not at that price. No way does he deserve to make more than Mathis.

 

Mathis is and always has been, like Freeney, a pass rush specialist.

Simply put, why teams have run all over us.

[Jules]

We will get him if we want him then.

 

Why?

 

Pagano.

 

I have read quotes from Kruger with heavy praise for the man. Any Baltimore FA we want we probably have a legit chance of getting if we have real interest.

[Jules]

Eh, forget about the money. They can do wonders with contracts. Just look at Brady, he's basically a bank for the Pats.

I'm more concerned in his play than his pay.

 

I think Kruger is a good player. And at the very least I would rather have him over Hughes. And if Chuck wants him then I want him. But, we'll see next week.

 

As for the money issues...as with any FA I will leave it up to the team to decide who they want and for how much. I mean we are not talking about getting a guy like Revis here who wants to get more then anyone in history.

[Smonroe]

I think Kruger is a good player. And at the very least I would rather have him over Hughes. And if Chuck wants him then I want him. But, we'll see next week.

 

As for the money issues...as with any FA I will leave it up to the team to decide who they want and for how much. I mean we are not talking about getting a guy like Revis here who wants to get more then anyone in history.

 

Right!  People are getting wrapped around that $12M/year, like we actually know what that mean.  We all know the only thing that matters in a contract is the guaranteed money.  They can play with extensions to sooth out the cap after that if need be.

 

ThrowingBBS got it right on in his post - typically we're talking about 3 year contracts, when it comes down to reality.  That coincides about the same time they'll have to make room for Luck's contract.  And the cap will undoubtedly go up by then too.

 

If he's the best option out there, and the coaches want him, Grigs will get him.  My only concern is that we also get at least one, if not two, O linemen.

[dw49]

Zbikowski was a secondary free agent, if that. And he wasn't very good. I defended him early, but overall, his play was subpar. Still, three years, $5.5m is a lot different than the money we're talking about for Kruger.

 

Werder might not know what he's talking about. Some of these guys, including the more respected guys, just throw numbers out there. I hope he's way off on Kruger. And if he's not, I hope Grigson and Pagano pass.

 

 

 

I know Zbikowski was not a lot of money but I'm thinking that Pagano convinced Grigson he would work as our starting SS. Fact remains that we coud have probably drafted something in the 7th round that might have played as well sa he did. But .. hey anyone is entitled to a miss. maybe if Pagano was not out most of the year , Zbik. may have played better... who knows.

 

Don't overlook the fact that Werder is not throwing out any numbers at all. The 12 mill a year is coming from Roto World , not Ed Werder.

[NewEra]

Mathis is and always has been, like Freeney, a pass rush specialist.

Simply put, why teams have run all over us.

I like the guy and want us to get him. But to pay him as one of the top defensive players in the nfl is a bit much! Get that down to a reasonable price I'm all for it. Love the dude! He is still really young and just now starting to show what he has.

[BrentMc11]

As I have said 100 times.....Pagano knows him....if he thinks he is the right guy for the defense with the right motor....go for him!  Make note that he is MUCH better rushing the passer that as a run stopper.....some feel he will improve in that area.  Time will tell.

[PatMcAfeeFan]

I think Kruger is a good player. And at the very least I would rather have him over Hughes. And if Chuck wants him then I want him. But, we'll see next week.

 

As for the money issues...as with any FA I will leave it up to the team to decide who they want and for how much. I mean we are not talking about getting a guy like Revis here who wants to get more then anyone in history.

If the Colts want him they can start negotiating with his Agent tonight at 12:01. If they agree on a deal then he will come in on Tuesday at 4pm and sign his deal. We just can't talk to him until then. 

[smittywerb]

This HAS to be a rumor.  $12 million/year is HORRIBLE for a player that JUST showed up.  I believe that we will be pursuing but not for that price.  No way.  If we do sign him for that much, I would have to look at Grigs through a different eye.

[dw49]

I think Kruger is a good player. And at the very least I would rather have him over Hughes. And if Chuck wants him then I want him. But, we'll see next week.

 

As for the money issues...as with any FA I will leave it up to the team to decide who they want and for how much. I mean we are not talking about getting a guy like Revis here who wants to get more then anyone in history.

 

 

 

Man.... you're easy.

[Superman]

I know Zbikowski was not a lot of money but I'm thinking that Pagano convinced Grigson he would work as our starting SS. Fact remains that we coud have probably drafted something in the 7th round that might have played as well sa he did. But .. hey anyone is entitled to a miss. maybe if Pagano was not out most of the year , Zbik. may have played better... who knows.

 

Don't overlook the fact that Werder is not throwing out any numbers at all. The 12 mill a year is coming from Roto World , not Ed Werder.

 

I did not catch that. I thought that was Werder's figure.

 

Even less credible then.

[dgambill]

I know people are like...I want the guy but not at that price...but seriously...quality FAs always get overpaid. Its the value guys that you have never heard of that suddenly sprout that we will get on the cheap. We have money. We are going to spend a good chunk. That said I prefer to spend it on the OL for some proven protection for Luck and if we have the money then make a push for the guy. Priority #1 should be to protect the franchise qb. Like it or not if we don't protect Luck it won't matter if we have a top 5 D we aren't winning.

[1959Colts]

As for Kruger being a nobody...

I watched most of the Baltimore games and I was very impressed.

Robert Mathis is very good, as was Freeney, but they are on the down sides of their careers.

Other than Mathis our pass rush basically stinks.

Cleveland has a lot of cap space and they want Kruger bad.

They have a good new coach that runs a 3-4 defense.

Cleveland plays Baltimore twice every year.

Cleveland is very familiar with Paul Kruger. They did their homework and know what Kruger brings to the table and are willing to pay much to get him.

There is no doubt Kruger is one of the top players available.

We cant have a team of all guys making minimal salaries and expect to be a top team.

I say go after FREDDIE KRUGER!

[Jules]

Man.... you're easy.

 

That's what he said.

[NewEra]

That's what he said.

Oh snap!! Lol

[Jules]

Right!  People are getting wrapped around that $12M/year, like we actually know what that mean.  We all know the only thing that matters in a contract is the guaranteed money.  They can play with extensions to sooth out the cap after that if need be.

 

ThrowingBBS got it right on in his post - typically we're talking about 3 year contracts, when it comes down to reality.  That coincides about the same time they'll have to make room for Luck's contract.  And the cap will undoubtedly go up by then too.

 

If he's the best option out there, and the coaches want him, Grigs will get him.  My only concern is that we also get at least one, if not two, O linemen.

 

 

We are linked to a lot of FAs due to our cap space. I am fine with several of them. I don't know who the Colts will target specifically yet and make the highest priority. None of us do!

[1959Colts]

I would rather have Kruger also. But not at that price. No way does he deserve to make more than Mathis.

In 2012 Paul Kruger outperformed Robert Mathis.

[DarkHorseColts]

They can do it. The question is would he take it? He might be able to get the same amount with more guaranteed money in Cleveland.

 

"in Cleveland" being the key phrase here... if it's close otherwise you might think the coaching/ownership in Indy would be preferable.

 

IF the Colts are going to make a run at Kruger, they obviously believe he's going to continue to play at a high level. And if they do end up signing him, they'd better be right.

[BOTT]

I'm sure Grigson told Ed that over lunch.....

[Gavin]

Love the idea of getting Kruger but not for a steep price after 1 big year of big production, Rather see what Hughes can do, 1st round pick who has been stuck behind Freeney and Mathis whis whole career and taking heat for it who showed he can produce in this scheme, Let him start

[Godeepreggie]

If we are gonna make that kind of commitment then I would much rather do that on a revis type player he simply isn't worth that much money even if he were to duplicate the same type of season he had last year that being said 12 mil is a starting point I just can't see the colts paying him more than 8-8.5 mil a year grigson seems to rational for that

[PatMcAfeeFan]

I wouldn't pay more than 9.5 mil a year and that is still too high for my liking. 

[throwing BBZ]

What I see on our board is people that don`t get the idea that you find players that fit your mold then develope them.
 

The Ravens always had good defenses, they don`t rotate players like we do, so their backups keep getting better over a 2-3 years and then they let the starters go then they plug in the next guy.

Kruger couldn`t push Suggs to the bench because Suggs hardly comes out. Jarret Johnson was there for 9 years playing with that group and didn`t come out much either. They let Johnson go and Kruger comes in full time and plays well.

 And when Suggs came back from Injury and balanced the other side of the D. Kruger Kicked ...
He is not just a pass rusher if you watched him play. He got back in coverage and made nice plays too.
I liked him also because he plays Big, he stayed in his lane, and he rushed well on both ends.
 
 Aldon Smith gets a ton of sacks, Until Justin Smith gets hurt, then he can`t get ONE. He still played ok.
So No, Kruger isn`t Superman, he will need some help. And we are in DISMAL shape Today at DE opp Redding.
But I believe Kruger will be rock solid doing his job. Be nice if we could get him for Mathis, Spencer $$$.
 
Ugh, that is a lot! We may not even want him at $9M and will just be trying to push his price up so Clvd has less $$$ to fight us for other players we do want!!

[dgambill]

What I see on our board is people that don`t get the idea that you find players that fit your mold then develope them.

 

The Ravens always had good defenses, they don`t rotate players like we do, so their backups keep getting better over a 2-3 years and then they let the starters go then they plug in the next guy.

Kruger couldn`t push Suggs to the bench because Suggs hardly comes out. Jarret Johnson was there for 9 years playing with that group and didn`t come out much either. They let Johnson go and Kruger comes in full time and plays well.

 And when Suggs came back from Injury and balanced the other side of the D. Kruger Kicked ...

He is not just a pass rusher if you watched him play. He got back in coverage and made nice plays too.

I liked him also because he plays Big, he stayed in his lane, and he rushed well on both ends.

 

 Aldon Smith gets a ton of sacks, Until Justin Smith gets hurt, then he can`t get ONE. He still played ok.

So No, Kruger isn`t Superman, he will need some help. And we are in DISMAL shape Today at DE opp Redding.

But I believe Kruger will be rock solid doing his job. Be nice if we could get him for Mathis, Spencer $$$.

 

Ugh, that is a lot! We may not even want him at $9M and will just be trying to push his price up so Clvd has less $$$ to fight us for other players we do want!!

If griggs does his job right he will do just that. Go out set some good prices on some guys and if no one matches we get them...and if others want them it will force them to bid up and use up their cap space. Be aggressive early....we have the money...make others over pay and if they dont we get guys that can help us. We don't have to give them the whole farm but if we are throwing around some good money then we will get one or two but we will also force some other people out of the market faster by making them spend more.

 

Its kinda like storage wars. You bid and bid trying to force up the price so when a locker comes along you do want they are out of cash. And if no one decides to go along well you get the locker....or this case the player. I mean we aren't going to do it on guys that don't fit our needs but even if we don't think we will land them we can push up the market. Seen the Yankees and Red Sox do it for years.

[esmort]

As for Kruger being a nobody...

I watched most of the Baltimore games and I was very impressed.

Robert Mathis is very good, as was Freeney, but they are on the down sides of their careers.

Other than Mathis our pass rush basically stinks.

Cleveland has a lot of cap space and they want Kruger bad.

They have a good new coach that runs a 3-4 defense.

Cleveland plays Baltimore twice every year.

Cleveland is very familiar with Paul Kruger. They did their homework and know what Kruger brings to the table and are willing to pay much to get him.

 ..

There is no doubt Kruger is one of the top players available.

We cant have a team of all guys making minimal salaries and expect to be a top team.

I say go after FREDDIE KRUGER!

 

Using Cleveland as an example definitely does not help your argument.

 

Cleveland is definitely not a franchise a team should aspire to emulate. The fact that Cleveland wants to do it so badly should make us reconsider it; NOT pursue it harder.

 

[NewEra]

If griggs does his job right he will do just that. Go out set some good prices on some guys and if no one matches we get them...and if others want them it will force them to bid up and use up their cap space. Be aggressive early....we have the money...make others over pay and if they dont we get guys that can help us. We don't have to give them the whole farm but if we are throwing around some good money then we will get one or two but we will also force some other people out of the market faster by making them spend more.

Its kinda like storage wars. You bid and bid trying to force up the price so when a locker comes along you do want they are out of cash. And if no one decides to go along well you get the locker....or this case the player. I mean we aren't going to do it on guys that don't fit our needs but even if we don't think we will land them we can push up the market. Seen the Yankees and Red Sox do it for years.

Yuuuuuuuup!

[NCost12]

http://nachmanyfootball.com/2013/03/08/colts-interested-in-olb-paul-kruger-good-move-for-indy/

[ColtStrong]

it's amazing how bent out of shape you people get. I just wait until something happens.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Superman
rules violation

[ColtStrong]

Yuuuuuuuup!

Oh gawd. Kill Dave.

[braveheartcolt]

Am I the only one who thinks Kruger is so overrated? He is probably worth a quarter of that.

Overrated by who? I don't care, but he cannot be worse than JH....

[Gavin]

I think Kruger fits the Mathis/Hughes much better then he would the Freeney role but could easily be proved wrong on that one

[theanarchist]

I would be ecstatic if Cleveland could get Kruger for 12m/year. Then we can spend our money on people who have actually proven they deserve to be overpayed. I would rather us spend our 1st rounder on an OLB than get Kruger. He's honestly not shown to be any better than Hughes at this point.

I disagree with one of your points. he has shown he's better than Hughes in my opinion. Kruger made numerous big plays down the stretch run for Baltimore and also in the playoffs. He was big time. Hughes hasn't done much of anything at all. 5 career sacks?? I don't think Kruger is worth 12 mil a year either but I'd take him at what Mathis is getting paid.

[Gavin]

I'd take Kruger for 8.5 million a year for 5 years IF we are serious about getting him plus a 5 million dollar signing bounus amortized over the life of the contract, I'd rather see Hughes get his shot however

[1959Colts]

Kruger was great for Baltimore last year. Their best pass rusher.

One of the reasons they went on to win the super bowl.

Just because Kruger is not that well known amongst the average fan, doesnt prove he is not worth the money.

It's foolish to compare Kruger to Jerry Hughes.

Kruger has a natural ability to rush the passer. Is very difficult to block. Can bull rush. A non stop motor.

Hughes on the other hand has not shown any of this.

[1959Colts]

I think Kruger fits the Mathis/Hughes much better then he would the Freeney role but could easily be proved wrong on that one

I would tend to disagree here. Kruger seems more like Freeney to me.

A natural pass rusher.

[masterlock]

The only thing that would make me feel OK about bringing him in for that kind of money is that Pagano has a very good idea about what kind of upside and locker room presence he has from his days in Baltimore. If we do sign him, particularly at that size of contract, it will be Pagano's first big push for a FA and we will have to wait and see how it turns out. 

 

Kruger's agent: My client wants $12M/year

Team: No way!!! He had 1 good year.

Kruger's agent: But he has a good locker room presence.

Team: Well, in that case, you got yourself a deal!!!

[Mameluc]

What I see on our board is people that don`t get the idea that you find players that fit your mold then develope them.

 

The Ravens always had good defenses, they don`t rotate players like we do, so their backups keep getting better over a 2-3 years and then they let the starters go then they plug in the next guy.

Kruger couldn`t push Suggs to the bench because Suggs hardly comes out. Jarret Johnson was there for 9 years playing with that group and didn`t come out much either. They let Johnson go and Kruger comes in full time and plays well.

 And when Suggs came back from Injury and balanced the other side of the D. Kruger Kicked ...

He is not just a pass rusher if you watched him play. He got back in coverage and made nice plays too.

I liked him also because he plays Big, he stayed in his lane, and he rushed well on both ends.

 

 Aldon Smith gets a ton of sacks, Until Justin Smith gets hurt, then he can`t get ONE. He still played ok.

So No, Kruger isn`t Superman, he will need some help. And we are in DISMAL shape Today at DE opp Redding.

But I believe Kruger will be rock solid doing his job. Be nice if we could get him for Mathis, Spencer $$$.

 

Ugh, that is a lot! We may not even want him at $9M and will just be trying to push his price up so Clvd has less $$$ to fight us for other players we do want!!

dont have the stats, but Kruger had like 2 sacks untill Sugs went back...that and the fact that, unlike what you said, he was rotated constantly with Upshaw tell me he is not a 10 million man...

[BOTT]

Kruger's agent: My client wants $12M/year

Team: No way!!! He had 1 good year.

Kruger's agent: But he has a good locker room presence.

Team: Well, in that case, you got yourself a deal!!!

Insert Daniel Snyder for team

[UKColt13]

Waaaay too much for Kruger.

I like Kruger but he only caught fire once Suggs came back midway through the season. Before then he was mediocre.

I wouldn't want to pay him anymore than about 7.5-8 mil a year tops.

Otherwise i'd move to the draft for a Freeney replacement.