Darrius Heyward-Bey will have a huge season

[BlueCollarColts]

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2013/6/10/4415618/colts-qb-andrew-luck-hearts-free-agent-acquisition-wr-darrius-heyward-bey

I think this article explains perfectly why,I believe Heyward-Bey could be in line for a 1,000+ yard season, for starters Luck loves Heyward-Bey, which means those 2 can develop a great chemisty together which is very important, also if you read the article (I think it's a great read) it gives interesting stats how when Reggie Wayne was being thrown the ball from Orlovsky and Painter he had a down year, and insert Andrew Luck, and he has a great year, Oaklands Qb's were a revolving door, so coming here and having Luck throw him the ball will help him, also in Oakland they did not have a proven #1 wide-out that the defense had to key on like Reggie Wayne here, and the defense will probably pay a lot of attention to T.Y. Hilton too, so Heyward-Bey will see a lot of 1 on 1 coverage, and with his 6'2 220 lbs frame, I think he can win those, I think Heyward-Bey will have a fantastic year, and he might be out future #1 receiver

[CR91]

dhb is gonna be great for us. forget what you saw in oakland because that is not what he can do,

[NewColtsFan]

I think fans who think DHB is heading for 1,000 yard season should remember several things....

 

First,  DHB is coming off a roughly 40/600/5 season....     so, he could catch 50-60 passes for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's and he'd have a much better season than last year but still fall way short of a 1,000 yard season.    But I'd be thrilled with the numbers I proposed.

 

Is it possible that DHB will get enough catches for 1,000 yards?   Sure.    But, is it likely?    No, and there are lots of reasons why not.

 

First,  Luck LOVES him some Reggie Wayne.    Hard to see him loving anyone more until Reggie retires.  

 

Second,   DHB won't get all the deep stuff,  TYH averaged a crazy 17+ yds a catch last year.   He should push DHB for the deep stuff...

 

Third....   I think you'll see the tight ends much more involved with the passing game this year.   Allen and Fleener combined for 71 catches last year.    I'm expecting roughly 100 catches for them this year.    Tight ends are important to the short passing game.

 

Fourth....  we want to throw to the RB's more...  including Havili and maybe even Williams.

 

Fifth....     We want to throw somewhat less and run somewhat more this year....

 

All of this combines to point to no receiver having a huge breakout type year as predicted for DHB.    It just doesn't seem likely.

 

I still think Wayne catches 80-85 passes for 1,000+ yards this year....   but I don't see 105 for 1300+ like he did last year.

 

The goal is to be more diversified this year on offense.    Make the defense have to respect and defend every possible weapon.  That wasn't always the case last year.  

 

Sorry this went so long....   just wanted to lay-out why I think the chances are slim for DHB to have the big year you think he might....

[Buck Showalter]

One of Grigsons FA moves is bound to pay big dividends, why shouldnt it be DHB

[NewColtsFan]

One of Grigsons FA moves is bound to pay big dividends, why shouldnt it be DHB

 

 

Why isn't 50 to 55 catches for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's considered big dividends?

 

That's what I think he'll get and I'll be very happy if he does.

[SteelCityColt]

Why isn't 50 to 55 catches for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's considered big dividends?

 

That's what I think he'll get and I'll be very happy if he does.

 

Quoted this post for brevity, but I agree with your original sentiments that a 1000 yards would be an exceptional season as he might not be limited just by his talent. Say Andrew has a great season and throws for 4,500 yards. It would be sensible to assume that 1,000 yards go to Reggie. If TY matches last season than call it another 900 yards. 2,600 yards then split among DHB, Fleener, Allen, Havali, Brown, Brazil, Wr no.5 (TBD ). I can't see any of those getting to a 1000 yards though I won't complain if they do!

[HarassedOffTheSite]

A quote from the article that sums up my position regarding DHB from the beginning...

 

...this is the Raiders organization we are talking about, which, for the better part of 10 years, has been the laughing stock of the NFL.

[lollygagger8]

If we have multiple 1,000 yard receivers this year....

 

[Luck_Is_Skilled]

Signing with the Colts is like a new lease on (football) life for DHB. Oaklands QB situation is still in shambles.

DHB has found a home here and this will not be his only season in Indy.

[oldunclemark]

     If we accept that Andrw Luck is a better QB than Carson Palmer

 

..and that the Colts did (in 2012) and hopefully will continue to throw 25-35 times per game...

 

 

/..Bey is the big owerful reciver the Colts dont have..and if they trail in games (and they will, we arent that good yet)

 

....Wayne and DHB should both be near 1,000 yards as was Pierre Garcon when he played with us...

 

DHB is much better after the catch than Wayne and, with Hilton and the TEs, hell get single coverage. 

 

  If Luck throws for 5,000 yards (and I think 6-8 QBs will), DHB will have 1,000 of them

[Kevin Bowen]

I tend to shy away from the breakout seasons with XX mount of catches and XXX amount of yards with this offense.

 

Sure, I've said Ballard will be over 1,000 yards and Pagano has talked about Fleener doubling his 2012 production.

 

But as has been stated above, this offense is so balanced this year that I could see games where DHB only catches a pass or two.

 

So many differenet weapons allows for Pep Hamilton to exploit the most favorable matchup.

[TKnight24]

It's all set up for DHB to be great here, now it's up to him to deliver

I'm still not sold on him yet so we'll see what he does this season

[Boiler_Colt]

I don't think we'll have multiple WR's with 1000 yards simply because the TE's will see even more catches this year as will the tailbacks. At most I think DHB can replicate what Garcon did here a few years ago, have some spectacular plays and then some head scratchers.

[Buck Showalter]

Why isn't 50 to 55 catches for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's considered big dividends?

 

That's what I think he'll get and I'll be very happy if he does.

800 yards, 8 TD's, with 16 YPC avg. would be awesome...

I was making more of a statement about the fact that Grigs has made SO MANY moves through, FA, the Draft, & UDFA, that the law of averages would say at least one or two of the new acquisitions will be pretty good players for the Colts...

I have a personal interest in one of those players being DHB, living in SOCAL I have to deal with Raider Nation thugs on a weekly basis throughout the season, so I would love to rock a DHB jersey at the local watering hole while DHB is having a career season wearing a horseshoe instead of the black & silver...

So I hope DHB has a good season & hope he builds chemistry with Luck quickly so he can come out guns blazing in the season opener!!!

[oldunclemark]

      1,000 yards isnt that many (63 a game) for a passing team in 16 games...

 

 

A good point was made ... Bolier......

 

.....its logical for multiple reasons for Coby Fleener to be the biggest benefit from the new offense..

 

......To me, if we go deep less (as is being suggested) the biggest loser will be TY Hilton, unfortunately..

 

DHB is a big strong guy who can catch a short one and break a tackle for a long one.

 

If DHB starts 16 times, I would be a little disappointed with less than 1,000...

[coltsfanatic24]

I think he'll have a great season as well but won't get 1,000 yards, we have too many weapons on offense. Wayne and T.Y will both get 1,000 yards and Fleener will be close to it. I can see DHB with 68 rec, 750 yards 7 TD's and that would be great for a 4th option.

[Coltscodeblue]

We will have to see, with Pep and a new offense no telling how many touches he will get :}

 

One team! One Goal! Win the SB!

 

Go Colts!!!!!

[gbrads_rants]

Our offense is going to look alot like San Fran and Green Bay which means the ball is going to be spread out.....everyone can potentially have  big game on any sunday but it wont be consistent

[Nyvart]

I think fans who think DHB is heading for 1,000 yard season should remember several things....

 

First,  DHB is coming off a roughly 40/600/5 season....     so, he could catch 50-60 passes for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's and he'd have a much better season than last year but still fall way short of a 1,000 yard season.    But I'd be thrilled with the numbers I proposed.

 

Is it possible that DHB will get enough catches for 1,000 yards?   Sure.    But, is it likely?    No, and there are lots of reasons why not.

 

First,  Luck LOVES him some Reggie Wayne.    Hard to see him loving anyone more until Reggie retires.  

 

Second,   DHB won't get all the deep stuff,  TYH averaged a crazy 17+ yds a catch last year.   He should push DHB for the deep stuff...

 

Third....   I think you'll see the tight ends much more involved with the passing game this year.   Allen and Fleener combined for 71 catches last year.    I'm expecting roughly 100 catches for them this year.    Tight ends are important to the short passing game.

 

Fourth....  we want to throw to the RB's more...  including Havili and maybe even Williams.

 

Fifth....     We want to throw somewhat less and run somewhat more this year....

 

All of this combines to point to no receiver having a huge breakout type year as predicted for DHB.    It just doesn't seem likely.

 

I still think Wayne catches 80-85 passes for 1,000+ yards this year....   but I don't see 105 for 1300+ like he did last year.

 

The goal is to be more diversified this year on offense.    Make the defense have to respect and defend every possible weapon.  That wasn't always the case last year.  

 

Sorry this went so long....   just wanted to lay-out why I think the chances are slim for DHB to have the big year you think he might....

 

I agree with 100% of this post (odd for me on a message board )

[UKColt13]

DHB has a huge ceiling. Hard worker. Everything I like to see.

Don't judge him on his Oakland years. We're getting a completely different guy.

[ColtStorm_12]

I look forward to him having a great season for us.  He's going to be big with Luck getting him the ball.

[chrisfarley]

he showed glimpses with the R'DERS but don't think he is going to do much better or even as good as our 2nd year players. Reggie will shine.

[Le Neon]

Last year is just not a good year to go by.  He got killed early in the year and by the time he might have been right again the Raiders were experimenting with the likes of Terrelle Pryor.  If he's healthy I think there's every reason to expect his best year as a pro.  

 

70-80 catches for 1000+ yards.

[aliveon2legs]

I think fans who think DHB is heading for 1,000 yard season should remember several things....

 

You missed an important point in all of that.  Yes, we will throw less, but Luck's completion percentage should go up dramatically.  He could easily throw less and have more passing yards.  Yes, they're going to spread the ball around, but Reggie and DHB will be the only two guys on the field at all times.  

 

1,000 yards for DHB wouldn't surprise me a bit.

[NewColtsFan]

You missed an important point in all of that.  Yes, we will throw less, but Luck's completion percentage should go up dramatically.  He could easily throw less and have more passing yards.  Yes, they're going to spread the ball around, but Reggie and DHB will be the only two guys on the field at all times.  

 

1,000 yards for DHB wouldn't surprise me a bit.

 

Sorry,  I was trying not to get too bogged down in numbers....    but I'm aware of all of them...

 

Last year, we threw roughly 39.5 times a game...

 

We ran roughly 27.5 times....

 

67 plays....

 

This year, I'm expecting we'll pass roughly 36 times and run roughly 31 times...   same 67 plays...

 

I think Luck will complete roughly 22-23 passes, and that's where the higher completion percentage will come in.   I'm expecting roughly 62 percent in this first year of the new system.   Last year he completed nearly 22 passes per game.  So, a few more completion this year, but not a lot.   Again,  fewer attempts makes the percentage go up.

 

But I think it will all add up to roughly the same 275 yards per game that got last year.   No reason to anticipate that a shorter passing game is going to lead to more yards....     

 

Honestly, I'm expecting Luck to have roughly 4400 yards most years of his career.   Some will be more and some less, but on average,  right around there...  and that's 275.     

 

I think the odds of DHB catching enough passes this year to get 1,000 yards is possible, but not likely given all the reasons I listed above....

 

Apologies for all the numbers....  but I wanted to address your thoughts....

 

And since you're a new member,   welcome to the community!    Hope you enjoy it!     

[aliveon2legs]

Thanks.

 

I'm sure there will be plenty of dink and dunk, but I'm also expecting a lot of play-action.  With 2 guys that have the speed of DHB and T.Y., they'd be crazy to not, and one of them is likely to get behind the defense every time.  

 

It will also be interesting to see how much freedom Pep gives Luck to change the play at the line when he sees something.  Luck had a ton of freedom at Stanford.

[ColtStrong]

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2013/6/10/4415618/colts-qb-andrew-luck-hearts-free-agent-acquisition-wr-darrius-heyward-bey

I think this article explains perfectly why,I believe

Well of course you believe it, because It goes along with what you believe!

 

And there are those that don't believe. It's all good. 

[NewColtsFan]

Thanks.

 

I'm sure there will be plenty of dink and dunk, but I'm also expecting a lot of play-action.  With 2 guys that have the speed of DHB and T.Y., they'd be crazy to not, and one of them is likely to get behind the defense every time.  

 

It will also be interesting to see how much freedom Pep gives Luck to change the play at the line when he sees something.  Luck had a ton of freedom at Stanford.

 

There should be plenty of play-action.   Best news,  Andrew both loves it, and he's very, very good at doing it.   We used it surprisingly little last year.    I suspect we'll do plenty of it this year.

 

As to freedom from Pep?    I'm expecting almost complete freedom.   I'd be stunned if otherwise.    You are very much correct, Luck had almost total freedom at Stanford.   I'm expecting the same here.

[aliveon2legs]

There should be plenty of play-action.   Best news,  Andrew both loves it, and he's very, very good at doing it.   We used it surprisingly little last year.    I suspect we'll do plenty of it this year.

 

As to freedom from Pep?    I'm expecting almost complete freedom.   I'd be stunned if otherwise.    You are very much correct, Luck had almost total freedom at Stanford.   I'm expecting the same here.

 

It certainly sounds like it; from the USAToday article linked in the other thread:

 

"Sometimes he's going a little bit too fast for the rest of us, making checks, switching plays, changing the cadence. He apologizes and brings it back," second-year tight end Dwayne Allen said. "He's definitely at command of the ship. He is on top of it. This is his offense, and he's in control.

"Last year, he'd be looking back at (Arians), 'Can I do this? What about this?' This year, it's like, 'This is how it's going down. Hey, you, get here. You go there. We've got this.' It's totally different."

[Ohio Colt]

Heyward-Bey is just not a "huge season" type of guy - my opinion. Has never had more than 64 receptions in a season and other than that has not even had a 50-catch season.

 

He is a deep threat, field stretch type which we needed. I think the other guys are suited well in other roles but you need someone who can beat the D over the top. Heyward is that guy. Huge season to me is what Reggie did last year and basically does every year. He's going to be our huge season, #1 WR again. Heyward-bey complements a nice stable of receivers well with the things he does well though.

[krunk]

*The Colts had a pretty good vertical passing game last year, and they are looking to develop it further. What’s more, they believe they have the resources to be one of the better teams in the league at stretching the field. Part of their enthusiasm has to do with the acquisition of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Indy coaches see him as a potentially explosive playmaker who can get behind coverage. The Colts will be trying to get Heyward-Bey more opportunities than he ever had in Oakland. And they also want to use second year tight end Coby Fleener more as a vertical threat down the seam. With his speed and size, Fleener should be able to take advantage of man to man matchups as well as zone coverages.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFP-Sunday-Blitz-1396.html

[John Dee]

I think fans who think DHB is heading for 1,000 yard season should remember several things....

 

First,  DHB is coming off a roughly 40/600/5 season....     so, he could catch 50-60 passes for 750-800 yards and 6-8 TD's and he'd have a much better season than last year but still fall way short of a 1,000 yard season.    But I'd be thrilled with the numbers I proposed.

 

Is it possible that DHB will get enough catches for 1,000 yards?   Sure.    But, is it likely?    No, and there are lots of reasons why not.

 

First,  Luck LOVES him some Reggie Wayne.    Hard to see him loving anyone more until Reggie retires.  

 

Second,   DHB won't get all the deep stuff,  TYH averaged a crazy 17+ yds a catch last year.   He should push DHB for the deep stuff...

 

Third....   I think you'll see the tight ends much more involved with the passing game this year.   Allen and Fleener combined for 71 catches last year.    I'm expecting roughly 100 catches for them this year.    Tight ends are important to the short passing game.

 

Fourth....  we want to throw to the RB's more...  including Havili and maybe even Williams.

 

Fifth....     We want to throw somewhat less and run somewhat more this year....

 

All of this combines to point to no receiver having a huge breakout type year as predicted for DHB.    It just doesn't seem likely.

 

I still think Wayne catches 80-85 passes for 1,000+ yards this year....   but I don't see 105 for 1300+ like he did last year.

 

The goal is to be more diversified this year on offense.    Make the defense have to respect and defend every possible weapon.  That wasn't always the case last year.  

 

Sorry this went so long....   just wanted to lay-out why I think the chances are slim for DHB to have the big year you think he might....

In other words Indy's O is deep and diverse....       ;)

[BlueCollarColts]

*The Colts had a pretty good vertical passing game last year, and they are looking to develop it further. What’s more, they believe they have the resources to be one of the better teams in the league at stretching the field. Part of their enthusiasm has to do with the acquisition of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Indy coaches see him as a potentially explosive playmaker who can get behind coverage. The Colts will be trying to get Heyward-Bey more opportunities than he ever had in Oakland. And they also want to use second year tight end Coby Fleener more as a vertical threat down the seam. With his speed and size, Fleener should be able to take advantage of man to man matchups as well as zone coverages.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFP-Sunday-Blitz-1396.html

I see big things from Heyward-Bey 

[a06cc]

We'll see what happens. Not going to get excited or worked up. We look great on paper, but need to produce.

[John Dee]

I think we will see DHB do very well.   He, Fleener, and TY will put a TON of pressure on a defensive backfield.   leaving Wayne and Allen lots of room underneath..

 

If Indy runs the ball well then all these WR/TE's will get plenty of chances for big plays.  And big stats.  

 

I cannot wait to see this O get on the field.  

[Colts_Fan12]

I think he'll have a great season as well but won't get 1,000 yards, we have too many weapons on offense. Wayne and T.Y will both get 1,000 yards and Fleener will be close to it. I can see DHB with 68 rec, 750 yards 7 TD's and that would be great for a 4th option.

I'm just not sure he is the 4th option IMO he is option #2

[a06cc]

DHB will have shot to be #1 option. Doesn't matter if Wayne is Lucks favorite target. QB is going to find open receiver.

[Le Neon]

He looked breathtakingly fast when he ran an endaround at minicamp.

[Crabbranch]

Quoted this post for brevity, but I agree with your original sentiments that a 1000 yards would be an exceptional season as he might not be limited just by his talent. Say Andrew has a great season and throws for 4,500 yards. It would be sensible to assume that 1,000 yards go to Reggie. If TY matches last season than call it another 900 yards. 2,600 yards then split among DHB, Fleener, Allen, Havali, Brown, Brazil, Wr no.5 (TBD ). I can't see any of those getting to a 1000 yards though I won't complain if they do!

 

So in this you are considering T.Y Hilton to get more looks on the field. If they use more 2 TE sets, who will be the 2 WRs that will be on the field? Must consider that the slot will be filled by TE. In those situation I thought TY would probably be out, because he would fit the slot in 3WRs set

[SteelCityColt]

So in this you are considering T.Y Hilton to get more looks on the field. If they use more 2 TE sets, who will be the 2 WRs that will be on the field? Must consider that the slot will be filled by TE. In those situation I thought TY would probably be out, because he would fit the slot in 3WRs set

 

That's a good point and I shouldn't fall into the trap of comparing this season to last as a like for like due to the difference in playbooks. However I do think he will still get a fair few looks in 2WR sets (I can see him and DHB rotating to start with unless on establishes himself), and I'd imagine he'd be used as well in WR screens etc. I'd be interested to see if they do ever put Hilton outside and whether he can play there. My knee jerk reaction would be no due to the lack of height but you never know.

 

Of course until the first kick off of the season this is just pure speculation... but we need to fill the off season somehow