In The 3-4, We Can Play Brackett And Angerer, Right?

[oldunclemark]

If we go 3-4...we solve the problem of Pat Angerer OR Gary Brackett..

Its Angerer AND Brackett...right??

[BlueShoe]

If we go 3-4...we solve the problem of Pat Angerer OR Gary Brackett..

Its Angerer AND Brackett...right??

Yes. And we could play them both in the 4-3 we used to run too.

[MrPreGame]

Angerer maybe. Brackett, oh no. LBs in a 3-4 need to be able to shed blocks by guards.

[JoKeR]

Can Bracket stay healthy? That's the 1st question. But yes I think Angerer can adjust.

[oldunclemark]

Angerer maybe. Brackett, oh no. LBs in a 3-4 need to be able to shed blocks by guards.

Brackett's strength is against the run....I think he can take on guards better than Angerer..who is faster but smaller..right?

He's weaker against the pass because of his height and age..

[Coffeedrinker]

Angerer, IMO, would make an excellent ILB in a 3-4 D. Brackett, not so much. But Pagano's D is not a typical 3-4 so I don't know.

[BlueShoe]

Angerer, IMO, would make an excellent ILB in a 3-4 D. Brackett, not so much. But Pagano's D is not a typical 3-4 so I don't know.

I even wonder if Brackett will be back. I agree that Angerer can play. He can play in any defensive scheme.

[oldunclemark]

Angerer, IMO, would make an excellent ILB in a 3-4 D. Brackett, not so much. But Pagano's D is not a typical 3-4 so I don't know.

I dont know the terminology but Brackett....would play the weak side..and Angerer the strong side...or the ILB that got into pass coverage more...

Gary Brackett..when healthy...is a an experinced player who reads offense very well..and cutting him saves almost nothing in CAP space..

...we wont be spending any high draft choices on linebackers so this, to me is our low-cost solution...if we (as I assume we will) go 3-4

[Smonroe]

Brackett's strength is against the run....I think he can take on guards better than Angerer..who is faster but smaller..right?

He's weaker against the pass because of his height and age..

Wow, I thought just the opposite. Gary was a very good pass defender (you may be correct about his age though), but he's basically a bigger safety, and wasn't more than adequate against the run.

[chad72]

With a 3-4:

NTs: Draft the best available 3-4 NT with our round 2 pick. Our round 2 pick might tell us if we are going down the path of a 3-4, IMO. AJ and Nevis can rotate at NT too. Muir is gone.

DEs: Moala, Anderson, Brayton - all of those are good run stopping DEs that can contain the edge. Moala has played 3-4 DE at USC

OLBs: Freeney, Mathis, Wheeler, Hughes for the rotation (Wheeler and Hughes will spend more time in coverage)

ILB: Angerer, Conner ((If we play a Bill Parcells 3-4, the traditional 4-3 MLB who is good in coverage can become a weak side ILB - Angerer will be weak side ILB while Conner will have more run stopping responsibilities that he is better at) http://www.scardraft...Parcells34.html, can work in a Dick Lebeau 3-4 too http://www.scardraft.com/LeBeau34.html)

But then, elite teams will spread all your LBs out and force you to cover. That is when, having an ILB like Brackett for pass downs will help.

[Brett Snyder]

I think Konner has a good shot at playing ILB aswell. Hes a thumper with some speed, and with our abondance with 3/4 OLB's types (ala Freeney, Mathis if resigned, Wheeler, Hughes) theres no need for Konner to stick at OLB.

[JoKeR]

Brackett's strength is against the run....I think he can take on guards better than Angerer..who is faster but smaller..right?

He's weaker against the pass because of his height and age..

No Bracket is better against the pass while Angerer is better against the run. It has nothing to do with size as they are nearly identical in height and weight.

[Coffeedrinker]

I dont know the terminology but Brackett....would play the weak side..and Angerer the strong side...or the ILB that got into pass coverage more...

Gary Brackett..when healthy...is a an experinced player who reads offense very well..and cutting him saves almost nothing in CAP space..

...we wont be spending any high draft choices on linebackers so this, to me is our low-cost solution...if we (as I assume we will) go 3-4

Brackett is a favorite player of mine and what a great story. But he's just not strong enough to play LB in a 3-4 D. He's great at seeing the play develop and hitting the hole but once engaged he does nothing. And while he has good speed and recognition in the zone he does not have the agility and quickness to cover TEs and RBs man on man, which is required from the ILB from time to time.

[bluephantom87]

Pat is a beast and would flourish in a 3-4 defense. Not sure about Brackett. I just hope the Colts get away from the smaller d players no matter what defense we run. One thing is a given they will be more aggressive and that's a GOOD thing. :clap:

[Blueblazes]

Brackett's much better against the pass. His strength is not run stopping--sorry just watch the games. He makes lots of tackles but usually many yards beyond the line of scrimmage. I like Brackett's attitude and his above average pass coverage skills.

[oldunclemark]

No Bracket is better against the pass while Angerer is better against the run. It has nothing to do with size as they are nearly identical in height and weight.

That's odd..Joker..BB....I've always seem Gary as a liability against the pass..He's one of my favorite players...but he's 32

I remember all the goal line stops he's made...taking on runners in gaps

[WSO]

Maybe we can finally take advantage of Hughes by switching to the 3-4. Maybe he might live up to the 1st round pick. Who knows.

[deadman]

I cant really see the colts keeping Brackett around if they do infact switch to a 3-4, atleast at his current pay rate. With the emergence of Kavell Conner and Pat Angerer, there really isnt much need for him anymore. Bracket's main thing was being able to read the Offense and understand his own D scheme very well. If they do switch all of that becomes questionable and brings his value down a substantial amount if his injuries havent already done that.

I wonder what kind of opt out option is writen into his contract.

[MrPreGame]

Brackett's strength is against the run....I think he can take on guards better than Angerer..who is faster but smaller..right?

He's weaker against the pass because of his height and age..

Wow, I thought just the opposite. Gary was a very good pass defender (you may be correct about his age though), but he's basically a bigger safety, and wasn't more than adequate against the run.

No Bracket is better against the pass while Angerer is better against the run. It has nothing to do with size as they are nearly identical in height and weight.

Brackett is a favorite player of mine and what a great story. But he's just not strong enough to play LB in a 3-4 D. He's great at seeing the play develop and hitting the hole but once engaged he does nothing. And while he has good speed and recognition in the zone he does not have the agility and quickness to cover TEs and RBs man on man, which is required from the ILB from time to time.

That's odd..Joker..BB....I've always seem Gary as a liability against the pass..He's one of my favorite players...but he's 32

I remember all the goal line stops he's made...taking on runners in gaps

Brackett is great at tackling the ball carrier definately. That's why you might think he is a run stopper but he is not. Like I said the inside LBs in a 3-4 need to take on guards that weigh 300+ pounds. Brackett CANNOT do this. He will get swallowed by guys weighing almost 100 pounds more than him. He is an aging coverage LB that is in a system that funnels runners towards him where he makes the tackle.

[Coffeedrinker]

With a 3-4:

NTs: Draft the best available 3-4 NT with our round 2 pick. Our round 2 pick might tell us if we are going down the path of a 3-4, IMO. AJ and Nevis can rotate at NT too. Muir is gone.

DEs: Moala, Anderson, Brayton - all of those are good run stopping DEs that can contain the edge. Moala has played 3-4 DE at USC

OLBs: Freeney, Mathis, Wheeler, Hughes for the rotation (Wheeler and Hughes will spend more time in coverage)

ILB: Angerer, Conner ((If we play a Bill Parcells 3-4, the traditional 4-3 MLB who is good in coverage can become a weak side ILB - Angerer will be weak side ILB while Conner will have more run stopping responsibilities that he is better at) http://www.scardraft...Parcells34.html, can work in a Dick Lebeau 3-4 too http://www.scardraft.com/LeBeau34.html)

But then, elite teams will spread all your LBs out and force you to cover. That is when, having an ILB like Brackett for pass downs will help.

In a 3-4 I see more of Brayton being gone (didn't he only sign a one year contract?) then With Moala/Nevis as the starting DE and Anderson/??? in the rotation. Thenwith draft pick/free agent for the NT. I don't think either Mookie or Muir would make a good NT. Lbers, I agree with.

Last night, I watched a few Ravens games on NFL rewind and the lineup he used the most was

two NT (one in the end spot on the strong side), a DE/DT tweener on the weak side.

At LB, other than where they lined up there is not a big difference in the skill set for all 4 LBers.

Corners are pretty much man corners with the safeties being true safeties, meaning the last line of defense for the run and pass.

With the Colts, I think Nevis can play the strong side DE, they need to draft a NT and Moala can be the weakside DE.

Angerer and Freeney can be the Lewis and Suggs in the D

And Bethea can play the Ed Reed role.

I like Powers as a man corner although hes injured too much. I do think KT can be a good man corner. Rucker, I need to see more of because I don't know if he'd be good at man coverage or not.

[oldunclemark]

Brackett is great at tackling the ball carrier definately. That's why you might think he is a run stopper but he is not. Like I said the inside LBs in a 3-4 need to take on guards that wiegh 300+ pounds. Brackett CANNOT do this. He will get swallowed by guys weighing almost 100 pounds more than him. He is an aging coverage LB that is in a system that funnels runners towards him where he makes the tackle.

Then how can we expect Pat Angerer to play ILB in a 3-4? He's the same size as Brackett....less experienced and no stronger that I can see..

[MrPreGame]

Then how can we expect Pat Angerer to play ILB in a 3-4? He's the same size as Brackett....less experienced and no stronger that I can see..

I wholeheartedly agree. But he still has enough of a career in front of him to maybe learn a different style. IMO Brackett is done in the NFL, defintely with the Colts.

[oldunclemark]

I wholeheartedly agree. But he still has enough of a career in front of him to maybe learn a different style. IMO Brackett is done in the NFL, defintely with the Colts.

I hate to agree....

But you could be right....If we're revamping and switching styles...his experience (not to mention Mathis and Freeney's) is almost meaningless..

[Peytonallday]

If we do play a 3-4 we better snag a big giant Defensive tackle but we wont we will stay with the 4-3 with Konner, Pat, and Gary as our LB's

[JoKeR]

Pagano will not force a 3-4 when the personnel isn't available. According to Antoine Rolle, he plays to players strengths.

I expect a aggressive 4-3.

[oldunclemark]

Pagano will not force a 3-4 when the personnel isn't available. According to Antoine Rolle, he plays to players strengths.

I expect a aggressive 4-3.

I kinda hope you are right..Joker....

..because that means Freeney and Mathis can still be Freeney and Mathis...

[JoKeR]

I kinda hope you are right..Joker....

..because that means Freeney and Mathis can still be Freeney and Mathis...

Im not so sure Freeney is the same player anymore but it gives players like Mathis, Angerer, Conner, Powers, Bethea, and Nevis time to adjust.

[chad72]

Yeah, we could draft a late round sleeper like this guy, Akiem Nicks (started a thread about him in the draft section). He could be used as a Wade Philips' style 3-4 NT, and a 4-3 NT too.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/A-sleeper-at-the-EastWest-game.html

[MrPreGame]

I think maybe if we run a Wade Phillips style 1-gap odd front we could transition faster. Wade is quoted as saying he runs more of a 5-2 defense with the ends standing up essentially. This is why the NT in Dallas was less than 300lbs when Wade was there. Our front could be Hughes, Freeney, New huge NT, Nevis?, and Mathis. Angerer can play the Ray Lewis sideline to sideline role. And Wheeler/Connor can rotate in at all LB spots. Really it would be replacing one LB with Hughes and having him and Mathis rush standing up.

I would especially like to see exotic nickel packages With a front of Freeney, New huge NT, Nevis on the line. Angerer, Connor, and Wheeler at LB. Then 5 Dbs hopefullt being coached up by Pagano who is a secondary kinda guy. That would be exciting.

Im responding to posts here cuz of the new member limit.

Yea we need a few new lineman. I think we will invest heavily in Dbs in the draft. If we do drop a Lb essentially to put Hughes on the field we will lose some coverage ability on the field. THIS is why we hired Pagano. he is a former safety. he can teach our backs how to cover finally.

Edited January 26, 2012 by MrPreGame

[oldunclemark]

I think maybe if we run a Wade Phillips style 1-gap odd front we could transition faster. Wade is quoted as saying he runs more of a 5-2 defense with the ends standing up essentially. This is why the NT in Dallas was less than 300lbs when Wade was there. Our front could be Hughes, Freeney, New huge NT, Nevis?, and Mathis. Angerer can play the Ray Lewis sideline to sideline role. And Wheeler/Connor can rotate in at all LB spots.

I would especially like to see exotic nickel packages With a front of Freeney, New huge NT, Nevis on the line. Angerer, Connor, and Wheeler at LB. Then 5 Dbs hopefullt being coached up by Pagano who is a secondary kinda guy. That would be exciting.

the key to balitmore it seems is is that the outside guys are almost unblockable against the run, the nose man requires a dohbel block and that you dont know where Ray and Ed Reed will be.,..

They confuse you....(at least they did Tom Brady)

We have some parts ...But we'll have to get some nose tackles on next year's team..a position we do not have on the present roster, right?

[1959Colts]

I feel Gary Brackett is the one of the most over rated players.

A liability on defense.

Angerer and Conner inside would be a better fit.

[pedrazla1]

Angerer is perfect to play a 3-4 Defense.

He is one of the Colts leading tacklers, he has good speed and recognition needed to be effective in the middle of a 3-4 scheme.

I'm gonna say it first...Under Pagano's tutelage #51 Pat Angerer will be a Pro Bowler in 1-2 years.

[Coffeedrinker]

How can you say Angerer is not strong enough to play LB in a 3-4D?!

I didn't say anything of the sort. Perhaps you should spend a bit more time on reading comprehension and a bit less time on changing fonts, sizes and colors.

[JWF]

I think youll see a hybrid 3-4/4-3...and agree with Joker it will be more 4-3 looks.

But I def. think theyll def. incorporate the 3-4 package.

[Thewholefnshow28]

That's odd..Joker..BB....I've always seem Gary as a liability against the pass..He's one of my favorite players...but he's 32

I remember all the goal line stops he's made...taking on runners in gaps

Gary's best talent is his pass defense. He is one of the better coverage linebackers in the league.

As Coffee pointed out where Brackett struggles is shedding blocks once he has been engaged. That will be a huge problem for him as a ILB in a 3-4.

With him being bitten by the injury bug over the years how durable will be at ILB in a 3-4?

I would not be relying on Brackett, but I think becuase of fianances we might be stuck with him for a bit to long.

[Smitto]

Brackett is a big no no the guy is not very athletic compared to other LBs these days and he's not much of a great tackler. If anything it will be Sims, angerer, and Conner with freeney and Mathis subbing probably.

[BOTT]

No Bracket is better against the pass while Angerer is better against the run. It has nothing to do with size as they are nearly identical in height and weight.

identical in height and weight? not really. i would be shocked if bracket is 5'10.

[JWF]

I dont really think Brackett will fit into the future at all. Undersized, coming off injuries and aging.

I can see Angerer, Connor and Wheeler being able to fit into a 3-4 going forward.