PFF Secret Superstar: Samson Satele

[MKDK]

Here's a good read...

Pro Football Focus (what a great source that is!) is doing a series called 'Secret Superstars' and they have now been around the Colts roster:

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/05/30/secret-superstar-samson-satele-c-indianapolis-colts/

Here's the reverse play that the article mentions. Satele lays out Jim Leonhard:

Personally, I was high on Satele as a free agent in 2011. He was a free agent (can't recall if UFA or RFA) that the Raiders resigned. He has improved every year since entering the league, and has at times been dominant. The Raiders has been running a man/power blocking system in Hue Jackson's offense, but the slightly undersized Satele has had no problems with that.

Here's to hoping that the Colts got themselves a quality player on the offensive line for years to come!

[The Peytonator]

We should sign his brother......Hercules Satele.

We'd have another candidate for coolest name on the team.

But yeah, I really dug this signing. If he can develop the consistency they talked about, he'll be a top 5 C in the league. Plus, hopefully he'll have more talent around him at the G spot than he did in Oakland, because nothing helps out a Center more than people he can trust standing next to him.

[dgambill]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good. Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

[atapcl]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good. Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

He has the nasty streak and intensity to be a pro bowl type c. I believe Pro Football Focus ranked the top ten performances for an OL in 2011. Satele had 2 of the best ten performances by an OL last year. My only concern is his short arms. His arm length is less than 31". Thats about an inch shorter than Jeff Saturday was. Maybe his quickness off the ball will make up for the short arms.

[Dtman513]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good. Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

I like this video b/c it shows he's a physical center, which is what I think Arians wants for this new offense. "Superstar" is pushing it, I feel he'll be a solid player.

[jimirsaysdog]

not a big fan of that site. they come up with statistics that are subjective to their own interpretation of things. they have no way of knowing the specifics of the plays they analyze.

[Coffeedrinker]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good.

I agree the video doesn't show anything.

Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

Because he would have got a penalty for a block in the back.

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

I agree to a point, there will be a lot of focus on him this year because of Luck. Anywhere the guy has gone he has been the starter, he does everything well but nothing spectacular. That being said, there are not a lot of elite centers in the AFC, people talked about Pouncey last year but when you watch his play he wasn't that good last year. If the Colts run game improves and Luck has good time in the pocket, I could see Satele getting some mentions for the Pro-Bowl and/or All Pro teams.

[DarkHorse]

The guy was a great pick up for o line. And for his arms being shorter the Saturday's by a inch. REALLY does it matter that much.

[Andy]

He's a big reason the Raiders have had a really solid running game the last couple of years.

[Buck Showalter]

Haven't paid alot of attention to Oaklands games the past few years, as far as specifically watching the offensive line play, but I know they have had success running the football, so if Satele was responsible for any part of that success in terms of run blocking then I am all for him!!!

[NewColtsFan]

What I've read of Satele is that his run blocking is better than his pass blocking.

With all the talk here about the de-emphasis of the running game and the fullback, I think the Satele signing points to the running game still being important. They certainly want enough of a running game to be a threat to keep the defenses honest and prevent over loading against the pass. If Andrew goes to the line and sees only 5-6 in the box, I think he'll be happy to audible out of a pass play and right into a run. He was always happy to do that at Stanford. Always.

I realize the pro game is different, and the pass is even more emphasized.... I'm just saying Luck knows how to audible and make a defense regret over-playing one aspect of the defense or the other. I think that's just one area of Andrew's game that Colts fans will learn to love.

NewColtsFan

[21isSuperman]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good. Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

I was going to say the same thing. I'm not impressed when a huge OL can block a DB who is 100 lbs smaller. I am very impressed when the reverse happens and I remember Bob Sanders doing it against the Jags a few years ago!

Regardless, I'm still excited for his potential. He was a 2nd round pick, so there is clearly a lot of potential there. And one of his problems seems to be penalties, but Pagano seems like he won't let guys take stupid penalties; he seems like he will have a very disciplined ball club ready to go on Sundays

[KarlKuffs]

Unimpressed. So like a 330 lb guy gets a cheap shot on a 230lb defensive back....oooohhh now I know he is good. Why didn't he hit Bart Scott who was much bigger and closer to the ball?? lol

I do feel he will be a solid contributor but superstar...thats a huge stretch.

Agree for the most part, except:

1) I fail to see how a textbook, legal block could ever be construed as a "cheap shot"

and

2) Your suggesting that he should have choosen to illegally block Bart Scott instead of the guy he legally blocked because Bart Scott is bigger, thereby resulting in a 10 yard penalty, makes very little sense to me.

[Gavin]

That was a devastating block though lol

[dgambill]

Agree for the most part, except:

1) I fail to see how a textbook, legal block could ever be construed as a "cheap shot"

and

2) Your suggesting that he should have choosen to illegally block Bart Scott instead of the guy he legally blocked because Bart Scott is bigger, thereby resulting in a 10 yard penalty, makes very little sense to me.

He didn't need to block him period..if he would have recognized earlier he could have blocked Scott but that wasn't my point. To me it was a pointless block that blew up a tiny defensive back and he was getting praise for it. That was my only real point. I would never say block a guy in the back thats just foolish...all I was implying is he could have blocked Scott after he turned around just as easily...more importantly he could have continued on his block or continued down field...instead he targets Leonard who is totally out of position to make a play and blocked him. Really he has done a good job blocking but this video was pointless to me.

[KarlKuffs]

He didn't need to block him period..if he would have recognized earlier he could have blocked Scott but that wasn't my point. To me it was a pointless block that blew up a tiny defensive back and he was getting praise for it. That was my only real point. I would never say block a guy in the back thats just foolish...all I was implying is he could have blocked Scott after he turned around just as easily...more importantly he could have continued on his block or continued down field...instead he targets Leonard who is totally out of position to make a play and blocked him. Really he has done a good job blocking but this video was pointless to me.

Yeah, that I can agree with. I really don't see how a video of one isolated play where he blocks a much smaller man demonstrates at all that Satale is some sort of future superstar.

I'd rather see a string of plays where he's opening up huge holes for runningbacks and/or protecting his qb from an inside pass rush.

[dgambill]

Yeah, that I can agree with. I really don't see how a video of one isolated play where he blocks a much smaller man demonstrates at all that Satale is some sort of future superstar.

I'd rather see a string of plays where he's opening up huge holes for runningbacks and/or protecting his qb from an inside pass rush.

Looking at Raiders rushing numbers he seems to have been a good run blocker or at least part of a good run blocking line so I am confident in that...his pass blocking is a whole other matter....but looking at all our OL acquisitions this past offseason they all seem to be graded higher at run blocking and much less at pass protection...I hope this means we give some real focus to running the ball more effectively (not necessarily more often) like we did back when we had Edge, Marshall, and Addai's early years.

[Smitto]

I like this video b/c it shows he's a physical center, which is what I think Arians wants for this new offense. "Superstar" is pushing it, I feel he'll be a solid player.

When was the last time you even heard of a superstar center? Lol superstars at center isn't a big need just snap the ball and block your man.

[GrizzColt]

When was the last time you even heard of a superstar center? Lol superstars at center isn't a big need just snap the ball and block your man.

Jeff Saturday who was responsible for making line calls is pretty important. We can finally run the QB sneak, which I think we will considering who are QB is now. If Brady can do it, Luck should be great at it.

[Smitto]

Jeff Saturday who was responsible for making line calls is pretty important. We can finally run the QB sneak, which I think we will considering who are QB is now. If Brady can do it, Luck should be great at it.

Saturday was never a superstar center nick mangold is like two times better than him at that position.... Peyton made everyone around him look good including saturday.... n the colts ran the qb sneak just not as much as some teams.