Erik Walden our Starter?

[Coffeedrinker]

How do you know what he's worth?  I'm curious, do you have some inside knowledge?

 

Here's an article from last year, apparently at least one person thought he was a somebody.  BTW, notice what he says the average starter OLB gets paid.

 

http://m.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-walden-due-for-a-raise-jb7ilmb-178262421.html

 

I agree that a player is worth what a team is willing to pay.  But when I read something like this, it does make you wonder what the FO was thinking.

 

-1.5: Now why would you go and do that?

 

Erik Walden (LB) to IND: 4-year, $16m deal

To finish last in our 3-4 outside linebacker rankings once is bad. To do it twice indicates a player who just isn’t ever going to get it. Walden, in comparison to his peers, isn’t a good player. He doesn’t do a great job setting the edge, he’s extremely unproductive rushing the passer, and he’s now getting paid $4m a year. We give the Colts a -1.5 for this deal but his agent deserves a +2.0 for pulling it off. The Colts have fallen into the trap of watching a player have a career game against them (his +4.1 was the highest he ever managed by far) and assuming that is close to the status quo. It’s not and they’re going to be very disappointed with what they get out of him."

 

Source

[BrentMc11]

I agree that a player is worth what a team is willing to pay.  But when I read something like this, it does make you wonder what the FO was thinking.

 

-1.5: Now why would you go and do that?

 

Erik Walden (LB) to IND: 4-year, $16m deal

To finish last in our 3-4 outside linebacker rankings once is bad. To do it twice indicates a player who just isn’t ever going to get it. Walden, in comparison to his peers, isn’t a good player. He doesn’t do a great job setting the edge, he’s extremely unproductive rushing the passer, and he’s now getting paid $4m a year. We give the Colts a -1.5 for this deal but his agent deserves a +2.0 for pulling it off. The Colts have fallen into the trap of watching a player have a career game against them (his +4.1 was the highest he ever managed by far) and assuming that is close to the status quo. It’s not and they’re going to be very disappointed with what they get out of him."

 

Source

Five good reports to one bad....he was underpaid based upon QB pressures/production  We needed an 'edge setter.'  All of our OLBs were DEs that lack the vocabulary of 'contain.'  I am looking forward to the competition between Walden and Hughes...and possibly a draft pick.

 

Time will tell....even IF we overpayed...which is muddled...supposedly only 4 mill guaranteed...how much money did Freeney get the last 2 years Coffee?

[Jason_]

I agree that a player is worth what a team is willing to pay.  But when I read something like this, it does make you wonder what the FO was thinking.

 

-1.5: Now why would you go and do that?

 

Erik Walden (LB) to IND: 4-year, $16m deal

To finish last in our 3-4 outside linebacker rankings once is bad. To do it twice indicates a player who just isn’t ever going to get it. Walden, in comparison to his peers, isn’t a good player. He doesn’t do a great job setting the edge, he’s extremely unproductive rushing the passer, and he’s now getting paid $4m a year. We give the Colts a -1.5 for this deal but his agent deserves a +2.0 for pulling it off. The Colts have fallen into the trap of watching a player have a career game against them (his +4.1 was the highest he ever managed by far) and assuming that is close to the status quo. It’s not and they’re going to be very disappointed with what they get out of him."

 

Source

 

That is a bit concerning, however in another link that was posted in another thread, both Kansas City and Oakland made offers to Walden as well, but Walden chose the Colts because they give him the best opportunity to be on the field.  I was particularly interested that Oakland made since Reggie McKenzie came from Green Bay.  Obviously he saw something in Walden that he liked.

[jbaron04]

a nobody, according to the nobody sitting behind his computer screen...

umm it was on my phone , anyway what can u tell me about walden

[Junior]

@Ryan_McCrystal: Remember when everyone freaked out over Eric Walden's contract? Turns out it's $8m guaranteed. They can cut him after 2 yrs with nothing owed

[tydontlie]

Look in the mirror.

Lol you are corny! and sound just as dumb as he did.

[Coffeedrinker]

Five good reports to one bad....he was underpaid based upon QB pressures/production  We needed an 'edge setter.'  All of our OLBs were DEs that lack the vocabulary of 'contain.'  I am looking forward to the competition between Walden and Hughes...and possibly a draft pick.

 

Time will tell....even IF we overpayed...which is muddled...supposedly only 4 mill guaranteed...how much money did Freeney get the last 2 years Coffee?

 

What difference does it make what Freeney got paid (I don't know of the top of my head I'd have to look it up)?  He was playing out a contract.  Based on his play last year at the position I would be against the Colts giving Freeney the type of contract they gave Walden.

And as I mentioned I don't even care about the contract, when my favorite team makes moves in FA I want them to bring in good players.  Based on what (little) I have seen of Walden and what I have read, he does not fall into the category of "good" player.

[Dan]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/48208/breaking-down-waldens-colts-contract

 

Doesn't seem THAT bad...

[Superman]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/48208/breaking-down-waldens-colts-contract

 

Doesn't seem THAT bad...

 

I was just coming here to post that. I think that makes it seem worse. I don't understand why we'd need to guarantee the second year salary. The deal works out to be basically $8m guaranteed, through 2014. Moderate cap hits all the way through for a starter. He can definitely play up to this contract, but I do believe we probably could have gotten him for less in a couple of days.

 

But like I said in the other thread, this isn't the kind of deal that hamstrings your franchise if it doesn't work. Nothing like giving Kelvin Hayden $8.6m/year. And nothing like the cost in years past for a rookie in the first half of the first round. It's not the end of the world, but I definitely think Walden's agent won that negotiation. That guy has spent a lot of time listening to Dale Carnegie tapes in the car...

[ColtStrong]

Lol you are corny! and sound just as dumb as he did.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[tydontlie]

Welcome to my ignore list.

Awww thank you! I feel honored.

[BrentMc11]

What difference does it make what Freeney got paid (I don't know of the top of my head I'd have to look it up)?  He was playing out a contract.  Based on his play last year at the position I would be against the Colts giving Freeney the type of contract they gave Walden.

And as I mentioned I don't even care about the contract, when my favorite team makes moves in FA I want them to bring in good players.  Based on what (little) I have seen of Walden and what I have read, he does not fall into the category of "good" player.

We have not had outside contain in years.  Walden is that for much less than many LBs.  As stated above, his contract is not bad.  I heard that on Day 1, and everyone was flipping over the totality 4-16 million.

 

Freeney tried and failed in the 3-4 due to injury....about 28 million for little productivity over 2 years and we give a hungry player a chance with Pags...I am all for it...

[Coffeedrinker]

We have not had outside contain in years.  Walden is that for much less than many LBs.  As stated above, his contract is not bad.  I heard that on Day 1, and everyone was flipping over the totality 4-16 million.

 

Freeney tried and failed in the 3-4 due to injury....about 28 million for little productivity over 2 years and we give a hungry player a chance with Pags...I am all for it...

Oh, I see.  Walden is a good signing because he is bad at the same thing the other LBers are bad at but at least he's bad for less money.  That makes sense.

 

Again, I don't get the Freeney comparison what Freeney got paid is irrelevant to anything relating to Walden.  I have not suggested they should have signed Freeney.  I am suggesting that when a team signs FAs they should sign good FAs, Walden does not seem to be a good FA.  And comments about "a hungry player" make no sense desire to do well is a far cry from having the talent and intelligence to do well and so far in his career.   He could turn out to be the perfect OLB for the Colts but nothing in his career so far would support that hope.

 

Also since we are counting good reports vs bad reports, here's another one.

 

Walden, who joined the Packers in the middle of the 2010 season, did not have a good performance in his final game with the Packers, the NFC divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Walden was out of position and was partly responsible for allowing 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to rush for an NFL-quarterback record of 181 yards.

 

Source

[BrentMc11]

Oh, I see.  Walden is a good signing because he is bad at the same thing the other LBers are bad at but at least he's bad for less money.  That makes sense.

 

Again, I don't get the Freeney comparison what Freeney got paid is irrelevant to anything relating to Walden.  I have not suggested they should have signed Freeney.  I am suggesting that when a team signs FAs they should sign good FAs, Walden does not seem to be a good FA.  And comments about "a hungry player" make no sense desire to do well is a far cry from having the talent and intelligence to do well and so far in his career.   He could turn out to be the perfect OLB for the Colts but nothing in his career so far would support that hope.

 

Also since we are counting good reports vs bad reports, here's another one.

 

 

 

Source

I wasn't arguing with you....but now you make ZERO sense so I am done with it. He sets the edge if you read anything.

 

  We got him to set the edge.  I will go with Grigs and Pags over and over again over someone who thinks he has an argument with me.....

 

Freeney is relevent when we talk dollars and 'sense' when it comes to the Colts.  Old last word Coffee comes in and tries to belittle for no reason...Whatever.....  The positives far outweigh the negatives....done with this.

[Coffeedrinker]

I wasn't arguing with you....but now you make ZERO sense so I am done with it. He sets the edge if you read anything.

 

  We got him to set the edge.  I will go with Grigs and Pags over and over again over someone who thinks he has an argument with me.....

 

Freeney is relevent when we talk dollars and 'sense' when it comes to the Colts.  Old last word Coffee comes in and tries to belittle for no reason...Whatever.....  The positives far outweigh the negatives....done with this.

Please, what was "belittling" about anything I typed? I've seen you use that word in other posts about the free agents.  I am truly sorry you feel belittled when people don't agree with you, Andy... I mean BrentMC11.

 

And I agree the coaches and GM usually know more than the sports writers but they are not infallible (see Justice, Zibs, and McGlynn).

 

But you're "done with this," so I guess I will get the last word.

[BrentMc11]

Please, what was "belittling" about anything I typed? I've seen you use that word in other posts about the free agents.  I am truly sorry you feel belittled when people don't agree with you, Andy... I mean BrentMC11.

 

And I agree the coaches and GM usually know more than the sports writers but they are not infallible (see Justice, Zibs, and McGlynn).

 

But you're "done with this," so I guess I will get the last word.

OUCH!  HA HA!  That one will leave a mark...only said that because I did not think we had an argument going ..I guess I was wrong...1st time for everything   .Just kidding of course....

 

I agree totally with the second sentence!!  

 

What word did I use in other threads on FAs....that has commonality?  

 

As to the 3 players mentioned, we know they were stop gaps for the shape we were in financially.....hoping McGlynn follows Zibs and Justice out of town...very least a back-up....

 

No last word needed.

[krunk]

I do not think Grigs and Pagano are going to leave Walden as our sole pass rushing option outside of Mathis. I think he has untapped potential that our coaches can exploit in various ways, but no proven track record for pass rushing. Their primary reason for bringing him in is to shore up the run defense because he is very good at setting the edge. I definitely think there is value there for that with pretty much every team in the AFC South outside of the Colts going to the zone running scheme. I still think they will bring in some options via the draft who are proven to put some real heat on the quarterback. Guys like a Damontre Moore, Trevardo Williams, etc etc. Trust me we will get some more answers for those questions. Our coaches are smart enough to know that this scheme works best when you can bring a combination of pressures from a 4 man front as well as blitz. I do not think they will leave us in a situation where we can only bring pressures from blitzing only.

[House]

Remember that time Freeney got a giant contract, and everyone was happy?

Then remember how much we owed him last year and everyone was sad?

Who predicted that exact scenario would happen?

Point being, we have no clue, right now, if this was good or bad. We just have to wait and see unfortunately.

[chad72]

Oh, I see.  Walden is a good signing because he is bad at the same thing the other LBers are bad at but at least he's bad for less money.  That makes sense.

 

Again, I don't get the Freeney comparison what Freeney got paid is irrelevant to anything relating to Walden.  I have not suggested they should have signed Freeney.  I am suggesting that when a team signs FAs they should sign good FAs, Walden does not seem to be a good FA.  And comments about "a hungry player" make no sense desire to do well is a far cry from having the talent and intelligence to do well and so far in his career.   He could turn out to be the perfect OLB for the Colts but nothing in his career so far would support that hope.

 

Also since we are counting good reports vs bad reports, here's another one.

 

 

 

Source

 

To add to this:

 

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000125589/GameDay-Packers-vs-49ers-highlights

 

(Look closely at 4:50 mark)

 

The last 2 plays when the 49ers punched it in to get to 45 pts, a FB named Bruce Miller (jersey #49, 250 lbs) gets a lock on Walden that Walden is not able to shed for 2 consecutive running plays. (around 7:30 mark)

 

At this point, I am hoping the good overpowers the bad with Walden. I still believe we could have made a play with Barwin for a few million dollars more giving him the added incentive of going against the Texans twice.

[Hans Moleman]

The way I see it, Walden vs Hughes should be a tough camp battle that should push whoever wins it to be better than they've been in the past. I've voiced my concerns about the signing, but the bottom line is the dude's a Colt now and hopefully he can do his part to help the squad out, whether it's through direct contributions or by lighting a fire under Hughes (or both).

[NewEra]

I'm not really sure what all this pass rush talk is all about. The point of a 3/4 is so that you can show and have multiple personnel so you're not sure who's coming or going. Hence, no reason to have a pre determined 'pass rusher'.

It's all about keeping the offense guessing and rushing from many different positions on the field. We don't need pass rushers or run stoppers. We need FOOTBALL PLAYERS!! Which, we signed. Mission accomplished

[Coffeedrinker]

OUCH!  HA HA!  That one will leave a mark...only said that because I did not think we had an argument going ..I guess I was wrong...1st time for everything   .Just kidding of course....

I didn't think we were arguing either until you said I was belittling you.  Oh well. I'm sure we'll disagree again some time.  Just know it's a disagreement not trying to belittle.

[BrentMc11]

OUCH!  HA HA!  That one will leave a mark...only said that because I did not think we had an argument going ..I guess I was wrong...1st time for everything   .Just kidding of course....

I didn't think we were arguing either until you said I was belittling you.  Oh well. I'm sure we'll disagree again some time.  Just know it's a disagreement not trying to belittle.

[Coffeedrinker]

To add to this:

 

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000125589/GameDay-Packers-vs-49ers-highlights

 

(Look closely at 4:50 mark)

 

The last 2 plays when the 49ers punched it in to get to 45 pts, a FB named Bruce Miller (jersey #49, 250 lbs) gets a lock on Walden that Walden is not able to shed for 2 consecutive running plays. (around 7:30 mark)

 

At this point, I am hoping the good overpowers the bad with Walden. I still believe we could have made a play with Barwin for a few million dollars more giving him the added incentive of going against the Texans twice.

Yeah, it's one thing to get blocked by the FB (at the 4:50 mark) but then to chase him down the field for a couple of steps before realizing the QB just ran behind you is pretty bad.

[Nostrils]

I tend to to think about it in terms of production, Hughes gave us 4 sacks last year as a rotational OLB and 40 tackles, Waldens best year he started 15 of 16 games in 2011 and came away with only 60 tackles and 3 sacks, players are paid to produce of course, If you ask me Hughes got the shaft on this one, Grigs is saying, Hughes you had your best year in the first year as a stand up 3-4 DE/OLB but I dont care I am going to bring in a guy thats been doing that for the last 3 years none of which were as productive sack wise as yours was last year and start him, i really seriously have nothing against Walden, as a member of the Colts I hope he does great, history shows othersie however and seriously Hughes cant catch a break(and a backup needs that sometimes to get his shot to prove himself) he was stuck behind Freeney his entire career up till and is seemingly (at least according to what Walden thinks) will get stuck behind a player that had has a serious lack of production in now multiple years in a 3-4, Really Im not complaining, I hope both players do great for us but Walden was overpaid for what he has done so far

 

you and your #'s.. and "production"... my god...

[Gavin]

you and your #'s.. and "production"... my god...

thats what players are paid for, to produce. Now obviously how much they will be required to produce depends on a wide range of factors, but if players dont produce ya wind up wondering when your gonna get that next call from another team after ya got fired from your last one

[Nostrils]

A whole lotta jibberjabber. The LBs are OVERWHELMINGLY more important in the 3/4 than the CBs. And the DEs are OVERWHELMINGLY more important in the 4/3 than the CBs.

 

That's okay. I understand...it is hard for you to show humility.

 

 

hahahahahahahah tell him.. so true... 

[HarassedOffTheSite]

hahahahahahahah tell him.. so true... 

 

;) I did. Too many folks spouting hogwash on here regarding CBs. So much so that I have labelled them Cornerbackites. Hahaha buncha rediculousness.

[Nostrils]

Hahaha and here comes another one.

 

None of that addresses or refutes the reality that in order of importance, CBs are the lowest position in all 3/4 and 4/3 defenses. Y'all are arguing against a myriad of imaginary statements that I have not made.

 

CBs are the lowest position (directly relative to priority and impact on the gameplan) in all 3/4 and 4/3 defenses.

 

It just is what it is and it is that statement that has received a blizzard of hissy-fits . For no reason. Hahaha why fight reality? And in none of those responses has there been anything that can overcome that reality.

 

I understand that between the clique of cornerbackites and the everpresent coterie of those who are desperate to be offended , some have lashed out against it...but all of that drama doesn't change fact. It's not my opinion. It is just fact. And both Polian and Parcells said so this week on their espn free agency show.

 

CBs are the lowest position (directly relative to priority and impact on the gameplan) in all 3/4 and 4/3 defenses.

 

Stop arguing with...

 

"Having an elite pass rush does not necessarily equate to good pass defense" 

"QB rating"

"A team needs both"

"Pass completion rate"

"Sacks"

 

...because none of that addresses my comment nor can it overcome it.

 

CBs are the lowest position (directly relative to priority and impact on the gameplan) in all 3/4 and 4/3 defenses.

 

 

 

 

Because I disagree with you.  It's sad that your ego is so fragile that you can't handle someone providing an alternate opinion to your own.  I do not agree that CB's are of the least importance.  If CB's were of the lowest position, then why does the average CB salary far outweigh the average salary of an ILB or a Safety?  Why are there far more CB's drafted in early rounds than their are ILB's and Safeties?  

 

I do not agree with your assertion that CB's are of the LOWEST priority in all 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, and the importance shown to the position in the draft, FA and the salaries attributed to those positions would also disprove your theory.  

 

 

[krunk]

George Bremer ‏@gmbremer

Pagano on Walden: "He's a three-down guy. There's no question about it." #Colts

Expand Reply Retweet Favorite More

George Bremer ‏@gmbremer

Pagano on Walden: "The guy's a high motor guy. First and second down, he sets the edge as well as anybody." #Colts

Expand Reply Retweet Favorite More

[GoColts8818]

I saw a tweet form Walden when he signed that he said he was told he would be starting on the other side of Mathis.  With that said as we have seen with other players if he doesn't preform and someone else is playing better I am sure he can lose his starter status.  I think they are looking for the Walden and the other OLB they signed to do more run stopping and dropping back into coverage while Mathis and Hughes are expected to provide a pass rush this season.  It's put up or shut up time for Hughes that's for sure. 

[needanoline63]

Remember back when we used to debate whether we wanted Kruger or Avril? Ah, those were the days...

Seriously, we didn't get anyone that we all posted about

[needanoline63]

Note to all, walden was rated the worse 3-4 OLB 2 years in a row, last year and year before