Bethea.....is He At The Top?

[IndyTrav]

I was in another thread talking about how fans of teams, hold there own players in higher regard. I love me some Bethea, he is a tackling machine, and alot of posters here do as well. We all know he's not on the Reed/Troy P. level, so lets dig a little deeper and compare Bethea to some other DBs around the league (no CBs).

Bethea: -------------2 PB...0.5 sacks...12 INT...34PD...5FF....586tack....90games

Yermiah Bell:-------1 PB...11 sacks...6int...44PD....9FF...557tack....109Games

Roman Harper:----2 PB...17sacks...4int...38PD...14FF...482tack...1TD....82games

Adrian Wilson:-----5PB/1AP..22.5sacks...26int...93PD....15FF..835tack...4TD...165games

Nick Collins:--------3PB...1sack....21int....68PD....6FF....404 tack....5 TDs....95games

Reggie Nelson------------ 3sacks...13Int....39 PD...5FF...315 tack...1TD.....76games...

Eric Weddle:-------1PB....4 sack...13int...40 PD...434 tack....3TDs...75game

What sticks out to me are two things.

1. Bethea is a tackle machine. The guy gets tackles. Now is that a result of his skill, his circumstances, he stays healthy, all the above?

2. Alot of guys have done alot more with alot less.

[CR91]

bethea is also a very good out fielder. he can cover a lot of ground and make a play on the ball.

[Fr33UpFr33ney]

Holy Crap. Look at Adrian Wilson's stats.

[oldunclemark]

I was in another thread talking about how fans of teams, hold there own players in higher regard. I love me some Bethea, he is a tackling machine, and alot of posters here do as well. We all know he's not on the Reed/Troy P. level, so lets dig a little deeper and compare Bethea to some other DBs around the league (no CBs).

Bethea: -------------2 PB...0.5 sacks...12 INT...34PD...5FF....586tack....90games

Yermiah Bell:-------1 PB...11 sacks...6int...44PD....9FF...557tack....109Games

Roman Harper:----2 PB...17sacks...4int...38PD...14FF...482tack...1TD....82games

Adrian Wilson:-----5PB/1AP..22.5sacks...26int...93PD....15FF..835tack...4TD...165games

Nick Collins:--------3PB...1sack....21int....68PD....6FF....404 tack....5 TDs....95games

Reggie Nelson------------ 3sacks...13Int....39 PD...5FF...315 tack...1TD.....76games...

Eric Weddle:-------1PB....4 sack...13int...40 PD...434 tack....3TDs...75game

What sticks out to me are two things.

1. Bethea is a tackle machine. The guy gets tackles. Now is that a result of his skill, his circumstances, he stays healthy, all the above?

2. Alot of guys have done alot more with alot less.

Our DBs get a lot of tackles because of the cover 2...right....

No knck on Bethea but or D is designed for safeties and the MLB to get tackles

[21isSuperman]

Bethea is awesome. If you ask me, he is the 2nd best FS in the AFC. He is very underrated, is excellent at playing center field and has managed to stay healthy his whole career. This was an excellent find by Polian. The tandem of Bob and Bethea was scary good. Our 2007 secondary (when healthy) consisted of Bob, Bethea, Hayden and Jackson. 4 guys that love to hit. It's a shame that group couldn't stay healthy and couldn't play together for a longer period of time.

We need to draft a really good SS to tandem up with Bethea for the future

[IndyTrav]

Bethea is awesome. If you ask me, he is the 2nd best FS in the AFC. He is very underrated, is excellent at playing center field and has managed to stay healthy his whole career. This was an excellent find by Polian. The tandem of Bob and Bethea was scary good. Our 2007 secondary (when healthy) consisted of Bob, Bethea, Hayden and Jackson. 4 guys that love to hit. It's a shame that group couldn't stay healthy and couldn't play together for a longer period of time.

We need to draft a really good SS to tandem up with Bethea for the future

I love me some Bethea, but in NO WAY is he above Reed/Troy P. its not even a question. However his 6th rd pick status and his consistent healthy years is something I feel cannot be ignored.

But I cant say he's underrated. He gets credit, but he also doesn't put himself out there with big hits, big plays, big moments like some of the other guys have done. Reed/Troy particularly.

The only thing AB does at a level above those others is tackle, but whos to say those other DB's wouldn't be accumulating similar tackles given similar circumstances.

[GoDeep]

When I think of Bethea I fondly remember his rookie year - 2006. We had the WORST run D...almost ever, and he stopped a lot of TDs.

(won the Super Bowl though)

[21isSuperman]

I love me some Bethea, but in NO WAY is he above Reed/Troy P. its not even a question. However his 6th rd pick status and his consistent healthy years is something I feel cannot be ignored.

But I cant say he's underrated. He gets credit, but he also doesn't put himself out there with big hits, big plays, big moments like some of the other guys have done. Reed/Troy particularly.

The only thing AB does at a level above those others is tackle, but whos to say those other DB's wouldn't be accumulating similar tackles given similar circumstances.

I don't think he is better than Polamalu or Reed. But I think he is very good. Reed has had the benefit of having guys like Suggs, Lewis, and Ngata playing in front of him. Those guys will take care of the run while Reed can focus on the pass and make big plays out in the secondary. When you think Ravens or Steelers, you think about their defense. When you have a guy who is set free to make plays in the secondary like Reed or a guy who does Superman jumps over the line of scrimmage like Polamalu, they are bound to get media attention. When you think Indy, you think Peyton and offense. So guys like Bethea don't get much attention or credit

[GoColts8818]

Yes for years has been one of the most underrated players in the league. No he's not Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu. He's probably the best or near the top of the next group below those guys though.

Bethea for a lot of years along with Freeney and Mathis took away the deep pass against us because he was great at getting back and picking off the deep pass if Freeney and Mathis didn't get home. He is one of the better tacklers on the team.

Also most years he's the last man standing in the secondary when Sanders, Hayden, Jackon, Powers, and Bullitt would all get hurt Bethea was often the last starter left standing back there playing with rookies and undrafted free agents. Yet most years (till this one) the secondary played well and just about every single one of those players would always give credit to Bethea for getting them in the right spot. Even this year the secondary has come along as the year has gone along, I am sure Bethea has had a hand in that.

The dude is a leader and has been an unoffical captain for years.

[IndyTrav]

Yes for years has been one of the most underrated players in the league. No he's not Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu. He's probably the best or near the top of the next group below those guys though.

Bethea for a lot of years along with Freeney and Mathis took away the deep pass against us because he was great at getting back and picking off the deep pass if Freeney and Mathis didn't get home. He is one of the better tacklers on the team.

Adrian Wilson would be 3rd in line IMO.

Several have mentioned his 'centerfield play' and you just mentioned his INTs, but a guy like Nick Collins has more INTs, double the PDs, and 5TDs, more sacks and FF....Im not sure you could even put AB above him.......All this is without taking into account Brian Dawkins decline in recent years, or mentioning a guy like Ryan Clark...

I like me some AB, but he's somewhere in the muddy middle.

[Andy]

Antoine Bethea is the 3rd best Free Safety in NFL, and the top 6 overall. Troy Polamalu plays SS, Ed Reed plays FS. What makes him so good is that not only does this guy make his tackles and rarely miss, but he's great at coverages. No QB wants to throw to his area. He's very fast also and chases down his targets. He may not get the stats like interceptions or sacks, but he gets the tackles and he covers extremely well, which makes an ideal FS. He's also very good in the playoffs. Anyways, I really like him and I think he's the 3rd best FS in the NFL.

[Andy]

Adrian Wilson would be 3rd in line IMO.

Several have mentioned his 'centerfield play' and you just mentioned his INTs, but a guy like Nick Collins has more INTs, double the PDs, and 5TDs, more sacks and FF....Im not sure you could even put AB above him.......All this is without taking into account Brian Dawkins decline in recent years, or mentioning a guy like Ryan Clark...

I like me some AB, but he's somewhere in the muddy middle.

Adrien Wilson is a Strong Safety..

[Jaric]

I'm not sure where I'd rate him.

I know he's pretty good at his job, and it's one of the positions on our defense I'm not concerned about.

[IndyTrav]

Adrien Wilson is a Strong Safety..

Based on position listed I would agree, but based on play I would disagree. SS/FS had a bit more position description in the past, but the last 8 or so years its really become molded. Obviously a CB-Safety comparison wouldn't be fair because a majority of CB time is spent on WR. But a FS/SS comparison, in my opinion is acceptable. To each his own tho.

[Andy]

Based on position listed I would agree, but based on play I would disagree. SS/FS had a bit more position description in the past, but the last 8 or so years its really become molded. Obviously a CB-Safety comparison wouldn't be fair because a majority of CB time is spent on WR. But a FS/SS comparison, in my opinion is acceptable. To each his own tho.

?? He's always played SS and I'm talking about the top FS's in the league. Plus, a strong safety plays more in the box and should get more of every stat. Just look at Bob Sanders, when he was with us, he did everything. Bethea covers well and tackles really well, which is what you expect from a FS

[Captain Americolt]

Bethea would have much better stats if he didnt have to defend the run more often than other safeties. We have been run on this year more than any other team has been run on. Colts always have a bad run D, therefore our safeties make alot of tackles and dont have as much opportunities as other safeties.

[Larry Horseman]

Bethea is a top 5 FS in the league (I'm making a distinction between FS and SS because I believe it is accurate and necessary. Troy P or Bob Sanders and Bethea do not come close to playing the same position, for example). Also, what doesn't show up in the stat line is how he doesn't get as many INT, PD, and FF opportunities because of his role in the Colts D and excellent deep coverage skills. Bethea has had chopped liver playing SS next to him since the '08 season (Bullit, Francisco, and Caldwell/Lefeged--this year's combo is prob the best of the group), and has consistently been charged with and successfully accomplished taking the deep ball away from the other team, forcing them to throw underneath so other players make the play. This is the role of the FS in the Dungy D. Further, other FS are utilized differently and more as play makers instead of big play deniers. For example, Eric Weddle and Ed Reed, who are top 5 FS, play less deep center field and blitz more. My point is that stats, while important, don't always show the whole picture of a players impact. His responsibilities within the Colts scheme, and how well he accomplishes those, need to be taken into account as well. Bethea is an excellent example of Polian drafting a player that perfectly fits the scheme on the field (or basically the polar opposite of Hughes).

The above point about other teams running more on us is also a valid part of this argument.