Don't Board The Jerry Hughes Hype Train Just Yet

[krunk]

I can't hate on him for feeling this way! In all seriousness though I feel like Jerry may finally

turn the corner this year if he isn't cut.

http://www.stampedeblue.com/

[Superman]

Same thing I was saying in another thread. Hughes looks good right now. I hope he keeps it up, but I'll reserve judgment for at least the first couple of preseason games.

He's a player that I've been anxious to see in the new scheme, because he was highly rated coming out of college. But he was always projected to be an OLB in the NFL. He now gets the chance to do that. If he doesn't produce, he'll be gone. Very unfortunate. We should not have drafted him.

[krunk]

OLB might be his thing. Call me crazy but in his pads he kind of looks like James Harrison.

Hope this post doesn't get me kicked out of the forum!

[Andy]

Still not worth that first round pick...

[krunk]

I agree

[Smitto]

The reason why hughes hasnt produced is because he was never given the oppoetunity. Now he will be given that chance he will flourish unlikethe last regime i believehe will have his shot.

[21isSuperman]

He is in a new defense (one he is suited for), so I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a lot of reps in the pre-season. I think he has potential.

[Superman]

Still not worth that first round pick...

I agree, but that's not his fault. At a certain point, we have to separate the player from the draft spot, and I think that time is long past for Jerry Hughes (and Donald Brown).

[Fx Stryker]

Heard he picked Luck today.

[ColtsLegacy]

I saw him get stood up by Dwayne Allen and later Donald Brown in a pass protection drill on NFL Network.

[Fatboyslim11]

I'll withhold final judgement on Hughes until the end of preseason. So far (including the few snippets of him being handled during pass rush drills shown Tuesday on the NFL Network) he has not impressed me at all.

[Smonroe]

The reason why hughes hasnt produced is because he was never given the oppoetunity. Now he will be given that chance he will flourish unlikethe last regime i believehe will have his shot.

I'd agree with you, and maybe the new regime will be his savior. But they saw him every day in practice last year and there were several games where he wasn't even on the active game day roster.

I disregard anything written by Wells on SB, but I'm agreeing with him here. We won't know if Hughes is a gamer or bust until he shows something in a real game. Even a preseason real game. Not practice... practice.... practice.... (sorry, my inner Iverson got out for a second)

[Moncrief]

Krunk do your best to stay away from Stampede Blue. Negative thoughts usually

[TKnight24]

You guys would make this article the MOMENT I change my Profile Pic to the Person of Discussion :nono2:

[Gavin]

Hughes has shown a couple flashes in camp but nothing eye popping, still a long ways to go but he has yet to really impress me, Angerer has done well so far

[MattyIce]

Lord, how did he stay on? I could envision him as a camp casualty.

[Gavin]

Jerry did good, I dont know if its enough to warrant keeping him past this year, he showed some real good out there Im just looking for it consistently thats what I meant its hard to see between the heat burning ya up, sweat dripping in your eyes, people constantly walking back and forth in front of ya, On a side note I got Robert Mathis, Josh Chapmans, Jeff Linkenbachs and Anthony Castonzos autograph today as well as Jerrell Freeman

[Keith L. Scott]

Scott Lutrus was very impressive to watch... not sure how good he will be but i am keeping my eye on him.

[Superman]

I'd agree with you, and maybe the new regime will be his savior. But they saw him every day in practice last year and there were several games where he wasn't even on the active game day roster.

I disregard anything written by Wells on SB, but I'm agreeing with him here. We won't know if Hughes is a gamer or bust until he shows something in a real game. Even a preseason real game. Not practice... practice.... practice.... (sorry, my inner Iverson got out for a second)

This isn't a Wells article, which makes it less painful to agree with.

[Smonroe]

This isn't a Wells article, which makes it less painful to agree with.

My bad. As soon as I saw the negative title I automatically assumed it was Wells. I should have know better, it was actually pretty well written.

I'm still rooting for Hughes to break through. Heck, I'm rooting for all of our guys.

[Superman]

My bad. As soon as I saw the negative title I automatically assumed it was Wells. I should have know better, it was actually pretty well written.

I'm still rooting for Hughes to break through. Heck, I'm rooting for all of our guys.

This guy wrote a fair-minded article about Hughes' potential in the new system a few weeks ago.

[betheafan41]

people tend to forget though, Hughes played mainly in a 3-4 defense at TCU. i went to a few of their games his senior year as i live in dallas and he was always explosive off the line when pass rushing as an OLB and i honestly think if Freeney gets traded Hughes is his replacement. with the colts moving to a 3-4 dont be surprised if he becomes a pro bowl linebacker in 2 or 3 years.

[ruksak]

You guys would make this article the MOMENT I change my Profile Pic to the Person of Discussion :nono2:

Jerry Hughes being sketchy isn't exactly breaking news.

[thetigerfox]

New regime, new roll, fresh start, and time to try and make that bread time for him. I'm hoping the new staff and coaching can light a fire under all our guys butts lol, and wish them the best of luck. I can see Hughes doing well in the scheme. The fact that everything is literally up for competition is kinda cool this year. New set of eyes judging, we'll have some more cap space next year so it's time to step up and prove you belong on the field.

[Smonroe]

This guy wrote a fair-minded article about Hughes' potential in the new system a few weeks ago.

Good to know. Actually, I think I like all the other writers on the site. Wells is the only one that wants to treat it like the National Enquirer.

Colts Authority has great writers, they just don't put up enough content.

[cbear]

Yes, we heard about him having a great camp last year as well. I'll wait till at least the preseason.

[Captain Americolt]

Hughes was NOT a 3-4 OLB at TCU. He ws a DE throughout college. Idk where people are getting this 3-4 OLB in college thing from. He was projected as an OLB by many drft scouts because of his size and lack of power (for a DE).

[TKnight24]

Hughes was NOT a 3-4 OLB at TCU. He ws a DE throughout college. Idk where people are getting this 3-4 OLB in college thing from. He was projected as an OLB by many drft scouts because of his size and lack of power (for a DE).

Glad someone knows their Facts. TCU runs a 4-2-5 Defense. The 4 (D-Lineman), the 2 LB's), & the 5 (DB's). Hughes was part of the 4 Squad. He NEVER played LB at TCU. It was Tank Carder & Brock at LB. The prospects (as you said) just thought he was "Under-Sized" as a DE. So, with the NEw 3-4 System, Hughes will prove himself.

[Superman]

I'm glad someone addressed that.

[Warhorse]

You know...I just dont get the "wasn't worth where we drafted him, talk" I truly don't. Now I am no stat monster, but I would be willing bet that a guy being drafted in the first round being better than the guy drafted in the second, better than the guy drafted in the third....and so on...actually happens probably less than 20 percent of the time, when taking into consideration the entire draft.

Guys drafted in later rounds are commonly better than their predecessors, and even undrafted players outplay drafted players. The only thing that the round they were selected in provides us, is an idea of what salary they will command. Hindsight knowledge is without mistake......but it carries no value other than to say...."I told you so". Jerry Hughes is either a good value because he helps us win, or he is not. Just my .25 cents.

[Smitto]

I'd agree with you, and maybe the new regime will be his savior. But they saw him every day in practice last year and there were several games where he wasn't even on the active game day roster.

I disregard anything written by Wells on SB, but I'm agreeing with him here. We won't know if Hughes is a gamer or bust until he shows something in a real game. Even a preseason real game. Not practice... practice.... practice.... (sorry, my inner Iverson got out for a second)

The last regime was notorious for doing that, did it to kevin thomas, moala, brown and im sure other good players... The colts just sucked at evaluating.

[krunk]

Krunk do your best to stay away from Stampede Blue. Negative thoughts usually

I hear ya, but that article honestly hits right on the pulse of pretty much how most people in this forum

feel about the issue of Jerry Hughes.

[mvbighead]

We should not have drafted him.

Very much this. I still don't get it. And the Colts have done the same thing with Brown and other picks. Somehow, we determine that our depth lacks at a certain area. One year, it is RB, so we use our 1st on Donald Brown. The next, it's injuries to Mathis or Freeney that negate our pass rush and we decide we need another DE, so we select Hughes in the 1st.

I get the idea that a team needs depth, but you don't normally look for depth in round 1. You look for a potential starter. In the case of the Colts, we had a pretty decent guy in Addai at RB. We had an awesome tandem of passrushers in Freeney and Mathis. So why not look to fortify a position of actual need (and select the next BPA) as opposed to selecting a guy whose only opportunities will come at the expense of the current starter(s).

I would have like to seen us draft a solid offensive lineman or defensive tackle in either of those drafts. After Donald Brown their were picks available such as Ziggy Hood, Eben Britton, Ron Brace,etc. Any one of those guys had a legitimate chance to start for us, and do so as a rookie. After Hughes there were Rodger Saffold, Patrick Robinson, Chris Cook, Brian Price, Lamar Houston, etc. Any one of those guys had a legitimate chance to earn a starting position. But not Brown, and certainly not Hughes.

To me, I don't hold too much against Hughes. If his only opportunities come at the expense of Freeney and Mathis, his chances are going to be slim and none until one of them is injured. As much as I like Dwight, I really hope for a stand out year from Hughes, enough so that the team has the option to let Freeney go in favor of Hughes who will finally get a chance to see the field as a starter, and thus maybe have a bit of a money to go out and sign and stand out type of player either for the offensive or defensive line, or perhaps elsewhere as deemed necessary after this season.

Who knows what we'll see, I just hope this team begins to realize that we need to find a way to utilize our top talent. They have already ousted Manning giving Luck the reigns, which, unfortunately, was the right way to do it (IE - not making Luck sit a year to see the field). I just hope they continue down that path. If they have to part ways with an existing starter to give the 1st rounder a chance, so be it. But there is no sense grabbing a guy in the 1st round, and then having the spot he should occupy be held by a legitimate starter. Why select the guy there if our starter has no chance of being ousted. There are plenty of 2nd round and later picks that can acquire the depth we need. Shonne Greene instead of Brown. George Selvie (or similar) instead of Hughes.

Depth is one thing, but 1st round depth on a team that lacks talent seems to be a waste, IMO.

[Thewholefnshow28]

I have to imagine that Polian did not see Hughes as just adding depth and ride the pine unless Freeney or Mathis got hurt. He had to see Hughes as playing a major role in the rotation to give and be a impact on the defense right away. I cannot blame him for looking at Hughes because once Freeney goes down our defense was useless and Mathis would just get doubled team and shut down. He had to see Hughes as commanding enough attention that they would not be able to double Mathis or if they did Hughes was good enough to get after the QB, which none of our other DEs could ever do. To me the logic was sound, but they probably reached a bit higher then they should have and when they did reach they just picked a bust.

Polian also had to be thinking to the next season with Freeney's huge contract and that if Hughes lived up to his rating our scouts gave him then that would make Freeney expendable, freeing up some money, and helping with the cap.

I was not a fan of Caldwell at all, but one would think if Hughes showed anything in practice it would be hard to hold him off the field. To me Hughes just is not a good player and it will not matter if he is playing OLB or DE. I hope he proves me wrong this year and makes Freeney expendable at OLB, but I think a snowball has a better chance of surviving in heck then Hughes doing that.

[lollygagger8]

Very much this. I still don't get it. And the Colts have done the same thing with Brown and other picks. Somehow, we determine that our depth lacks at a certain area. One year, it is RB, so we use our 1st on Donald Brown. The next, it's injuries to Mathis or Freeney that negate our pass rush and we decide we need another DE, so we select Hughes in the 1st.

I get the idea that a team needs depth, but you don't normally look for depth in round 1. You look for a potential starter. In the case of the Colts, we had a pretty decent guy in Addai at RB. We had an awesome tandem of passrushers in Freeney and Mathis. So why not look to fortify a position of actual need (and select the next BPA) as opposed to selecting a guy whose only opportunities will come at the expense of the current starter(s).

Because the Na'Polians said so unfortunately.

[TKnight24]

You guys have to understand that coming out of College as a Rookie & being Signed to the Team with the 2 BEST Pass Rushers in the NFL, you're not going to get many Opportunities to Shine. With the NEW 3-4 System & the Rotation System that comes with it, Hughes will Shine. If not, then he'll probably be Cut.But in the mean time, sit & think about the 1st part of my Post. Put yourself in his Shoes

[Vinny BoomBatz]

Jerry did good, I dont know if its enough to warrant keeping him past this year, he showed some real good out there Im just looking for it consistently thats what I meant its hard to see between the heat burning ya up, sweat dripping in your eyes, people constantly walking back and forth in front of ya, On a side note I got Robert Mathis, Josh Chapmans, Jeff Linkenbachs and Anthony Castonzos autograph today as well as Jerrell Freeman

Thanks for the updates! Btw, who seems to be lining up in the starting defensive front line? I assume McKinney(sp?) at NT and Redding at DE/DT ....who is the third so far? Thanks for any help with this

[JCPatriot]

Very much this. I still don't get it. And the Colts have done the same thing with Brown and other picks. Somehow, we determine that our depth lacks at a certain area. One year, it is RB, so we use our 1st on Donald Brown. The next, it's injuries to Mathis or Freeney that negate our pass rush and we decide we need another DE, so we select Hughes in the 1st. I get the idea that a team needs depth, but you don't normally look for depth in round 1.

I don't think depth is entirely what was intended for any of those first-round picks, though. Polian had a way of drafting to fill needs before they became needs. His drafting decisions were often made with an eye on contracts that were expiring a year or two down the road. I don't think Donald Brown was drafted in the first round to be Addai's backup. He was drafted to replace Addai when his contract was up. Hughes was likely drafted to replace Freeney or Mathis. (It is unlikely that we would have been able to keep both with Manning's contract.) Ugoh was drafted to replace Tarik Glenn, but he had to do so sooner than expected. (I don't think Polian was expecting Tarik to retire that offseason.) Polian's objective seems to have been to draft the next starter a couple years before he is needed to kill two birds with one stone. For the first year or two he is quality depth, and then he is ready to step into the starting role when the starter's contract is up. I don't think it's a bad plan; it just wasn't executed well. None of those guys ended up being starter material, and you want to get starter material from your first-round picks.

[Superman]

I don't think depth is entirely what was intended for any of those first-round picks, though. Polian had a way of drafting to fill needs before they became needs. His drafting decisions were often made with an eye on contracts that were expiring a year or two down the road. I don't think Donald Brown was drafted in the first round to be Addai's backup. He was drafted to replace Addai when his contract was up. Hughes was likely drafted to replace Freeney or Mathis. (It is unlikely that we would have been able to keep both with Manning's contract.) Ugoh was drafted to replace Tarik Glenn, but he had to do so sooner than expected. (I don't think Polian was expecting Tarik to retire that offseason.) Polian's objective seems to have been to draft the next starter a couple years before he is needed to kill two birds with one stone. For the first year or two he is quality depth, and then he is ready to step into the starting role when the starter's contract is up. I don't think it's a bad plan; it just wasn't executed well. None of those guys ended up being starter material, and you want to get starter material from your first-round picks.

I agree with your assessment, but the bigger problem is this: We had needs at other positions, and there were players available who could fill those needs. Not just in hindsight, either. It would have been better to draft Brackett's replacement than Addai's replacement, and James Laurinitis is someone that a lot of people thought the Colts would have their eye on. Then Brackett could have walked the next season. We had needs at offensive line in 2010, and Polian had just gotten through blaming the offensive line for the Super Bowl loss. Instead, we drafted a pass rusher who couldn't get on the field for two seasons.

Not good choices.

[Gavin]

Thanks for the updates! Btw, who seems to be lining up in the starting defensive front line? I assume McKinney(sp?) at NT and Redding at DE/DT ....who is the third so far? Thanks for any help with this

Moala alot but admittedly I havent been focused on the D Line alot, They have been mixing and matching first teamers with second teamers at times to seemingly just trying to find what combination works best