Marvell Tell

[JediXMan]

I was looking at the Corner situation and almost forgot he was on the roster. It was unfortunate he withdrew last season due to Covid but it was completely understandable. I really think he had potential to be a decent corner he just needs some experience.

[holeymoley99]

Tell can play either Corner or Safety which is nice flexibility to have. At corner it depends if Rhodes and/or carrie are resigned and if we draft a starter. At Safety Blackmon had a solid rookie season though hit the wall and Willis is a sure tackler but spotty in other areas. Not sure Wilson comes back and Odum while a great special teamer is liability on Defense.  If we dont address this Tell may be a big help here.

[MikeCurtis]

The reality is, we need some of the folks drafted in later rounds to keep improving (Like  OLB Speed)

 to keep this roster improving

 

Tell has looked good the little bit I have seen him

 

 

 

 

[BProland85]

I’m expecting bigger things from Tell in 2021. He has Richard Sherman type ability just needs refinement and coaching up. 

[Defjamz26]

I really like Tell. I’ve said before but if he never had opted out, he probably would’ve taken over starting duties for Rock permanently after that Tennessee game.

[Shive]

Mod Note

Please stay on-topic. This thread is about Marvell Tell and while his opt out makes Covid a tangentially related topic, any discussion on that topic belongs here:

https://forums.colts.com/topic/64807-coronavirus/

[DougDew]

I'd like to see him try at FS and move Willis strictly to in the box or even to WILL if he's big enough.  Slide Leonard over to MIKE. 

 

Get some zone corners.

[NewColtsFan]

On 2/9/2021 at 8:44 AM, holeymoley99 said:

Tell can play either Corner or Safety which is nice flexibility to have. At corner it depends if Rhodes and/or carrie are resigned and if we draft a starter. At Safety Blackmon had a solid rookie season though hit the wall and Willis is a sure tackler but spotty in other areas. Not sure Wilson comes back and Odum while a great special teamer is liability on Defense.  If we dont address this Tell may be a big help here.

I don’t think the coaching staff or the front office would view Odom as a liability on defense. 
 

As for the Corner...

 

Re-Sign Rhodes...   Rock should have a bounce back season...   Tell should return to the team and hopefully return to form. 
 

Suddenly corner looks a lot better. 

[pgt_rob]

On 2/9/2021 at 8:44 AM, holeymoley99 said:

Tell can play either Corner or Safety which is nice flexibility to have. At corner it depends if Rhodes and/or carrie are resigned and if we draft a starter. At Safety Blackmon had a solid rookie season though hit the wall and Willis is a sure tackler but spotty in other areas. Not sure Wilson comes back and Odum while a great special teamer is liability on Defense.  If we dont address this Tell may be a big help here.

I like Tell from the small portion of playing time that we saw him. I hope we make moved to re-sign Rhodes and Carrie as I feel they should be a priority with Rock having some issues.

[Shive]

 

Again, this is a thread about Marvell Tell, not a Covid thread. Please keep any discussion on Covid to the thread referenced above.

[yankeeclipper]

Tell has good upside at CB or S. 

[Hoose]

10 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I don’t think the coaching staff or the front office would view Odom as a liability on defense. 
 

As for the Corner...

 

Re-Sign Rhodes...   Rock should have a bounce back season...   Tell should return to the team and hopefully return to form. 
 

Suddenly corner looks a lot better. 

Gonna need some new blood as well. The draft most likely. 

[NewColtsFan]

39 minutes ago, Hoose said:

Gonna need some new blood as well. The draft most likely. 

Maybe.   It depends on what we do in FA and what we hear about Tell returning and figuring out how to fix Rock. 

[Patagonia Chris]

14 hours ago, BProland85 said:

I’m expecting bigger things from Tell in 2021. He has Richard Sherman type ability just needs refinement and coaching up. 

You think Marvell Tell is a Top 5 corner in the league?

[NewColtsFan]

11 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

You think Marvell Tell is a Top 5 corner in the league?

No.  Not currently.   But Tell might someday out perform expectations where he was drafted which was the 5th round.

 

By the way, Richard Sherman was also drafted in the 5th round.   Just saying... 

[Patagonia Chris]

8 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

No.  Not currently.   But Tell might someday out perform expectations where he was drafted which was the 5th round.

 

By the way, Richard Sherman was also drafted in the 5th round.   Just saying... 

 

Theres a huge difference between outperforming expectations as a fifth round draft pick and being a Top 5 corner.

[stitches]

I had high hopes for Tell before he opted out and I still would expect him to give us at the very least some good depth at the position, but IMO he's not enough for us to feel secure at the position. We need to still address it both in the draft and in FA most probably. 

[shasta519]

Tell is probably the best boundary CB on this team (until they re-sign Rhodes). But he doesn't really have the long speed you would hope for.

 

I would still put him at S though because he was born to be a Cover 2 S. Insanely quick...with great burst and long arms. Put him and Blackmon back with Willis near the LOS.

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

 

Theres a huge difference between outperforming expectations as a fifth round draft pick and being a Top 5 corner.

I didn’t call him a top-5 corner.  I didn’t even hint at that.   Not sure anyone else did either.   
Top-5 corner were your words. 

[Dogg63]

PFF had this to say about Tell recently:

 

"Colts defensive back Marvell Tell III didn’t play in 2020, choosing to opt out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. But that may have just postponed a breakout season for him. A former college safety, Tell converted to cornerback in the NFL and had a solid rookie campaign, albeit one where he saw just 254 snaps. He had five pass breakups from 34 targets and ended the season with a 67.6 overall PFF grade. Given his inexperience at the position and his physical gifts, an improvement was a pretty reasonable expectation. It still is in 2021."

[NFLfan]

18 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

Marvell Tell opted out of the season due to covid concerns.    Seems pretty relevant

 

True, but it is not necessary to go into full-blown COVID discussions here. 

 

If he commits to playing this year, do you think you are set at CB? Do you want to re-sign Rhodes?

[jvan1973]

2 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

True, but it is not necessary to go into full-blown COVID discussions here. 

 

If he commits to playing this year, do you think you are set at CB? Do you want to re-sign Rhodes?

I don't think tell playing or not will change what Ballard wants to do with rhodes 

[Patagonia Chris]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I didn’t call him a top-5 corner.  I didn’t even hint at that.   Not sure anyone else did either.   
Top-5 corner were your words. 

Yeah saying some has Richard Sherman level talent is insinuating that? You really think I just drew that conclusion out of nowhere? Geez.

[WarGhost21]

10 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Yeah saying some has Richard Sherman level talent is insinuating that? You really think I just drew that conclusion out of nowhere? Geez.

That's not saying he's Richard Sherman. He shares similar traits to Sherman, and his potential is very high, but saying that is vastly different than saying he's a top 5 corner in the league. It's like how scouts make player comparisons. They will say that this player reminds them of someone, but they don't say that they will be that good/bad, just that they share similarities.

[PrincetonTiger]

Just now, WarGhost21 said:

That's not saying he's Richard Sherman. He shares similar traits to Sherman, and his potential is very high, but saying that is vastly different than saying he's a top 5 corner in the league. It's like how scouts make player comparisons. They will say that this player reminds them of someone, but they don't say that they will be that good/bad, just that they share similarities.

[07dleigh]

My hot take is that Tell is a better corner than Rock. Even in his limited time playing the position, he looked more natural, and less hand-sy. I was really looking forward to year two.

[Patagonia Chris]

2 hours ago, WarGhost21 said:

That's not saying he's Richard Sherman. He shares similar traits to Sherman, and his potential is very high, but saying that is vastly different than saying he's a top 5 corner in the league. It's like how scouts make player comparisons. They will say that this player reminds them of someone, but they don't say that they will be that good/bad, just that they share similarities.

Then why wouldn’t you say Richard Sherman level potential? Talent is tangible, potential is projection. 

[Farns01]

I liked what I saw from Isaiah Rodgers in the Buffalo game.  Only saw him a couple times where he had a pick 6 called back from an off-sides if I remember correctly and another interception that he ended up dropping.  I think the two plays I saw he was subbing in for Rhodes.  Dude has got some speed.  Hope he makes an impression in the off season

[Dark Superman]

I loved Tell coming out of college and am looking forward to his progression entering his second year (Since he sat out in 2020) He looked solid in the very little he played as a rookie. He reminds me of a bit of Richard Sherman with his measurables

[MikeCurtis]

On 2/10/2021 at 2:01 PM, 07dleigh said:

My hot take is that Tell is a better corner than Rock. Even in his limited time playing the position, he looked more natural, and less hand-sy. I was really looking forward to year two.

 

I think Tell is still an unknown.  I was surprised that he opted out.

 

Rock seems a step slow to react..... With a top receiver he has to be "handsy" to keep from being owned

 

The yellow flags were a-flying......

 

Can that be fixed? I hope, but I would like us to keep building the backfield

 

I want Rhodes back, but if another, better CB1 comes available, it might make sense to let Rhodes go

 

The Saints are going to have to make a decision on Lattimore. He will get resigned or traded. He has one year left on his contract.  They are $100M ish over the cap, so they need to start making some tough choices

 

We may have too many needs, but I would LOVE to have a single shut down CB that we can scheme into the game

 

If we could get a bit more pass rush, our CBs would look a bit better as well

 

 

 

[Orioles22]

I think we were lucky to get a year out of Rhodes. I'd let someone else pay him to start declining again. I think Lattimore would be the ideal option and could solve one side for several years.

[NewColtsFan]

8 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

 

I think Tell is still an unknown.  I was surprised that he opted out.

 

Rock seems a step slow to react..... With a top receiver he has to be "handsy" to keep from being owned

 

The yellow flags were a-flying......

 

Can that be fixed? I hope, but I would like us to keep building the backfield

 

I want Rhodes back, but if another, better CB1 comes available, it might make sense to let Rhodes go

 

The Saints are going to have to make a decision on Lattimore. He will get resigned or traded. He has one year left on his contract.  They are $100M ish over the cap, so they need to start making some tough choices

 

We may have too many needs, but I would LOVE to have a single shut down CB that we can scheme into the game

 

If we could get a bit more pass rush, our CBs would look a bit better as well

 

 

 

 

To your surprised about Tell...      really?     You're surprised when someone opts out over a potential deadly health issue?

 

The decision to opt out was made early.    Much more is known now.    You're operating from 20/20 hindsight.

 

Do you know Tell's personal health history?    Do you know his family health history.    I read about one player who opted out because his wife was pregnant and he didn't want to run the risk of bringing Covid into his home to his family.

 

Are you really surprised?      I sure hope not.

 

[BluesGirl]

On 2/10/2021 at 2:47 PM, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Yeah saying some has Richard Sherman level talent is insinuating that? You really think I just drew that conclusion out of nowhere? Geez.

I do. I read the whole thread and see nowhere anyone said that. 

 

This is what he said. @BProland85

On 2/9/2021 at 9:52 AM, BProland85 said:

I’m expecting bigger things from Tell in 2021. He has Richard Sherman type ability just needs refinement and coaching up. 

Absolutely nothing nothing wrong with that comparison.  

[w87r]

Hid a few back and forth comments. Take that stuff to message or block/ignore each other.

[EastStreet]

12 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

 

I think Tell is still an unknown.  I was surprised that he opted out.

I think most were. Not sure of his personal situation (if he or his family had comorbidities), but opting out was simply not good for his development. 

12 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

 

Rock seems a step slow to react..... With a top receiver he has to be "handsy" to keep from being owned

RYS has always been a press man CB, so the handsy aspects shouldn't surprise anyone. We just don't play a lot of press with our soft zone. 

12 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

 

The yellow flags were a-flying......

 

Can that be fixed? I hope, but I would like us to keep building the backfield

 

I want Rhodes back, but if another, better CB1 comes available, it might make sense to let Rhodes go

 

The Saints are going to have to make a decision on Lattimore. He will get resigned or traded. He has one year left on his contract.  They are $100M ish over the cap, so they need to start making some tough choices

 

We may have too many needs, but I would LOVE to have a single shut down CB that we can scheme into the game

 

If we could get a bit more pass rush, our CBs would look a bit better as well

Overall, really hope Rhodes comes back. Carrie too. That solves a lot. IMO, as far as RYS is concerned, he played very well the last half of 2019 (was top 10). We fiddled a lot with coverage this last year. Not sure if that's a part of it or not. If we're not going to play more press, or he can't adapt, time to look for another. I really doubt Tell is the answer though. RYS would probably make a good S or NB if it doesn't work out at CB.

 

Don't hold your breath on an improving pass rush. Unless we blitz more (we're bottom 5 in blitz%), we'll have to overspend at DE, and still won't see the results we should. 

[holeymoley99]

13 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I think most were. Not sure of his personal situation (if he or his family had comorbidities), but opting out was simply not good for his development. 

RYS has always been a press man CB, so the handsy aspects shouldn't surprise anyone. We just don't play a lot of press with our soft zone. 

Overall, really hope Rhodes comes back. Carrie too. That solves a lot. IMO, as far as RYS is concerned, he played very well the last half of 2019 (was top 10). We fiddled a lot with coverage this last year. Not sure if that's a part of it or not. If we're not going to play more press, or he can't adapt, time to look for another. I really doubt Tell is the answer though. RYS would probably make a good S or NB if it doesn't work out at CB.

 

Don't hold your breath on an improving pass rush. Unless we blitz more (we're bottom 5 in blitz%), we'll have to overspend at DE, and still won't see the results we should. 

Ive thought of switching Rock to Safety myself, hits hard and with abandon , cant cover and is handsy. hard to see him having success at Corner but Safety is another beast entirely

[pgt_rob]

17 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

To your surprised about Tell...      really?     You're surprised when someone opts out over a potential deadly health issue?

 

The decision to opt out was made early.    Much more is known now.    You're operating from 20/20 hindsight.

 

Do you know Tell's personal health history?    Do you know his family health history.    I read about one player who opted out because his wife was pregnant and he didn't want to run the risk of bringing Covid into his home to his family.

 

Are you really surprised?      I sure hope not.

 

 

Just curious. Does anyone know Tell's reason to opt out? I'm not sure if he has health issues or if there's another specific reason other than just "it's a deadly virus". The only reason I ask is because if he didn't really have a specific reason to opt out, then what's the difference between this season and the upcoming season? Pretty much the same risk at this point... 

[jvan1973]

10 minutes ago, pgt_rob said:

 

Just curious. Does anyone know Tell's reason to opt out? I'm not sure if he has health issues or if there's another specific reason other than just "it's a deadly virus". The only reason I ask is because if he didn't really have a specific reason to opt out, then what's the difference between this season and the upcoming season? Pretty much the same risk at this point... 

There is a lot more known about it at this point than last summer.   Also,  I'm not sure if the league will give players an option to opt out this year

[pgt_rob]

1 minute ago, jvan1973 said:

There is a lot more known about it at this point than last summer.   Also,  I'm not sure if the league will give players an option to opt out this year

 

Oh for sure! There's a lot more known about it and yes I don't see the league allowing another opt out. But also doesn't change the fact that the risk is the same, if not worse, according to the news. Whether you know more about it or not, the fact remains the same. Virus is a virus whether it's this past season or the upcoming season. But the NFL followed pretty good precautions for player testing and wearing special devices to track player encounters within the building. I'm surprised it went relatively smoothly except for a couple weeks there during the middle of the season. All in all, if you're a professional athlete playing with many other athletes in stadiums filled with thousands of people, you're literally just on borrowed time before being exposed. That's why I kinda thought the opt out was silly unless you had a very good specific reason to opt out. Because the circumstances will be the same the following season. So I wasn't sure what Tell's reasoning was, was just curious.

[jvan1973]

8 minutes ago, pgt_rob said:

 

Oh for sure! There's a lot more known about it and yes I don't see the league allowing another opt out. But also doesn't change the fact that the risk is the same, if not worse, according to the news. Whether you know more about it or not, the fact remains the same. Virus is a virus whether it's this past season or the upcoming season. But the NFL followed pretty good precautions for player testing and wearing special devices to track player encounters within the building. I'm surprised it went relatively smoothly except for a couple weeks there during the middle of the season. All in all, if you're a professional athlete playing with many other athletes in stadiums filled with thousands of people, you're literally just on borrowed time before being exposed. That's why I kinda thought the opt out was silly unless you had a very good specific reason to opt out. Because the circumstances will be the same the following season. So I wasn't sure what Tell's reasoning was, was just curious.

I'm not sure he ever gave a specific reason