The Colts Should Play A 1-Gap 3-4 For The 3-4 Portion Of Their 3-4/4-3 Hybrid

[BmoreColt]

Thanks for the piece it was excellent and informative. And, IMO, the Colts are a NT and J. Johnson away from being able to run this type of D effectively. People want to knock the players on the Colts D and some of them deserve it, but overall, the D has some talent on it they were just hijacked by an incompetent DC (and that was Coyer's MO... look good at first but then teams realized his pattern and predictability and exploited and Coyer's response was not to change things up but get more and more basic the more teams exploited him and then you get things like the Tampa game where the Colts had the lead in the 1st half and start dropping the back 7 15 yards deep and let them score).

Get Ta'Amu in the draft and then I like the rotation of Moala, Nevis, Anderson and perhaps Ogbu (or draft pick) at the DE spot.

Then Angerer/Conner at the ILB spot

Johnson (FA, the stars are lining up too perfect for the Colts NOT to get this guy)/Wheeler at the OLB spot

And this D could work. Judging by the CBs of the Ravens for the last few years, I think Pagano is really going to like Rucker and KT, Powers as well but he's too injury prone. Then Bethea and Lefeged (or draft pick) .

Then when the Colts go to a nickel or 4-3 pass D you bring in Freeney-Mathis (if he's on the team) at the DE spots with Anderson and Nevis at the DT spots and you get to provide a rush with some guys who are staying fairly fresh because of the hybrid type D and rotation.

The Colts players struggle to handle one on one matchups, yet you feel this roster has talent?

[The Peytonator]

Thanks for the piece it was excellent and informative. And, IMO, the Colts are a NT and J. Johnson away from being able to run this type of D effectively. People want to knock the players on the Colts D and some of them deserve it, but overall, the D has some talent on it they were just hijacked by an incompetent DC (and that was Coyer's MO... look good at first but then teams realized his pattern and predictability and exploited and Coyer's response was not to change things up but get more and more basic the more teams exploited him and then you get things like the Tampa game where the Colts had the lead in the 1st half and start dropping the back 7 15 yards deep and let them score).

Get Ta'Amu in the draft and then I like the rotation of Moala, Nevis, Anderson and perhaps Ogbu (or draft pick) at the DE spot.

Then Angerer/Conner at the ILB spot

Johnson (FA, the stars are lining up too perfect for the Colts NOT to get this guy)/Wheeler at the OLB spot

And this D could work. Judging by the CBs of the Ravens for the last few years, I think Pagano is really going to like Rucker and KT, Powers as well but he's too injury prone. Then Bethea and Lefeged (or draft pick) .

Then when the Colts go to a nickel or 4-3 pass D you bring in Freeney-Mathis (if he's on the team) at the DE spots with Anderson and Nevis at the DT spots and you get to provide a rush with some guys who are staying fairly fresh because of the hybrid type D and rotation.

This is almost word for word, the way I feel our defense should run next year. Props for some excellent football knowledge.

I don't know what Ta'Amu's draft stock is but I'd be willing to spend the 2nd pick on him if he's there. If he lives up to his potential, we might have a Haloti Ngata on our hands....maybe wishful thinking on my part. If they wanted to go for a more developmental guy in a later round though I'd take a good look at Hebron Fangupo out of BYU. He started out at USC but transferred because his wife wanted to live in a safer area. If I'm not mistaken this was his only year as a 3-4 Nose, so he'll be raw, but with a lot of potential. Then we could use the 2nd round pick on somone else.

I really doubt our CBs are as bad as they've been made to look of late. I don't know what the rankings for the last year were, but for 2010, Pro Football Focus had every CB and their catch allowed rank listed. In a pool of about 180 corners, our big 4, Hayden, Powers, Tryon, and Lacey, all ranked in the bottom 20. That means our best corner, can't remember which one, allowed more catches per throws than at least 160 other CBs in the league. Nothing can explain such terrible play all the way down the board other than either bad coaching or bad scheme. Rucker, Thomas, Powers, and I'd even say Lacey, could all see a load of improvement if the coaches aren't telling them to let the guy catch the ball. I love that the brand of defense we'll be seeing is referred to as an 'attacking' defense, rather than the 'take what the offense gives you' idea we've normally employed.

In Chad's display thing at the top, I like Nevis playing in the nose spot even though he isn't 'ideal' size. In this one gap system all he has to do is shoot his gap between the center and the guard. He causes disruption in the backfield. I'd put Anderson at RE in that scenario because he is strong at holding his ground and protecting the edge. Moala would fit at LE, where he'd take possible double teams from the RT and RG. He was doubled quite a bit last year, because, whether or not people want to admit it, he is our best DT.

A lot of guys say Angerer is too small and Conner can't play ILB in the 3-4 but I disagree with both sentiments. Saying Angerer is too small is like saying Patrick Willis is too small. Conner at ILB might be a gamble, but I really think it could work. His coverage ability leaves a little to be desired, but his football instincts, gap shooting, and tackling are all right up there with other quality linebackers.

At OLB, I'm not really sold on bringing in Jarret Johnson. He doesn't do anything in the pass rush and his coverage is just about average. He's best at containing the edge and makes it really hard to run to his side. If he's on Moala's side teams would not be able to run there, but if they throw on us, we probably wouldn't get much pass rush from him. I wouldn't mind just drafting someone or experimenting with Hughes at that spot. I think he'd do pretty well. If Johnson doesn't cost much though I'd definitely like him here. Wheeler on the other hand I have a huge man crush on. He gets no credit on this forum, but he was consistently our best LB in coverage, he's pretty solid in run support, and when called upon he puts pressure on the QB.

[BmoreColt]

This is almost word for word, the way I feel our defense should run next year. Props for some excellent football knowledge.

I don't know what Ta'Amu's draft stock is but I'd be willing to spend the 2nd pick on him if he's there. If he lives up to his potential, we might have a Haloti Ngata on our hands....maybe wishful thinking on my part. If they wanted to go for a more developmental guy in a later round though I'd take a good look at Hebron Fangupo out of BYU. He started out at USC but transferred because his wife wanted to live in a safer area. If I'm not mistaken this was his only year as a 3-4 Nose, so he'll be raw, but with a lot of potential. Then we could use the 2nd round pick on somone else.

I really doubt our CBs are as bad as they've been made to look of late. I don't know what the rankings for the last year were, but for 2010, Pro Football Focus had every CB and their catch allowed rank listed. In a pool of about 180 corners, our big 4, Hayden, Powers, Tryon, and Lacey, all ranked in the bottom 20. That means our best corner, can't remember which one, allowed more catches per throws than at least 160 other CBs in the league. Nothing can explain such terrible play all the way down the board other than either bad coaching or bad scheme. Rucker, Thomas, Powers, and I'd even say Lacey, could all see a load of improvement if the coaches aren't telling them to let the guy catch the ball. I love that the brand of defense we'll be seeing is referred to as an 'attacking' defense, rather than the 'take what the offense gives you' idea we've normally employed.

In Chad's display thing at the top, I like Nevis playing in the nose spot even though he isn't 'ideal' size. In this one gap system all he has to do is shoot his gap between the center and the guard. He causes disruption in the backfield. I'd put Anderson at RE in that scenario because he is strong at holding his ground and protecting the edge. Moala would fit at LE, where he'd take possible double teams from the RT and RG. He was doubled quite a bit last year, because, whether or not people want to admit it, he is our best DT.

A lot of guys say Angerer is too small and Conner can't play ILB in the 3-4 but I disagree with both sentiments. Saying Angerer is too small is like saying Patrick Willis is too small. Conner at ILB might be a gamble, but I really think it could work. His coverage ability leaves a little to be desired, but his football instincts, gap shooting, and tackling are all right up there with other quality linebackers.

At OLB, I'm not really sold on bringing in Jarret Johnson. He doesn't do anything in the pass rush and his coverage is just about average. He's best at containing the edge and makes it really hard to run to his side. If he's on Moala's side teams would not be able to run there, but if they throw on us, we probably wouldn't get much pass rush from him. I wouldn't mind just drafting someone or experimenting with Hughes at that spot. I think he'd do pretty well. If Johnson doesn't cost much though I'd definitely like him here. Wheeler on the other hand I have a huge man crush on. He gets no credit on this forum, but he was consistently our best LB in coverage, he's pretty solid in run support, and when called upon he puts pressure on the QB.

So I think you are normally a logical poster but this post can't be serious nor is it logical. I like Nevis and Angerer but they are not these studs that some of you make them out to be, and Moala was the best DT? He is the worst DT on the team. He cant win a one on one matchup but you want him to take on double teams? Angerer and Patrick Willis are similar? Please don't insult the best LB in the game with a Colt comparison. Peyton Manning was the only Stud on the Colts. Let's not get it twisted.

[The Peytonator]

I don't know man. I'm not the kind to analyze tape or anything like that, but from what I saw, Moala beats his man regularly. He gets in the backfield a lot. His biggest problem is that he sucks at tackling. Admittedly though, it's not really his job. As long as he gets penetration and messes up the backfield, or at least holds his ground at the LOS, he's doing what he's supposed to.

My comparison to Willis was really only meant in stature. They're the same size yet people say 'OMG Angerer's too small'. It just bugs me. I know he isn't at Willis' level, but he is a very good MLB and will mature into a top 5 in the league at some point soon. Also with Nevis, His hype is not unjustified. He was looking to be a Stud with a capital S until he was hurt. After the injury he slowed down a lot, but as long as he makes a full recovery, he will be a monster in the middle.

Also thank you for saying I'm normally logical. Most people just come right in and say 'wowwwwwwwwww what a genius idea /sarcasm'. It's nice to have a civil conversation once in a while.

[BmoreColt]

I don't know man. I'm not the kind to analyze tape or anything like that, but from what I saw, Moala beats his man regularly. He gets in the backfield a lot. His biggest problem is that he sucks at tackling. Admittedly though, it's not really his job. As long as he gets penetration and messes up the backfield, or at least holds his ground at the LOS, he's doing what he's supposed to.

My comparison to Willis was really only meant in stature. They're the same size yet people say 'OMG Angerer's too small'. It just bugs me. I know he isn't at Willis' level, but he is a very good MLB and will mature into a top 5 in the league at some point soon. Also with Nevis, His hype is not unjustified. He was looking to be a Stud with a capital S until he was hurt. After the injury he slowed down a lot, but as long as he makes a full recovery, he will be a monster in the middle.

Also thank you for saying I'm normally logical. Most people just come right in and say 'wowwwwwwwwww what a genius idea /sarcasm'. It's nice to have a civil conversation once in a while.

I ment that seriously, own fact we have had several good talks. But Moala is one of the worst DTs in football, I would cut he and Mookie. I am a huge fan of football not just a biased Colt fan, Moala can't win a one on one matchup he's really bad. Nevis showed some good qualities and then alot of rookie mistakes, he lacked seasoning, though in time he will be quality. I also don't think angerer is good for a 3-4 he cannot shed blockers. The Colts are undersized for a 4/3 let alone a 3-4. Texans had great LBs, which makes the one gap effective. The colts do not.... The more and more I think about it, the Colts should stay in the 4-3...

[The Peytonator]

We're gonna have to disagree on Moala, and I hate to have to use a CBS announcer as my support, but I remember Dierdorf or someone making a comment about how he is one of the most underrated DTs in the league. But alas, it seems we have reached an impasse.

LBs though, I don't think even the biggest, baddest of LBs can shed blocks when a 320 lb man gets on them. That's just plain physics. At least for me, I want my LBs to be a little smaller and quicker so they can avoid the blocks and shoot the ballcarrier for the tackle. Also I think smaller ones are better at running with TEs, unless they're the bigger more physical TEs.

[Coffeedrinker]

The Colts players struggle to handle one on one matchups, yet you feel this roster has talent?

Yup.

[BmoreColt]

Yup.

To a transition to a two gap 3-4? Even in a one gap I don't see the talent....

[Pancake Block]

Great post. Mathews and Moala have played in this style. Anderson and Brayton can adapt. If Freeney, Mathis, Hughes, and the players brought in from Canada can adapt the Colts only need two players to make this work in 2012. We need a NT drafted in the 2nd round and we need to try to sign Carlos Rogers for CB.

Maybe Moala will finally be able to impress. I have not liked his play in the Tampa-2. I always thought he played too high and had trouble shedding blocks. His plays always seemed on the wrong side of the scrimmage line.

[BmoreColt]

Maybe Moala will finally be able to impress. I have not liked his play in the Tampa-2. I always thought he played too high and had trouble shedding blocks. His plays always seemed on the wrong side of the scrimmage line.

Yup, do how is he better suited for a 3-4 he can't handle one on one matchups..

[gacker65]

The Colts LB corps is very underrated. Wheeler and Connor had over 100 tackles apiece and Angerer had over 130. IMO, I thinks Connor could move in to SILB. We ould need to draft or through FA get another OLB, unless we keep Mathis or we move Hughes up.