Team Needs But Which One Address First?

[a06cc]

So I got here that we need the following.

On offense: QB, OG left and right, C, and WR

On defense: DT, SLB, CB and DE

My question for all of you is which one do you adress first? Each one of these need would improve our team. We all know for years we've had to pick from 27 or lower for years. Last year we picked at 22, it positioned us from there for each round. I'm not going to blame anyone for our teams lack of success. It isn't needed right now. They know what they're mistakes are..

[Razgriz18]

It almost has to be DT and CB. I don't follow college, but if we can snag one or both in rounds 1/2, we can pick up WR and G in later rounds, and hope they pan out. If Manning is back to form, he can make mediocre receivers look servicable, so that should be ok.

[dn4192]

I think it all depends on the draft, where the Colts fall and whom is on the board. I have not looked into what kind of draft the experts see the next one being outside of Luck being the number 1 pick no matter who has it. Not sure if it is a deep draft and what are the major strengths of it at this point.

Given the limited resources the Colts will have for FA moves and the history of Bill not being big on bringing in big names, you gotta think the rebuild will be done via youth and the draft.

[Truebluefan85]

It almost has to be DT and CB. I don't follow college, but if we can snag one or both in rounds 1/2, we can pick up WR and G in later rounds, and hope they pan out. If Manning is back to form, he can make mediocre receivers look servicable, so that should be ok.

Agreed. The last thing the Colts need to do in the first round is draft a quarterback. They need an elite, shutdown corner...the best cb available in the draft pretty much, somebody who can come in and start right away and make an impact. That should be their top priority, in my humble opinion of course.

[tonychen]

Agreed. The last thing the Colts need to do in the first round is draft a quarterback. They need an elite, shutdown corner...the best cb available in the draft pretty much, somebody who can come in and start right away and make an impact. That should be their top priority, in my humble opinion of course.

I dont think drafting a good CB will solve the problem. You build a team from inside out. The DT position is the source of our problems, and the major reason why this "cover 2" has been the least successful. A great DT bringing presure from the middle and stop the run can make the entire thing look much better, including the CBs.

[Jason_]

Agreed. The last thing the Colts need to do in the first round is draft a quarterback. They need an elite, shutdown corner...the best cb available in the draft pretty much, somebody who can come in and start right away and make an impact. That should be their top priority, in my humble opinion of course.

Well the guy who fits that bill is Morris Claiborn of LSU. Some draft boards have Dre Kirkpatrick ranked higher but that's more on potential. Claiborn is the best overall imo for a guy who is ready to start from day 1.

I dont think drafting a good CB will solve the problem. You build a team from inside out. The DT position is the source of our problems, and the major reason why this "cover 2" has been the least successful. A great DT bringing presure from the middle and stop the run can make the entire thing look much better, including the CBs.

Our DT position isn't as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. AJ has been doing a fine job anchoring from the NT position. The problem is the NT position isn't a flashy one so he's not going to put up a lot of tackles, sacks etc. Even McFarland, when he was here, only had 2.5 sacks. The good to great NT's never really get their name called if because they do their job and do it well. The bad ones get their name called for missing plays and the elite ones get their names called for making plays. I'd love to find an elite NT but they're hard to come by. We definitely need to bring in another NT though to compete with AJ and provide a solid NT rotation. The other spot will be much better when Nevis comes back and he moves his way into the starting lineup with Moala and possibly Mathews as depth behind him.

[Jason_]

I dont think drafting a good CB will solve the problem. You build a team from inside out. The DT position is the source of our problems, and the major reason why this "cover 2" has been the least successful. A great DT bringing presure from the middle and stop the run can make the entire thing look much better, including the CBs.

I actually wanted to add a little more to this....adding 1 top-flight CB does make a huge difference to our defense. He comes in and immediately moves to the #1 CB spot which moves Powers to #2. The rest compete for depth and the Nickel spot. We now have 2 guys who can play man or zone coverage so we don't have to play such soft zone all the time and keep the LBs back to help the CBs (which imo is a mistake anyway, that's what the safeties are for but I digress). This allows the LBs to play much closer to the LOS so they're covering the intermediate zones where they're supposed to be instead of being 10-15 yards deeper than they should be. Now they'll get to the ball carrier much quicker on running plays and being closer to the LOS means the DTs can stop stunting so much. I think they started stunting the DTs more because of how far off the LBs are playing. Now the DTs can go back to playing their gaps instead of having to read and react.

So don't get me wrong, there are other areas where we need to upgrade and add depth but adding a top CB can go a long way in helping the defense...assuming we have someone who can come up with a decent gameplan and playcalling.

[Jaric]

Three words: Best. Player. Available.

If you need a QB, and the best player on the board is a QB, draft the QB. If the best player available on your board is a DT, draft a DT.

[braveheartcolt]

If we don't change the coaching philosophy and the actual coaches responsible for this time bomb, who we draft is irrelevant.

[Truebluefan85]

Nice posts Jason. Exactly what I would have said concerning our DT's. Nevis will be a beast when he gets healthy(ier) and more experience, and Moala and AJ have been doing a pretty good job up front so far.

It just kills me though to hear all these people say we need to draft Luck right out of the gate...and then tick and moan about how bad we get torched in the secondary. Drafting a true do-at-all cornerback will go a long way towards making this defense better.

[Truebluefan85]

Three words: Best. Player. Available.

If you need a QB, and the best player on the board is a QB, draft the QB. If the best player available on your board is a DT, draft a DT.

It should be...you draft the best available player at the position that is your greatest need, not the best available period. A quarterback in the first round is not the Colts most pressing need right now. How can people not see this?

[IndyTrav]

Colts rushing yards allowed per game: 167,106,67,192,194,94,236. So please shut up with the "Our DL have played pretty well this year". This "we need a DT" needs to stop to. You put Suh on this line, and it still sucks. All of our guys are to small. Its my opinion, resign Mathis, trade Freeney, and go ugly with it.

[Balzer40]

It should be...you draft the best available player at the position that is your greatest need, not the best available period. A quarterback in the first round is not the Colts most pressing need right now. How can people not see this?

Of course it's not, but RB wasn't the most pressing need when we drafted Brown, DE wasn't even close to a pressing need when we drafted Hughes. Polian has and always will draft for future. What people don't seem to see is, Polian thinks he's great and has made wonderful picks that just haven't reached their full potential yet. This is Polians M.O.

[smittywerb]

Best player that is available at whatever position is a need. Point blank. Too many holes to decide which position is more important to draft than another position. With Peyton coming back, he should be able to cover some holes which will give us some time to fill the holes in FA and upcoming drafts.

[Jason_]

Colts rushing yards allowed per game: 167,106,67,192,194,94,236. So please shut up with the "Our DL have played pretty well this year". This "we need a DT" needs to stop to. You put Suh on this line, and it still sucks. All of our guys are to small. Its my opinion, resign Mathis, trade Freeney, and go ugly with it.

You're entitled to your opinion, and as long as you continue to not shut up about your opinion then I will not shut up about mine. The lack of talent in the secondary is having a trickle down effect on the rest of the defense and the LBs have been more inconsistent than the DL. The DL has been ravaged by injuries and playing the LBs 10-15 yards off the LOS are what's hurting the run defense.

[dn4192]

Agreed. The last thing the Colts need to do in the first round is draft a quarterback. They need an elite, shutdown corner...the best cb available in the draft pretty much, somebody who can come in and start right away and make an impact. That should be their top priority, in my humble opinion of course.

Is there a CB in this upcoming draft worthy of the overall number 1 pick over Luck?

[LUVTHESHOE]

So I got here that we need the following.

On offense: QB, OG left and right, C, and WR

On defense: DT, SLB, CB and DE

My question for all of you is which one do you adress first? Each one of these need would improve our team. We all know for years we've had to pick from 27 or lower for years. Last year we picked at 22, it positioned us from there for each round. I'm not going to blame anyone for our teams lack of success. It isn't needed right now. They know what they're mistakes are..

Patrick Peterson.. LSU. Stud shut down corner.

[dn4192]

It should be...you draft the best available player at the position that is your greatest need, not the best available period. A quarterback in the first round is not the Colts most pressing need right now. How can people not see this?

You might be right...the biggest need "right now" may not be the QB position, but you have to look long term also and when presented with the opportunity to draft a talent at the most important position in the sport that is considered the overall best prospect in the draft, you can't pass on that. If Peyton was in year 3-4 or 5 I would agree, but he is in his final 2-3 years, thus you when presented with this opportunity should it happen, you can't pass on Luck. As we have seen a great QB can cover for other issues. How many teams are on the Level of the Colts have been due to a HOF CB? So unless a defensive player on the level of a Lawarence Taylor is available, you go with Luck.

[dn4192]

Patrick Peterson.. LSU. Stud shut down corner.

Didn't the Eagles go out and sign one of the best shut down DB's in the game? How is that working for them? The Jets have probably the best shut down guy there is....how many SB has he led them to?

[smittywerb]

Didn't the Eagles go out and sign one of the best shut down DB's in the game? How is that working for them? The Jets have probably the best shut down guy there is....how many SB has he led them to?

The Eagles is similar to our defense, TOO MANY PROBLEMS ONE PLAYER WILL NOT FIX. Well with the Jets, they have been knocking on the SB door for the past 2-3 years so it's working out fine for them. If they had a QB that could deliver then they might would have been able to win a couple SB's by now.

Edited October 25, 2011 by smittywerb

[Balzer40]

Didn't the Eagles go out and sign one of the best shut down DB's in the game? How is that working for them? The Jets have probably the best shut down guy there is....how many SB has he led them to?

This is one of the few times I agree with you. People act as if we bring in a good CB or 2 then we are all of a sudden a great defense. Thats laughable, would it help the defense? Of course it would, but I will always contend, that until we get completely away from a zone coverage and change up the defensive scheme, good CB's will not have a big effect on the defense.

[LUVTHESHOE]

Didn't the Eagles go out and sign one of the best shut down DB's in the game? How is that working for them? The Jets have probably the best shut down guy there is....how many SB has he led them to?

HELLO, this is a college kid,LSU! He is not on the eagles. and guys like dieon sanders and revis worked out just

fine, whoever they played for. and you will love him for life , because i feel he can get us to a superbowl, and then for the next ten years

everytime he has a bad game, you can reference said superbowl!!!!!!!

Edited October 25, 2011 by LUVTHESHOE

[dn4192]

The Eagles is similar to our defense, TOO MANY PROBLEMS ONE PLAYER WILL NOT FIX. Well with the Jets, they have been knocking on the SB door for the past 2-3 years so it's working out fine for them. If they had a QB that could deliver then they might would have been able to win a couple SB's by now.

So the Eagles bring in probably the second best shut down DB in the game, with experience and yet he can't cover for their other defensive issues, but using a number 1 pick on a college CB who will be a rookie is the way to go for the Colts?

[a06cc]

We're to small up front is we're going to rely on our front 4 so much. Nevis is one of the defensive tackles that we need. Now I think Brandon Thompson is the other based off our system.

[LUVTHESHOE]

So the Eagles bring in probably the second best shut down DB in the game, with experience and yet he can't cover for their other defensive issues, but using a number 1 pick on a college CB who will be a rookie is the way to go for the Colts?

The player has said himself it is a totally different system then they ran a oakland. he is getting use to it and will be fine.

by the way your hero just called another bad time out!

[IndyTrav]

You're entitled to your opinion, and as long as you continue to not shut up about your opinion then I will not shut up about mine. The lack of talent in the secondary is having a trickle down effect on the rest of the defense and the LBs have been more inconsistent than the DL. The DL has been ravaged by injuries and playing the LBs 10-15 yards off the LOS are what's hurting the run defense.

"ravaged by injuries" wow.. Its not that they are all 6" shorter and 50lbs lighter. Its the trickle down effect from our secondary. Right. And the last 10years our DL has been garbage because on trickle down theory to? Is that correct?

[smittywerb]

So the Eagles bring in probably the second best shut down DB in the game, with experience and yet he can't cover for their other defensive issues, but using a number 1 pick on a college CB who will be a rookie is the way to go for the Colts?

Hey, didn't say it would solve all of our problems. It will be one step in the right direction, that is all. We're not in a position to draft a player who will make an immediate impact on our defense unless it's on the D-Line.

[ksbeam]

I think it has to start with management. Some of the terrible decisions made by Bill Polian are questionable at best. I think it's time for the Irsays to replace GM, replace entire coaching staff and turn this around asap before its out of control. Time for a coach with some passion. A coach that will yank a guy out of the game if he plays the way 2/3 of our team has been playing. Next man up isnt working and never has Mr. Polian. It's time for next man out.

[Jason_]

"ravaged by injuries" wow.. Its not that they are all 6" shorter and 50lbs lighter. Its the trickle down effect from our secondary. Right. And the last 10years our DL has been garbage because on trickle down theory to? Is that correct?

No the DL has been terrible against the run for the past 10 years because the DL was horribly undersized. That is not the case with the DL we came into this season with. The only 2 guys we had left that were considerably undersized are Mathis and Foster and Foster should never play DT again.

Just out of random curiosity, exactly which of our players are "6" shorter and 50 lbs lighter" than they should be?

[IndyTrav]

No the DL has been terrible against the run for the past 10 years because the DL was horribly undersized. That is not the case with the DL we came into this season with. The only 2 guys we had left that were considerably undersized are Mathis and Foster and Foster should never play DT again.

Just out of random curiosity, exactly which of our players are "6" shorter and 50 lbs lighter" than they should be?

Boy you got sold hard on those guys this year didn't you. You saw a slightly better version of DT this year, for about 3 games mind you, and you bought into the goods. Hey thats cool. I get the impression its clear to you that Drake Nevis is our future, and a really stud player, and someone we should build our DL around.

And if you believe that Dwight Freeney is 6-1 268, and Brackett is 5-11, then your not a very good judge of height and weight.

[Jason_]

Boy you got sold hard on those guys this year didn't you. You saw a slightly better version of DT this year, for about 3 games mind you, and you bought into the goods. Hey thats cool. I get the impression its clear to you that Drake Nevis is our future, and a really stud player, and someone we should build our DL around.

And if you believe that Dwight Freeney is 6-1 268, and Brackett is 5-11, then your not a very good judge of height and weight.

lol...whatever. I didn't get "sold hard" on anyone, but I do see bigger, stronger players than we've had in the past and it's a good foundation to start with. I never said we didn't need to keep improving on that. The rest of your post and likely future posts will be nothing more than hate-fueled drivel so hardly worth responding to. ;)

[dn4192]

I think it has to start with management. Some of the terrible decisions made by Bill Polian are questionable at best. I think it's time for the Irsays to replace GM, replace entire coaching staff and turn this around asap before its out of control. Time for a coach with some passion. A coach that will yank a guy out of the game if he plays the way 2/3 of our team has been playing. Next man up isnt working and never has Mr. Polian. It's time for next man out.

And yet the Colts found a way to win season in and season out....

[ponys]

Trade the first pick for 2, if we have a top 3 pick then maybe get around a 17 and 36 picks. Then get the 2 best offensive lineman available. We need to build the O line first.

[dn4192]

Trade the first pick for 2, if we have a top 3 pick then maybe get around a 17 and 36 picks. Then get the 2 best offensive lineman available. We need to build the O line first.

Building up the O line is never a bad thing, but what is the OL talent coming out of college this year look like?

[ponys]

Building up the O line is never a bad thing, but what is the OL talent coming out of college this year look like?

Not sure, but I know we can find 2 great linemen in the first 2 rounds.

[PeytonLuck]

O-line? If we werent hurting with injuries to the line we'll be decent although we can do better and what we really need is some new DBs! Start working with the FA pool! Or get luck and trade him for some people! If we don't need him..just saying..and lets bring in a new head coach and a better defense coordinator!! With Peyton manning in the back we should be good on offense delone Carter is doing ok hopefully something changes soon!

[dn4192]

Not sure, but I know we can find 2 great linemen in the first 2 rounds.

It would be intersting to see how the upcoming OL men coming out of college rank out for the draft.

[smittywerb]

People are saying trade back into the 18-32's??? what is the point of losing if we aren't gonna draft high? Aren't you guys tired of drafting so low?

[sfergson727]

I would say first priority is a new coaching staff, and then let them make the decisions as to whom to add to the lineup.

[Trips4Lyfe]

I'm all for drafting the best available DT, C/G in the 1st FS, CB, DT in the 2nd CB, OG, OT, WR in the 3rd .... assuming we keep our early picks