Malik Hooker

[TKnight24]

Happy Birthday good sir! Wishing you a speedy and healthy recovery, get back on the field and lead the league in interceptions again

 

 

 

 

 

Here's some highlights from the rookie campaign 

 

 

[indyprosports1]

Wow, I forgot how good this kid is. If he hadn't been hurt he might have gotten ORPY or at least been in the running. Cant wait to get him back on the field to help this defense.

[ColtsBlitz]

40 minutes ago, indyprosports1 said:

Wow, I forgot how good this kid is. If he hadn't been hurt he might have gotten ORPY or at least been in the running. Cant wait to get him back on the field to help this defense.

DROY?

[lance_m8]

1 hour ago, indyprosports1 said:

Wow, I forgot how good this kid is. If he hadn't been hurt he might have gotten ORPY or at least been in the running. Cant wait to get him back on the field to help this defense.

Forgot how good he was and stated an award I don't think exists my day just got brighter

[w87r]

Can't wait to get Hooker back on the field.

 

You know what I saw in that video?

 

I saw Quincy Wilson looking pretty good in that early game against ARI.

 

Pagano really held that kid back, cant wait to see him be unleashed as well.

[ColtsBlitz]

20 minutes ago, w87r said:

Can't wait to get Hooker back on the field.

 

You know what I saw in that video?

 

I saw Quincy Wilson looking pretty good in that early game against ARI.

 

Pagano really held that kid back, cant wait to see him be unleashed as well.

He was hurt but yeah, I wish Wilson played more. Just glad he didn’t and tear his ACL or something. 

[Jason_]

40 minutes ago, w87r said:

Can't wait to get Hooker back on the field.

 

You know what I saw in that video?

 

I saw Quincy Wilson looking pretty good in that early game against ARI.

 

Pagano really held that kid back, cant wait to see him be unleashed as well.

 

I find it really funny that the majority of the forum wanted Pagano to be harder on players..hold them accountable.  Then he does with Wilson and it's "no way a 2nd round pick should be on the bench".  

[Surge89]

1 hour ago, J@son said:

 

I find it really funny that the majority of the forum wanted Pagano to be harder on players..hold them accountable.  Then he does with Wilson and it's "no way a 2nd round pick should be on the bench".  

 

Plus as lacking as Pagano was in on field coaching and adjustments he gets the most inconsistent acknowledgement for his development of defensive backs. 

 

I hardly think Wilson was "held back" and probably benefited more than hurt from his year with Pagano.

[w87r]

Held back, more in terms of he should of played more.

 

It was a lost season. Wilson should of been on the field more. So yes, he was held back, he should have quite a bit more game experience. If the team was winning, you could advocate more for him not seeing the field. Instead now he is coming into year 2 with a lot of unanswered questions. 

 

Hooker, Geathers, Wilson, Desir and Hairston isn't to bad. Add a couple more young guys and secondary could be scary. Health pending of course.

[Peterk2011]

25 minutes ago, w87r said:

Held back, more in terms of he should of played more.

 

It was a lost season. Wilson should of been on the field more. So yes, he was held back, he should have quite a bit more game experience. If the team was winning, you could advocate more for him not seeing the field. Instead now he is coming into year 2 with a lot of unanswered questions. 

 

Wilson injured himself, then while recovering from injury he did something Pagano didn't like. He held Wilson back for no more than 2, maybe 3 weeks.

 

If it was a lost season, then Hookers season was lost as well, because they played almost exactly the same number of snaps (420). That's cca 40% of the total snaps. I would not say that's a lost season.

 

Considering, that he missed the almost entire 2017 offseason (he missed all early OTAs, rookie camp, etc. recovering from hip surgery, then he got hurt in the beginning of training camp, and came back for the last 2 or 3 weeks only), his rookie campaign was more than promising.

[w87r]

I would agree it was a lost season for Hooker as well.

[rock8591]

3 hours ago, J@son said:

 

I find it really funny that the majority of the forum wanted Pagano to be harder on players..hold them accountable.  Then he does with Wilson and it's "no way a 2nd round pick should be on the bench".  

 

Pagano was a horrible evaluator of talent, and played favorites with his players, much like office politics in corporate America.

 

e.g. Samson Satele over Mike McGlynn at center, Jonotthan Harrison over AQ Shipley at center, Ricardo Mathews over Lawrence Guy, TJ Green over Quincy Wilson.

[crazycolt1]

7 minutes ago, rock8591 said:

 

Pagano was a horrible evaluator of talent, and played favorites with his players, much like office politics in corporate America.

 

e.g. Samson Satele over Mike McGlynn at center, Jonotthan Harrison over AQ Shipley at center, Ricardo Mathews over Lawrence Guy, TJ Green over Quincy Wilson.

All head coaches have their favorites. It how a player plays and acts that determines why they become the coaches favorites. This blaming Pagano for every problem the Colts had is old and lame as well.

[indyprosports1]

8 hours ago, ColtsBlitz said:

DROY?

I meant Defensive Rookie of the Year. sorry about that sir. And yea I kind of forgot how good he was because of being bummed about my favorite team was struggling and him getting hurt so early. But the clip got me excited about him all over again and really look forward to him playing healthy next year. 

 

7 hours ago, lance_m8 said:

Forgot how good he was and stated an award I don't think exists my day just got brighter

Glad to make your day. I know I made a mistake so sorry about that. and like I said, he was hurt early and with the Colts playing well, not so good, it is understandable that a player that is hurt, can somewhat be forgotten about. I just meant to say that the highlight clip got me giddy about him playing hopefully at full strength next year. He is a beast and will make others better that are around him. and again, I am glad you got a kick out of my post.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

On 4/2/2018 at 6:22 PM, rock8591 said:

 

Pagano was a horrible evaluator of talent, and played favorites with his players, much like office politics in corporate America.

 

e.g. Samson Satele over Mike McGlynn at center, Jonotthan Harrison over AQ Shipley at center, Ricardo Mathews over Lawrence Guy, TJ Green over Quincy Wilson.

 

Supposedly Grigson was the one responsible for many 'favorites' playing: T-Rich, Satele, etc., etc...

 

Not only did Wilson have some injury issues last year, there was a lot of talk in training camp, preseason and early in the season that he was lazy on the practice field.  Not that I wish he didn't play more, but I don't think that was necessarily a case of 'favoritism.'  I don't think Pagano did a lot of 'favoritism,' though I am pretty sure Grigs did more than his fare-share of it.

 

 

On 4/2/2018 at 8:49 PM, indyprosports1 said:

I meant Defensive Rookie of the Year. sorry about that sir. And yea I kind of forgot how good he was because of being bummed about my favorite team was struggling and him getting hurt so early. But the clip got me excited about him all over again and really look forward to him playing healthy next year. 

 

Glad to make your day. I know I made a mistake so sorry about that. and like I said, he was hurt early and with the Colts playing well, not so good, it is understandable that a player that is hurt, can somewhat be forgotten about. I just meant to say that the highlight clip got me giddy about him playing hopefully at full strength next year. He is a beast and will make others better that are around him. and again, I am glad you got a kick out of my post.

 

He was ranked as best defensive rookie before his injury.  The scary thing (for rest of league) is he was getting better every single week.

 

If he can stay healthy, the young man has a very bright future in this league.  His knocks coming into the league were he wasn't a great tackler, he was very raw, struggled against the run and he had an injury history.  

 

From his NFL Draft Profile:  "Hook(er) is still so raw and you see him making all of those plays. He's a player who will come in and look bad his first year and then be an all-pro by his third year. I think that's his arc. No short-cut for experience." -- Personnel director for AFC team

 

To be honest, I thought he came in and looked like a top 5 FS in the league in his first year.  I had very little issue with his tackling ability, didn't think he had major issues against the run (in his highlight reel he makes several very nice plays against the run).  I didn't think he looked all that 'raw' or like a rookie (he had a few mistakes, but for the most part he played like a vet).

 

His strengths from Draft Profile  were: 

STRENGTHS

 Outstanding instincts help him work ahead of the play despite average speed. Always probing quarterback's eyes for clues. Quick to process and is decisive in action. Flows hard to where his instincts lead him. Has fluid movement of a basketball player in space. Leans and bends into his turns for greater body control. Always active and in constant on-field search for optimal positioning. Hyper-aware of incoming targets to his area. Just as comfortable from "robber" spot as high safety. Mirrors quarterbacks eyes to challenge the passing lane. Very rarely takes a false step. Has loose hips for sudden stop-start to cover in space. Great ball skills. Earned most of his seven interceptions in 2016. Can range over the top to challenge the deep ball. Chooses path to the football over path to the man. Strong hands at the catch point lead to takeaways. Can disguise coverage and hustle back into position. Will strike receivers with some force to jar throws loose.

 

 

I think all of those were very much on display throughout most of his rookie season.

 

The good thing, IMO, about his injury was that it was kind of a freak accident (getting rolled over on) and one that he can recover from... he seems like a pretty hungry kid, so I imagine he's rehabbing properly and is ready to come back and continue improving.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/profiles/malik-hooker?id=2558060

[bleevit]

I also wish Malik a happy birthday and hope for a speedy recovery. It is so important that the middle of the defense be strong. As evidenced when Bob Sanders went down years back, it really makes a vivid difference in the performance of a defense that the safeties do a good job. I think we've seen that this group with Geathers, Green and Mathias have skills and depth that will get this 4-3 going. 

[Defjamz26]

Lattimore only got DROY because Hooker went down. Hooker had like 4 interceptions in 5 starts which was leading the league at one point. Not to say that Lattimore wasn’t great, but Hooker was on his way to possibly having something like 8 INTs and 10 PD. He was also the only Colt who could cover Delanie Walker.

[LockeDown]

He's my favorite player thus far, hence the pic.  If our new/old legendary trainer keeps him healthy, he's our difference maker. i want Big Ben and the like to throw it deep cause I really think he can stop the deep throws to Brown or whoever it is. At least make them hesitate.

[CopenhagenColt]

Loved landing him last season. Him and Wilson is a good foundation to build our backfield on for years to come.

[southwest1]

I can see why Seattle traded Jimmy Graham to GB. Roughly around 2:20-2:25 in TK24's video montage. 2 possibilities: Either that TE is overrated or never underestimate the deceptive skills of a hooker--Malik Hooker that is. He knows how to make his presence felt that's for sure. 

[Colt^2]

That interception and stiff arm against Seattle was a thing of beauty.  Very excited to have Hooker back on the field once healthy.  

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, southwest1 said:

I can see why Seattle traded Jimmy Graham to GB. Roughly around 2:20-2:25 in TK24's video montage. 2 possibilities: Either that TE is overrated or never underestimate the deceptive skills of a hooker--Malik Hooker that is. He knows how to make his presence felt that's for sure. 

 

Except that Seattle didn't trade Graham to Green Bay.    Seattle let him go.

 

He signed with GB as free agent.

 

 

[ukcolt12]

that stiff arm against Seattle was something else!

[southwest1]

21 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Except that Seattle didn't trade Graham to Green Bay.    Seattle let him go.

 

He signed with GB as free agent.

 

 

Good point. Thanks for correcting me there NCF. Appreciate it. I wouldn't have signed him. As a TE, Jimmy never blocks. 

[NewColtsFan]

18 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

Good point. Thanks for correcting me there NCF. Appreciate it. I wouldn't have signed him. As a TE, Jimmy never blocks. 

 

No worries... 

 

They didn't sign Graham for his blocking.  They signed him for his pass receiving.

 

[southwest1]

5 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

No worries... 

 

They didn't sign Graham for his blocking.  They signed him for his pass receiving.

 

True, but in my world, all signed TEs must block regularly. Rogers will use Jimmy Graham like a midwestern Gronk in the end zone. 

[Mike Tahoe]

On 4/2/2018 at 8:22 PM, rock8591 said:

 

Pagano was a horrible evaluator of talent, and played favorites with his players, much like office politics in corporate America.

 

e.g. Samson Satele over Mike McGlynn at center, Jonotthan Harrison over AQ Shipley at center, Ricardo Mathews over Lawrence Guy, TJ Green over Quincy Wilson.

I still don't understand why a guy like Jonotthan Harrison, who was an undrafted rookie, got the nod to start over someone experienced like AQ Shipley. 

 

It was evident with the little playing time AQ got that he was more than serviceable at Center.  Hell, there were even some moments where the offensive line looked decent with Shipley in the lineup. 

 

I read there were some sources claiming that he had arms that were too short, possibly Grigson didn't like him,  or that he looked bow-legged when he walked.  Regardless, I feel like he never got a fair shot at proving himself.