Will this be a top 10 defense?

[AwesomeAustin]

Yeah I know.  Way too early and all of this is on paper.  Buuuuuuttttt....how can you not be excited about this defense?  
 

This D has serious top 10 and even possible top 5 potential. I’m really excited to see guys back healthy and younger players develop.  I’m sure there will be a couple players added from the draft as well.  Hopefully it all comes together under Bradley. I don’t ever remember being this excited about a Colts defense. Will be a fun year!!

[Moosejawcolt]

42 minutes ago, AwesomeAustin said:

Yeah I know.  Way too early and all of this is on paper.  Buuuuuuttttt....how can you not be excited about this defense?  
 

This D has serious top 10 and even possible top 5 potential. I’m really excited to see guys back healthy and younger players develop.  I’m sure there will be a couple players added from the draft as well.  Hopefully it all comes together under Bradley. I don’t ever remember being this excited about a Colts defense. Will be a fun year!!

Depends on the front 4. This D is built on the ability of the front 4 to get pressure.

[IinD]

I gotta see it first honestly. We've heard the whole 'top defense' argument before only to be let down whenever they HAD TO get a stop against the better QB's late in a game.

[Nickster]

27 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Depends on the front 4. This D is built on the ability of the front 4 to get pressure.

This is the key.  We shall see on it.  Tons of capital in this Dline.

 

I said year, Ballards fate would be tied to the Paye and Dayo performance this year along with Wentz.  Add Ngakuoe to that equation and substitute Ryan for Wentz and I think it holds true.  It will be interesting to see how this works out.

[Kyle]

1 hour ago, AwesomeAustin said:

Yeah I know.  Way too early and all of this is on paper.  Buuuuuuttttt....how can you not be excited about this defense?  
 

This D has serious top 10 and even possible top 5 potential. I’m really excited to see guys back healthy and younger players develop.  I’m sure there will be a couple players added from the draft as well.  Hopefully it all comes together under Bradley. I don’t ever remember being this excited about a Colts defense. Will be a fun year!!

Absolutely... I think the question is now "Are we a top 3 defense?"

[Moosejawcolt]

11 minutes ago, Kyle said:

Absolutely... I think the question is now "Are we a top 3 defense?"

Huh????

[throwing BBZ]

 

 I feel good today that our offense can control the ball for more minutes than last year. That helps.
Top ten is very doable.

[Yoshinator]

At this point, I would say yes if we don't have any major injuries. Just need some more depth in the draft at EDGE and CB IMO, and we're set at defense. I would say we will be in the top 5-10 range honestly. 

[jmac_48]

Lots of movable parts, won't know until the games begin.

Feeling much more positive than I did in January...

[jonjon]

2 hours ago, IinD said:

I gotta see it first honestly. We've heard the whole 'top defense' argument before only to be let down whenever they HAD TO get a stop against the better QB's late in a game.

Exactly. Way too many "ifs" for me to get too worked up just yet. We have potential for sure. but...will Paye continue to emerge? Can Gilmore stay healthy and play at a top level? What about the rest of the secondary? And so on. 

[cbear]

Weren't we already a top 10 D last year? This one is clearly superior as far as individual talent goes. 

[NewColtsFan]

I don’t see top-5, and I think top-10 is possible, but probably not likely.   I think our ceiling is perhaps 8-10, but we might also end up 10-12.   
 

I’m assuming the metric we’re talking about is scoring, which I believe is Ballard’s number one priority, followed closely by turnovers. 
 

[Nickster]

6 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

 I feel good today that our offense can control the ball for more minutes than last year. That helps.
Top ten is very doable.

We were 4th in time of possession last season.  It’s pretty much a meaningless stat.

[throwing BBZ]

2 hours ago, Nickster said:

We were 4th in time of possession last season.  It’s pretty much a meaningless stat.

 

  There is no reason to go mindless to the truth.

  ANY coach in the NFL Wants to win this stat.
   8 of the top 10 were Playoff teams. We missed it for a missed extra point kick. AZ. was the other miss.

[Fluke_33]

Top 10 is only top 1/3 so I hope so. I want top 5 and I think that’s looking good.  

[AwesomeAustin]

1 hour ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

  There is no reason to go mindless to the truth.

  ANY coach in the NFL Wants to win this stat.
   8 of the top 10 were Playoff teams. We missed it for a missed extra point kick. AZ. was the other miss.

Baltimore, Indy, Denver and Cleveland were in the top 10 TOP and missed the playoffs. AZ made it and were throttled by the Rams. 

[Nickster]

1 hour ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

  There is no reason to go mindless to the truth.

  ANY coach in the NFL Wants to win this stat.
   8 of the top 10 were Playoff teams. We missed it for a missed extra point kick. AZ. was the other miss.

It’s not 1985.

 

this years champ was 20 and runner up 13

last years champ was 22 and runner up was 16

before that champ was 19 runner up 5

 

its not a very meaningful stat when it comes to championships

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, Nickster said:

It’s not 1985.

 

this years champ was 20 and runner up 13

last years champ was 22 and runner up was 16

before that champ was 19 runner up 5

 

its not a very meaningful stat when it comes to championships

I remember when the Dolphins controlled the clock for 45 minutes and we only had it for 15 minutes and Peyton still won the game. That was back in 2009.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Top 5-7ish IMO. 

[Smonroe]

37 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I remember when the Dolphins controlled the clock for 45 minutes and we only had it for 15 minutes and Peyton still won the game. That was back in 2009.

I remember that, a friend of mine is a Dolphins fan. I still remember his frustration.  
 

You only need a good, middle of the pack D in the NFL if you can put points on the board.  That’s why I’m waiting and hoping we improve at LT, TE, and WR.  

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, Smonroe said:

I remember that, a friend of mine is a Dolphins fan. I still remember his frustration.  
 

You only need a good, middle of the pack D in the NFL if you can put points on the board.  That’s why I’m waiting and hoping we improve at LT, TE, and WR.  

If we get Jarvis Landry we will be lethal at that point. 

[Smonroe]

7 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

If we get Jarvis Landry we will be lethal at that point. 

I can’t see Ballard giving him what he wants.  I know they can restructure a few guys contracts to make room under the cap, but the way CB values WRs….

 

IMO, we’ll go with the higher rated of the available WRs or LTs in the draft.  

[IrsaysArmy]

Gilmore and Yannick should make a huge difference when it comes to getting off the field. I’m excited about this defense. 
 

let’s hope Kwity and Dayo keep getting better.  If these 2 get better our defense could be sick nasty 

[DougDew]

12 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Depends on the front 4. This D is built on the ability of the front 4 to get pressure.

Lewis has to return successfully.  Dayo has to return successfully.  Paye has to take the next step.  Buck has to show that he is not declining off of his prime and his dropoff was due to less quality teammates than he had the year before.  It would seem that his play would then also be dependent upon the first three things mentioned, in addition to Yannick being added.

 

How much does Yannick add to the rush, but give up on the run.  If a team can successfully run, there will be fewer opportunities to rush the QB.  Did AQM defend the run better than Yannick will?

 

Questions yet to be answered.

 

[BProland85]

It definitely should be unless injuries derail the season. 

[joecolts]

I feel much better about the talent going into 2022 than I did exiting 2021.  There are still some holes (WR, OT/OL, S) but, this group should be the AFC SOUTH favorite.  With this talent, you have to see how they are coached.  If they do not perform, we’ll know more about where the issues rest

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

I can’t see Ballard giving him what he wants.  I know they can restructure a few guys contracts to make room under the cap, but the way CB values WRs….

 

IMO, we’ll go with the higher rated of the available WRs or LTs in the draft.  

I don’t think Ballard gave Gilmore what he wanted.  I think they negotiated and came to an agreement they were both happy with.  Landry will not get what he wants or he would be signed right now.  That means he needs to negotiate.  If he draws a line in the sand so be it.  He won’t be a Colt.  If he’s willing to negotiate he could be.  Time will tell.  We should still draft a receiver regardless.

[Four2itus]

I hope so. 

[Alex22]

20 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Depends on the front 4. This D is built on the ability of the front 4 to get pressure.

you mean front 5 right? 

we bussin on dat line with dayo ayo 

[Four2itus]

49 minutes ago, Alex22 said:

you mean front 5 right? 

we bussin on dat line with dayo ayo 

5 - 2 depending on the O. 

[ChuggaBeer]

8 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

If we get Jarvis Landry we will be lethal at that point. 

I don't get the love for Landry.   He hasn't been over 1k yds in 6 years when he was with the Phins

 

Last yr he had 1 - 100+ yard game and only 2 TD's 570 yards in 12 games.   

 

Someone tell me why he is worth the hype

 

 

[jonjon]

Anyway back to defense

 

 

  

15 hours ago, cbear said:

Weren't we already a top 10 D last year? This one is clearly superior as far as individual talent goes. 

We had a good rushing D, but terrible pass D. We should be better, but who knows.

[ChuggaBeer]

58 minutes ago, ChuggaBeer said:

I don't get the love for Landry.   He hasn't been over 1k yds in 6 years when he was with the Phins

 

Last yr he had 1 - 100+ yard game and only 2 TD's 570 yards in 12 games.   

 

Someone tell me why he is worth the hype

 

 

EDIT.  He had 1174 in 2019.   My mistake 

[DeepseaColt]

I'm going with top 5(hopefully). We had a brutal schedule last year and were top 10 or at least close to it. This year we have a much friendlier schedule which should boost our rankings a bit. 

[AwesomeAustin]

2 hours ago, ChuggaBeer said:

EDIT.  He had 1174 in 2019.   My mistake 

It’s cool. I’m with you and a few other posters. I think he is being over valued by himself and a lot of other people.  There is a reason he is still unsigned. 2yrs 18m with some incentives is a bit much but you have to overpay FAs if you want them on your team. He is not a 10m receiver. 

[Dunk]

I agree the defense looks like it should be top 10 as long as they stay reasonably healthy.

 

As far as time of possession by the offense increasing, that should keep them from getting gassed late in games.

That did remind me of a comment I read in a Star article, probably 93 or 94, that said something like:

The only stat the Colts continue to lead the NFL in is time of possession, which proves you can take forever to to go nowhere.

I'm not bashing T.O.P., but thought the comment was funny.

[richard pallo]

10 hours ago, AwesomeAustin said:

It’s cool. I’m with you and a few other posters. I think he is being over valued by himself and a lot of other people.  There is a reason he is still unsigned. 2yrs 18m with some incentives is a bit much but you have to overpay FAs if you want them on your team. He is not a 10m receiver. 

I think he is a 12-15m receiver.  He’s only 29 an accomplished route runner and has been a very durable receiver over his career. The so called experts are saying this not just me.  Playing with Baker didn’t do him any favors.  The only reason he remains unsigned is his asking price.  He needs to come down to earth.  Eventually he will.  Hopefully with the Colts.

[John Hammonds]

I think it ought to be top 10.  With Ngakue, Buckner, Leonard, Gilmore, and Moore all poised for pro bowl seasons, and opportunities for Paye, Dayo, Rodgers, Blackmon, and Willis to all improve.

Still, you never know what injuries will happen.  Both Ngakue and Gilmore could blow out a knee first game of the season, and we'd be back to square one.

I'm hopeful, though, that we'll be very, very good this year.

[AwesomeAustin]

1 hour ago, richard pallo said:

I think he is a 12-15m receiver.  He’s only 29 an accomplished route runner and has been a very durable receiver over his career. The so called experts are saying this not just me.  Playing with Baker didn’t do him any favors.  The only reason he remains unsigned is his asking price.  He needs to come down to earth.  Eventually he will.  Hopefully with the Colts.

I can see that bc teams do over pay in FA. The 3-6 million dollar question is how would he be used in this offense?  
 

X spot is taken care of. I don’t think he would be a Z bc he doesn’t have consistent big play potential. He ran a 4.77 40 so not a burner and honestly not very explosive. This leaves the slot. 
 

Overall the slot is devalued 15-20%.  Add in we have Hines and Granson that will probably need snaps in this spot and not always running 3 wife, we are looking at Landry taking 50-60% of offensive snaps. To me this is not enough usage to justify 12-15m and why I said 9m.  That’s role player salary. 
 

He just doesn’t fit this offense as a key playmaker but for the right price we can find a role for him. There is a reason the Browns let him walk for 15m then traded a pick to pay Cooper 5m more. He has had one season over 1k yards.  I think he would do well with Ryan and probably enjoy an increase in stats but 15m worth?  I don’t see it. Would rather see what Patmon and Strachan can offer while utilizing Hines and Granson more and possibly looking to the draft if BPA is a WR. 
 

I would really like to see Patmon and Dulin splitting Z reps, Strachan backing up MPJ and getting 5-8 snaps a game as a bully slot. This will either create a mismatch with a smaller nickel corner or safety or draw a LB leaving favorable look to check to a run. Motioning Hines and Granson out will also do the same. Landry goes in the defense will run nickel to matchup better.  We still have Coute that can pick up the rest of the snaps at slot and probably be average enough to create production. 

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, AwesomeAustin said:

I can see that bc teams do over pay in FA. The 3-6 million dollar question is how would he be used in this offense?  
 

X spot is taken care of. I don’t think he would be a Z bc he doesn’t have consistent big play potential. He ran a 4.77 40 so not a burner and honestly not very explosive. This leaves the slot. 
 

Overall the slot is devalued 15-20%.  Add in we have Hines and Granson that will probably need snaps in this spot and not always running 3 wife, we are looking at Landry taking 50-60% of offensive snaps. To me this is not enough usage to justify 12-15m and why I said 9m.  That’s role player salary. 
 

He just doesn’t fit this offense as a key playmaker but for the right price we can find a role for him. There is a reason the Browns let him walk for 15m then traded a pick to pay Cooper 5m more. He has had one season over 1k yards.  I think he would do well with Ryan and probably enjoy an increase in stats but 15m worth?  I don’t see it. Would rather see what Patmon and Strachan can offer while utilizing Hines and Granson more and possibly looking to the draft if BPA is a WR. 
 

I would really like to see Patmon and Dulin splitting Z reps, Strachan backing up MPJ and getting 5-8 snaps a game as a bully slot. This will either create a mismatch with a smaller nickel corner or safety or draw a LB leaving favorable look to check to a run. Motioning Hines and Granson out will also do the same. Landry goes in the defense will run nickel to matchup better.  We still have Coute that can pick up the rest of the snaps at slot and probably be average enough to create production. 

We reportedly have made him an offer.  So they must feel differently.  He’s a difference maker.  Our current receivers are not and we are trying to win now.  I would much rather have him on the field given the circumstances rather than our current players.  Teams would have to account for him.  He’s a definite upgrade and that’s what we are looking for.