Colts Sign Another 1St Round Draft Pick!

[hockey878]

lol. Why does every single signing have to be an explanation of something else?

Chris is doing essentially what Bellicheck has done, but on a much less risky level. Bring in this guy and that guy, all who have shown promise at some point in their careers, and kick the tires to see what they have left.

Let's face it folks, outside of Freeney, Mathis, Bethea, and Brackett, a good deal of our defensive starting cast would be 2nd or 3rd string on other teams. So bringing in former starters who need the opportunity to prove themselves once again will only push others to earn their spots. Do you think Moala took the signings of Anderson, Harris, and Brayton lightly? Mookie Johnson? How about Kavell Conner or Pat Angerer with the signing of Sims?

Each and every signing that has been done thus far are all one year deals that can be torn up before the start of the regular season, with very little cap or wallet effect to the Colts FO. You kick the tires, and see if any cream rises to the top. And, should Harris or Sims (or anyone else for that matter) benefit our roster enough, come next season, the Colts may look to re-sign "their own" as they'll have a full year of experience with that player.

All of these signings only imply that the Colts are doing everything they can with the limited space they have to improve their roster. It is not an indication of how poor of a player Hughes, or anyone else is for that matter. Nor is the Brayton signing an indication that the Colts are trying to replace Mathis next year. Mathis >>>>>>>>> Brayton, by a long shot. There is a reason why Mathis was demanding a contract extension and also a reason why Brayton got cut.

As to the Brayton signing, I'd figure he and Anderson look to be the part of a Raheem Brock type of role here. Spend some time at UT on passing downs, spend some time at DE on rushing downs. Those two only have to be better than Moala, Nevis, or Mathews to have a shot at sticking to the roster. They may or may not make the cut. But in any case, they give the Colts better options to select from at DT.

And come next season, you do the same thing again. Bring in FAs on 1 year deals with the opportunity to stick to the 53 man roster. So long as you don't extend significant money to an unknown quantity, you can always continue to re-sign your own each and every off season.

yes this. bringing in competition never hurts, and you never know when you will find someone who can outplay their abilities.

[doogansquest]

These larger DE's (Anderson, Brayton) are just what we needed for running downs. People always say, "Why sign a DE??????!?!?!?! We have Frathis!! What's Polian smoking?!&!#)#!&"

Frathis is/are a liability against the run. Now we have two guys above 6'5" 280, so those long arms can grab backs, move blockers, and even bat down passes. They are also big enough to slide inside on passing downs for additional speed from the interior.

This is why I wasn't opposed to grabbing Da'Quan Bowers and/or Adrian Clayborn in the draft.

As a bonus? We give Freeney and Mathis more time to stay fresh late in the season.

[Soultrain8]

Do we really need more DE's?

it appears they are looking to weed a few out!!

[That Guy]

The Raiders had two first round draft picks in 2003 (picks 31 and 32), and we got the wrong one...

I like the idea of adding depth and competition, but not at the expense of our young developing players. We only have 53 roster spots.

[Smitto]

the colts are really trying to sure up their D this year, pretty evident what they are trying to do hopefully these players they signed can get back to being healthy and contribute. harris in paticular.

[ruksak]

We have Frathis!!

Why do people say this?

I think Meeney sounds cooler.

[bayone]

we are signing so many low risk high reward players, which is good, would love to know contract terms as if , esp if we sign more like this, wouldn't it be better to get less in # & sign player( s ) of better caliber even if pay more

[bayone]

.

At age 31, it's unclear how much Brayton has left in the tank. He started 14 games last year for an awful Panthers team, and he didn't record a single sack.

.

My link

[BionicDamien]

Why do people say this?

I think Meeney sounds cooler.

+5

[bayone]

Why do people say this?

I think Meeney sounds cooler.

It Does, u r right, but Frathis sounds other worldly as the pair are

[doogansquest]

First of all, there aren't really any higher profile guys remaining, so we are taking the best from what's available. There weren't many by the time we signed Peyton anyway.

Second, I think this is a better strategy. We can acquire 3 guys to play the same position, and not see a drop off should an injury occur, while simultaneously developing youth on the PS. We are also only signing 1 year deals, so we aren't bleeding a mortgage on our future either. Teams like the Eagles, on the other hand, are putting all of their eggs in one big, expensive basket. One of those guys goes down or doesn't pan out, they're screwed.

I think many of these Colts fans calling for higher profile acquisitions, like (Nothing Left) Pat Williams, will see by seasons' end that Polian knows what he's doing.

[bayone]

First of all, there aren't really any higher profile guys remaining, so we are taking the best from what's available. There weren't many by the time we signed Peyton anyway.

Second, I think this is a better strategy. We can acquire 3 guys to play the same position, and not see a drop off should an injury occur, while simultaneously developing youth on the PS. We are also only signing 1 year deals, so we aren't bleeding a mortgage on our future either. Teams like the Eagles, on the other hand, are putting all of their eggs in one big, expensive basket. One of those guys goes down or doesn't pan out, they're screwed.

I think many of these Colts fans calling for higher profile acquisitions, like (Nothing Left) Pat Williams, will see by seasons' end that Polian knows what he's doing.

Personally i understand what u r saying , and really not complaining , Though I do like Pat wiiliams, some good FA were left after peyton signed i think, wouldnmt swear

[BionicDamien]

First of all, there aren't really any higher profile guys remaining, so we are taking the best from what's available. There weren't many by the time we signed Peyton anyway.

Second, I think this is a better strategy. We can acquire 3 guys to play the same position, and not see a drop off should an injury occur, while simultaneously developing youth on the PS. We are also only signing 1 year deals, so we aren't bleeding a mortgage on our future either. Teams like the Eagles, on the other hand, are putting all of their eggs in one big, expensive basket. One of those guys goes down or doesn't pan out, they're screwed.

I think many of these Colts fans calling for higher profile acquisitions, like (Nothing Left) Pat Williams, will see by seasons' end that Polian knows what he's doing.

I tend to think the free agent's they've brought in are intelligent gambles. I don't believe any of them will come in and set the world on fire, but they should be steady and at the least consistent (Except for Ernie, something tells me he's going to do pretty well this year).

I do like the Brayton signing. If anything he's a nasty *, I think we could use a couple of those guys out there on defense so long as he keeps it confined to what's happening while he's actually PLAYING (not standing on the sideline lol). If he has anything left and is able to make the final 53 and get on to the field, it could be a good thing.

[Rich Cannon]

Hes a solid player and good against the run. I welcome the addition

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

Geez... We go years without doing much to help our D-line, just let Freeney carry it the same way we let Manning carry the whole team, and now all the sudden we're signing up every D linemen not bolted down... What gives?

Very awkward signing... Very awkward... We're already looking at carrying a total of 9 D-linemen on the final 53 with Freeney, Mathis, Hughes, Foster, Anderson, Harris, Johnson, Nevis, and Moala...

But, we'll see where this goes, I guess. Don't expect too much from it, though...

Agree 100%

[Superman]

We have 90 roster spots. There's a lot more flexibility for now. We're used to having a certain amount of defensive linemen in the preseason, but until cut day, we can have more.

[indy_nick]

I am very excited that we have all of this depth on the D-Line. We are obviously trying to shore up our run defense, which is amazing. What concerns me is that we obviously have our bodies to stop the run and our separate bodies to get penetration on passing plays. What happens if we play a team that does a no-huddle offense? We won't be able to substitute in time, and the opposing offense can dictate what plays they run by what personnel we have on the field. I wish we had players that played both run and pass for that reason, but that is very nit-picky. I will definitely be looking at the lines again in the upcoming pre-season games to see how we are gelling.

[JoKeR]

Competition for Hughes?

[buccolts]

in one of the related videos he kneed an opposing player in the groin when he was playing with oakland

I think you're expected to do those types of things when you play for the Raiders though.

[Korey]

Honestly I think them signing all these first round bust is a cover up for some of the lack of signing big name FA.