This is why the defense looked bad

[Mr.Debonair]

28 minutes ago, CoachLite said:

 

 

How would you spell it?

 

Huh?

[CurBeatElite]

21 hours ago, GoatBeard said:

Yeah sometimes I wonder if Darius Leonard's instant success last year is gonna be good for him this year. Hes made a name for himself now, and teams are gonna prepare for him differently moving forward. And this play shows he is always thinking big, when sometimes you just need to be solid. 

 

But, he says all the right things and seems to be very critical of himself, so I think he will learn from his mistakes. Watching the game I felt like it was one of his worst performances so far, and I think he still had 8 tackles. So I am always optimistic when it comes to the Maniac.

 

Be solid, secure the tackle first, pick your spots when it comes to going after the turnover.  I thought he was very good at that, last year. I'm sure Eberflus let him know about that play. He will be fine. 

 

 

Leonard lost ~15 pounds in the off-season.  I know he said he did it to get faster and to stay healthy (he thought the weight he added last year played a role in his nagging injuries).  I didn't notice him looking any faster than he was last year, and wonder a bit if he lost any strength/power with the weight loss.  I hope not, and will give him the benefit of the doubt that this past game was just a fluke.  

[Goatface Killah]

2 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

 

Leonard lost ~15 pounds in the off-season.  I know he said he did it to get faster and to stay healthy (he thought the weight he added last year played a role in his nagging injuries).  I didn't notice him looking any faster than he was last year, and wonder a bit if he lost any strength/power with the weight loss.  I hope not, and will give him the benefit of the doubt that this past game was just a fluke.  

I agree, the weight loss puzzles me because at the end of the day it wasnt holding him back. Why change anything?

[CurBeatElite]

2 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

I agree, the weight loss puzzles me because at the end of the day it wasnt holding him back. Why change anything?

 

He was battling a few nagging injuries most of last year (I think mainly his ankle)... he is quoted as saying: 

“I’m not a typical linebacker,” Leonard said. “I’m more of a speed guy, very athletic so if I’m going to play in space, I’m going to need to move.

“If you look at a linebacker, 6-4, 230 pounds, going to come downhill. I’m more of a speed guy and very athletic. So if I’m going to play in space, I need to be able to move. And I played all my life at 215, 220 and was never over 225. And last year I was injured a lot, that was when I was pretty heavy, so I want to stay down. Hopefully I can cut some of that down.”

 

I'm assuming he is thinking his weight gain last year transitioning from college to pro ball was partially responsible for him dealing with injuries....

 

https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-darius-leonard-losing-weight-to-maximize-his-ability-to-play-his-best-football/

 

[Goatface Killah]

5 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

He was battling a few nagging injuries most of last year (I think mainly his ankle)... he is quoted as saying: 

“I’m not a typical linebacker,” Leonard said. “I’m more of a speed guy, very athletic so if I’m going to play in space, I’m going to need to move.

“If you look at a linebacker, 6-4, 230 pounds, going to come downhill. I’m more of a speed guy and very athletic. So if I’m going to play in space, I need to be able to move. And I played all my life at 215, 220 and was never over 225. And last year I was injured a lot, that was when I was pretty heavy, so I want to stay down. Hopefully I can cut some of that down.”

 

I'm assuming he is thinking his weight gain last year transitioning from college to pro ball was partially responsible for him dealing with injuries....

 

https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-darius-leonard-losing-weight-to-maximize-his-ability-to-play-his-best-football/

 

Yeah but you could easily make the argument adding even more weight would allow him to deal better with the larger athletes of the NFL.

 

He had injuries but only missed 1 game. Nagging injuries are just  part of football and I just dont see how less weight is a benefit.

[CurBeatElite]

2 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

Yeah but you could easily make the argument adding even more weight would allow him to deal better with the larger athletes of the NFL.

 

He had injuries but only missed 1 game. Nagging injuries are just  part of football and I just dont see how less weight is a benefit.

 

Definitely don't disagree that bulking up can help w/ the larger NFL athletes... but if it's his ankle which was nagging all year, there's definitely some logic behind him thinking extra weight and all the pounding he is doing on his lower body by running/cutting/etc. was responsible for that.

 

 

[Goatface Killah]

6 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Definitely don't disagree that bulking up can help w/ the larger NFL athletes... but if it's his ankle which was nagging all year, there's definitely some logic behind him thinking extra weight and all the pounding he is doing on his lower body by running/cutting/etc. was responsible for that.

 

 

Idk, getting manhandled because you're too small is hard on your body. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I don’t think weight was the issue Sunday. He was clearly right there for that tackle and decided to try for the strip instead.  Most of the missed tackles were rust from no preseason I think. We will find out if it gets better Sunday.

[Scott Pennock]

I saw on at least two of the 20+ yard runs off of right tackle where both the DB AND the LB took the outside shoulder of the blocker and the RB simply cut underneath after both defenders were washed out....

[Goatface Killah]

3 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

I saw on at least two of the 20+ yard runs off of right tackle where both the DB AND the LB took the outside shoulder of the blocker and the RB simply cut underneath after both defenders were washed out....

Which happens when a defender is trying to go around a blocker instead of taking him on, or stacking and shedding.

 

Idk if that's why he didnt play as well or not, but I'm just skeptical.

[Scott Pennock]

3 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

Which happens when a defender is trying to go around a blocker instead of taking him on, or stacking and shedding.

 

Idk if that's why he didnt play as well or not, but I'm just skeptical.

Exactly. The linebacker was to plug the gap and the db was to maintain outside leverage. Instead they both saught outside leverage.....

 

I know when I played OLB in our my two responsibilities were to cover the TE in the passing game and maintain his outside shoulder on running plays, shed and tackle from there if I could. It was simple....lol

[BigQungus]

25 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

Idk, getting manhandled because you're too small is hard on your body. 

 

I don't think Darius Leonard is getting manhandled soon... lol

 

But seriously, it's just all about finding the balance. He felt he was on the heavier side of the balance, which is legitimate because of his ankle issue, and felt he needed to cut down on his weight. Now if he gets manhandled, then he'll gain more weight, but until that happens, he should maintain this weight

[Goatface Killah]

1 minute ago, Scott Pennock said:

Exactly. The linebacker was to plug the gap and the db was to maintain outside leverage. Instead they both saught outside leverage.....

 

I know when I played OLB in our my two responsibilities were to cover the TE in the passing game and maintain his outside shoulder on running plays, shed and tackle from there if I could. It was simple....lol

I was a SS in high school who couldn't cover anybody, but I am 5'8" 235 and I could stack and shed guys twice my size with ease because I had natural leverage on everybody and was strong as an OX back then. I also never had injury problems because I never got manhandled. The only times I ever hit the ground were when I tackled someone or got blindsided. 

 

All I'm saying is weight matters in football and personally I wish he would've bulked up instead. He would still be quick with great extincts, just more physically capable of handling those instances when you cant run around a guy, and have to hold your ground. As a LB you cant avoid that.

 

I'm not saying Darius 

[Coltsman1788]

On 9/11/2019 at 12:03 PM, SteelCityColt said:

So one play is the entire reason? 

 

Outcome bias, how do you think he forced so many fumbles last year? 

All the soft underneath coverage due to the Cover 2 defensive scheme is the reason why the Colts can’t ever stop anyone consistently...at least not balanced offenses run by competent to good QB’s.  Been that way for years and I doubt it changes anytime soon.  Seems to be who the Colts are...unfortunately.