DHB winning #2 WR spot so far.

[GoColts8818]

Somehow I thought TY had more receptions than Avery. Looked it up...surprised to find TY with 50 and Donnie with 60.

Huh.

well Avery's role was to be the outside guy last year, Hilton was in the slot, same thing so far this year. I think that's because TY does so well in the slot why fix it if its not broken?

[Big Red]

This offense is going to hurt Hilton which is a shame because he is a darn good receiver.

The hard hitting NFL safeties are what will hurt Hilton.  The slot receiver is a tough job to have, but they are paid well for the risks.  Hopefully Luck is deadly accurate on most passes and TY doesn't get hammered too often.  A highly unpredictable offense will go a long way to preserving the health of the receivers.   

[NewColtsFan]

Just to clear things up for everyone. DHB will ALWAYS be #2 throughout the year unless he blows it with dropped passes or an injury. Pagano has confirmed this moving forward. Reggie Wayne & DHB outside while TY creates headaches for any defense we play in the slot.

If I can find the interview or article I will glady post it for those of you who don't believe things until it's in black & white (you know who you are )

 

Really?     I think you have an exclusive!     You're the only poster I've seen that says the decision has already been made....

 

When did that happen?    I thought these things were supposed to be decided on the field?    When did Pagano confirm this moving forward?

 

Look....   you maybe 100% correct.....    I'm just not aware that's it's been made official as your post seems to suggest....

[TKnight24]

Really? I think you have an exclusive! You're the only poster I've seen that says the decision has already been made....

When did that happen? I thought these things were supposed to be decided on the field? When did Pagano confirm this moving forward?

Look.... you maybe 100% correct..... I'm just not aware that's it's been made official as your post seems to suggest....

It was made official by Pagano when we signed DHB. I just have had trouble finding the article dueto me bbeing on my mobile device. But I'm gonna keep looking because I posted it on here when we signed him but can't find the article or thread on here that I posted it in.

But Pags very words were "DHB will be our X receiver" and the X receiver is the #2

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Really? I think you have an exclusive! When did that happen?   

 

Pagano did say DHB is our two immediately after we picked him up.

[Franklin County]

 After watching DHB at LOS he has all the tools to be on the outside. He has (or did that day) soft hands and is a burner.  But all the new toys will get a little extra playing time, so the staff can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

[BOTT]

well Avery's role was to be the outside guy last year, Hilton was in the slot, same thing so far this year. I think that's because TY does so well in the slot why fix it if its not broken?

Reggie was probably in the slot more than Hilton

[NewColtsFan]

Pagano did say DHB is our two immediately after we picked him up.

 

Well.....   then I think it's been an ignored statement....    I think we had numerous threats this off-season on who would start opposite Reggie...    who would be our 2nd WR?     DHB or TYH??     TYH or DHB??      And I don't recall anyone saying that Pagano announced that DHB was our starter.....

 

Not saying you're wrong....   only that I don't recall it,  and I don't think most other people here do either....

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Well then I think it's been an ignored statement. I don't recall anyone saying that Pagano announced that DHB was our starter.

It was. And I did.

[John Waylon]

I never thought there would be any other option barring an injury, or serious under-achieving. 

[BigQandTheManiac]

i thought it was going to be a 3 TE set and a 3 WR set?

[coltsfanatic24]

DHB and TY will both still play together in 3WR sets which we will play a lot of.

[TKnight24]

i thought it was going to be a 3 TE set and a 3 WR set?

That's 6 players plus 5 lineman. That's not possible lol

It'll be times we run 3 receivers and times when we run 3 tight ends. Just expect the unexpected from this offense is all I can say

[Iancolts]

Reggie sometimes moved to the slot on some formation. So I don't see DHB, Reggie, or TY staying put anywhere on the line

[throwing BBZ]

Reggie was probably in the slot more than Hilton

reggie was in the slot about 2/3 of the time

[TKnight24]

Reggie sometimes moved to the slot on some formation. So I don't see DHB, Reggie, or TY staying put anywhere on the line

Yeah, depth chart for a few positions will be pointless this season. Gonna be alot of rotating and different looks at some positions

[CanuckColt]

So does Heyward-Bey get his #85 back?  or does he even want it?

[T Y Goodbye]

The hard hitting NFL safeties are what will hurt Hilton.  The slot receiver is a tough job to have, but they are paid well for the risks.  Hopefully Luck is deadly accurate on most passes and TY doesn't get hammered too often.  A highly unpredictable offense will go a long way to preserving the health of the receivers.   

 

Only if they can catch him. He is not really an a-typical slot receiver. A lot of the slot receivers are of the Collie, Welker, Amendola type, small, run great routes, and have great hands. They often lack the speed or explosiveness that Hilton possesses. TY is a deep threat in the slot, and even on short routes, can explode and break one any time he has the ball. ie bubble screens, etc.

 

I can also imagine Reggie getting some looks in the slot, with DHB and Hilton wide..to spread the field even more.

 

I know he will see the field and be involved in the offense, but with the TE's seeing more action, I dread him losing playing time or looks, since he is so fun to watch. But, it the long run, it really doesn't matter, as long as we win.

[throwing BBZ]

Well.....   then I think it's been an ignored statement....    I think we had numerous threats this off-season on who would start opposite Reggie...    who would be our 2nd WR?     DHB or TYH??     TYH or DHB??      And I don't recall anyone saying that Pagano announced that DHB was our starter.....

 

Not saying you're wrong....   only that I don't recall it,  and I don't think most other people here do either....

mostly brain donors posting since we signed bey

clearly he was signed to replace avery. bey can block unlike hilton and will be much less inclined to short arm passes because of his big body.

 we have depth for a long season and hopefully luck won`t fail the team by over targeting reggie.

[Stephen]

is heyward bey faster than hilton

[HtownColt]

is heyward bey faster than hilton

If Heyward Bey can still run like he did coming out of college, it would be close

[Boilermaker]

is heyward bey faster than hilton

Yeah, I believe DHB is slightly faster (40 time wise)..pretty close though

[T Y Goodbye]

Bey ran a 4,25,,Hilton is in the low 4.3

[Dustin]

Bey ran a 4,25,,Hilton is in the low 4.3

Both times are unofficial.

[HtownColt]

Both times are unofficial.

Heyward bey ran a 4.25 at the combine, isn't that official

Edit: NFL.com has it a 4.30

[Dustin]

Heyward bey ran a 4.25 at the combine, isn't that official

Edit: NFL.com has it a 4.30

Source? I can only find his pro day numbers.

[HtownColt]

Source? I can only find his pro day numbers.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/darrius-heyward-bey?id=80427

[Slick_Rick]

Does the thought of this offense give anyone else butterflies? I mean the more I think about it this is the most stacked that we have been since Marvin was around.

[BigQandTheManiac]

That's 6 players plus 5 lineman. That's not possible lol

It'll be times we run 3 receivers and times when we run 3 tight ends. Just expect the unexpected from this offense is all I can say

ohhh lol ok 

[Superman]

If Heyward Bey can still run like he did coming out of college, it would be close

 

No one is too concerned with the players' 40 times. The question should be how that translates to game speed, and based on what I've seen, I think Hilton plays the game a lot faster than DHB, especially with the ball in his hands. DHB is a burner in a straight line, but Hilton is quicker and changes direction better, which isn't surprising given his shorter legs. DHB is bigger and stronger, and that helps him get off the line against press coverage better. If he can improve his body control, he can use that size and power to really dominate when the ball is in the air.

[Stephen]

No one is too concerned with the players' 40 times. The question should be how that translates to game speed, and based on what I've seen, I think Hilton plays the game a lot faster than DHB, especially with the ball in his hands. DHB is a burner in a straight line, but Hilton is quicker and changes direction better, which isn't surprising given his shorter legs. DHB is bigger and stronger, and that helps him get off the line against press coverage better. If he can improve his body control, he can use that size and power to really dominate when the ball is in the air.

true bey looks to be a beast in open space and hoping he'll do better than avery

[Stephen]

Does the thought of this offense give anyone else butterflies? I mean the more I think about it this is the most stacked that we have been since Marvin was around.

I try not to think about it much the last time I thought the offense was going to stacked collie and gonzalez got hurt and blair white and tamme ended up coming in infact I think dallas clark got hurt that year to

[Carlos Danger]

T.Y. and Donnie Avery had better (statistical) seasons last year than DHB did in Oakland. QB play probably had a lot to do with that, though, especially when you consider that T.Y. and Avery had a lot more targets as well. DHB actually had surer hands than either of them. He has steadily improved his drops since he came into the league... he still has to improve, but has better hands than Avery to be sure. I expect Hilton will improve his catch rate from last season as well. He dropped quite a few easy ones.

 

I really think that who the "Z" is on any given play will be determined by the package and what we want to be able to do with the ball. It would be silly to consistently have Hilton on the field for running plays (if you remember what a useless blocker he was last season). On the other hand, Hilton showed more versatility (despite his size) in the receiving game in his rookie year. He got behind defenses, ran effective short routes, tore it up in the RZ, ran reverses, and came up big in a few clutch situations. It will be difficult to take him off the field if he keeps developing behind Reggie.

 

Much like the Colts overall, Hilton could improve greatly without actually seeing a jump in his numbers. If he gets another 800+ yds. in this offense, with this many playmakers surrounding him, it would not be a disappointment, in my view. Its all about overall efficiency w/ regard to the offense and I think that, for the most part, the right guys will be on the field in the appropriate situations...

 

Anybody else get the feeling that Grigs/Irsay/Pagano/Hamilton might not go all out to get a prototypical #1 receiver to replace Reggie at all? I have an inkling that they might try to do what NE did for a couple years (with serviceable receivers, elite TEs, and pass catching RBs) and have a slot guy (Welker/Hilton) be their most productive receiver. This might not be the case, but the thought has been in the back of my mind since the draft... idk

[BleedBlu8792]

T.Y. and Donnie Avery had better (statistical) seasons last year than DHB did in Oakland. QB play probably had a lot to do with that, though, especially when you consider that T.Y. and Avery had a lot more targets as well. DHB actually had surer hands than either of them. He has steadily improved his drops since he came into the league... he still has to improve, but has better hands than Avery to be sure. I expect Hilton will improve his catch rate from last season as well. He dropped quite a few easy ones.

I really think that who the "Z" is on any given play will be determined by the package and what we want to be able to do with the ball. It would be silly to consistently have Hilton on the field for running plays (if you remember what a useless blocker he was last season). On the other hand, Hilton showed more versatility (despite his size) in the receiving game in his rookie year. He got behind defenses, ran effective short routes, tore it up in the RZ, ran reverses, and came up big in a few clutch situations. It will be difficult to take him off the field if he keeps developing behind Reggie.

Much like the Colts overall, Hilton could improve greatly without actually seeing a jump in his numbers. If he gets another 800+ yds. in this offense, with this many playmakers surrounding him, it would not be a disappointment, in my view. Its all about overall efficiency w/ regard to the offense and I think that, for the most part, the right guys will be on the field in the appropriate situations...

Anybody else get the feeling that Grigs/Irsay/Pagano/Hamilton might not go all out to get a prototypical #1 receiver to replace Reggie at all? I have an inkling that they might try to do what NE did for a couple years (with serviceable receivers, elite TEs, and pass catching RBs) and have a slot guy (Welker/Hilton) be their most productive receiver. This might not be the case, but the thought has been in the back of my mind since the draft... idk

To comment on your last paragraph, no a prototypical #1 may not be needed because I look for our TE's to be major targets within this offense. Would I like to see a Calvin or Andre Johnson on this team? Absolutely! However, as I said, with the ceiling of our TE's not even being close to being touched, I have to say good receivers will be more than adequate for this offense.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Anybody else get the feeling that Grigs/Irsay/Pagano/Hamilton might not go all out to get a prototypical #1 receiver to replace Reggie at all?

I'm thinking if DHB gets back to Maryland form, he IS the prototypical WR that will eventually take Reggie's place. But it is an interesting thought considering Pep/Luck stayed in beastmode at Stanford without elite WR talent.

[Valpo2004]

I figured DHB would win the #2 job, but I think it would be a mistake to not get TY in the mix for quite a few snaps.  Even if it isn't an obvious passing down.  

[lollygagger8]

[Kyle]

 And I don't recall anyone saying that Pagano announced that DHB was our starter.....

 

Not saying you're wrong....   only that I don't recall it,  and I don't think most other people here do either....

 

 

Pagano announced DHB was signed to play opposite of Reggie as our #2.  It was then, and still is now, clear as day the DHB is our #2 WR.  

 

Even after Pagano was quoted saying it people still like to argue he won't be #2 because they read somewhere he drops too many passes 

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Pagano announced DHB was signed to play opposite of Reggie as our #2. It was then, and still is now, clear as day the DHB is our #2 WR.

Even after Pagano was quoted saying it people still like to argue he won't be #2 because they read somewhere he drops too many passes

I think it is just a matter of a few folks loving T.Y. to the point of really wanting him to have a bigger role coupled with the usual contrarians seizing an opportunity in a discussion to parse words.

DHB is the 2. But T.Y. will hopefully get plenty of snaps.

[oldunclemark]

Darrius Heyward-Bey is working as the Colts' No. 2 wide receiver early in Colts training camp.

T.Y. Hilton has been the No. 3 receiver. Because the Colts will be far more of a two-tight end, two-wideout team under new OC Pep Hamilton, the winner of this camp battle will essentially be locked in as an every-down receiver and serious fantasy breakout candidate. The loser will be used only on obvious passing downs. Despite Hilton's big play-filled rookie season, DHB has generating significant praise from coaches and teammates, including Andrew Luck. Heyward-Bey is very much leading the competition thus far.

Source: Mike Chappell on Twitter Jul 28 - 11:34 AM

Darius Heyward-Bey has the potential be be Indy's No.1 receiver...

 

He has that potential....There's no way he wont start ahead of Hilton....

 

..and he should lead us in receiving yards