4 Biggest Needs Met

[krunk]

I trust Grigson too! I can almost assure you the next draft will be all about defense next year.

[EdBriggs]

In order of need: QB, TE, WR, NT........I think this was a GREAT draft when you consider how deficient the Colts were at these positions and how much of an upgrade these six players should provide.

Thank you for this post. I'm sick of seeing armchair GM's act as if they know better. The colts were EXTREMELY deficient on offense and needed to address it. Sure, we need some defense, but the cupboard was bare if we didn't address offense in a big fashion. You don't draft andrew luck and then start drafting defensive players. I applaud grigson and co. The D will come. Believe it or not, we do have some good players on D.

[Buck Showalter]

We could have used our 4th pick on CB or LB. Seriously, think about it.

but we didnt and took a chance on a kid who is super duper fast, is a game breaker and a special teams playmaker that colts fans have been screaming for after every draft...

also sounds as if the kid is a high character guy- stayed in a small school to keep his family together, keeps a prayer towel or something on him while he plays etc.

funny how some analysts and commentators, the ones who get paid for their opinions, have had him listed as a steal of the draft,

but thats thinking about it rationally...

Not like we are gonna win the super bowl this next season anyways so we go grab our future star defensive players next draft...

[smittywerb]

I think people are forgetting about the signings we've made before the draft. We addressed some of our needs on defense. It is obvious that the direction of this draft was to accomodate Luck and make his transition to the NFL as easy as possible. I believe that Grigson wanted to address the defense early but players that he wanted were gone and Allen still being available made a pick for defense expendable. I loved this offseason. We almost have a defense put together (CB & LB still need to be addressed) and our offense is essentially put together. Now, when I say I put together, I do not mean we have a top 5 offense/defense, I mean we have players in place. This is a good start for the new Colts. I am excited and ready to see who will blossom. Me personally, I want to see Chapman play because I think that is our sleeper pick.

Edit: To be honest, I can see Dwight Freeney being dealt at the trade deadline to a playoff contending team. My guess was he would be traded for Asante Samuel, but that didn't work out.

[Buck Showalter]

Polian drafted for over a decade, making this team a playoff team every year and going to SB twice.

We haven't even played 1 snap with the players Grigson drafted. Why should a fan praise Grigson so soon?

I will be the first one to give him all my props if this all works out great. Until then, all I see is small WR's drafted and absolutely 0 decent players on D.

You are putting Luck in a situation where he needs to score 35 points a game and will still lose those games. Remember early years with Peyton?

Polian drafted PEYTON MANNING, making this team a playoff team every year and going to SB twice.

We haven't even played 1 snap with the players Grigson drafted. Why should a fan BE UNREALISTICALLY CRITICAL of Grigson so soon?

I will be the first one to give him all my props if this all works out great. Until then, all I see is small SUPER FAST WR's drafted and SUPER STRONG NT from Alabama on D.

You are putting Luck in a situation where he needs to score MORE POINTS THAN HIS OPPONENTS or lose the games. Remember the early YEAR with Peyton?

[GoDeep]

You are putting Luck in a situation where he needs to score MORE POINTS THAN HIS OPPONENTS or lose the games. Remember the early YEAR with Peyton?

Pretty sure you lose every game where you don't outscore your opponent.

[coltnorth]

Fleener doesn't have the speed and the leaping ability of a big WR. It's not even close.

Actually his speed and leaping ability are great. Pro day showed that. That's how he moved up to the board

[Rblake]

I'm excited to see how this draft works out. I can't say it was good or bad until I see what these guys do. I think we ADDRESSED some needs. Whether they work out, is yet to be determined. We were in need of QB, TE, RB, OL, WR, DL, and CB. We addressed all but the CB. We weren't likely going to rebuild in one year anyway, so I'd say we are going in the right direction.

[Jason_]

Unless you have access to complete college game film and have spoken with scouts who have watched the kids play, you are severely unqualified to declare what is a reach or not. Prognosticators who set the table for the masses are only slightly more aware than most of us. This concept of pointing out a reach pick is darn hilarious. If we moved up to pick a WR, it was because the kid was waaayyy down on the Colts board farther than the team expected him to go. Who gives a rats * where Profootballweekly, or Lindy's, or anyone else says. In Grigson I trust!

What's hilarious to me are the people that come to a message board (which has the sole purpose of allowing people to express their own opinions) and can't make any type of reasonable argument other than "well you must be wrong because GM's have more information". Guess what? Matt Millen had a lot more information than we did...how did him being the Lion's GM work out? The front office folk responsible for picks like Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, etc etc etc etc etc all had more information than we the fans did.

Incidentally, profootballweekly, Lindy's, Mel Kiper, Mike Mayok etc etc also have more information than we do and according to their expert evaluations, some of our picks could be described as a reach. So what are we "Unknowing" folk supposed to do when one guy with more information says one thing but another guy with more information says something else? I guess we's just sit back and trust them guys who get paid for this stuff...the way fans had such trust in Caldwell and the Polians (guys who also had more information than we did but who 99.9% of the Colts fan base wanted to personally escort out of town).

[mvbighead]

The Colts had one of the top-5 best drafts this year, not sure why half of you think they had a sub-par draft. This year's WR draft outside of the top two guys Blackmon and Floyd wasn't very good at all. They instead got two great TE's in Fleener and Allen, both of which are highly versatile in that they can play outside and create nightmare-type mismatches on defense. Since Brody Eldridge will most likely move to FB, this makes perfect sense. The only downside of both TE's is that their blocking isn't finesse, but I'd much rather have big, fast receiving TE's in today's game than block-first TE's. I also like the T.Y. Hilton pick as he's lightning-fast and will help give the Colts life in the return game and as a Victor Cruz-type slot WR. After that I liked all the picks except for LaVon Brazill. We got arguably a 2nd round-grade nose tackle in Josh Chapman, whom is a MONSTER, and can bench-press over 600 lbs, and got a pretty decent 3rd/4th round-grade RB in Vick Ballard in the 5th round, whom can seriously compete against Donald Brown.

All in all this was an awesome draft. I don't want to look too far ahead, but in 2013, the Colts can be the most active team in free agency (ala Tampa Bay this year) and there are going to be far better WR and CB prospects coming out that year too. With that said, I can't wait for the 2012 season!

Personally, I liked the Brazill pick. Seems like a quick kid, and has made some monster grabs in college. I just hope he's as reliable with routine catches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFMT3ahxXD0

[Joey Wilson]

I don't understand why so many of ya'll saying we need to draft a db. Have you looked at our roster? We have numerous one year, two year and rookies at that position. I can understand a Claiborne or someone of that caliber to be a shut down man, but other than that what is the significance of adding another rookie DB?

[smittywerb]

I don't understand why so many of ya'll saying we need to draft a db. Have you looked at our roster? We have numerous one year, two year and rookies at that position. I can understand a Claiborne or someone of that caliber to be a shut down man, but other than that what is the significance of adding another rookie DB?

Right! I rather wait next year to use our top pick on a CB rather than using one of low picks this year on a CB. I like how the FO attacked the offseason, buy the defense, draft the offense. My guess next year will be buy the offense, draft the defense.

[Horseshoe79]

Those smal fast WR's can stretch the field in a hurry opening up the thows underneath. Don't know why people think you need 6'5" WR's to be successful. I think we will be fine with what we have. If Luck puts in the time with the WR's like Peyton, then he will make those WR's look good just like Peyton did. Don't know why people get butthurt about small WR's.

[Colts88]

Grigs should try to swing a TRADE for CC Leodis McKelvin from the Bills, who is said to be on the roster bubble. He still has potential, and could be had for a song if the rumors of his sitting outside a roster spot in Buffalo are true.

Regardless of whether or not they make a deal for McKelvin, you can bet that Grigs is looking for some options on the corner, in free agency and through trade. Heres hoping he finds the right fit for the right price!

[ColtsBlueFL]

.....if Chapman is as good as some say, the addition of a legitimate NT is no small thing....can't really run a 3-4 without one....I know there is the back-up from the Ravens, but he's been in the league 7 years as a back-up....

Not sure to make of this. The guy is good enough to retain his backup job 7 years... and nobody else is better except the pro bowl starter in front of him? He can't be all that bad, otherwise they would dump the player and reload with better prospects every couple years. Interesting to see the two battle it out in camp.

[Creekside]

Not sure to make of this. The guy is good enough to retain his backup job 7 years... and nobody else is better except the pro bowl starter in front of him? He can't be all that bad, otherwise they would dump the player and reload with better prospects every couple years. Interesting to see the two battle it out in camp.

.........didn't retain his job for seven years....first 3 with Chargers, last 4 with Ravens....Like saying Jim Sorgi must be a good QB because he backed up Manning all those years.....really good NTs are rare...as a 7 year vet free agent he signed a 2 year contact with the Colts for: $3oo,ooo signing bonus..... $7oo,ooo year 1 salary.....$1 million year 2 salary.....this is back-up type money for a back-up player....

[ColtsBlueFL]

.........didn't retain his job for seven years....first 3 with Chargers, last 4 with Ravens....Like saying Jim Sorgi must be a good QB because he backed up Manning all those years.....really good NTs are rare...as a 7 year vet free agent he signed a 2 year contact with the Colts for: $3oo,ooo signing bonus..... $7oo,ooo year 1 salary.....$1 million year 2 salary.....this is back-up type money for a back-up player....

Can't you pay even less on a rookie contract? And get younger? He must have more upside somewhere. Otherwise, I don't see it. Even Sorgi was let go when his years of service was to inflate his salary some.

[Creekside]

Can't you pay even less on a rookie contract? And get younger? He must have more upside somewhere. Otherwise, I don't see it. Even Sorgi was let go when his years of service was to inflate his salary some.

.....he apparently had one contract with the Chargers...played little. Had one contract with the Ravens..played some. Back-up with Chargers, not resigned. Back-up with Ravens, not resigned......if he were starting material someone would have given him alot more than the Colts did....not saying he's terrible...I hope he's good...but all indications are: he is not good enough to be a starting NT in the NFL...

[Scott21]

Personally, I liked the Brazill pick. Seems like a quick kid, and has made some monster grabs in college. I just hope he's as reliable with routine catches.

Yeah I've watched tape on him too, and I don't doubt that he can catch, my biggest concern is that he doesn't always seem to get great separation in the level of competition he faces, and his route running needs work. But then again he was rated as a pretty good late 3rd/middle 4th round WR, so we'll see how he works out or if he cracks the lineup. I would much rather have Greg Childs, but Minnesota took him shortly before us.

[Warhorse]

What's hilarious to me are the people that come to a message board (which has the sole purpose of allowing people to express their own opinions) and can't make any type of reasonable argument other than "well you must be wrong because GM's have more information". Guess what? Matt Millen had a lot more information than we did...how did him being the Lion's GM work out? The front office folk responsible for picks like Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, etc etc etc etc etc all had more information than we the fans did.

Incidentally, profootballweekly, Lindy's, Mel Kiper, Mike Mayok etc etc also have more information than we do and according to their expert evaluations, some of our picks could be described as a reach. So what are we "Unknowing" folk supposed to do when one guy with more information says one thing but another guy with more information says something else? I guess we's just sit back and trust them guys who get paid for this stuff...the way fans had such trust in Caldwell and the Polians (guys who also had more information than we did but who 99.9% of the Colts fan base wanted to personally escort out of town).

I personally dont use the selection of a player at a particular slot as an indication of a reach. The reason is that a great player can be taken by a team that has a bad system, bad coaches, or perhaps even a bad locker room, and a player fails. Even then, the term "reach" can be incorrect. So even though Matt Millen may have reached on some players, he also could have just taken the wrong player for their system, and the player may have not been a reach at all at the spot he was taken.To say that a player could turn out to be a reach is legit. To state it from one's couch before the kid has even put on the pads in the NFL, is extremely hilarious.

[oldunclemark]

In order of need: QB, TE, WR, NT........I think this was a GREAT draft when you consider how deficient the Colts were at these positions and how much of an upgrade these six players should provide.

We need TWO tighte ends and we got two who can start...

We needed a starting QB and a project...we got both

we filled NT and WR....in free agent signings but we drated behind them...

I think our neew defensive coaches dont think we are as weak at corner as some of us do...

I LOVED this draft

[oldunclemark]

Not sure to make of this. The guy is good enough to retain his backup job 7 years... and nobody else is better except the pro bowl starter in front of him? He can't be all that bad, otherwise they would dump the player and reload with better prospects every couple years. Interesting to see the two battle it out in camp.

I think he can start CBF....

..and it really doesn't matter what I think.

Obviously our new coaches know him and think he can start

[Jason_]

I personally dont use the selection of a player at a particular slot as an indication of a reach. The reason is that a great player can be taken by a team that has a bad system, bad coaches, or perhaps even a bad locker room, and a player fails. Even then, the term "reach" can be incorrect. So even though Matt Millen may have reached on some players, he also could have just taken the wrong player for their system, and the player may have not been a reach at all at the spot he was taken.To say that a player could turn out to be a reach is legit. To state it from one's couch before the kid has even put on the pads in the NFL, is extremely hilarious.

Ok, I totally get a lot of what you said and ultimately I think we're defining the term "reach" in different ways.l I'm not saying that a player was a reach because he wasn't or won't be worth the pick that was used on him. When I say a player was a reach, I mean simply that we could probably have gotten that same player with a pick a little further down the draft. So I'm not saying Brazil (for example) was a reach because he won't live up to potential...there's absolutely no way of saying that at this point in time. I'm saying Brazil was a reach because we most likely could have taken a different player at that spot and still gotten Brazil a little later.

[number28]

That shows what you know. Fleener is faster than all big receivers in the NFL except Moss and Megatron.

umm fleener ran a faster 40 then half the WR's at the combine. he ran it in the 4's. i think he has tons of speed. and at stanford he use to out run alot of DB's. and the guy is 6'6 i think he can out jump alot of DB's.

Anquan Boldin ran a 4.7 Fitzgerald ran 4.6 Coby Fleener ran a 4.5

sorry, not buying any of this combine stuff. He is a TE, he is slower than almost all WR's. That's all there is too it. Game speed is different than scouting combine speed.

He is slow. Just live with it.

[number28]

Actually his speed and leaping ability are great. Pro day showed that. That's how he moved up to the board

He would have been picked in the 1st round if he is THAT good.

Bottom line is he is a great TE, but he is not faster and better leaper that WR's, like everyone here is saying.

I can care less what he runs in combine.

[jvan1973]

sorry, not buying any of this combine stuff. He is a TE, he is slower than almost all WR's. That's all there is too it. Game speed is different than scouting combine speed.

He is slow. Just live with it.

So because he is a TE he is slow.. Not true.. Fact is Fleener is faster than many NFL wide receivers.. Sorry if you dont believe facts

[number28]

Fact is Fleener is faster than many NFL wide receivers..

not true. I'm done arguing about this.

He hasn't even played a snap and you are saying he is faster than NFL WR's? comon now.

we are done here.

[jvan1973]

not true. I'm done arguing about this.

He hasn't even played a snap and you are saying he is faster than NFL WR's? comon now.

we are done here.

Um, yeah.. I have the videos to prove it... He also had 19 ypc last season. Not many slow players average that

[GoColts00]

Fleener doesn't have the speed and the leaping ability of a big WR. It's not even close.

i disagree. Fleener ran a 4.46. not too shabby for a TE. He had a 37" Vertical, meaning he can catch a football at 11 feet in the air.

[number28]

i disagree. Fleener ran a 4.46. not too shabby for a TE. He had a 37" Vertical, meaning he can catch a football at 11 feet in the air.

he did that at the combine. This means 0 - nothing.

The point I was making that big receivers in the NFL are quicker, faster, jump higher and run better routes. Why? because they are receivers.

Fleener is a TE that runs 4 something in a 40 yard dash. wow...really means nothing lol. To say like the other poster said, Fleener is faster than many big WR's in the NFL is insane. I have no words to describe this. It's a joke.

40 yard dash is irrelevant. I can run a 4.9 in a 40, done it many times. means nothing. I don't even play football.

Fleener is a fast TE and one of the fastest. But he doesn't even come close to these big WR's in NFL. The whole point is we should have drafted at least one big guy at WR. That's all I'm trying to say.

[Warhorse]

Ok, I totally get a lot of what you said and ultimately I think we're defining the term "reach" in different ways.l I'm not saying that a player was a reach because he wasn't or won't be worth the pick that was used on him. When I say a player was a reach, I mean simply that we could probably have gotten that same player with a pick a little further down the draft. So I'm not saying Brazil (for example) was a reach because he won't live up to potential...there's absolutely no way of saying that at this point in time. I'm saying Brazil was a reach because we most likely could have taken a different player at that spot and still gotten Brazil a little later.

What would be cool would be getting to see every teams big board after the draft. That would clear some questions up.

[GoColts00]

he did that at the combine. This means 0 - nothing.

The point I was making that big receivers in the NFL are quicker, faster, jump higher and run better routes. Why? because they are receivers.

Fleener is a TE that runs 4 something in a 40 yard dash. wow...really means nothing lol. To say like the other poster said, Fleener is faster than many big WR's in the NFL is insane. I have no words to describe this. It's a joke.

40 yard dash is irrelevant. I can run a 4.9 in a 40, done it many times. means nothing. I don't even play football.

Fleener is a fast TE and one of the fastest. But he doesn't even come close to these big WR's in NFL. The whole point is we should have drafted at least one big guy at WR. That's all I'm trying to say.

i does mean something though. Dallas Clark over the middle would outrun LBers. I don't know of a LB that could keep up with Clark. He scored many TDs by outrunning LBers. I think that Coby Fleener will do the same thing.

Fleener isn't a "randy moss in his prime", but he will have his moments to score. I agree with you that we need a WR with height, speed, soft hands and great route-running, but maybe that WR comes to us in next year's draft. ???

[unitaswestand]

In all fairness, Marvin Harrison is considered a small WR. There is many very good small WRs in the NFL like Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson. I think Fleener can be counted as our big WR we drafted, while the others are speed. We have been missing speed since Marvin retired. I know Garcon had speed, but he was too inconsistent.

[mvbighead]

he did that at the combine. This means 0 - nothing.

The point I was making that big receivers in the NFL are quicker, faster, jump higher and run better routes. Why? because they are receivers.

Fleener is a TE that runs 4 something in a 40 yard dash. wow...really means nothing lol. To say like the other poster said, Fleener is faster than many big WR's in the NFL is insane. I have no words to describe this. It's a joke.

40 yard dash is irrelevant. I can run a 4.9 in a 40, done it many times. means nothing. I don't even play football.

Fleener is a fast TE and one of the fastest. But he doesn't even come close to these big WR's in NFL. The whole point is we should have drafted at least one big guy at WR. That's all I'm trying to say.

You're hilarious. You speculate that, based on position, the guy is not going to be as fast as WRs. Ever hear of guys by the name of Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, Reggie Williams, etc? Jarrett ran a 4.62. M. Williams a 4.61. Reggie Williams a 4.45. Of those guys, Fleener ran a faster 40 than 2 of them, and tied the other.

Whether you believe it or not, a 40 time is indicative of straight line speed. Hester, Chris Johnson, Reggie Bush, etc. ran blazing 40s under 4.4. Does that make them great at their positions? Not necessarily. A lot more factors into football than just speed.

As for Fleener and his speed, well, suffice it to say that a fast big bodied guy who is commonly covered by LBs who aren't as fast, or safeties who aren't as big, and you can see a mismatch waiting to happen. Not many 6-6 guys run that fast. All things considered, if they have to compensate for that mismatch, it opens up the offense.

And whether you believe it or not, Fleener is just as fast as MOST WRs in the NFL. He may not be as agile or quick, but his speed is on par with a lot of them. That, in itself, makes him a matchup problem for opposing defenses.

[MIColtsFan]

I am thrilled about the TE pics! and Chapman if healthy! I think the Harnish pick is Grigon's attempt at ensuring we have a valid back up QB... Stanton has spent most of his career injured, he goes in for a play or two and he get's injured... so we need to begin training a good back up.

[MIColtsFan]

Thank you for this post. I'm sick of seeing armchair GM's act as if they know better. The colts were EXTREMELY deficient on offense and needed to address it. Sure, we need some defense, but the cupboard was bare if we didn't address offense in a big fashion. You don't draft andrew luck and then start drafting defensive players. I applaud grigson and co. The D will come. Believe it or not, we do have some good players on D.

right on... Mathis, Nevis, Conner, Angerer, Bethea, Moala, Zbikowski, Johnson, Redding, Freeney, now Chapman.. I say looking pretty good on D! Johnson fits as a NT also, if Chapman does not

[FightLikeSin]

I just don't like the idea of needing to score 40 points to win games. That's where we are headed to.

last year, with our offense in shambles going 3 and out on every drive, not giving the defense a chance to catch their breath, we allowed an average of 26.9 points a game. If we can stay on the field longer with Luck, I don't have any doubt that we won't have to score as many points as our opponents this year. The majority of our games were lost by 10 points or less.

[Corndog]

Polian drafted for over a decade, making this team a playoff team every year and going to SB twice.

We haven't even played 1 snap with the players Grigson drafted. Why should a fan praise Grigson so soon?

I will be the first one to give him all my props if this all works out great. Until then, all I see is small WR's drafted and absolutely 0 decent players on D.

You are putting Luck in a situation where he needs to score 35 points a game and will still lose those games. Remember early years with Peyton?

While I don't completely agree, we will see with Grigson and Chapman could be a good defensive player. But yes, focusing so heavily on offense(and not the necessary part IMO, the line) will put a lot of pressure on Luck. Also with a decent o-line at best, he will get sacked, probably alot. I think it could look alot like Peyton's first season. This team could be okay against teams with weaker offenses, because they can keep up and there won't be so much pressure on Luck, but with teams like Houston on the schedule, things could get ugly.

[jvan1973]

You're hilarious. You speculate that, based on position, the guy is not going to be as fast as WRs. Ever hear of guys by the name of Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, Reggie Williams, etc? Jarrett ran a 4.62. M. Williams a 4.61. Reggie Williams a 4.45. Of those guys, Fleener ran a faster 40 than 2 of them, and tied the other.

Whether you believe it or not, a 40 time is indicative of straight line speed. Hester, Chris Johnson, Reggie Bush, etc. ran blazing 40s under 4.4. Does that make them great at their positions? Not necessarily. A lot more factors into football than just speed.

As for Fleener and his speed, well, suffice it to say that a fast big bodied guy who is commonly covered by LBs who aren't as fast, or safeties who aren't as big, and you can see a mismatch waiting to happen. Not many 6-6 guys run that fast. All things considered, if they have to compensate for that mismatch, it opens up the offense.

And whether you believe it or not, Fleener is just as fast as MOST WRs in the NFL. He may not be as agile or quick, but his speed is on par with a lot of them. That, in itself, makes him a matchup problem for opposing defenses.

Impossible, no TE can be faster than a wide receiver. EVER

[mvbighead]

last year, with our offense in shambles going 3 and out on every drive, not giving the defense a chance to catch their breath, we allowed an average of 26.9 points a game. If we can stay on the field longer with Luck, I don't have any doubt that we won't have to score as many points as our opponents this year. The majority of our games were lost by 10 points or less.

This is a solid point. Our offense's time of possession was bad. Scratch that... it was pathetic.

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?seasonType=REG&offensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&d-447263-s=TIME_OF_POSS_SECONDS_PER_GAME_AVG&tabSeq=2&season=2011&role=TM&Submit=Go&archive=false&conference=null&defensiveStatisticCategory=null&qualified=true

We were the worst in the NFL.

If we up our TOP on offense, our defense should improve.

Schematically, our defense should improve. We have big guys in Redding, McKinney, Chapman, etc. that can help us stop the run, as well as tie up the middle for our edge rushers to get better pressure. As far as I am concerned, the draft went pretty well.