Evan Silva thinks we highly overpaid for three, almost four of our FA signings.

[Indyfan4life]

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/42904/309/wow-now-thats-rich-13?pg=1

1: 3. Colts right tackle Gosder Cherilus

Matt Millen's final first-round pick with the Lions, Cherilus was benched repeatedly during his first four NFL seasons for missed assignments and penalties. Cherilus finally strung together the first 16-start campaign of his career in 2012, turning in a terrific season as a pass blocker and showing a mean streak in the running game.

But Cherilus turns 29 in June and has a worrisome history of knee issues, dating back to the 2009 season. He had his right knee scoped in April of 2010 and was placed on injured reserve with an injury to the same knee that December. Cherilus ultimately required microfracture surgery on his right knee. In February 2013, Cherilus underwent Regenokine therapy in Germany in an effort to cure the chronic knee woes. Regenokine incubates a person's blood, then reinjects it into the body.

Despite an inconsistent on-field track record and red flags on Cherilus' knee, the Colts signed him to a five-year, $34.5 million deal with $15.5 million guaranteed. With a $6.9 million annual average, the contract made Cherilus the NFL's second highest paid right tackle, behind only Dallas' Doug Free. (Free signed his deal after starting the previous season at left tackle.)

2: 5. Colts linebacker Erik Walden

Many free agents got paid more money, but no contract during the NFL signing period was as shocking as Erik Walden's. The Colts gave him $16 million over four seasons, with $8 million guaranteed.

Signed to book end Robert Mathis at rush linebacker -- replacing future Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney -- Walden has nine career sacks across 68 games. He's never had more than three sacks in a season. A 2008 sixth-round pick out of Middle Tennessee, Walden is now on his fifth NFL team in five years. The Packers are famously strong player evaluators and showed little or no interest in re-signing Walden.

Walden will turn 28 before the season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the single-worst 3-4 outside linebacker in terms of pass rush last year. (Connor Barwin was second worst.) Walden was benched in Green Bay for poor run defense. He was also suspended one game in 2012 for violating the NFL's Conduct Policy. Perhaps the Colts know something nobody else does?

3: 15. Colts defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois

The Colts gave a four-year, $22 million contract to an undersized (6'3/295) defensive lineman who's never played more than 300 snaps in a season. Jean-Francois was a solid utility player in San Francisco, but he's not big enough to man the nose full time and offers next to nothing as a pass rusher (three career sacks in 51 games).

The good news is Jean-Francois only received $5.5 million in guaranteed money, none of it extending beyond the first year. The contract is essentially a one-year, $6.5 million commitment. GM Ryan Grigson will decide whether Jean-Francois is worth his scheduled $4.5 million non-guaranteed base salary next offseason, and could get out of the deal free of cost.

Semifinalists: Colts safety LaRon Landry (four years, $24 million, Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (two years, $7.25 million.

EDIT - Edit title please. Didn't see RJF until after I posted the title.

[HtownColt]

So..

So what if people think we overpaid and added 8 new starters and got the players Grigson and staff wanted. That's what free agency is all about, players are looking for the best deal and most players have the leverage because multiple teams are looking for their services.

[Balzer40]

I read this yesterday and just came to the easy conclusion that this guy isn't very knowledgeable about much of anything and im not saying that just because of what he said about the Colts FA'a, it was pretty much his entire list, it was terrible and didn't make much sense. He didn't put any effort or even take the time to really study how the deals were structured.

[California Colt]

FTR Evan Silva is a great writer and puts in a lot of research.

 

However as stated above, who cares.

we had the money and used it to fix the team how we wanted. all the over spends allow us to now continue building the monster draft class by draft class.

[IndyColtScout]

He's right. But I guess the bright side is we didn't put all our eggs in one basket. If we need to cut someone in the future, the cap hit wouldn't be as severe like it would be w/ a Haynesworth type signing.

[PrincetonTiger]

             

[Nobody]

RJF won't play nose, and he doesn't have to be a great pass rusher...

I can agree with the Walden and Cherilus bit

[Peytonparker]

I agree that maybe we did overpay some of these guys, but I also think it isn't as bad as some people are saying. At the end of the day Grigson and Pagano got the guys they wanted all of which are under 30 and probably better than what we have now, so if we had to overpay a little to upgrade than so be it. I for one am happy with our FA group

[TKnight24]

Honestly........... who cares what all these writers think?

[MTC]

Can't say I disagree with him.

[Smonroe]

Is he an accountant?  No?  He's a sportswriter you say?  

 

Well then I guess he should know that you can't establish the value of a player until you actually see him ... maybe play on the team?

[JoKeR]

You always over pay in FA

[IndyColtScout]

You always over pay in FA

For players that multiple teams want. Sometimes like with DHB you can convince them to play for a contract on a good team.

I know it was reported a few teams were in on Walden but I think we could have waited or passed for someone on a 1 yr deal. As for Cherilus, Andre Smith still isn't signed & Vollmer got peanuts compared to Cherilus. Feel like we rushed on that one. Prob could have gotten better value again if we waited. We made Cherilus the 2nd highest paid RT in the NFL, and I don't believe he's been an all pro or pro bowler.

In the end though, since these guys have yet to play there is still a chance the perform up to the standard of pay they got.

[Superman]

There's a saying that goes something like "the more you love your own decisions, the less you need others to like them." I'm pretty sure that's where Grigson is on this whole controversy over whether we overpaid. I think he got who he wanted, and none of the contracts will hurt the team.

 

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

Well Evan Silva is a day late & a dollar short .  Lots of people on these boards said the same thing .  Until the Colts actually play a game his opinion is no better than ours .

 

And if someone actually pays him for a conclusion that many on a message board already reached then his boss has overpaid  & should be fired . 

[james_zeigler1994]

Sounds like people that just don't like the colts to me I wouldn't listen to them LOL.

[In Luck We Trust]

i even thought we over payed for T-O-L-E-R , i don't feel he is a true starter. it is what it is... just my opinion though.

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

For players that multiple teams want. Sometimes like with DHB you can convince them to play for a contract on a good team.

I know it was reported a few teams were in on Walden but I think we could have waited or passed for someone on a 1 yr deal. As for Cherilus, Andre Smith still isn't signed & Vollmer got peanuts compared to Cherilus. Feel like we rushed on that one. Prob could have gotten better value again if we waited. We made Cherilus the 2nd highest paid RT in the NFL, and I don't believe he's been an all pro or pro bowler.

In the end though, since these guys have yet to play there is still a chance the perform up to the standard of pay they got.

 

For players that multiple teams want. Sometimes like with DHB you can convince them to play for a contract on a good team.

I know it was reported a few teams were in on Walden but I think we could have waited or passed for someone on a 1 yr deal. As for Cherilus, Andre Smith still isn't signed & Vollmer got peanuts compared to Cherilus. Feel like we rushed on that one. Prob could have gotten better value again if we waited. We made Cherilus the 2nd highest paid RT in the NFL, and I don't believe he's been an all pro or pro bowler.

In the end though, since these guys have yet to play there is still a chance the perform up to the standard of pay they got.

 

Can't we let the team take the field before we dog Ryan Grigsons FA acquisitions .  It has been posted that the deals made are front loaded & if some can't  or are unable to play up to expectations then the Colts can cut them loose . Or am I wrong ??

I read there were multiple teams after Walden & Cherilus .  These were important signings to Ryan Grigson  why can't we give him the benefit of doubt , Just based on his first year does'nt he deserve it ..

[IndyColtScout]

I'm all for giving them a chance to play. But almost everyone on this board before FA was all about using the money in a way where the players we signed were value signings. Many were very big on not overpaying.

Now don't get me wrong. I love the Colts. I want these guys to prove me & everyone else wrong. However, that doesn't mean I can't say they got overpaid.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/42904/309/wow-now-thats-rich-13?pg=1

1: 3. Colts right tackle Gosder Cherilus

Matt Millen's final first-round pick with the Lions, Cherilus was benched repeatedly during his first four NFL seasons for missed assignments and penalties. Cherilus finally strung together the first 16-start campaign of his career in 2012, turning in a terrific season as a pass blocker and showing a mean streak in the running game.

But Cherilus turns 29 in June and has a worrisome history of knee issues, dating back to the 2009 season. He had his right knee scoped in April of 2010 and was placed on injured reserve with an injury to the same knee that December. Cherilus ultimately required microfracture surgery on his right knee. In February 2013, Cherilus underwent Regenokine therapy in Germany in an effort to cure the chronic knee woes. Regenokine incubates a person's blood, then reinjects it into the body.

Despite an inconsistent on-field track record and red flags on Cherilus' knee, the Colts signed him to a five-year, $34.5 million deal with $15.5 million guaranteed. With a $6.9 million annual average, the contract made Cherilus the NFL's second highest paid right tackle, behind only Dallas' Doug Free. (Free signed his deal after starting the previous season at left tackle.)

2: 5. Colts linebacker Erik Walden

Many free agents got paid more money, but no contract during the NFL signing period was as shocking as Erik Walden's. The Colts gave him $16 million over four seasons, with $8 million guaranteed.

Signed to book end Robert Mathis at rush linebacker -- replacing future Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney -- Walden has nine career sacks across 68 games. He's never had more than three sacks in a season. A 2008 sixth-round pick out of Middle Tennessee, Walden is now on his fifth NFL team in five years. The Packers are famously strong player evaluators and showed little or no interest in re-signing Walden.

Walden will turn 28 before the season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the single-worst 3-4 outside linebacker in terms of pass rush last year. (Connor Barwin was second worst.) Walden was benched in Green Bay for poor run defense. He was also suspended one game in 2012 for violating the NFL's Conduct Policy. Perhaps the Colts know something nobody else does?

3: 15. Colts defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois

The Colts gave a four-year, $22 million contract to an undersized (6'3/295) defensive lineman who's never played more than 300 snaps in a season. Jean-Francois was a solid utility player in San Francisco, but he's not big enough to man the nose full time and offers next to nothing as a pass rusher (three career sacks in 51 games).

The good news is Jean-Francois only received $5.5 million in guaranteed money, none of it extending beyond the first year. The contract is essentially a one-year, $6.5 million commitment. GM Ryan Grigson will decide whether Jean-Francois is worth his scheduled $4.5 million non-guaranteed base salary next offseason, and could get out of the deal free of cost.

Semifinalists: Colts safety LaRon Landry (four years, $24 million, Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (two years, $7.25 million.

EDIT - Edit title please. Didn't see RJF until after I posted the title.

 

What did Silva pick us to do last year?

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Honestly........... who cares what all these writers think?

 

Bottomfeeders who have (NEED) an axe to grind.

[Indyfan4life]

I just found the article and thought it was interesting that a majority of our FA signings came off as overpriced is all. 

[TKnight24]

Bottomfeeders who have (NEED) an axe to grind.

I just feel like if it's nothing positive about us, it's irrelevant. I thought people got enough of all the negativity from last year when they said we wouldn't win 2 games.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

I just feel like if it's nothing positive about us, it's irrelevant. I thought people got enough of all the negativity from last year when they said we wouldn't win 2 games.

 

Some people exalt their uninformed, lazy opinions well above the hard earned knowledge of the braintrust that is running the Colts. So....if a tool comes along and writes something that falls in line with their negadit thesis, they'll sieze it. You have those type of folks in every fanbase. Some more than others. Fortunately ours is in a very small minority. Unfortunately, they do clog up our forums with their twaddle.

[TKnight24]

Some people exalt their uninformed, lazy opinions well above the hard earned knowledge of the braintrust that is running the Colts. So....if a tool comes along and writes something that falls in line with their negadit thesis, they'll sieze it. You have those type of folks in every fanbase. Some more than others. Fortunately ours is in a very small minority. Unfortunately, they do clog up our forums with their twaddle.

"Twaddle"?

[smittywerb]

He knows nothing of this team. It seems like the walden signing to him is bad because walden won't reproduce the same pass rush as freeney. Well duh, that's not what he is being brought in for. And despite what he says about him being second worst against the run, many credible have said otherwise. It seems he thought we brought him in to play every down and that's not the case.

It seems everyone thinks we overpaid because they don't know who the player is.

And it's AMAZING how mike Wallace who is getting 11/year to run a streak doesn't even crack the top 10. No sign of Kruger near the top either.

Yeah, take what this guy says with a grain of salt, seems like he's only attracted to names.

[Indyfan4life]

I personally don't care what an "expert" has to say. I was more interested in other fans opinions on the matter..

[Colts_Fan12]

The signings are good IMO they won't have to prove me wrong cause I believe they will be good in our system I'm not gonna dout them like all the media

The media is just mad that we didn't blow all our money on 1 player like other teams so they didn't have a big story to cover

[HarassedOffTheSite]

He knows nothing of this team. It seems like the walden signing to him is bad because walden won't reproduce the same pass rush as freeney. Well duh, that's not what he is being brought in for. And despite what he says about him being second worst against the run, many credible have said otherwise. It seems he thought we brought him in to play every down and that's not the case.

It seems everyone thinks we overpaid because they don't know who the player is.

And it's AMAZING how mike Wallace who is getting 11/year to run a streak doesn't even crack the top 10. No sign of Kruger near the top either.

Yeah, take what this guy says with a grain of salt, seems like he's only attracted to names.

 

I wonder what Silva thinks of the moves made by the two perennial Clown Cars in Cleveland & Miami.

[smittywerb]

I wonder what Silva thinks of the moves made by the two perennial Clown Cars in Cleveland & Miami.

Probably thinks they were good moves, probably why we don't see Kruger near the top.

[LockeDown]

I wouldn't put all of this on Grigson.  I believe Pagano and Manusky's fingerprints are all over these signings as well.  They have been in the league a long time and have played against most if not all of these guys.  No surprises here.  We got what we wanted.  It just comes as a surprise to most of us what they wanted.

[lollygagger8]

I overpay for my internet.

 

Somebody should write a piece on how much I overpay, so I can not read/care about it.

[Tyler Shaw]

He knows nothing of this team. It seems like the walden signing to him is bad because walden won't reproduce the same pass rush as freeney. Well duh, that's not what he is being brought in for. And despite what he says about him being second worst against the run, many credible have said otherwise. It seems he thought we brought him in to play every down and that's not the case.

It seems everyone thinks we overpaid because they don't know who the player is.

And it's AMAZING how mike Wallace who is getting 11/year to run a streak doesn't even crack the top 10. No sign of Kruger near the top either.

Yeah, take what this guy says with a grain of salt, seems like he's only attracted to names.

Walden was brought in to play all 3 downs if you listen to Grigson and Pag

[trueblueblood]

There's a reason "Evan silva " is not a gm

[bahhummbug]

RJF won't play nose, and he doesn't have to be a great pass rusher...

I can agree with the Walden and Cherilus bit

But we all know you Knowbody you h8 the walden signing myself I will give him a chance before I curse him.Cherilus may be overpayed but he was a need and it sounded like he had other offers ,so Grigs,and Jim jumped higher than probably could of got him for.

[BOTT]

I personally don't care what an "expert" has to say. I was more interested in other fans opinions on the matter..

Calling Evan Silva an expert is being kind. Just a fan with a journalism degree

[a06cc]

Evan is right and wrong about what he said. He has proof to back up his claims. Until these players step on the field and prove him wrong, which I hope they do. He is right to say whatever he needs too

[Warhorse]

When the Bears gave Tim Jennings more money than we were willing to give him, I'll bet a sportswriter wrote an article that they overpaid.

 

9 int's later......sportswriter doesn't write an article about how he underestimated rather than the Bear overpaying.

 

 

Meh...

[Warhorse]

I also remember how many writers said that the Colts were destined to repeat at 2-14....maybe 5 wins at the most. Some of those writers were.....gulp......experts...

[TKnight24]

Yep, we overpaid. Yep, at least this pony can do more than one trick

*Glares at Dolphins GM* >_>