This is my very strong opinion for success on D

[ruf]

Go back to the 4/3 D with the players we have;

 

DL: Mathis, Nevis, Chapman, Redding---rotation players: Moala, Franklin, Hughes, JFR, (Werner)

 

LB's: Walden, Freeman, Ceasar/Conner----rotation (Werner could play both de/olb) Angerer, Harvey, Sidbury

 

DB: would not change

Positive to this: with a strong front 4 that can somewhat get to the qb and stop the run --then we could add in some good blitzs from our OLB'ers

 

what are your thoughts on this?

[Dustin]

We play a 43 almost as often as we play a 34.

Also, Rayford is a pure DE in a 43 as is Werner.

The line would be:

Mathis-Nevis-RJF-Werner

[atapcl]

Rather stick with the hybrid.

[ruf]

We play a 43 almost as often as we play a 34.

Also, Rayford is a pure DE in a 43 as is Werner.

The line would be:

Mathis-Nevis-RJF-Werner

That could work, but what I would really like to see is chapman and Nevis in the middle of the line at the same time

[Bradley Prentice]

Honestly I understand we have a lot of 4-3 talent on our roster but just my opinion I'm extremely glad were in the 3-4, I feel like it will make a big difference in the long run, think about it ravens, steelers, 49ers, texans, all run 3-4 and have good to really good defenses, I know you can make the case for the 4-3 and all but give it time I think it will work out better especially with pagano as head coach!

[Indyboy757]

Honestly I understand we have a lot of 4-3 talent on our roster but just my opinion I'm extremely glad were in the 3-4, I feel like it will make a big difference in the long run, think about it ravens, steelers, 49ers, texans, all run 3-4 and have good to really good defenses, I know you can make the case for the 4-3 and all but give it time I think it will work out better especially with pagano as head coach!

I agree 100% this D will sneak up on teams this year if we can stay healthy. It will be a real treat to watch them play and grow together this year!!

[Gavin]

Honestly I understand we have a lot of 4-3 talent on our roster but just my opinion I'm extremely glad were in the 3-4, I feel like it will make a big difference in the long run, think about it ravens, steelers, 49ers, texans, all run 3-4 and have good to really good defenses, I know you can make the case for the 4-3 and all but give it time I think it will work out better especially with pagano as head coach!

Here is my belieif in regards to whatever offensive or defensive philosophy you want, you play to your players strengths, if you have guys that can do multiple things you do that, if you have 2 Dwight Freeney's or Roberts Mathis's at DE your not going to run a strict 3-4 Base, As it is right now we only have one OLB (Walden) whos good (real consistent at that) at setting the edge. all our other Olbs have shown that they lack the discipline to hold there assignment instead break assignment and do what comes natural to them and thats pass rush the qb.With that said they have all shown the physical ability at some point during these last 4 preseason games to hold outside run contain.....But it has all been very fleeting for those not named Walden, I came away the most impressed with him out of all our LB's

[Bradley Prentice]

As excited as I get about this D on paper I don't think well sneak up on people just yet, I think give us 1-2 more years maybe yes!

As far as the comment about having multiple Freenys or a freeny and a Mathis I understand that idea but I don't want a defense where if your not sacking the quite the opposing team is going up n down on you! Walden may be our only legit 3-4 linebacker but let's be honest Rome isn't built overnight! I hope (key word hope) Werner is able to adjust but it's way to early! My thing is if you ever want to switch schemes it's going to be an adjustment period, I'm interested to see the draft this year because we should have most of our picks I feel we strongly need a #1 Wr tucked away for when Wayne hangs it up but with a fresh deck of cards In the draft I hope we make defensive moves! We have a great young nucleus of offense (luck, the TEs and TY, plus a hopeful young decent line assuming thorton and Holmes become average) I just want a defense that can get people off the field... Sorry for rambling and not being able to copy quotes but the bottom line is Go Colts!!!!

[Gavin]

As excited as I get about this D on paper I don't think well sneak up on people just yet, I think give us 1-2 more years maybe yes!

As far as the comment about having multiple Freenys or a freeny and a Mathis I understand that idea but I don't want a defense where if your not sacking the quite the opposing team is going up n down on you! Walden may be our only legit 3-4 linebacker but let's be honest Rome isn't built overnight! I hope (key word hope) Werner is able to adjust but it's way to early! My thing is if you ever want to switch schemes it's going to be an adjustment period, I'm interested to see the draft this year because we should have most of our picks I feel we strongly need a #1 Wr tucked away for when Wayne hangs it up but with a fresh deck of cards In the draft I hope we make defensive moves! We have a great young nucleus of offense (luck, the TEs and TY, plus a hopeful young decent line assuming thorton and Holmes become average) I just want a defense that can get people off the field... Sorry for rambling and not being able to copy quotes but the bottom line is Go Colts!!!!

To copy quotes just click on the "Quote" button and post your response underneath, Its going to take time and for these players to develop. The raw talent is there with many of these guys. We are obviously in much better  shape now then we were this time last year. we still have problemsenty of them, One step at a time were getting slowly better though

[TKnight24]

4-3 defense bores me. The 3-4 is much more exotic & exciting.

Even in football video games like ncaa I run the 3-4. The nickel 2-4-5 is one of the best formations. I like it cause you can send your 2 OLB's or you can sub them out and rush your DE's off the edge or drop them in coverage. It's alot more confusing so to speak for a QB to face a 3-4 defense imo

[basketballsteve]

There is no magic to the 3-4 but when we played the 4-3 we had the same look every down, 2 edge rushers with a hand down every down, LB's in very predictable spots for blocking and the balance of the formation makes blocking patterns more predictable. More than that we played 4-3 Tampa 2 so much of the time also very predictable and the MLB has to cover very deep in the middle of the field in obvious passing downs when in zone. It's not the alignment of the 3-4 that is superior but  its as much the fact that it emphasizes bigger d line men, a changing front look with more overload blitzes, player assignments that are more interchangeable, a stop the run with bigger bodies philosophy, a nose tackle big as a house who's job is not to be moved, and as already mention it can easily morph into a 4-3 at any time. Its the flexibility of the defense that offers some advantage.

[Balzer40]

We just got the personnel to play an effective 3-4, and now you want to see us switch back to an exclusive 4-3 team???

[MB-ColtsFan]

I think we finally have corners that can help us defend the passing game. That alone will help us move forward in our 3-4 hybrid. The addition of a deep rotation at NT and i'm really expecting us to be more consistent this year. No need to move back to a 4-3. We'll be fine.

[ruf]

4-3 defense bores me. The 3-4 is much more exotic & exciting.

Even in football video games like ncaa I run the 3-4. The nickel 2-4-5 is one of the best formations. I like it cause you can send your 2 OLB's or you can sub them out and rush your DE's off the edge or drop them in coverage. It's alot more confusing so to speak for a QB to face a 3-4 defense imo

The 4-3 that Dungy was boring, here's why; we had great DE's but those undersized DT's that could never get any push up the middle and were usually blocked with one blocker---that would Not be the case with Chapman and Nevis... 

 

also adding to that was there was NO exotic or otherwise blizting (we could add that)

 

also too in the Dungy boring Tampa 2 the cb's played 15 yards off the wr's and played that soft zone coverage. we have the cb's to play man coverage therefore we could add exotic blitzies (sorry can't spell that word). and with Chap and Nevis the qb will not be able to step up in the pocket

[ruf]

_{Never mind!! forget it!!!}

 

_{Nevis cut}

 

_{dumb move}

[Kyle]

this was a rough thread...

[Kyle]

_{Never mind!! forget it!!!}

 

_{Nevis cut}

 

_{dumb move}

to be brutally honest, it would have been dumb even if we didnt cut Nevis

[Truckin Sanders]

Honestly I understand we have a lot of 4-3 talent on our roster but just my opinion I'm extremely glad were in the 3-4, I feel like it will make a big difference in the long run, think about it ravens, steelers, 49ers, texans, all run 3-4 and have good to really good defenses, I know you can make the case for the 4-3 and all but give it time I think it will work out better especially with pagano as head coach!

The NFL is a copy cat league as soon as everyone starts doing a 3-4 it depletes the talent pool for 3-4 defenses allowing for teams to then start building strong 4-3 defenses. The bears, bengals and giants still have a very good defenses. With that said I do like the shift in defenses from 3-4 to 4-3 and vice versa in game. It is all about different fronts and matchups like what seattle and the broncos are doing.

[Indi Warrior]

I feel a hybrid philosophy with just about everything works the best rather than a strict-straight forward approach that never changes. So I feel our defense right now is fine on formation and changes- a 3-4 hybrid base that still plays some 4-3 about 40% of the time.

[ruf]

to be brutally honest, it would have been dumb even if we didnt cut Nevis

I'm sure you have a reason for saying my idea was dumb so can you please tell me why

go back and read post #14 and tell me how/why you disagree

[RomanianColtsFan]

I don't understand why some people think you build a defense to be good in 2 or 3 years. Defense is so much more variable than the offense. A defense can be built very fast and a good defense with the same personnel can be very good one year and suck the next year. 

[Indi Warrior]

I don't understand why some people think you build a defense to be good in 2 or 3 years. Defense is so much more variable than the offense. A defense can be built very fast and a good defense with the same personnel can be very good one year and suck the next year.

Not necessarily true. The Colts offense went from absolutely horrible to a top 15 in one year, while the defense still needs work. And an offense can be on fire one year,and stall the next (Panthers).

[Indi Warrior]

I feel a hybrid philosophy with just about everything works the best rather than a strict-straight forward approach that never changes. So I feel our defense right now is fine on formation and changes- a 3-4 hybrid base that still plays some nickel about 40% of the time.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Go back to the 4/3 D with the players we have...

Stopped reading right there. A nonsensical thought.

[pacolts56]

IMO....this hybrid of Pagano's is steadily coming together and it does need some time.

 

But whether its a 4-3 or 3-4 that a team runs....if you don't have a solid FRONT 7....you have nothing.

 

For years we had two absolute demons at 4-3 DE but were soft as a gravy sandwich at DT, small at LB and overall....far too predictable. And it was a major factor in playoff exits along with either the lack of or an underused running/ball control game to keep them off the field.

 

This wasn't gonna get fixed overnight but we're going in the right direction...let's be patient.

[rock8591]

The only concern I have about the D-Line right now is that there's a lack of star players.

 

DE: Redding, Matthews

NT: Franklin, Chapman, Hughes

DE: Francois, Moala

 

We have 2 solid if not unspectacular veterans and several players of potential but unproven (Chapman, Hughes, Francois). Also, several players on the line have injury histories (Moala, Franklin, Chapman, Redding). I know we're 2 deep, but we should have kept another DL. Also, we released our best passrusher on the line (Nevis).

 

Our defense right now though is already leaps and bounds above the Peyton era defenses; in that era, we'd be seeing Walden, Werner, and Mathis at DE, but now seeing them at LB, with a NT and 2 DTs in front of them makes me feel better already. Not to mention we have upgraded the LB and DBs greatly. Imagine our 06' Superbowl team with Landry at safety, Freeman and Angerer at LB (instead of Brackett), Mathis-Walden-Werner-Rayford at DE, and the big NT/DT/DE combo that we have up front, as opposed to 270 lb Raheem Brock and 250 lb Kenyunta Dawson.

 

There's no reason at all to go back to a 4-3 because we no longer have the personnel for it. No pass-rushing DT, tons of 3-4 DEs on the roster (no 4-3 DE), and if we start Mathis, Walden, or Werner at DE, we'd be undersized there again.

[ColtStrong]

As excited as I get about this D on paper I don't think well sneak up on people just yet, I think give us 1-2 more years maybe yes!

 

Why does everything need to be down the road? People were saying it would take 3-4 years before we would sniff the playoffs, and look what happened. I think the D will be very good. Don't base anything on preseason games.

[chad72]

Our biggest concern should be injury concerns to secondary. In a run happy division, Colts defensive backs have had a high injury rate in the entire league over the last 5 years or so.

 

Any injury to VD, Toler or Butler causes a ripple effect to change playing heavy man to lots more zone than we want to, IMO. Plus, our pass rush might have to be manufactured with more blitzes than before, so that becomes harder if we need safeties to back up the CBs than roam freely or be used for blitzing.

[JoKeR]

I'm thinking our pass rushing D-lineman is now Rayford, but unlike Nevis, has the tools to play OLB in the 3-4 formations as well.

[TKnight24]

I'm thinking our pass rushing D-lineman is now Rayford, but unlike Nevis, has the tools to play OLB in the 3-4 formations as well.

He certainly has the long arms to grab the QB and knock down a few passes and even FG's. That's for sure

[JoKeR]

He certainly has the long arms to grab the QB and knock down a few passes and even FG's. That's for sure

I heard in college his specialty was blocking FGs ;)