Jonothan harrison

[bap1331]

Is he really the guy? I read an article that he was taking most of the snaps on offseason. We saw that the line became solidified when he was switched out. Why are the coaches so stubborn with experiments? (one in which it shall never be mentioned again...) wont go anywhere if we dont fix the holes.

[Everyone]

He has tremendous strength but terrible technique.

[Bravo]

I think he can be.... Keep in mind he was a UDFA. He played very well at Florida in college.

He played well in the NFL for an UDFA! He's got potential! I think he is strong and very athletic. Just lacks some technique and coaching can usually help or fix that!

[PrincetonTiger]

I think he can be.... Keep in mind he was a UDFA. He played very well at Florida in college.

He played well in the NFL for an UDFA! He's got potential! I think he is strong and very athletic. Just lacks some technique and coaching can usually help or fix that!

Nicely put

[krunk]

Is he really the guy? I read an article that he was taking most of the snaps on offseason. We saw that the line became solidified when he was switched out. Why are the coaches so stubborn with experiments? (one in which it shall never be mentioned again...) wont go anywhere if we dont fix the holes.

 

He's not the guy.  Holmes got an equal number of snaps during OTAs, they switch back and forth.

[TKnight24]

Holmes FTW

[Coffeedrinker]

He's not the guy.  Holmes got an equal number of snaps during OTAs, they switch back and forth.

That was the article I read... that he and Holmes were splitting snaps.

 

IMO, Harrison was terrible and I said as much even after his first game.  His technique was bad, he may be strong but he did not play strong,  And every team knew that if you put the DTs over the guards and bring up a LB over Harrison that Harrison would snap and step towards the LB and open a hole between he and the guard which another LB would run through.  This happened two or three times a game.

 

His biggest weakness however was his line calls.  Many times a defender would come free and at first I thought it was the blocking scheme but it did not happen anywhere near as often with Shipley or Holmes in there and it is, IMO, the biggest reason why the line looked so much better after Holmes came in.  Holmes played well but it was his ability to put the lineman on the proper guy that made the biggest difference.  And some people, mistakenly, think that line calls are something that can be taught but only somewhat.  It's more like QB accuracy, some improvement can be made but a center either has it or he doesn't and I don't think Harrison has it.

 

Lastly, the Colts don't have anyone on the team named Jonothan Harrison, he has two T's in his name Jonotthan.  Not trying to pick on anyone, I just believe if you are going to talk about a player, the courtesy of spelling his name correctly should be extended.

[RealityIsLuck]

He's not the guy.  Holmes got an equal number of snaps during OTAs, they switch back and forth.

Right now he is the guy... Harrison is taking the 1st team snaps. Working with Andrew, AC, Mewhort and the rest of the line. While Holmes is taking the second team snaps..

[Coffeedrinker]

Right now he is the guy... Harrison is taking the 1st team snaps. Working with Andrew, AC, Mewhort and the rest of the line. While Holmes is taking the second team snaps..

That's not true.  Pagano has said they are splitting snaps, he has said they are competing for the starting spot.  It's been reported numerous times.

[COLTS449]

You know, I just hope one of them become a decent, consistent, durable starting Center at this point. I don't expect either to be Alex Mack. But anyways, Harrison is country strong, but struggled most of the time. I think in the end its gonna be Holmes starting.

[MTC]

Harrison offers more potential than Holmes IMO. Coaches probably agree with me.

[Grigs build the lines plz.]

The Colts will always try to get by with as little talent as possible on the lines so

this doesn't surprise me. Linemen need couple years in the NFL to mature

out of college so they can get used to battling with full grown men at this level.

 

I took Jeff Saturday a few years to get his legs under him.

[basspapaw]

Is he really the guy? I read an article that he was taking most of the snaps on offseason. We saw that the line became solidified when he was switched out. Why are the coaches so stubborn with experiments? (one in which it shall never be mentioned again...) wont go anywhere if we dont fix the holes.

 I agree,Its like they refuse to see it.

[Coffeedrinker]

The Colts will always try to get by with as little talent as possible on the lines so

this doesn't surprise me. Linemen need couple years in the NFL to mature

out of college so they can get used to battling with full grown men at this level.

 

I took Jeff Saturday a few years to get his legs under him.

No it didn't.  He improved as he played as most players do, but he was a 16 game starter his 2nd season.  The biggest thing with Saturday was just figuring out if he was more valuable at center or at guard.

[COLTS449]

I still think we really, really, really need to sign De La Puente as a backup/emergency plan. I mean look at last year. He signed for league minimum and turned out to be a steal. The way I look at it is it'd be dangerous not to sign him. There would be absolutely no downfall to signing a proven center for at, or around league minimum. And I mean it would also push Holmes and Harrison too. Let them all 3 battle it out in camp and preseason.

[ProblChld32]

i honestly don't care which one of them is considered to be "the guy" i just want a solid line to keep Luck upright. 

[RockThatBlue]

i honestly don't care which one of them is considered to be "the guy" i just want a solid line to keep Luck upright.

This.

"The guy" could be a bum off the street for all I care. As long as Luck finally has a reliable center for once.

[RockThatBlue]

Harrison offers more potential than Holmes IMO. Coaches probably agree with me.

I think Holmes has more potential myself. While Harrison was a rookie, he was downright dreadful at times. Holmes was decent every game he played in my opinion. But I don't care who the guy is, Luck needs a reliable center.

[Hoose]

That was the article I read... that he and Holmes were splitting snaps.

 

IMO, Harrison was terrible and I said as much even after his first game.  His technique was bad, he may be strong but he did not play strong,  And every team knew that if you put the DTs over the guards and bring up a LB over Harrison that Harrison would snap and step towards the LB and open a hole between he and the guard which another LB would run through.  This happened two or three times a game.

 

His biggest weakness however was his line calls.  Many times a defender would come free and at first I thought it was the blocking scheme but it did not happen anywhere near as often with Shipley or Holmes in there and it is, IMO, the biggest reason why the line looked so much better after Holmes came in.  Holmes played well but it was his ability to put the lineman on the proper guy that made the biggest difference.  And some people, mistakenly, think that line calls are something that can be taught but only somewhat.  It's more like QB accuracy, some improvement can be made but a center either has it or he doesn't and I don't think Harrison has it.

 

Lastly, the Colts don't have anyone on the team named Jonothan Harrison, he has two T's in his name Jonotthan.  Not trying to pick on anyone, I just believe if you are going to talk about a player, the courtesy of spelling his name correctly should be extended.

THIS. Harrison was overwhelmed in trying to make the calls. He just did not have the acumen or experience to do it, apparently. Obviously the team hopes he can grasp the job going forward. Still, I have to believe that the definite improvement that everyone saw when Holmes took over the position late in the season is not lost on the coaches, nor was it a fluke. Holmes is the better center. If Harrison can prove to be an adequate backup, hoooah!

. 

[horseshoeblue22]

I think Holmes has more potential myself. While Harrison was a rookie, he was downright dreadful at times. Holmes was decent every game he played in my opinion. But I don't care who the guy is, Luck needs a reliable center.

I think the knock on Holmes has been his "nagging injuries" and his lack of toughness in playing effectively when dealing with them. It has been reported a few times that the coaching staff was frustrated by how much time he has spent in the trainers room, dealing with injuries instead of practicing. Hes effective when hes healthy, but a unicorn is pretty when its right in front of you, too.

Harrison was lousy last year, especially with bad snaps. But I think the staff saw him as a more reliable option because he was available when Holmes was not.

I hope the playing time Holmes got in the playoffs is an indication that he toughened up and realized his NFL career was slipping through his fingers. Hurt or not, he just has to go out there, play, and play well.

Center is the weakest position on this entire team, that much should be pretty obvious. I don't expect much out of either one of these guya, just hope one can make the most out of the opportunity and develop into a steady, league average starter.

[Ja'Crispy]

Team Shipley!

Whoops

[NewColtsFan]

Right now he is the guy... Harrison is taking the 1st team snaps. Working with Andrew, AC, Mewhort and the rest of the line. While Holmes is taking the second team snaps..

 

That happened for one week.

 

And the next week,  Holmes took the first team snaps.

 

No one has made any decisions.

[NewColtsFan]

Is he really the guy? I read an article that he was taking most of the snaps on offseason. We saw that the line became solidified when he was switched out. Why are the coaches so stubborn with experiments? (one in which it shall never be mentioned again...) wont go anywhere if we dont fix the holes.

 

 

No one has made any decisions.   The coaches are giving Harrison reps with the first team as they are with Holmes.

 

And the Staff said they'd do this.    Nothing has changed.    There are no surprises and no one is being stubborn.

 

Neither Harrison nor Holmes has won the job and they won't until sometime during or after the pre-season.

 

Now is the time for everyone to get opportunity.

 

I know you like to panic and worry and fret over EVERYTHING,  but really everything is happening just as the staff said it would.

[akcolt]

Harrison will win the job Holmes will watch from the trainers table

[C0lts088]

Harrison had a hard time getting the ball to Andrew couple times... that's what scares me the most

[lollygagger8]

Harrison offers more potential than Holmes IMO. Coaches probably agree with me.

 

[Coffeedrinker]

I think the knock on Holmes has been his "nagging injuries" and his lack of toughness in playing effectively when dealing with them. It has been reported a few times that the coaching staff was frustrated by how much time he has spent in the trainers room, dealing with injuries instead of practicing. Hes effective when hes healthy, but a unicorn is pretty when its right in front of you, too.

Harrison was lousy last year, especially with bad snaps. But I think the staff saw him as a more reliable option because he was available when Holmes was not.

I hope the playing time Holmes got in the playoffs is an indication that he toughened up and realized his NFL career was slipping through his fingers. Hurt or not, he just has to go out there, play, and play well.

Center is the weakest position on this entire team, that much should be pretty obvious. I don't expect much out of either one of these guya, just hope one can make the most out of the opportunity and develop into a steady, league average starter.

To the bolded, I agree and I think that is about the only knock on Holmes and it will stay with him until he proves otherwise.  For me it was encouraging to see him finish the season and start every game he was eligible for including the playoffs.  But we will see how it goes this season.

 

I know last year he went to LeCharles Bentley's camp for olineman, which from all reports is a great camp, not only does he work on the the things lineman need to be better but he also works with them on diet and injury prevention.  So hopefully is is doing that again this year.

[NagelHausForge]

I still don't understand why we didn't keep rolling with Shipley... He may not have been the strongest center but he was good at putting the linemen in the proper positions and calling out assignments.  I don't recall him having any bad snaps or getting plowed straight back into Luck...

 

Just baffled me when they benched him for Harrison for no apparent reason...

[Coffeedrinker]

I still don't understand why we didn't keep rolling with Shipley... He may not have been the strongest center but he was good at putting the linemen in the proper positions and calling out assignments.  I don't recall him having any bad snaps or getting plowed straight back into Luck...

 

Just baffled me when they benched him for Harrison for no apparent reason...

I wondered that as well.  I was not as enamored with Shipley as many on this forum but I thought he was playing well enough to keep his job.

[horseshoeblue22]

I still don't understand why we didn't keep rolling with Shipley... He may not have been the strongest center but he was good at putting the linemen in the proper positions and calling out assignments. I don't recall him having any bad snaps or getting plowed straight back into Luck...

Just baffled me when they benched him for Harrison for no apparent reason...

Shipley is not a long term solution. Staff is looking for a long term solution. I don't think Harrson is either, but apparently he showed enough in practice to be worth a shot. You never know how rookies are going to respond until you put them on the field. Unfortunately, Harrison responded with botched snaps and several missed blocking assignments.

[Archer]

I think Harrison starting last year is one of a number of questionable OL moves over the last few years.  I think I understand what we were thinking: based on what the OL coach saw in TC, they felt that Harrison just needed experience to be a better option than Shipley.  So, they hoped that Harrison would steadily improve with the PT and be the best option by the playoffs.  However, he never improved one bit during the year, and it took them 10 games to bench him.  Now, much of it probably has to do with the fact that Holmes' injury took that long to sufficiently heal.  Since we were somewhat running away with the division, there was no real need to bring Khaled back too soon and risk that he wouldn't be available for the playoffs.  It was a risky move to bench the obviously superior Shipley in favor of a rookie FA, knowing that Harrison was not yet "ready" to start.  It was a risk that pretty much bit us in the butt.  All that being said, I'm sure that Harrison is a better player from having started 10 games.  I expect Holmes to win the center competition, but Harrison should be much more ready to step in with another TC/preseason if something should happen to Holmes...

[Bluefire4]

They truly seem to like Harrison.. maybe too much. After his benching last season, I don't want him taking half the snaps.

[Dark Superman]

I think Harrison could have tremendous upside. You have to remember, he was an unddrafted free agent who came in and played decent for us.

Throw in some more experience and anothe season under his belt and this kid could end up being pretty darn good.

I love how him and Holmes are pushing each other. Both will only continue to get better as the season goes on.

[Jason_]

They truly seem to like Harrison.. maybe too much. After his benching last season, I don't want him taking half the snaps.

 

so you don't believe in player development?  being able to improve?   gotcha

[Coffeedrinker]

I think Harrison could have tremendous upside. You have to remember, he was an unddrafted free agent who came in and played decent for us.

Throw in some more experience and anothe season under his belt and this kid could end up being pretty darn good.

I love how him and Holmes are pushing each other. Both will only continue to get better as the season goes on.

1.  Whether or not he played decent is a matter of debate.  I think he played poorly.  He played like an rookie UDFA and I think the reason he was not drafted was obvious.

 

2.  People keep talking about someone having more potential or more upside than someone else.  What does that even mean?  Someone who is terrible, if they have the ability to become average then they have more upside than someone who is good and has the ability to become good to very good.  I'd still rather have the person who has the ability to be good not someone who has the ability to become average.

 

3.  I believe players do improve with experience but if it was just a matter of experience then all teams would just fill their rosters with UDFA, give them experience and be fielding an all-pro team in no time.  But the fact is it takes more than experience to be good and I didn't see anything from Harrison last year to make me think he has the ability to be good, no matter how much experience he gets.

[NagelHausForge]

Shipley is not a long term solution. Staff is looking for a long term solution. I don't think Harrson is either, but apparently he showed enough in practice to be worth a shot. You never know how rookies are going to respond until you put them on the field. Unfortunately, Harrison responded with botched snaps and several missed blocking assignments.

 

I guess my question is then why wasn't Shipley a long term solution? 

[Bluefire4]

so you don't believe in player development? being able to improve? gotcha

I believe the better player should get the most reps in preparation for the season.

[horseshoeblue22]

I guess my question is then why wasn't Shipley a long term solution?

He has bounced around the league so far in his career. Short arms, lack of strength and explosion off the ball. Decent backup, low potential guy, but doesn't drive his man backwards often enough. His technique is solid though, and hes a smart dude.

[Jason_]

I believe the better player should get the most reps in preparation for the season.

As we get into training camp and into preseason, I'd agree with you. But they're not even to training camp yet.

[RockThatBlue]

I think Harrison could have tremendous upside. You have to remember, he was an unddrafted free agent who came in and played decent for us.

Throw in some more experience and anothe season under his belt and this kid could end up being pretty darn good.

I love how him and Holmes are pushing each other. Both will only continue to get better as the season goes on.

I thought Holmes outplayed Harrison myself. Harrison was a mistake machine.