Antonio Morrison

[twfish]

Only been able too listen to the past couple of games and haven't had time to rematch games yet, how's he doing? I know the talk was that he may have more success playing Jackson's role, I know the talk around here prior has been pretty negative?

[a06cc]

Playing like a rookie.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

Good against the run when he diagnoses it correctly, BUT BAD in pass coverage.

[GoColtsWin]

He definitely has a zeal for contact, but needs allot of polishing IMO. 

[jshipp23]

Great run stopper. ..His physicality stands out whenever he is on the field...We just need to use him for what he is, good coaches figure that out, something this team is lacking other than Philbin..

[Gavin]

He hasn't been good at either run defense or in coverage, He is a step slow to diagnose and react

[tvturner]

Needs to get better at coverage. I like Edwin Jackson more.

[LockeDown]

He and a Geathers are the hardest hitters we've had since Bob Sanders.  If Morrison can progress, it will be exciting to see hard hitting and good tackling on a Colts team.

[KB]

If he progresses well during the offseason he will make a good backup. Don't see him becoming a solid starter but a solid backup yes.

[1959Colts]

Looks good to me

[RockThatBlue]

Hes played pretty decent IMO. He even threw AP for a loss on one play. Colts might have something in Morrison and Pound Cake.

[Coltsfan0112]

For being a fourth rounder and not having a whole lot of game time, imo he has improved. I think due to that is playing his natural position at mlb. I don't see him being a 3 down guy in the future but has really improved on the run defense. Never know though, he could surprise us in the long run. Time will only tell, he's only a rookie.

[akcolt]

He's slow and that is not going to change. I don't think his football IQ is that great either. Yeah he hits hard if the ball is coming right at him. We need to spend a high draft pick on an ILB and bring in a FA as well. 

[zibby43]

2 hours ago, akcolt said:

He's slow and that is not going to change. I don't think his football IQ is that great either. Yeah he hits hard if the ball is coming right at him. We need to spend a high draft pick on an ILB and bring in a FA as well. 

 

His lack of speed makes me question whether he can be an every down 'backer in this league.

[Defjamz26]

12 hours ago, zibby43 said:

 

His lack of speed makes me question whether he can be an every down 'backer in this league.

He's small and slow. You never want that at ILB. Plus he can't cover. I was hyped at first but now I think his ceiling is a goal line/3rd and short run stuffer. I just don't see any quality he has that can make you ignore his obvious limitations.

[Defjamz26]

12 hours ago, zibby43 said:

 

His lack of speed makes me question whether he can be an every down 'backer in this league.

He's small and slow. You never want that at ILB. Plus he can't cover. I was hyped at first but now I think his ceiling is a goal line/3rd and short run stuffer. I just don't see any quality he has that can make you ignore his obvious limitations.

[COLTS449]

19 hours ago, Gavin said:

He hasn't been good at either run defense or in coverage, He is a step slow to diagnose and react

 

And that's why I don't ever see him being a good starting LB for a good defense. I think he'll be a mediocre backup for us the next 3 years. That's assuming we add some talent at ILB in the draft and FA. But hey. I could be wrong. He could end up having a DQ type career, but I doubt it.

[COLTS449]

We need to be looking at guys in the mold of Eric Kendricks, Bobby Wagner, Jordan Hicks, Deion Jones, LeVonte David, etc. We need a guy like that. At least one all around ILB who can cover. If we could add a guy like Chandler Jones in free agency we could then grab Cunningham in the 1st. And an EDGE rusher in the 2nd. Zach Cunningham and Zach Brown (Free agent signing) would be a solid duo, with Morrison and E. Jackson as backups. I LOVE Cunningham, but I think we have to go EDGE in the 1st baring a big time move like the aforementioned Chandler Jones signing.

[will426]

10 minutes ago, COLTS449 said:

We need to be looking at guys in the mold of Eric Kendricks, Bobby Wagner, Jordan Hicks, Deion Jones, LeVonte David, etc. We need a guy like that. At least one all around ILB who can cover. If we could add a guy like Chandler Jones in free agency we could then grab Cunningham in the 1st. And an EDGE rusher in the 2nd. Zach Cunningham and Zach Brown (Free agent signing) would be a solid duo, with Morrison and E. Jackson as backups.

I don't wanna get anyone with the last name jones especially one of those brothers..

[Superman]

18 hours ago, RockThatBlue said:

Hes played pretty decent IMO. He even threw AP for a loss on one play. Colts might have something in Morrison and Pound Cake.

 

He played much better against the run, avoiding blockers to fill the hole. He'll be fine moving straight toward the line of scrimmage, and even chasing to the sideline. Prototypical Mike in this defense. 

 

Get him in space, moving laterally, trying to cover, or -- heaven forbid -- trying to flip and run, and it's a problem. 

 

He's a young D'Qwell Jackson, without the savvy and experience. 

[Defjamz26]

12 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

He played much better against the run, avoiding blockers to fill the hole. He'll be fine moving straight toward the line of scrimmage, and even chasing to the sideline. Prototypical Mike in this defense. 

 

Get him in space, moving laterally, trying to cover, or -- heaven forbid -- trying to flip and run, and it's a problem. 

 

He's a young D'Qwell Jackson, without the savvy and experience. 

Which unfortunately is the issue. We don't need another D'Qwell. We need a Bobby Wagner or CJ Mosley.

[RockThatBlue]

4 hours ago, Superman said:

 

He played much better against the run, avoiding blockers to fill the hole. He'll be fine moving straight toward the line of scrimmage, and even chasing to the sideline. Prototypical Mike in this defense. 

 

Get him in space, moving laterally, trying to cover, or -- heaven forbid -- trying to flip and run, and it's a problem. 

 

He's a young D'Qwell Jackson, without the savvy and experience. 

Yup. Nothing wrong with being a young DQ, as we will need a DQ type once hes gone. As long as he isn't covering anyone, I think he'll be ok. I also like how he hits, he brings it every time.

 

Edit: I disagree with everyone calling him slow. No, hes not super fast, but hes ran sideline to sideline to tackle people before. He ain't fast, but slow? Eh, I disagree. Hes not Pound Cake fast, but hes not DQ slow either.

[LockeDown]

He hits harder than DQ.  He was coming off an injury in college and he is a rookie.  He has to be faster next year. 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, RockThatBlue said:

Yup. Nothing wrong with being a young DQ, as we will need a DQ type once hes gone. As long as he isn't covering anyone, I think he'll be ok. I also like how he hits, he brings it every time.

 

Edit: I disagree with everyone calling him slow. No, hes not super fast, but hes ran sideline to sideline to tackle people before. He ain't fast, but slow? Eh, I disagree. Hes not Pound Cake fast, but hes not DQ slow either.

 

I just said in another thread, I'm partial to rangy, athletic ILBs, and that's not DQ, nor is it Morrison. I like how Morrison hits, but he's a phone booth backer -- good in short areas and in a crowd, a huge liability in open space.

 

As for him being slow, like you said, he's not fast. He has some short area quickness and burst, and as he gets better reading and anticipating he'll start using those traits more often to beat blockers and make plays. He did some of that Sunday, looking much better than he did the previous week, IMO. And he plays faster than his time indicates; I'm pretty sure he wasn't 100% when he ran in pre-draft workouts. 

[krunk]

Oh hes definitely slower than DQ. I will say we have done a better job recently of not putting him in precarious situations. Situations that call for him to cover hybrid tight ends and other bad matchups.

[krunk]

Knowing this staff and how they think it would not shock me if they stayed with Morrison and E. Jack as the starters, while beefing up on pass rushers, d line and secondary. They seem much more comfortable using safeties to deal with coverage issues. I still have this gut feeling the other kid Deon King can play. They have kept him on the roster this entire time. Havent cut him to be put on the PS like some of our other second and third tier players. We will see what happens.

[akcolt]

22 hours ago, zibby43 said:

 

His lack of speed makes me question whether he can be an every down 'backer in this league.

He won't ever be a good LB he can't change direction I think he lacks instinct too. 

 

1 hour ago, krunk said:

Knowing this staff and how they think it would not shock me if they stayed with Morrison and E. Jack as the starters, while beefing up on pass rushers, d line and secondary. They seem much more comfortable using safeties to deal with coverage issues. I still have this gut feeling the other kid Deon King can play. They have kept him on the roster this entire time. Havent cut him to be put on the PS like some of our other second and third tier players. We will see what happens.

I really hope you are wrong about this. If this D is going to be one of the better units in the league we need an upgrade at ILB. We need a guy who can play side line to side line at the very least change direction. Morrison is a liability in the run game too unless it comes right at him. This will end up just like the interior of the OL. I think we should take a long look at Foster Cunningham and Davis in the draft. 

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

11 minutes ago, akcolt said:

He won't ever be a good LB he can't change direction I think he lacks instinct too. 

 

I really hope you are wrong about this. If this D is going to be one of the better units in the league we need an upgrade at ILB. We need a guy who can play side line to side line at the very least change direction. Morrison is a liability in the run game too unless it comes right at him. This will end up just like the interior of the OL. I think we should take a long look at Foster Cunningham and Davis in the draft. 

 

 

 

It's been happening here since I joined up 5 years ago,  but I'm sure it was happening long before I found this site....

 

The number of fans who watch a rookie play a few games and just like THAT they've decided how good or not good a player is going to be. 

 

Geez.....    if only the Colts knew that there is this wealth of talent scouts right here on this site who would be glad to tell the front office who is going to cut it,  and who they can already cut right now and free up space for another player.

 

If only it were that easy...........................................            

[akcolt]

5 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

It's been happening here since I joined up 5 years ago,  but I'm sure it was happening long before I found this site....

 

The number of fans who watch a rookie play a few games and just like THAT they've decided how good or not good a player is going to be. 

 

Geez.....    if only the Colts knew that there is this wealth of talent scouts right here on this site who would be glad to tell the front office who is going to cut it,  and who they can already cut right now and free up space for another player.

 

If only it were that easy...........................................            

I said this before the draft and after it. I am not a hater NCF. He doesn't move well in space, lacks the speed to play sideline to sideline and can't turn to cover. You think he does any of those things?  Those all speak to atheletic ability 

 

He made big hits at Florida the kind that would have Madden talking about snot. He hits hard if you run into him. Heck read almost any predraft write up except ours apparently. Or just watch him. Players develop and get stronger but they don't usually add speed or agility. I'm not sure what the Colts think look at Jackson WKU we took him in the 5th the kid from Georgia Herrera 6th. They are all basically the same guy. 

[Defjamz26]

6 hours ago, krunk said:

Knowing this staff and how they think it would not shock me if they stayed with Morrison and E. Jack as the starters, while beefing up on pass rushers, d line and secondary. They seem much more comfortable using safeties to deal with coverage issues. I still have this gut feeling the other kid Deon King can play. They have kept him on the roster this entire time. Havent cut him to be put on the PS like some of our other second and third tier players. We will see what happens.

I wouldn't be surprised either. There's been plenty of times where they've liked what they already had on the roster and didn't upgrade positions. Remember during the 2014 draft where they said they liked what they had in house at safety? And at that time all they had was Delano Howell and Laron Landry.

 

Or all the years they didn't think CB2 was a priority so they watched Greg Toler get burned repeatedly. And they thought Josh Chapman, RJF, and Montori Hughes was enough for the run defense. This staff has a history of settling for mediocrity and not upgrading position groups like they should. Wouldn't surprise me to see them do the same at LB.

[theanarchist]

On 12/19/2016 at 9:23 PM, Gavin said:

He hasn't been good at either run defense or in coverage, He is a step slow to diagnose and react

This was my take as well. He looks pretty rough in my opinion. Edwin Jackson looks like a keeper.

[krunk]

As long as Grigs and Pags get me at least 2 very solid pass rushers out of this off season draft and FA periods, talent added to secondary, add aditional D line talent, II can deal with having E. Jack and Morrison as the starters. You can't solve every problem in one off season. Its clear they like to cover with safeties. Green and Geathers can do that. Personally I really like Edwin Jackson. They may turn around and do opposite of what I'm saying, but by this time we should know Chuck and Ryan by now.

[PeterBowman]

55 minutes ago, krunk said:

As long as Grigs and Pags get me at least 2 very solid pass rushers out of this off season draft and FA periods, talent added to secondary, add aditional D line talent, II can deal with having E. Jack and Morrison as the starters. You can't solve every problem in one off season. Its clear they like to cover with safeties. Green and Geathers can do that. Personally I really like Edwin Jackson. They may turn around and do opposite of what I'm saying, but by this time we should know Chuck and Ryan by now.

I think they're going to prioritize pass rush...just having an average pass rush will make the secondary infinitely better. But it also wouldn't surprise me if someone like Dalvin Cook is available when they pick that they take him and go D later. But it also depends on what they do in free agency too. Man I love this time of year and discussions  

[theanarchist]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

As long as Grigs and Pags get me at least 2 very solid pass rushers out of this off season draft and FA periods, talent added to secondary, add aditional D line talent, II can deal with having E. Jack and Morrison as the starters. You can't solve every problem in one off season. Its clear they like to cover with safeties. Green and Geathers can do that. Personally I really like Edwin Jackson. They may turn around and do opposite of what I'm saying, but by this time we should know Chuck and Ryan by now.

Man, I don't think I can deal with Morrison as a starter. He's gonna have to get way better for me to feel good about that. I think of all the positions in the NFL where you can find quality, not only in the draft but in FA as well, for a reasonable price its ILB. I think we can do better than Morrison in the short term. I like E. Jackson and I think he's only gonna get better. Pair him with someone of similar talent and we have a good middle linebacking corp.

[krunk]

7 minutes ago, theanarchist said:

Man, I don't think I can deal with Morrison as a starter. He's gonna have to get way better for me to feel good about that. I think of all the positions in the NFL where you can find quality, not only in the draft but in FA as well, for a reasonable price its ILB. I think we can do better than Morrison in the short term. I like E. Jackson and I think he's only gonna get better. Pair him with someone of similar talent and we have a good middle linebacking corp.

I'm sure some changes will be made, but I'm not sure it will be totally in line with what we are thinking.   This coaching staff likes to cover the pass with Safeties so it wouldn't shock me if they didn't draft a bunch of coverage linebackers.  They may improve the speed level, but it may not be necessarily from the draft.  Hopefully they will, but we have to prepare ourselves for something Grigs and Chuckish!

[theanarchist]

Just now, krunk said:

I'm sure some changes will be made, but I'm not sure it will be totally in line with what we are thinking.   This coaching staff likes to cover the pass with Safeties so it wouldn't shock me if they didn't draft a bunch of coverage linebackers.  They may improve the speed level, but it may not be necessarily from the draft.  Hopefully they will, but we have to prepare ourselves for something Grigs and Chuckish!

I'm hoping for a change

[PeterBowman]

also as long as Josh McNary isn't wearing a Colts uniform next year will be a big plus too.

[RockThatBlue]

14 hours ago, Superman said:

 

I just said in another thread, I'm partial to rangy, athletic ILBs, and that's not DQ, nor is it Morrison. I like how Morrison hits, but he's a phone booth backer -- good in short areas and in a crowd, a huge liability in open space.

 

As for him being slow, like you said, he's not fast. He has some short area quickness and burst, and as he gets better reading and anticipating he'll start using those traits more often to beat blockers and make plays. He did some of that Sunday, looking much better than he did the previous week, IMO. And he plays faster than his time indicates; I'm pretty sure he wasn't 100% when he ran in pre-draft workouts. 

Agree with this.

[COLTS449]

22 hours ago, will426 said:

I don't wanna get anyone with the last name jones especially one of those brothers..

 

Chandler Jones is a double digit sack machine. I don't care what he or his brothers have done lol. I want my freak EDGE rusher LOL. But no LOL. I mean yeah I want him, no I don't think we'll get him. I think if we're smart we'll go all in on Nick Perry or Melvin Ingram. But if Jones is available I think we'd be crazy to not go after him. Even if it meant having to keep Arthur.

[COLTS449]

Back to ILB talk. Is there anyway we could find a Kwon Alexander or a Jatavis Brown in the 4th or 5th round????? That would be huge. We need to find a couple gems in the 4th, 5th, or 6th rounds of this draft.