Grading Every Indianapolis Colts Major Offseason Move to Date

[OldSchoolColt]

From the bleacher report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1684427-grading-every-indianapolis-colts-major-offseason-move-to-date

 

Nice article that covers a lot of our new players. I don't agree with all the grades and evaluations, but it makes you see just how well the Colts have improved in key areas. Eric Walden does look like a beast and should get a much better grade considering why we brought in his run stopping talents.

 

What parts do you agree with or don't and why?

[OldSchoolColt]

Oh, and for no additional cost, you get the "Offseason Power Rankings for Every Player on the Colts Roster"  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1657349-offseason-power-rankings-for-every-player-on-the-colts-roster

 

I did agree with most of his rankings and the importance of individual players to the team. Comments?

[Albaby]

I don't agree with Greg Toler's grade.  Because at the beginning of the article he says that he graded every player on their potential talent that they can bring on the field.  Then, when he got to Toler, he graded him lower because of his consistency to stay healthy.  He didn't do that with Bradshaw.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking that Toler has a lot to offer the Colts. 

[Coltsfanman1953]

I like all of our additions but the ultimate determining factor will be the injury bug and he has sure been against us in the past.

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

From the bleacher report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1684427-grading-every-indianapolis-colts-major-offseason-move-to-date

 

Nice article that covers a lot of our new players. I don't agree with all the grades and evaluations, but it makes you see just how well the Colts have improved in key areas. Eric Walden does look like a beast and should get a much better grade considering why we brought in his run stopping talents.

 

What parts do you agree with or don't and why?

I think his evaluation of Walden was spot on. In no way has he shown to be a beast at anything or even average at anything on the football field. In that lackluster defense of GB he would have been able to stand out more or be known for something, but instead he just was another plug in their defunct defense that contributed to the "badness" of that defense. I would actually give him a lower grade than the writer, but that is just me. 

[Dark Superman]

I think Toler is going to surprise a lot of people..

[Ja'Crispy]

Not to be "that guy" but I'm more interested in the grades for these guys next February. I understand the desire to grade the moves right now and project how they will turn out but I want to see them on Sundays first.

[Superman]

Not to be "that guy" but I'm more interested in the grades for these guys next February. I understand the desire to grade the moves right now and project how they will turn out but I want to see them on Sundays first.

 

The results will be the ultimate judge, but I like when people put themselves on the record beforehand, rather than being critical with the benefit of hindsight. It's easy to complain about $30m for Corey Simon when the move doesn't work, but it rings hollow if you were all aboard when it first happened. 

[Superman]

Speaking of going on record, here I am defending the Erik Walden deal again.

 

Here's what they wrote:

The four-year deal worth $16 million, reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn, seems pretty big for a player that was completely manhandled by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2012 NFC divisional playoff game, but he's not as bad of a player as that game showed.

Walden can make plays and help set the edge in a 3-4 defense, but he needs to prove that he can do it consistently.  If he does that, this was a decent signing, but until he's proved that he can do just that, this will be a bit of a head scratcher.

 

 

First of all, Walden's deal can be ripped up if he's not effective after this season. It essentially is a one year, $4m tryout. And because he only got a $1m signing bonus, the dead money if we were to release him would only be $750k in 2014. Very team friendly.

 

Secondly, $4m/year isn't a lot for a starting Sam backer in a 3-4 defense. So even if we do keep Walden for the entirety of the contract, it's not that big of a contract.

 

As for Walden being "completely manhandled" against the Niners, we're really talking about one play. Exaggerate much??? And Walden's position coach absolved him of guilt after the game, saying that he wasn't the main culprit. Watch the film of the play, and you'll see that, while Walden didn't play it perfectly, the inside backer really blew the play and left Walden out to dry. 

 

If you go back and watch the Colts vs. Packers game from Week 5, you'll see what the Colts hope to get out of Walden. Not much of a statistical impact in that game -- you're not looking for stats out of the Sam backer in this defense, which is why most people don't really understand why we signed Walden -- but it was probably the best game of the season for him. He's good at setting the edge, he's a capable blitzer, he's capable in coverage, and he's familiar with the position. His signing also allowed us to move Mathis to the Rush spot, so it significantly improves our defensive front.

 

People were expecting us to sign a sexy pass rusher (Kruger, Avril, Barwin, etc.), and instead we signed the unheralded Walden. And the numbers on the contract jump out at you. But if you do a little thinking, you'll understand that there's nothing wrong with this signing. If it works out, it's a great deal for the Colts. If not, it's a one year project, and we have Werner to fill the role moving forward.

[Ja'Crispy]

The results will be the ultimate judge, but I like when people put themselves on the record beforehand, rather than being critical with the benefit of hindsight. It's easy to complain about $30m for Corey Simon when the move doesn't work, but it rings hollow if you were all aboard when it first happened.

Yeah that's a valid point. Put your opinion out there and then own it if you are wrong. I just don't like the articles that say stuff like "Walden is overpaid and won't work out" (not saying that this is what this article did, just an example). I just hope to see these same writers do a write up after the season and adjust their initial grades.

[Superman]

Yeah that's a valid point. Put your opinion out there and then own it if you are wrong. I just don't like the articles that say stuff like "Walden is overpaid and won't work out" (not saying that this is what this article did, just an example). I just hope to see these same writers do a write up after the season and adjust their initial grades.

 

Speak of the devil... I just countered their criticism of the Walden signing above.

[Warhorse]

Speaking of going on record, here I am defending the Erik Walden deal again.

 

Here's what they wrote:

 

First of all, Walden's deal can be ripped up if he's not effective after this season. It essentially is a one year, $4m tryout. And because he only got a $1m signing bonus, the dead money if we were to release him would only be $750k in 2014. Very team friendly.

 

Secondly, $4m/year isn't a lot for a starting Sam backer in a 3-4 defense. So even if we do keep Walden for the entirety of the contract, it's not that big of a contract.

 

As for Walden being "completely manhandled" against the Niners, we're really talking about one play. Exaggerate much??? And Walden's position coach absolved him of guilt after the game, saying that he wasn't the main culprit. Watch the film of the play, and you'll see that, while Walden didn't play it perfectly, the inside backer really blew the play and left Walden out to dry. 

 

If you go back and watch the Colts vs. Packers game from Week 5, you'll see what the Colts hope to get out of Walden. Not much of a statistical impact in that game -- you're not looking for stats out of the Sam backer in this defense, which is why most people don't really understand why we signed Walden -- but it was probably the best game of the season for him. He's good at setting the edge, he's a capable blitzer, he's capable in coverage, and he's familiar with the position. His signing also allowed us to move Mathis to the Rush spot, so it significantly improves our defensive front.

 

People were expecting us to sign a sexy pass rusher (Kruger, Avril, Barwin, etc.), and instead we signed the unheralded Walden. And the numbers on the contract jump out at you. But if you do a little thinking, you'll understand that there's nothing wrong with this signing. If it works out, it's a great deal for the Colts. If not, it's a one year project, and we have Werner to fill the role moving forward.

Post of the week.

[Gavin]

I think Tolers grade is to high, Thomas's grade is way to high at this point. I'd give them this

 

Toler-C-largely unproven with only 15 starts, Is aggressive however, has potential but could struggle as a #2. I like him in the Nickel more but no denying he has potential, Hopefully he can show that he is ready for  the #2 job but going back and watching many of his starts with the Cardinals I didn't see it

 

 

Thomas-Needs to continue to get stronger, will stop moving his feet at times, Also not a very good drive blocker, Better as a pulling guard which is what I expect he will be used as primarily Largely unproven with only 21 starts in 5 years. A tidbit worth noting is he was drafted the same year by the Detroit Lions along with Cherilus, Thomas never played a game for them but Im sure they know each other well enough.....C

 

Both can be boom or bust for us

[Ja'Crispy]

Speak of the devil... I just countered their criticism of the Walden signing above.

 

I suppose it's fair to question the deal they gave him but I don't want to hear anyone say he isn't going to make an impact. I personally thought he was solid in GB from what I saw and maybe a change of scenery will make him even better. It worked for Tim Jennings. The writer of this article at least seems to be giving Walden a chance to change his opinion based on how he plays. 

[Superman]

I suppose it's fair to question the deal they gave him but I don't want to hear anyone say he isn't going to make an impact. I personally thought he was solid in GB from what I saw and maybe a change of scenery will make him even better. It worked for Tim Jennings. The writer of this article at least seems to be giving Walden a chance to change his opinion based on how he plays. 

 

Good points.

 

Reports were that there were a couple other teams interested in Walden. I believe one was the Niners, ironically. So it's really not possible for us to know what kind of offers he was looking at already. I tend to think we could have gotten him for less than four years, $16m, but the structure of the contract makes it a non-issue in my mind. And if he plays to expectations, that's actually a little less than what Sam backers in this kind of defense typically make.

 

If people want to worry about a contract, worry about Gosder Cherilus. Highly rated player, and I think he'll significantly improve our offensive line. But if his knees start to become a problem, we have a lot of sunk cost. His contract is twice as big as Walden's, with four times the guaranteed money.

[Ja'Crispy]

Good points.

 

Reports were that there were a couple other teams interested in Walden. I believe one was the Niners, ironically. So it's really not possible for us to know what kind of offers he was looking at already. I tend to think we could have gotten him for less than four years, $16m, but the structure of the contract makes it a non-issue in my mind. And if he plays to expectations, that's actually a little less than what Sam backers in this kind of defense typically make.

 

If people want to worry about a contract, worry about Gosder Cherilus. Highly rated player, and I think he'll significantly improve our offensive line. But if his knees start to become a problem, we have a lot of sunk cost. His contract is twice as big as Walden's, with four times the guaranteed money.

 

That's always the key. We, as fans, have no idea what other offers were really out there. Grigson wanted him so he went out and got him. I'm comfortable allowing the GM to decide how much he needs to pay a guy. I agree the deal isn't quite as it appears, I just wasn't fully educated on the details of it. 

[Franklin County]

I think Tolers grade is to high, Thomas's grade is way to high at this point. I'd give them this

 

Toler-C-largely unproven with only 15 starts, Is aggressive however, has potential but could struggle as a #2. I like him in the Nickel more but no denying he has potential, Hopefully he can show that he is ready for  the #2 job but going back and watching many of his starts with the Cardinals I didn't see it

 

 

Thomas-Needs to continue to get stronger, will stop moving his feet at times, Also not a very good drive blocker, Better as a pulling guard which is what I expect he will be used as primarily Largely unproven with only 21 starts in 5 years. A tidbit worth noting is he was drafted the same year by the Detroit Lions along with Cherilus, Thomas never played a game for them but Im sure they know each other well enough.....C

 

Both can be boom or bust for us

From what I saw at the OTA at LOS, Toler has a nose for the ball and is very physical. He actually turns his head and watches for the ball (unlike a certain CB named Vaughn) when he is in coverage. Gavin you may be pleasantly surprised with Toler here in Indy. I think Pagano's coaching will only improve his coverage abilities, but he looks like a legitimate #2 cb. Barring an injury we may be set at cb for a while. As long as Vaugh is off the field I for 1 am very happy.

[BlueCollarColts]

maybe its just me, but is anyone else thinking Lawrence Sidbury will have a good year? Obviously he is a back-up but I think he will be productive this season

[Nesjan3]

i agree with almost everything, i think it was overall a fair assesment although an A for Thomas? He may be as good as any guard we had last season but he was a backup in NE. He was also a little rough on the Walden signing but i think most of us are a little skeptical as well, and i would have rated Toler higher, if he stays healthy along with a healthy Davis and Butler we may have a top 10 CB tandem