Bobby Okereke highlights

[CR91 6,913]

 

Some hard hits and good coverage from Bobby.

[AustinnKaine 342]

I think Okereke can get pretty darn close to Leonard's ability. 

[CR91 6,913]

25 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

I think Okereke can get pretty darn close to Leonard's ability. 

 

I don't know about Leonard. He's our Ray Lewis imo, but Adalius Thomas isnt bad.

[EastStreet 9,694]

8 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

I think Okereke can get pretty darn close to Leonard's ability. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

7 hours ago, EastStreet said:

Let's say Leornard is like a 95. 

 

I think Okereke can make it to like 86-90.

 

Not sure if you are confused by the statement, or the sentiment. I guess we will see what happens with his development. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

2 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

Let's say Leornard is like a 95. 

 

I think Okereke can make it to like 86-90.

 

Not sure if you are confused by the statement, or the sentiment. I guess we will see what happens with his development. 

IDK man. I don't think they are in the same city, let alone the same ballpark. Leonard processes things much faster than Oke, and is also much much twitchier. Oke has always struggled a lot vs the run, especially in traffic, and last year, took a step back in coverage too. I think that has a lot to do with playing more rip/liz and him getting lost in the handoffs, but even giving him that slack, he's still far from a 3 down guy IMO. I've seen him struggle shedding blocks and getting caught in traffic way too much. And I could maybe understand that a bit if we played mostly 4-3-4, but we're really in a 4-2-5 the majority of the time (meaning he's playing a hybrid sorta inside/outside LB). 

 

And I know PFF isn't everything, but....

DL 72.6 (2020), 78.7, 81.6

BO 49.6, 78.4

 

And keep in mind he played a lot less snaps (pass downs only) when he attained 78.4 in 19. Big step back in 20 when his snaps increased. IMO, we were better off in 19 with Walker getting most of the snaps, and Oke limited to passing downs. I wouldn't be shocked if we took a LB in the 4th or 5th this year (if Walker walks).

[ColtStrong2013 1,931]

2 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

Let's say Leornard is like a 95. 

 

I think Okereke can make it to like 86-90.

 

Not sure if you are confused by the statement, or the sentiment. I guess we will see what happens with his development. 

i mean that pretty well says one is elite and one is not... 

[DeathByEagle 54]

Bobby was rumored at first to be part of a Trade offer to the Eagles so I looked into him a little bit. Seamed like a nice LB project. A 75+% completion rating on him but in today's NFL thats really about avg esp in the style defense the Colts ran last year. Very good tackler with the ability to plug those run gaps. 

 

To compare him to Leornard is just not fair. Darius is a great all around LB, has the coverage skills and is a turnover machine. Very good A gap blitzer, able to find the holes and shed off the blockers. Bobby does not have either of these abilities. Bobby looks like he has the talent to be a nice starting LB in this league but I dont see him being a every down LB like Darius. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

4 minutes ago, DeathByEagle said:

Bobby was rumored at first to be part of a Trade offer to the Eagles so I looked into him a little bit. Seamed like a nice LB project. A 75+% completion rating on him but in today's NFL thats really about avg esp in the style defense the Colts ran last year. Very good tackler with the ability to plug those run gaps. 

 

To compare him to Leornard is just not fair. Darius is a great all around LB, has the coverage skills and is a turnover machine. Very good A gap blitzer, able to find the holes and shed off the blockers. Bobby does not have either of these abilities. Bobby looks like he has the talent to be a nice starting LB in this league but I dont see him being a every down LB like Darius. 

Yup. He's just very limited. To your point above, not very good blitzing at all. He had 1 pressure on 26 blitzes (4%). Walker had 3 on 22 (14%). Leonard had 8 on 45 (18%). IMO, he's also a bit undersized to play MIKE. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

i mean that pretty well says one is elite and one is not... 

Every single team in the league would be okay with that level of play. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

11 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

Every single team in the league would be okay with that level of play. 

But that is you're projection of Oke's level of play. This last year was just not good for him. Like I said, PFF isn't everything, but a sub 50 rating is not good anyway you look at it. They're off a bit here and there, but not not that far off. 

[Hoose 1,166]

Bobby O needs to step up his game this coming season. I don't think Walker is coming back ( he'd be a better fit in a 3-4 IMO), and the Colts need better play if he is going to keep that starting role. He consistently seemed to be a step slow in coverage, and that is supposed to be his strong suit. Hopefully, it was a sophomore slump, but if it continues into year 3, Oke will be a backup very quickly. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

1 hour ago, EastStreet said:

But that is you're projection of Oke's level of play. This last year was just not good for him. Like I said, PFF isn't everything, but a sub 50 rating is not good anyway you look at it. They're off a bit here and there, but not not that far off. 

I wouldn't say it's just my view, but yeah that is typically what follows when someone shares their opinion. I think Ballard shares the same view supported by the fact he more than likely lets Walker.. Walk. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

Just now, AustinnKaine said:

I wouldn't say it's just my view, but yeah that is typically what follows when someone shares their opinion. I think Ballard shares the same view supported by the fact he more than likely lets Walker.. Walk. 

Walker, walking, doesn't have a lot to do with Oke IMO. Walker is similar to Oke (holes in his game) and they're just not likely to give him a raise and long term extension. LBs are devalued in the league, especially MLBs. If Walker does walk, I would bet they pick up a guy in FA or draft a mid round guy to compete with Oke. Or simply upgrade altogether. 

[AwesomeAustin 682]

I think he will play better next year.  A true offseason will do wonders for a player like him.  He was predicted by some as a break out candidate prior to last season.  If he works on his weaknesses he should develop into a good(not great) starting LB in this defense to go alongside Darius Leonard.  Really that’s all that should be expected of him. 

[shasta519 2,946]

He wasn’t very good last season. Was really hoping to see him build off his rookie season...but he didn’t take a step forward (probably even a step back).

 

He was still better than Walker though. So I assume they are letting Walker go regardless.

 

This will give Oke an opportunity next season to show he can be a long-term tandem to Leonard. If he repeats this past season...I think MLB moves up the big board dramatically for 2023. In the meantime, I think they will look for depth this offseason. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

1 hour ago, EastStreet said:

Walker, walking, doesn't have a lot to do with Oke IMO. Walker is similar to Oke (holes in his game) and they're just not likely to give him a raise and long term extension. LBs are devalued in the league, especially MLBs. If Walker does walk, I would bet they pick up a guy in FA or draft a mid round guy to compete with Oke. Or simply upgrade altogether. 

I think it does say something. If they didn't have faith in Oke, and truly thought Walker was the better player he would have resigned by now. More than likely Walker is playing for a different team next year. Also, I haven't heard anyone screaming about how linebacker is such a need. Okerke will do just fine at ILB, and the depth will fill in at SAM. Probably take another 4th rounder or so to replace Walker. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

2 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

I think it does say something. If they didn't have faith in Oke, and truly thought Walker was the better player he would have resigned by now. More than likely Walker is playing for a different team next year. Also, I haven't heard anyone screaming about how linebacker is such a need. Okerke will do just fine at ILB, and the depth will fill in at SAM. Probably take another 4th rounder or so to replace Walker. 

Nah. Neither are good 3 down LBs. They were good compliments to each other in 19, but last year neither played very well. Walker is much much better than Oke vs the run. Oke is a little better vs the pass (which is even debatable based on last year's stats). If contracts situations were reversed, doubt they'd go all in trying to keep Oke either. Oke is just cheap right now. He's got 2 more years for things to click, or he'll be in a similar situation. Heck, they Colts might find an upgrade this year with the current market. I hope things click for him this year and he improves. I just think he's near his ceiling. 

 

 

[AustinnKaine 342]

35 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

Nah. Neither are good 3 down LBs. They were good compliments to each other in 19, but last year neither played very well. Walker is much much better than Oke vs the run. Oke is a little better vs the pass (which is even debatable based on last year's stats). If contracts situations were reversed, doubt they'd go all in trying to keep Oke either. Oke is just cheap right now. He's got 2 more years for things to click, or he'll be in a similar situation. Heck, they Colts might find an upgrade this year with the current market. I hope things click for him this year and he improves. I just think he's near his ceiling. 

 

 

Like many topics, we will have to agree to disagree.

 

I think Okereke will impress this season. 

[ColtStrong2013 1,931]

3 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

Every single team in the league would be okay with that level of play. 

You went from saying Bobby could make it to Leonard’s ability (highly unlikely) to saying teams would be okay with his level of play. That’s a huge shift my friend. We can all agree on what the fact is, and that is that Bobby has a ways to go before he’s a permanent fixture on this team and in this league, in general. The athleticism and length is there for him to develop into a good football player. But he’s really not done anything yet, and he’s certainly not shown me, or anyone else that is watching the same players I’m watching,  that he could be at Leonard’s level. Not very many players can make the plays that Darius Leonard makes. That’s just a fact. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

You went from saying Bobby could make it to Leonard’s ability (highly unlikely) to saying teams would be okay with his level of play. That’s a huge shift my friend. We can all agree on what the fact is, and that is that Bobby has a ways to go before he’s a permanent fixture on this team and in this league, in general. The athleticism and length is there for him to develop into a good football player. But he’s really not done anything yet, and he’s certainly not shown me, or anyone else that is watching the same players I’m watching,  that he could be at Leonard’s level. Not very many players can make the plays that Darius Leonard makes. That’s just a fact. 

When he turns out to be a pretty good ILB everyone will be raving about how they knew it all along, and he just needed a little more time. 

[ColtStrong2013 1,931]

4 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

When he turns out to be a pretty good ILB everyone will be raving about how they knew it all along, and he just needed a little more time. 

Again, I don’t doubt one bit he can turn out to be a good player. He has the traits. I watched him often when he was at Stanford... his name was not foreign to me come draft time. I was excited about Ballard loading up at linebacker which is a position we have plugged guys off the street before. 
 

I just simply called out the inconsistency of saying he could be a good as Leonard (again, highly, HIGHLY unlikely) and then turn around saying that he could be “pretty good.” 
 

do you know who didn’t need time to be great? Darius Leonard. THAT is the difference. Give Leonard time and see where he goes. My guess is the Hall of Fame. 

[AustinnKaine 342]

Just now, ColtStrong2013 said:

Again, I don’t doubt one bit he can turn out to be a good player. He has the traits. I watched him often when he was at Stanford... his name was not foreign to me come draft time. I was excited about Ballard loading up at linebacker which is a position we have plugged guys off the street before. 
 

I just simply called out the inconsistency of saying he could be a good as Leonard (again, highly, HIGHLY unlikely) and then turn around saying that he could be “pretty good.” 

I didn't say he could be as good as Leonard. I said pretty clearly that if Leonard was 95/100 That I think Oke's ceiling is about 86-90. 

 

By in which I also added that any team would be alright that that level of play. I think you are misunderstanding. Because we both seem to agree that Oke will more than likely be a pretty darn good player. 

[EastStreet 9,694]

41 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

Like many topics, we will have to agree to disagree.

 

I think Okereke will impress this season. 

I hope so.

[CurBeatElite 1,336]

6 hours ago, EastStreet said:

IDK man. I don't think they are in the same city, let alone the same ballpark. Leonard processes things much faster than Oke, and is also much much twitchier. Oke has always struggled a lot vs the run, especially in traffic, and last year, took a step back in coverage too. I think that has a lot to do with playing more rip/liz and him getting lost in the handoffs, but even giving him that slack, he's still far from a 3 down guy IMO. I've seen him struggle shedding blocks and getting caught in traffic way too much. And I could maybe understand that a bit if we played mostly 4-3-4, but we're really in a 4-2-5 the majority of the time (meaning he's playing a hybrid sorta inside/outside LB). 

 

And I know PFF isn't everything, but....

DL 72.6 (2020), 78.7, 81.6

BO 49.6, 78.4

 

And keep in mind he played a lot less snaps (pass downs only) when he attained 78.4 in 19. Big step back in 20 when his snaps increased. IMO, we were better off in 19 with Walker getting most of the snaps, and Oke limited to passing downs. I wouldn't be shocked if we took a LB in the 4th or 5th this year (if Walker walks).

 

I wouldn't be shocked if we picked up a LB later in the draft or a cheaper FA for depth reasons... but TBH, I think we'll see EJ Speed get more reps at LB this year.  The coaching staff says he has as good of physical traits as any LB on the team, but coming from Tarleton State he needed a bit of NFL coaching refinement.  

 

I also tend to think with our secondary we'll see a lot of plays with 4 DL, 2 LBs and 5 DBs.  Meaning Leonard and Oke likely get the bulk of the LB work if Walker walks (which seems inevitable).  With Leonard, Oke, Speed, Franklin, Adams I think we're OK at LB without adding another one (with Glasgow being a 6th man unlikely to see LB snaps, but on the roster for ST work).  We also have the potential of Skai Moore coming back from covid opt-out.

 

3 hours ago, EastStreet said:

Walker, walking, doesn't have a lot to do with Oke IMO. Walker is similar to Oke (holes in his game) and they're just not likely to give him a raise and long term extension. LBs are devalued in the league, especially MLBs. If Walker does walk, I would bet they pick up a guy in FA or draft a mid round guy to compete with Oke. Or simply upgrade altogether. 

 

Ballard has said in numerous press conferences that he likes Walker but the price would have to be right for Walker and the Colts.  I see Walker demanding high dollar and Ballard letting him go try to get that $ elsewhere.  As I noted above, I think the coaching staff is pretty high on EJ Speed and we have pretty solid LBs (well a stud in Leonard) with Oke, Adams, Franklin already on the team.  Like you said, I won't be shocked to see Ballard go after a later round LB in the draft or bring in a cheaper vet for depth purposes, but I don't think we'll miss Walker all that much if he leaves (we especially won't miss him if he is demanding a huge contract as we have other areas where we can/need to spend $).

[NewColtsFan 9,154]

1 hour ago, AustinnKaine said:

I didn't say he could be as good as Leonard. I said pretty clearly that if Leonard was 95/100 That I think Oke's ceiling is about 86-90. 

 

By in which I also added that any team would be alright that that level of play. I think you are misunderstanding. Because we both seem to agree that Oke will more than likely be a pretty darn good player. 

I’m a Stanford guy and am glad we have Okereke.   But I don’t think his ceiling is as high as you seem to think.   86-90?   I’m not sure what that is based on?   Yes, he had a very good rookie year.  But his 2020 season was a big disappointment.  I don’t know why but he didn’t grade out well at all.  
 

If Leonard is 95-100, I’d peg Oke at a top of 85, but more steadily like 75-80.   But that’s only happening if he has a bounce back type of season.   The same kind of season we all hope Rock will have.  A comeback year.  The Colts need a bunch of those in 2021. 

[DougDew 2,597]

Jabril Cox would be a nice upgrade from Walker and Oke.  Especially since we play the 4-2-5 60% of the time.  He can cover and blitz, two things that Oke and Walker can't do.

[EastStreet 9,694]

13 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I wouldn't be shocked if we picked up a LB later in the draft or a cheaper FA for depth reasons... but TBH, I think we'll see EJ Speed get more reps at LB this year.  The coaching staff says he has as good of physical traits as any LB on the team, but coming from Tarleton State he needed a bit of NFL coaching refinement.  

I'd love to see EJ emerge. He's definitely got the measurables. I just have tempered my expectations knowing he's a small school dice roll. Thought we'd see him get some time last year, but instead still saw small bits of the other depth guys.

 

there's some decent FAs that IMO would be an upgrade, and wouldn't cost a bunch. If we could pick up a guy from a cap squeezed team like Jaylon Brown for like 8Mish a year, I think he'd be perfect for our scheme and a 3 down guy. An aging vet like Perryman or KJ Wright might work out too on a modest short term deal. Perryman might be just a 2 down guy, but his coverage was not bad at all last year. 

13 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I also tend to think with our secondary we'll see a lot of plays with 4 DL, 2 LBs and 5 DBs.  Meaning Leonard and Oke likely get the bulk of the LB work if Walker walks (which seems inevitable).  With Leonard, Oke, Speed, Franklin, Adams I think we're OK at LB without adding another one (with Glasgow being a 6th man unlikely to see LB snaps, but on the roster for ST work).  We also have the potential of Skai Moore coming back from covid opt-out.

We're in a 4-2-5 set 60+% of the time already. We've never used the SAM a lot even with both Walker and Oke. In 2019, it was Walker at MIKE on 1st and 2nd (and short yardage), Oke at MIKE on 3rd (and obvious passing downs), and then Oke sometimes at SAM vs teams that ran the edge a lot or obvious run downs. Last year Oke started eating into Walker's 2nd down snaps, and we simply played lite more. 

 

Purely my opinion, but you don't want to see Adams or Franklin taking MIKE snaps unless it's an emergency. And definitely not Glasgow. And keep in mind that EJ is still pretty thin. Oke is undersized already at MIKE. EJ is taller than Oke, but 10lbs lighter. Perhaps EJ put on some good weight, but IMO, his lack of power/strength is likely a factor keeping him off the field. He's probably more suited for WILL than MIKE to be honest. If he can pack 15-20lbs of good weight on, and keep his twitch, he could make for a very nice MIKE. It'll be interesting to see if he's made progress in the offesason.

13 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

Ballard has said in numerous press conferences that he likes Walker but the price would have to be right for Walker and the Colts.  I see Walker demanding high dollar and Ballard letting him go try to get that $ elsewhere.  As I noted above, I think the coaching staff is pretty high on EJ Speed and we have pretty solid LBs (well a stud in Leonard) with Oke, Adams, Franklin already on the team.  Like you said, I won't be shocked to see Ballard go after a later round LB in the draft or bring in a cheaper vet for depth purposes, but I don't think we'll miss Walker all that much if he leaves (we especially won't miss him if he is demanding a huge contract as we have other areas where we can/need to spend $).

Walker was the QB of the D in 2019, and it was him in 2019 and 2020 that filled in at WILL when Leonard was out. That was a little surprising to me as Oke was "billed" as faster and rangier... Peculiar...

 

Anyway, his asking price is not what concerns me. He's not going to command a lot in this market, and he's not ranked in the top 200 FAs (PFF) either. What my gut tells me is he'd rather play in 3-4 where IMO he'd be much more productive, and would fit his skill sets better. Better fit for him, and probably more lucrative long term. He also can't be happy with Oke eating into his snaps, especially when Oke isn't playing well. Anyway, I really don't want to see Oke playing early downs. He got tore up early downs at MIKE when Leonard was out. If he's our 3 down guy, I can see teams running right at him.

[CurBeatElite 1,336]

40 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m a Stanford guy and am glad we have Okereke.   But I don’t think his ceiling is as high as you seem to think.   86-90?   I’m not sure what that is based on?   Yes, he had a very good rookie year.  But his 2020 season was a big disappointment.  I don’t know why but he didn’t grade out well at all.  
 

If Leonard is 95-100, I’d peg Oke at a top of 85, but more steadily like 75-80.   But that’s only happening if he has a bounce back type of season.   The same kind of season we all hope Rock will have.  A comeback year.  The Colts need a bunch of those in 2021. 

 

I don't know who else we really need to have a bounce back year, especially on D.  Along our DL, we either need to bring back Houston and Autry or figure out how to replace them - but both had pretty solid years.  Lewis was better than he had been his first couple years.  Buckner was a stud and Stewart was solid.  Having Turay come back healthy and seeing Banogu improve would be helpful, but they both played so little last year and hadn't done enough previously to indicate last year was a 'down year'.  At LB, Leonard was a first-team all pro again and very solid.  Walker was solid but saw his snap count decrease and Oke had his ups and downs while seeing his snap count dramatically increase (as @EastStreet pointed out,  not only did his snaps go way up compared to his rookie year but the way he was used was different).  I doubt we see Walker back, so it'd be nice to see Oke improve for sure.  Then in the secondary we had solid play from Rhodes, Carrie, Willis and Moore for the most part.  Blackmon was solid (especially early on, but he seemed to digress as the year went on - IMO, to be expected as he was raw coming in and was coming off a knee injury, I don't think he was supposed to get near the snaps he did last year, but we know what happened with Hooker and sort of forced Blackmon into the fire).  RYS had a down year, but I don't see why he can't bounce back - he's got the physical traits - I tend to think he battled some mental demons after some P-Int penalties, and hopefully he can refine his technique some and come back strong.  

 

In all, on the D, I think we're in good shape.  Keep in mind, it seemed like 'Flus called the D a bit differently last year than he had in earlier years here.  We are, overall (aside from Houston, Autry, Rhodes) very young on D.  We had a very weird off-season last year, which (IMO) is critical for younger guys.  I can't help but think it didn't help the likes of guys like RYS and Oke who saw their roles increase and change (IMO, OKe's change was more than a 'slight' change) between their rookie year and year 2.  

 

On O, ideally we'll see solid QB play from Wentz (I won't go as far as to saying he needs a 'bounce back' year as he hasn't been in Indy before and it sounds like there was a lot of toxicity in Philly, hopefully all he needs in a change of scenery and a reunion with Reich).  Our OL was solid, so as long as we can replace AC at LT I think we'll be OK there.  We had pretty consistent play from Hines and Wilkins throughout the year and JT got dramatically better as the season wore on -- I think if those guys can start up where they left off, we're more than fine at RB.  TY didn't have his best year, but he's be declining for about 3 years now, so if we bring him back, all we can do is hope he stays healthy and I think we'll be in OK shape.  Pittman missed some time with his leg compartment syndrome, but was solid down the stretch, so I don't think we need him to 'bounce back', just continue on his trajectory and he's gonna be solid.  Pascal was solid and I think we've pretty much seen his ceiling, so he just needs to stay solid.  It would be sweet to see Campbell and/or Patmon to emerge, but don't think we need them to 'bounce back' as we've never gotten high level results from them to begin with.  

 

Then on STs, we were pretty solid all around.  Would like to see Blankenship add a bit more umphf to his kicks, but he was solid and Sanchez was solid punting.  The coverage and return units were solid overall.

 

So really, I think we need a comeback or bounce back year from RYS and maybe Oke... but overall, I don't think we need a 'bunch of them.'

 

9 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

I'd love to see EJ emerge. He's definitely got the measurables. I just have tempered my expectations knowing he's a small school dice roll. Thought we'd see him get some time last year, but instead still saw small bits of the other depth guys.

 

there's some decent FAs that IMO would be an upgrade, and wouldn't cost a bunch. If we could pick up a guy from a cap squeezed team like Jaylon Brown for like 8Mish a year, I think he'd be perfect for our scheme and a 3 down guy. An aging vet like Perryman or KJ Wright might work out too on a modest short term deal. Perryman might be just a 2 down guy, but his coverage was not bad at all last year. 

We're in a 4-2-5 set 60+% of the time already. We've never used the SAM a lot even with both Walker and Oke. In 2019, it was Walker at MIKE on 1st and 2nd (and short yardage), Oke at MIKE on 3rd (and obvious passing downs), and then Oke sometimes at SAM vs teams that ran the edge a lot or obvious run downs. Last year Oke started eating into Walker's 2nd down snaps, and we simply played lite more. 

 

Purely my opinion, but you don't want to see Adams or Franklin taking MIKE snaps unless it's an emergency. And definitely not Glasgow. And keep in mind that EJ is still pretty thin. Oke is undersized already at MIKE. EJ is taller than Oke, but 10lbs lighter. Perhaps EJ put on some good weight, but IMO, his lack of power/strength is likely a factor keeping him off the field. He's probably more suited for WILL than MIKE to be honest. If he can pack 15-20lbs of good weight on, and keep his twitch, he could make for a very nice MIKE. It'll be interesting to see if he's made progress in the offesason.

Walker was the QB of the D in 2019, and it was him in 2019 and 2020 that filled in at WILL when Leonard was out. That was a little surprising to me as Oke was "billed" as faster and rangier... Peculiar...

 

Anyway, his asking price is not what concerns me. He's not going to command a lot in this market, and he's not ranked in the top 200 FAs (PFF) either. What my gut tells me is he'd rather play in 3-4 where IMO he'd be much more productive, and would fit his skill sets better. Better fit for him, and probably more lucrative long term. He also can't be happy with Oke eating into his snaps, especially when Oke isn't playing well. Anyway, I really don't want to see Oke playing early downs. He got tore up early downs at MIKE when Leonard was out. If he's our 3 down guy, I can see teams running right at him.

 

 

I agree, pretty much  have to temper expectations on Speed being from a small school.  He did really improve on STs last year and he got his praise any time Ballard or any coaches spoke about him.  I get the feeling Ballard and staff are willing to use patience with project players (Ballard states that fairly regularly).  With Oke, Walker, Leonard and then Franklin who has more playing experience at LB - I don't think there was really much need to rush Speed into an LB role last year.  He got plenty of ST snaps and did well there, hopefully boosting his confidence that he can play at NFL level while still refining his LB technique in practices and the film room.  

 

While I would rather see guys like Adams and Glasgow on STs - I don't think it is terrible to have them on the roster primarily as STers but being our 5th and 6th ranked LBs on the depth chart as well.  Meaning, if we went into the season with Leonard, Oke, Speed and Franklin as our top 4 with Adams and Glasgow as STers but listed as 5 and 6 on depth chart, I don't think it'd be the worst thing (especially considering we predominantly play with only 2 LBers on the field).  So, sure it'd be nice to bring in a mid-late round draft pick or sign a decent FA for fairly cheap, but I'd rather see us dishing out money to bring in a solid LT, a playmaker at TE (and maybe WR), retain Rhodes, ensure the DL was solid (either by bringing back Houston and Autry or by getting a guy like Bud Dupree/JJ Watt/etc.), and add OL depth.  In otherwords, regardless of if we bring Walker back or not, I don't think LB is a top 5 position of concern right now.

 

I don't think Walker is going to command a ton, but he was 15th in the NFL in tackles in 2018 (124), tied for 28th (105) in 2019 and in the top 50 in 2020 (92).  He's a pretty productive player and a solid one - so he's going to demand significantly more than he was getting as a 5th round pick on his rookie contract.  And yes, he definitely wants to play more and I think his biggest issue here is his lack of athleticism.  You're right, he'll probably play more in a 3-4 D and he will likely be offered more money by a team where he'll play a lot than what Ballard will offer him. 

 

See the last line from Ballard in this article:  https://www.colts.com/news/chris-ballard-philip-rivers-ty-hilton-xavier-rhodes-2020-season-press-conference (Ballard on Linebacker Anthony Walker: "I have a special relationship with Anthony Walker. Selfless. Team guy. Rare leader. I hope he gets into coaching one day or scouting. Mark my words on this: if Anthony Walker gets into coaching, he will be a head football coach in the National Football League. And if he gets into scouting, he'll be a general manager. He's brilliant — absolutely brilliant, and he's made of the right stuff. I know Anthony wants to play more. We value Anthony. We'll see how it works out. I want good for Anthony."

 

My guess is Walker is gone.  

[JoeThornburg 81]

This kid could make things really interesting and turn that flat-butt 4-3 into something really special with corners who can press. The scheme could be really sneaky good with that personnel. 

[ColtStrong2013 1,931]

8 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

I didn't say he could be as good as Leonard. I said pretty clearly that if Leonard was 95/100 That I think Oke's ceiling is about 86-90. 

you said:

 

On 2/27/2021 at 1:41 PM, AustinnKaine said:

I think Okereke can get pretty darn close to Leonard's ability. 

 

which I disagree with. 

8 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

I think you are misunderstanding. Because we both seem to agree that Oke will more than likely be a pretty darn good player

I’m not misunderstanding, I’m disagreeing. I don’t think Bobby will “more than likely be a pretty darn good player.” I think he has the potential to be. He still has a ton to show me, so I disagree. And to wrap this up, I certainly disagreed with you saying you thought he could get close to Leonard’s ability, which after 3 seasons is Hall of Fame level play. Bobby isn’t that good man. He’s just not. He’s not even close to Leonard. He has a lot of work to do just to be a permanent fixture on this defense, IMO. 

[ClaytonColt 288]

Those highlights are completely unremarkable. 

 

I honestly don't know why people bother making those compilations when the plays themselves are so mundane.