10 Things I think I think

[Gavin]

Pollard is a joke and Zbikowski was behind him. Zbikowski was so good, the Ravens had to bring in a guy who is on his 3rd NFL team in 6 years to play in front him. I think what Pagano knows is that he had a gaping hole at safety and there was a marginal talent that he was familiar with available - so Joe Boxer ends up in Indy. First chance they get to replace him, they will.

so 75 tackles, 13 pass defensed, 2 sacks and 1 interception is a joke for a safety?

[JoKeR]

so 75 tackles, 13 pass defensed, 2 sacks and 1 interception is a joke for a safety?

Who Pollard or Z? I wouldn't consider those crappy stats.

[mark5362]

I think counting on a combo of Fleener & Whalan to be worth an extra 3 wins is really funny when the odds are stacked against Whalan actually making the 53.

I think the odds are stacked in his favor.

[Gavin]

Who Pollard or Z? I wouldn't consider those crappy stats.

Pollard

[jskinnz]

so 75 tackles, 13 pass defensed, 2 sacks and 1 interception is a joke for a safety?

Pollard is average at the very best. If he was truly any good, wouldn't KC held onto him? Or Houston?

Get your head out of football encyclopedia and actually watch the guy play He has major weaknesses in his game.

The ultimate point is the quality of the Colts' Zbikowski and whether or not he is a impactful player. I have very serious doubts about that given from what I have seen of him personally and the fact that he was so stellar in B'more the Ravens brought in a marginal cast off to play in front of him.

[jskinnz]

I think the odds are stacked in his favor.

Really? Based on what?

But let's say you are right and he makes the roster. Saying that his precense helps results in 3 more wins for the Colts is absolutely funny. That is some real fine homerism there.

[mark5362]

1st it's just my opinion 2nd i have been known to be wrong a time or two.However, it's more Coby then Griff anyway.

[Mameluc]

You act as if Pollard is a joke lol, Tommy Z is solid in my opinion but he's behind a first ballot HOF in Ed Reed and Pollard, Pagano was he coach...he knows something we dont....

Well I dont think he is a joke, but i don't think he is above average by any means...he is average IMO and he wasnt really good on pass coverage IMO.

and just thinkg about it, they brought Pollard to play S, when they already had Tommy. thats not an endorsement on Tommy Z specially when the guy brought to replace you is average.

[Gavin]

Pollard is average at the very best. If he was truly any good, wouldn't KC held onto him? Or Houston?

Get your head out of football encyclopedia and actually watch the guy play He has major weaknesses in his game.

The ultimate point is the quality of the Colts' Zbikowski and whether or not he is a impactful player. I have very serious doubts about that given from what I have seen of him personally and the fact that he was so stellar in B'more the Ravens brought in a marginal cast off to play in front of him.

So just because a player was released means he isnt good? I think Mario Williams would argue with that, Also comparing Bob Sanders 2 best seasons in the NFL which were obviously with the Colts and Pollards two best years Sanders had 187 tackles combined in his two best year and Pollard had 213 also comparing there other numbers over those two years

Bob Sanders-2 forced fumbles

Bernard Pollard-5 forced fumbles

Bob Sanders-3 interceptions

Bernard Pollard-4 interceptions

As for Pollards replacement (Danieal Manning I believe)

Pollards two best years

Tackles-213

5 forced fumbles

4 interceptions

Mannings two best years combined-

171 tackles

Manning had 3 two interception seasons

strictly by production I would take Pollard over all of those,

[GrizzColt]

Jeff Beck is better than Hendrix... Good points

I don't know if you were being sarcastic, but I believe this to be true

[Superman]

5) I'm not sold on Wayne being a legit #1 at this point. Here or anywhere else. I think he took the best on the table, and the fact that it was his previous team was the cherry on top. I would have liked for him to take on a larger leadership roll by staying in Indy in the offseason so all of the skill positions players would have been in Indy to work out with the 2 young quarterbacks and the rest of the guys. Showing up in a hard hat and dump truck is cute and all, but, I wish he would have taken it up on himself to fly the guys to Stanford while Luck was still in school in between minicamps and such. A pipe dream I guess.

According to Reggie, he didn't take the best deal on the table. Can't say for sure whether that's true, but it wouldn't surprise me. We didn't exactly blow his socks off with the deal we gave him. He's not that old, and he hasn't dealt with injuries in the past. Maybe it was the most upfront he could get, but I think he could have done better than three years, $17 million.

And when it comes to him meeting up with Luck and the others, we really don't know how much work they did or did not do together. We only have the recent proof that they've been together, but I haven't heard definitively that that's all the work they've done.

[Superman]

so 75 tackles, 13 pass defensed, 2 sacks and 1 interception is a joke for a safety?

I wouldn't call Pollard a joke, but he's a major liability in coverage, which is why the Texans let him walk.

The Ravens did use Zbikowski at safety, but he was a reserve. He did okay, also. I don't expect him to be a great player for us, but he should be an improvement on the mess we had last year.

[FireJimCaldwell]

According to Reggie, he didn't take the best deal on the table. Can't say for sure whether that's true, but it wouldn't surprise me. We didn't exactly blow his socks off with the deal we gave him. He's not that old, and he hasn't dealt with injuries in the past. Maybe it was the most upfront he could get, but I think he could have done better than three years, $17 million.

And when it comes to him meeting up with Luck and the others, we really don't know how much work they did or did not do together. We only have the recent proof that they've been together, but I haven't heard definitively that that's all the work they've done.

That's what he said, but I doubt the Patriots offered him more than what he received here, and they seemed to be the other front-runner.

I felt the deal he received was fair. Teams weren't knocking his door down.

We might not "really know", but odds are if he had gone to Stanford it would have been reported as such, or it would have been uncovered like the recent picture was. Something of that nature would be hard to keep under wraps so to me it is safe to say we have seen what has occurred.

[The Fish]

I don't know if you were being sarcastic, but I believe this to be true

Well one's alive today to prove it. I know Hendrix is far more beloved, and I love him also, but Beck is a better player, and has done really great stuff his whole life. (music is better than football, you don't have to retire at 28, that's when you start getting good).

(on topic)

I like that 87 is a Colt, he's good at it.

I didn't realize that the Pats were the front runner. These two franchises like to mess with each other.

[Superman]

That's what he said, but I doubt the Patriots offered him more than what he received here, and they seemed to be the other front-runner.

I felt the deal he received was fair. Teams weren't knocking his door down.

We might not "really know", but odds are if he had gone to Stanford it would have been reported as such, or it would have been uncovered like the recent picture was. Something of that nature would be hard to keep under wraps so to me it is safe to say we have seen what has occurred.

Just my thoughts on your thoughts. Specifically regarding the contract, I do think Reggie wanted to stay in Indy, and it's not hard for me to believe that he got offered more than he received here.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Just my thoughts on your thoughts. Specifically regarding the contract, I do think Reggie wanted to stay in Indy, and it's not hard for me to believe that he got offered more than he received here.

Nothing close to that was reported... There was talk of New England and the talk of him & 18 in Miami, Denver, etc. but I don't see him getting much more if any than he received here.

Since it is likely his last contract, I think if someone knocked his socks off he would have jumped at it.

[Superman]

My ten thoughts, I think:

1) I think our 2012 draft class will turn out to be one of the better draft classes in Colts history, if not the best. I don't expect everyone to be All Pro players, but in three years, I could see four of our ten draftees as starters (Luck, Fleener, Chapman, Ballard), and another three or four as regular rotational players (Allen, Hilton, Brazill, Fugger). Eight out of ten is phenomenal.

2) I think we won't miss any of our big-name releases, outside of Manning. I'm talking about Clark, Brackett and Addai, and throw in Bullitt if you want. The best of the bunch was Clark, and he was replaced by Tamme -- who outpaced Clark in 2010, and outproduced him in 2011. Brackett had already given way to Angerer, and Addai gave way to Brown (plus Carter and Ballard should round out the platoon). We still have questions at safety, but Zbikowski is better than Bullitt, who wasn't special anyways. The four releases that cause people to think that we got rid of all our veterans won't matter very much moving forward.

3) I think our offensive line will be better than it has been since 2008, but will still have some issues against good defenses, especially blitzing defenses. We've added better players, our young guys have more experience, and we seem to have moved away from the shifty, finesse blocking in the run game. Satele is a really good addition.

4) I think our running backs are going to be very good. We have a really good mix, including Brown, who was more decisive and showed his ability to make big plays last season. Ballard is reported as being a very fluid runner, and Carter was doing well before he started fumbling last season. The improved line play will translate into a more effective rushing attack.

5) I think the team and the city should be extremely grateful that Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis stayed with the Colts. Not only are they very good veteran players, but I think the market could have driven their prices much higher than they wound up being, especially in Mathis' case. Now these guys will help build the foundation for the next chapter of Colts Football.

6) I think the angst regarding the new defense and how Freeney and Mathis will fit is overboard. The so-called "transition to a 3-4" isn't quite what people think it will be, and we'll still play a good amount of four-down alignments that use Freeney and Mathis at defensive end instead of linebacker. At the end of the day, call them what you want: they are pass rushers, and that's what they'll be doing a strong majority of the time. In Freeney's case, he'll be rushing 95% of the time, and Mathis 75% of the time. The coaches will maximize their strengths and scheme ways for them to have an even bigger impact on the game.

7) I think it's a mistake for the Colts to let Freeney play the final year of his contract with a $19 million cap hit, which is higher than Manning ever had as a Colt. Whether he's a good fit for the defense or not, his high base salary provides plenty of flexibility for the team to extend him and lower his cap hit, and maintain the ability to terminate his contract or trade him after this season if his skills don't translate to the new schemes. The cap space is only one aspect of this. Also at issue is that, if Freeney is a good fit and you do want to keep him after this season, you have to pay him another signing bonus. It's essentially a double-dip for him. The team should consolidate now, convert his salary to a signing bonus, lower his cap hit, and consider it a done deal.

8) I think Austin Collie will pick up where he left off in 2010, showing that he can be a very productive receiver when he has decent quarterback play.

9) I think Andrew Luck will have a really good rookie season. He is getting great support from the front office and coaching staff. Not only did the team use most of the draft on offense, they improved the offensive line, they retained a really good veteran receiver, and they hired a coordinator that has done a good job mentoring young quarterbacks in the past (Manning, Couch and Roethlisberger). His play will be decidedly better than the anemic quarterback play the team suffered with last season (2,995 yards, 14 touchdowns, 5.26 yards per pass play), and that was the single worst aspect of our team last year.

10) I think if we wind up picking anything higher than 5th in next year's draft, the results of the 2012 season will have been disappointing. I don't mind a high pick, but I expect us to be better than Minnesota, Cleveland and Tampa Bay were last year. If we wind up picking anything lower than 16th, it will mean that pretty much everything went well all year, we were on the playoff bubble, and the team is making leaps toward contending in short order. I prefer picking 16th to picking 5th.

[Superman]

Nothing close to that was reported... There was talk of New England and the talk of him & 18 in Miami, Denver, etc. but I don't see him getting much more if any than he received here.

Since it is likely his last contract, I think if someone knocked his socks off he would have jumped at it.

No other offers were reported, and he signed on the first day of free agency. Three years, $17 million is nothing to sneeze at, but I could see him turning down a little more money, maybe on a shorter term deal. I don't think anyone offered him $10 million per, of course. Just saying I don't find it hard to believe that he had other offers, and I could see him turning down a better offer to stay in Indy.

[FireJimCaldwell]

No other offers were reported, and he signed on the first day of free agency. Three years, $17 million is nothing to sneeze at, but I could see him turning down a little more money, maybe on a shorter term deal. I don't think anyone offered him $10 million per, of course. Just saying I don't find it hard to believe that he had other offers, and I could see him turning down a better offer to stay in Indy.

He could have signed with the Colts at any point in time. He only had to wait till free agency if he were leaving.

It's a ton of money to you and me but it isn't not in the ball park of true #1 receivers. It's not really in Garcon's ballpark.

Maybe he did.

[Superman]

He could have signed with the Colts at any point in time. He only had to wait till free agency if he were leaving.

It's a ton of money to you and me but it isn't not in the ball park of true #1 receivers. It's not really in Garcon's ballpark.

Maybe he did.

No, it's not #1 money, because he's 33, and his career is largely graded with Manning in mind. Especially after last season. There was no expectation that he'd get #1 money, not on my end. But I didn't expect him to get less than $6 million/year, either.

As for not signing until free agency, I was under the impression that he wasn't a priority for the team. They were content to let him leave if they could keep Garcon (five years, $35 million was their best offer). Once Garcon got outpriced, they felt it important to keep Reggie. We all know Polian wasn't talking to Reggie (or Mathis), and Grigson prioritized a few other things around that time. I think Reggie was Plan B, and on the second tier of team importance. That's part of the reason that I think he wanted to stay as much as we wanted to keep him.

[FireJimCaldwell]

No, it's not #1 money, because he's 33, and his career is largely graded with Manning in mind. Especially after last season. There was no expectation that he'd get #1 money, not on my end. But I didn't expect him to get less than $6 million/year, either.

As for not signing until free agency, I was under the impression that he wasn't a priority for the team. They were content to let him leave if they could keep Garcon (five years, $35 million was their best offer). Once Garcon got outpriced, they felt it important to keep Reggie. We all know Polian wasn't talking to Reggie (or Mathis), and Grigson prioritized a few other things around that time. I think Reggie was Plan B, and on the second tier of team importance. That's part of the reason that I think he wanted to stay as much as we wanted to keep him.

That is why I called it a fair deal. I don't think we over paid by much if any.

If Garcon signs, then Reggie might be in New England, he might be in Denver, and he might be here @ a lower $ figure.

I know that Reggie was fond of Pagano since they had a bit of a history together at the U, and moving is a hassle for anyone and I'm sure he has a larger house than most, which means even more stuff to move.

[Warhorse]

By the way..... props to Warhorse for getting this started... and lots of good responses (shout-out FJC) but one person needs to be acknowledged here and he's not in this thread...

The title of this thread... 10 Things I think I think.... is the idea of SI's Senior NFL writer, Peter King. One of the best in the business. King does this on his very popular series called Monday Morning Quarterback. It's the last item in the feature. Always a great read.

Hey, I always say, if you're going to steal, steal from the BEST!! Well done, Warhorse!

Absolutely. Honestly, I thought that would be common knowledge. He and/or Chris Bermen used this title for years. However, the content was all mine.

[Warhorse]

Well one's alive today to prove it. I know Hendrix is far more beloved, and I love him also, but Beck is a better player, and has done really great stuff his whole life. (music is better than football, you don't have to retire at 28, that's when you start getting good).

(on topic)

I like that 87 is a Colt, he's good at it.

I didn't realize that the Pats were the front runner. These two franchises like to mess with each other.

Hendrix revolutionized recording techniques. Heck, there are effects made today that are electronic compies of stuff he did in the studio with tape. However, Jeff Beck is a far superior player.

[Warhorse]

My ten thoughts, I think:

1) I think our 2012 draft class will turn out to be one of the better draft classes in Colts history, if not the best. I don't expect everyone to be All Pro players, but in three years, I could see four of our ten draftees as starters (Luck, Fleener, Chapman, Ballard), and another three or four as regular rotational players (Allen, Hilton, Brazill, Fugger). Eight out of ten is phenomenal.

2) I think we won't miss any of our big-name releases, outside of Manning. I'm talking about Clark, Brackett and Addai, and throw in Bullitt if you want. The best of the bunch was Clark, and he was replaced by Tamme -- who outpaced Clark in 2010, and outproduced him in 2011. Brackett had already given way to Angerer, and Addai gave way to Brown (plus Carter and Ballard should round out the platoon). We still have questions at safety, but Zbikowski is better than Bullitt, who wasn't special anyways. The four releases that cause people to think that we got rid of all our veterans won't matter very much moving forward.

3) I think our offensive line will be better than it has been since 2008, but will still have some issues against good defenses, especially blitzing defenses. We've added better players, our young guys have more experience, and we seem to have moved away from the shifty, finesse blocking in the run game. Satele is a really good addition.

4) I think our running backs are going to be very good. We have a really good mix, including Brown, who was more decisive and showed his ability to make big plays last season. Ballard is reported as being a very fluid runner, and Carter was doing well before he started fumbling last season. The improved line play will translate into a more effective rushing attack.

5) I think the team and the city should be extremely grateful that Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis stayed with the Colts. Not only are they very good veteran players, but I think the market could have driven their prices much higher than they wound up being, especially in Mathis' case. Now these guys will help build the foundation for the next chapter of Colts Football.

6) I think the angst regarding the new defense and how Freeney and Mathis will fit is overboard. The so-called "transition to a 3-4" isn't quite what people think it will be, and we'll still play a good amount of four-down alignments that use Freeney and Mathis at defensive end instead of linebacker. At the end of the day, call them what you want: they are pass rushers, and that's what they'll be doing a strong majority of the time. In Freeney's case, he'll be rushing 95% of the time, and Mathis 75% of the time. The coaches will maximize their strengths and scheme ways for them to have an even bigger impact on the game.

7) I think it's a mistake for the Colts to let Freeney play the final year of his contract with a $19 million cap hit, which is higher than Manning ever had as a Colt. Whether he's a good fit for the defense or not, his high base salary provides plenty of flexibility for the team to extend him and lower his cap hit, and maintain the ability to terminate his contract or trade him after this season if his skills don't translate to the new schemes. The cap space is only one aspect of this. Also at issue is that, if Freeney is a good fit and you do want to keep him after this season, you have to pay him another signing bonus. It's essentially a double-dip for him. The team should consolidate now, convert his salary to a signing bonus, lower his cap hit, and consider it a done deal.

8) I think Austin Collie will pick up where he left off in 2010, showing that he can be a very productive receiver when he has decent quarterback play.

9) I think Andrew Luck will have a really good rookie season. He is getting great support from the front office and coaching staff. Not only did the team use most of the draft on offense, they improved the offensive line, they retained a really good veteran receiver, and they hired a coordinator that has done a good job mentoring young quarterbacks in the past (Manning, Couch and Roethlisberger). His play will be decidedly better than the anemic quarterback play the team suffered with last season (2,995 yards, 14 touchdowns, 5.26 yards per pass play), and that was the single worst aspect of our team last year.

10) I think if we wind up picking anything higher than 5th in next year's draft, the results of the 2012 season will have been disappointing. I don't mind a high pick, but I expect us to be better than Minnesota, Cleveland and Tampa Bay were last year. If we wind up picking anything lower than 16th, it will mean that pretty much everything went well all year, we were on the playoff bubble, and the team is making leaps toward contending in short order. I prefer picking 16th to picking 5th.

I agree with all but #7 and #8. Well put points. As I look back at my own 10 points, I would remove the word "mightily" from the description of how we will struggle on D. Struggle is legit, Mightily is my own fear talking. I went ahead a took a man pill and decided it wouldn't be that bad.

[Spencer88]

5) I'm not sold on Wayne being a legit #1 at this point. Here or anywhere else. I think he took the best on the table, and the fact that it was his previous team was the cherry on top. I would have liked for him to take on a larger leadership roll by staying in Indy in the offseason so all of the skill positions players would have been in Indy to work out with the 2 young quarterbacks and the rest of the guys. Showing up in a hard hat and dump truck is cute and all, but, I wish he would have taken it up on himself to fly the guys to Stanford while Luck was still in school in between minicamps and such. A pipe dream I guess.

Really? you dont think reggie is a legit number one "at this point"? what were his numbers in 2010 with peyton? look em up... and also reggie was an amazing leader this year. I dont even remember the last time he even showed up on time for the start of training camp much less stay in indy for OTAs and minicamp and also invite andrew and the guys out to miami. 87 has been great! oh and he did have several offers from other teams...

[Spencer88]

sorry i didnt quote that right lol im new to this whole thing...

[FireJimCaldwell]

5) I'm not sold on Wayne being a legit #1 at this point. Here or anywhere else. I think he took the best on the table, and the fact that it was his previous team was the cherry on top. I would have liked for him to take on a larger leadership roll by staying in Indy in the offseason so all of the skill positions players would have been in Indy to work out with the 2 young quarterbacks and the rest of the guys. Showing up in a hard hat and dump truck is cute and all, but, I wish he would have taken it up on himself to fly the guys to Stanford while Luck was still in school in between minicamps and such. A pipe dream I guess.

Really? you dont think reggie is a legit number one "at this point"? what were his numbers in 2010 with peyton? look em up... and also reggie was an amazing leader this year. I dont even remember the last time he even showed up on time for the start of training camp much less stay in indy for OTAs and minicamp and also invite andrew and the guys out to miami. 87 has been great! oh and he did have several offers from other teams...

He's the Colts #1, but I'm not sure how many other teams I would say the same about. I don't need to look up his #'s.

Like I said, before, maybe it wasn't fair to compare him to 18. That might be asking too much of anyone.

[NewColtsFan]

Absolutely. Honestly, I thought that would be common knowledge. He and/or Chris Bermen used this title for years. However, the content was all mine.

I know that that content was all yours. And I bet a fair number of Colts fans know that the topic, (10 things I think I think) belongs to Peter King. I only posted to explain to the rest of the Colts fans here who might not know. Really, that's all.

I wasn't questioning your honesty or integrity. I was trying to be playful saying... "if you're going to steal, steal from the best!"

Really. No worries. I'm glad you used it. In fact, I think during the season, some Colts fan here should start a thread every Monday with that topic. (10 things I think I think about our game vs. _______ ) and offer up some observations.

A good way to get discussions going...

Really, a pat on the back to you!

[Warhorse]

Thats how I took it from you. I use it because its exactly what I am thinking. I wrote the thread starter because we were getting a little stagnant. Anytime you look and think, "dang I wish there was something new to read", then put your fingers to the keys and deliver. Lol.

[Coltsfanforlife12]

Ok so I apologize if I repost anything that someone has said already but i got tired of reading all the really long posts! I agree with everying but 3 and 8! I'm fairly certain Luck is going to be a stud this year and our problems with not winning games is going to come from the defensive side of the ball. Switching to a base 3/4 from a base 4/3 isn't an easy thing to do and I don't think we have all the pieces that we need yet. I actually expect a lot out of our corners. People are bagging ont the position forget that Thomas has not played in a system he is comfortable with where he can line up man to man. Playing zone is a lot different than playing man. I'm not sure about the running back position. I'm optimistic that Brown can be a starting running back in this league but i'm not sure and I can't comment on Ballard as i've never seen him play. Wayne and Mathis returning is huge. I think we will be contending for a Super Bowl in the last year of Wayne's deal and it would be great to send him out with another trip there and even better another ring!

[Coltsfanforlife12]

Superman we won't be better than Tampa. They have a great running game a pretty solid defense and a recieving corps that is going to give Freeman some weapons. Freeman has dropped 20 pounds and is faster and stronger than he has been in the NFL. He had a pretty good rookie year and a sophomore slump last year but don't expect the same from him this year.

[Superman]

Superman we won't be better than Tampa. They have a great running game a pretty solid defense and a recieving corps that is going to give Freeman some weapons. Freeman has dropped 20 pounds and is faster and stronger than he has been in the NFL. He had a pretty good rookie year and a sophomore slump last year but don't expect the same from him this year.

I said better than Tampa was last year. I haven't paid very much attention their offseason so I can't say whether they'll be better this year or not.

[Gavin]

Tampa additions

Carl Nicks

Vincent Jackson

Mark Barron (Draft)

Doug Martin (Draft)

Eric Wright (Free Agency)

They still have Donald Penn and Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib, now with that all said I dont know how much they helped there run defense from last year which was worst in the league