SB Nation - Rob Morris

Recap Week Four: Colts 34-Seahawks 17

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:44:44 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and a former teammate, Seattle Seahawks running back Edgerrin James, shake hands following an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Colts defeated the Seahawks 34-17. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Browse more photos »

This was as impressive a win as I have ever seen as a Colts fan.

Oh sure, you had the wins in 2003, where Peyton Manning carved up teams to the tune of 5 or 6 TDs a game, or the wins in the 2006 playoffs, which are still the gold standard. But this win against the Seattle Seahawks was a dominate team effort involving all three phases, and it has been a long time since we've seen something like that.

Before we get to Peyton Manning, who after four week leads the league in passing yards, I think the defense deserves a little love from us fans. Two weeks after many of us were ready to trash this group and give up on them, they went out and imposed their will on Seattle's offense. Yes, the Seahawks were hurt. Matt Hasselbeck was out with cracked ribs. Their tackle situation was shaky, and their once great rushing attack is a shell of its former self. However, prior to the Colts pulling starters in the mid-fourth quarter with the score Colts 34-Seahawks 3, the Colts defense had surrendered a total of 159 yards of offense, 3 points, and only 45 yards rushing. In fact, nearly half of Seattle's total yards for the game (279 total yards) and almost all of their points (14) came in garbage time.

Defensively, the Colts were damn near perfect.

For the second week in a row, the Colts run defense held an opponent well below 100 yards rushing. Wait, I'll go a step further. For the second week in a row, the Colts held an opponent under 50 yards rushing.

For a run defense that looked so terrible against the Miami Dolphins in Week Two, that is the kind of bounce back effort and execution that defines words like character, toughness, and will.

Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer deserves a lot of credit for Indy's 4-0 start. While many in league circles will sing the praises of Mike Nolan, who as defensive coordinator for the Broncos has transformed a bad football team into a 4-0 football team, Larry Coyer deserves equal praise. All throughout Tony Dungy's great run as Colts coach, we rarely saw the defense play as well as this current group is currently playing. Colts players, like the warrior known as Dwight Freeney, seem to agree:

We are gelling together very well. Everybody is playing together. DBs, linebackers, d-line are putting pressure at the right times. Playing coverage at the right times. Play calls at the right times.

Robert Mathis seemed to re-iterate Freeney's sentiments after the game as well.

We've just developed a lot of continuity. It's a relationship that, the back seven and the front four, we all are one.

Despite several fans wringing their hands over Dwight Freeney playing this week despite an injured quad muscle, Freeney's efforts to play was seen as inspirational:

"I thought Dwight Freeney coming back was inspiring," Colts QB Peyton Manning said in the wake of Indianapolis' fourth consecutive victory to start the season. "At least to me it was. I know how much better I feel when Dwight is playing and I don’t play defense. I got to imagine our guys in the secondary appreciate it.

"A great credit on his part. He was around the clock rehab all week. Everybody is kind of saying he isn’t going to play and I think even some of our medical people didn’t think he would play. That gets me excited when a guy like that has that ‘want to’ inside of him to get out there and play and be there for the team.

"I thought he played great today."

Just to emphasize something: This was a game the Colts did not necessarily "need." The Seahawks are a non-division, non-conference opponent. They were hurt, had traveled thousands of miles, and had not played the Colts since Week 16 of the 2005 season. Without Freeney, the Colts still should have beaten the Seahawks. So, if there were any game where Freeney could rest and gear up for the "important" games, like next week against the Tennessee Titans, this was the game to do so.

Freeney would have none of that.

Dwight's presence on the field was the difference between a potentially solid win and a dominant win. Indy's defense stoned Seattle's running game early, allowing the pass rushers to harass Seneca Wallace all afternoon. Timely blitzes mixed with consistent pressure from the front four totally shut down Seattle's offense. With Freeney in the game, the Seahawks could not focus on Robert Mathis, who recorded 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the game.

The fact that the Colts are doing this without Kelvin Hayden, Gary Brackett, and Bob Sanders makes this all the more amazing.

But enough on the defense and how they are dominating opponents. Let's get to what wins championships, offense.

Peyton is so on fire he is leaving scorch marks on The Luke's turf. For the first time in his brilliant career, he has thrown for over 300 yards in four consecutive games. Only six players in NFL history have ever done that. He currently leads the league with 1,336 yards. He's also completing 70% of his passes. His lone error on Sunday was an INT after he tried to trick the Seahawks on a quick count. But, the score was 28-3 in the third quarter at that point. So, the INT was meaningless.
Another week and another great day for Joseph Addai. Amazing how some impressive play can shut up many of his haters. 46 yards and a TD for Addai to go with some rather impressive pass blocking. Addai's score (a 12 yard run straight up the middle) was a thing of beauty.
The two back offense has given Indy a scary good dimension of attack with Addai and rookie Donald Brown. Brown takes short gains and turns them into long ones. His burst and acceleration are something this team has not had since Marshall Faulk.
Route running by Colts receivers is almost as impressive as watching them catch passes. Pierre Garcon continues to provide "wow plays," with catches that remind many of us old Colts fans of a young Marvin Harrison. Austin Collie is also starting to find his groove playing mostly in the slot. His 21 yard TD catch (over the left shoulder) with 3 seconds left before halftime was textbook execution. It was also the execution of the Seahawks, who never seemed to recover from that drive.
Right now, Reggie Wayne is the best WR in football. He has 26 catches for 399 yards and 3 TDs. I realize players like Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Randy Moss have more talent, but none are playing better now than Reggie. Teams are doubling him nearly every week and he still makes plays. As the TV announcers astutely pointed out, when was the last time a "#2 receiver" developed into a #1 receiver? I personally cannot think of one.
I cannot say enough about the offensive line, in particular Charlie Johnson. I was dead wrong to question the decision to start him at left tackle. Charlie is playing out of his mind, and both he, Jim Caldwell, and Howard Mudd deserve a lot of early season praise.

We also saw some impressive returning ability from T.J. Rushing, who was sprung on a nice return by a crafty block from Mike Hart. Clearly, the Colts do not miss Chad Simpson, who was cut prior to the game.

Pat McAfee continues to boom kickoffs into the endzone, and coverage units continue to do a good job containing good returners.

Without question, despite all the offensive plays and the great defense, the best moment of the game was the video tribute to Edgerrin James, who ran for 16 yards on 4 carries (4.0 a carry) for the Seahawks. Edge is the best running back in Colts history, and his place in Indy's Ring of Honor is secure. Mike Hart, who currently wears #32, needs to consider a number change.

Obviously, if there is a goat in this game, it's Tim Jennings. God bless the dude, he's playing his guts out. He did an excellent job breaking up a screen early in the game, and his tackling has been damn near text-book perfect. He's also played well in run support.

The problem is teams are picking on Jennings. He gives way too much cushion and is unable to recover to the ball fast enough when he does so. When he gets up in receiver's faces, he sometimes gets flagged for interference and holding calls. In the second half, the Colts rotated in rookie Jacob Lacey at corner, leading many to speculate that Jennings was benched.

Much like Rob Morris in the early 2000s, Tim Jennings will have to fight through this rough patch. He is not a "bad player," as many people seem to want to label him. He is simply a flawed player who is working through his flaws with hustle and determination. That is admirable. Hopefully, it will pay off.

Special thanks to John Morgan and the Seahawks fans at Field Gulls for their excellent analysis and writing prior to and during the game. See John's game recap here.

After the first quarter of the 2009 season, the Colts (sans Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison, Ron Meeks, etc.) are 4-0 and are playing dominant football. Jim Caldwell has been very impressive to start his NFL head coaching career. Equally impressive was the number of gameday comments this site generated yesterday: 3058 comments on all open threads. Jeez, you guys just can't shut up!

Oh, never mind. Our team is 4-0 and looking damn fine. Talk all you want.

Go Colts!

Poll

Week Four game balls?

DE Dwight Freeney: 1 sack, numerous pressures

30 votes

DE Robert Mathis: 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

403 votes

LB Freddy Keiaho: 5 tackles, 1 sacks, one recovered fumble

12 votes

RBs Joseph Addai and Donald Brown: 78 rushing yards, 2 TDs

8 votes

QB Peyton Manning: 75% completion, 353 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

156 votes

RB Edgerrin James: Because he's just THAT cool

148 votes

757 votes | Poll has closed

Polian-Era Colts Draft History: First Round Picks

Colts Homer — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:34:53 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

6 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning throws during the NFL football team's minicamp in Indianapolis, Friday, June 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Browse more photos »

BBS' line about Mike Pollak possibly being a bust got me thinking of draft history in relation to position, round, etc. I was struggling for a while to think what to write about, and that gave me an idea. I'm going to go through all of the Colts draft picks in a certain round, analyze, and rank. I'll start with the first round, which is a round we can all be happy with. Polian has taken five Pro Bowlers and one player who should have gotten in last year. This is the most successful round for Polian, and he had some tough decisions that ended up being 100% perfect. Manning, James, Wayne and a bunch of more Colts stars.

1998: Peyton Manning/QB/Tennessee

College: Manning went to Tennessee over his father's school Ole Miss. At Tennessee, Manning was one of the top QBs in college football for his 4 years. He started as a third stringer but worked his way up because of injury. Manning was a serious Heisman contender in his sophomore, junior and senior year, but he never got the trophy. He was closest in 1997 when wide receiver/cornerback from Michigan Charles Woodson won the award. Manning won 39 of his 45 college starts, the SEC record for career wins. However, he never beat Steve Spurrier and Florida, which gave the media the stupid "He can't win in big games" crap we still hear today.

One interesting thing about his college career is that he completed his degree after 3 years but returned for his senior season. If Peyton made the choice that almost every other athlete would make, he would be playing for the Rams.

Draft: The Colts took the legacy Manning over the young star Ryan Leaf. Manning was considered the safer pick, but Leaf was said to have the higher ceiling. And that seems pretty accurate to this day. As we know, besides all of those recent Patriots games, all those regular season game, and the 2007 playoffs, he can't win in big games. And Ryan Leaf is going to jail for drugs. Yep, that's a pretty high ceiling he reached.

Today: Peyton Manning needs just one more ring to cement himself as the greatest quarterback to ever play. Period. He will have only one less ring than Tom Brady and the Patriots who knowingly cheated for their rings and one more than Brett Favre, whose records Peyton will break in a couple of years. He will have multiple championships, a record amount of MVPs and all of the major QB records.

Awards & Records
3-time NFL MVP (2003, 2004, 2008)
9-time Pro Bowler (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
4-time 1st team All-Pro (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008)
3-time 2nd team All-Pro (1999, 2000, 2006)
1998 All-Rookie 1st Team
2004 Offensive POY
2005 Pro Bowl MVP
2007 Super Bowl MVP
Most seasons with 4000+ passing yards (9)
Most consecutive seasons with 25+ passing touchdowns (11, current streak)
Most games with a perfect passer rating (4)
Highest single season passer rating (121.1, 2004)
Most consecutive games with 4+ passing touchdowns (5, 2004)
Most seasons with 12+ regular season wins as a starter (7)

Review: I don't even need to look at who else was taken in this draft. It's no question that this was the right pick. He's the best first round pick in Colts history by far. Look at those records and awards. I only included the notable/interesting ones. It's amazing that he has never thrown less than 25 TDs in a season andhad five straight games with4 or more passing touchdowns. He's a legend for sure.

1999: Edgerrin James/RB/Miami (Fla.)

College: Miami was making its name as today's Running Back U, and James was one of the best in school history. Before Willis McGahee's stupendous career, James was the leading rusher in school history. However, James was overshadowed by Ricky Williams at Texas.

Draft: James was not a popular pick to say the least. Most people expected the Colts to take Ricky Williams, who went on to get suspended multiple times for marijuana a briefly retired and went the Beatles route by going to Asia and working in hollistic healing. James proved to be the better pick.

Today: After 10 years, James is unemployed but not retired. He is the leading rusher in Colts history with 9,226 yards and that record probably won't be broken any time soon. The Colts are pretty crowded at running back, but I'm sure if Brown and maybe Hart weren't there James would be back in speed blue. He should retire right now andenter the Hall of Fame in a few years, but he will sign with someone like Philly and make some money there. James is an all-time great at running back, and his first and second year were the best start for a career for any running back. Ever. If it weren't for his knee injury in 2001, he would be on his way to breaking Emmitt Smith's rushing record.

Awards & Records
1999 NFL Offensive ROY
4-time Pro Bowler (1999, 2000, 2004, 2005)
1999 1st team All-Pro
Leading active rusher (12,121 yards)
Leading rusher in Colts history (9,226 yards)
Leader in yards from scrimmage per game (109.7 per game)

Review: Even though other Pro Bowlers like Torry Holt, Champ Bailey andAntoine Winfield went after him, this was a great pick. Peyton wouldn't have been Peyton without a great ground game ran by Edgerrin James. I wish Edge the best and I wish they would have kept #32 in the closet until James retired so he could be properly immortalized.

2000: Rob Morris/LB/BYU

College: Rob Morris went to BYU, and like most students there, he went on a mission trip. That's why he was 25 in his rookie year. At BYU, Morris was a star. He was a first team All-American and semifinalist for the Butkus Award, the award given to the top linebacker in the country.

Draft: Morris was one of the top players in college football, and he came from a fairly prestigious school, but making the transition from a mid-major to the pros at his age was a main topic of interest.

Today: Morris, due to his age and injury problems, is out of the league after a strong but less than notable career. I am not going to do an Awards & Records section for him because, frankly, he didn't earn any. He was a 0-time Pro Bowler, 0-time All-Pro and didn't break any records. His 2000 and 2001 seasons with 100+ tackles were his highlight until 2006, when he was a leader on the stellar playoff defense. That's what he is most appreciated for.

Review: Morris ended up being a fan favorite but never really matched the success of 2000 and2001 until the Super Bowl run. One has to look at the next linebacker taken, Pro Bowler Keith Bulluck who would have been a great pick for the Colts. The problem is, unlike Morris, Bulluck is an idiot who was involved in the Terrible Towel fiasco last year. However, any question of the Morris pick is erased by the solid 2nd round pick of Marcus Washington, who still may be the best linebacker in the Polian-era alongside Cato June and Gary Brackett.

2001: Reggie Wayne/WR/Miami

College: Wayne played in one of the greatest wide receiver corps in college football history with Santana Moss and Andre Johnson, andhe was the standout. He holds the school record for receptions with 173 andis one of three Miami receivers with20 or more touchdown receptions. Those are extremely notable with the amazing receivers that have been to Miami. This is the fourthstraight year so far that the Colts took a college star in the first round.

Draft: Wayne was taken at 31 after a swap of picks with the Super Bowl loser New York Giants. Wayne was a very surprising pick. As is the case today, everyone expected the Colts to go defense, especially with The Triplets on offense. Wayne shocked and confused most people. Defensive back was a huge need going into the 2001 draft, so most people thought someone like Will Allen, Jamar Fletcher or Derrick Gibson, but the trade down was perfect. All of the defensive backs were drafted and that left Reggie, and it gave the Colts a third and sixth rounder.

Today: Wayne is one of the top wide receivers in the league. Only a handful have had more success than Wayne, and those guys do not have the Super Bowl ring Wayne does. Wayne has been posting yearly 1,000 yard receiving seasons since 2004 and has had two years with 10 or more touchdowns.

Awards and Records
3-time Pro Bowler (2006, 2007, 2008)
14th in active receiving yards (8129 yards)
12th in active receiving touchdowns (53)

Review: Yeah, I'd say this was a great pick. He is now the undisputed number one receiver with Marvin gone. Other Pro Bowl wide receivers taken after Wayne are Chad Ochocinco, Steve Smith and TJ Houshmandzadeh. The 2001 draft is one of the best drafts in recent history, but I wouldn't want anyone besides Wayne, not even Houshmandzadeh and Ochocinco.

2002: Dwight Freeney/DE/Syracuse

College: Freeney played for Marvin Harrison's alma mater Syracuse, and he is one of the best defensive ends in college football history. He had an amazing 17.5 sacks in his senior year, and he even finished 9th in Heisman Trophy voting in 2001.

Draft: The Colts had the unusually high pick of 11 due to the 6-10, Edge-less season. This was the first defensive lineman first round pick for the Colts since 1995 when they took defensive tackle Ellis Johnson. Freeney was another college star taken by the Colts, a trend that is being rejuvenated.

Today: Freeney is the best 4-3 pass rusher in the NFL today. His spin move is lethal and nearly unblockable. His favorite target was Jonathan Ogden, who retired presumably because of Freeney's relentless beating he reigned down on Ogden. Freeney consistently was at a point in his career for 2006 and 2007 when he was double or triple teamed every pass play and missed 7 games in 2007, but the emergence of Robert Mathis has given Freeney some room to dominate again.

Awards & Records
4-time Pro Bowler (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008)
2-time 1st team All-Pro (2004, 2005)
Lead the league in sacks in 2004
70.5 sacks, 13th active

Review: No one would take back this pick. Freeney is the most dominant 4-3 pass rusher. 3-4 pass rushing inflates sacks with the advantage of standing up, and that overshadows Freeney's amazing performance as a 4-3 pass rusher whose numbers are comparable to some of the top 3-4 pass rushers. Ed Reed, Albert Haynesworth and Lito Sheppard were other notable first round picks after Freeney.

2003: Dallas Clark/TE/Iowa

College: Our great tight end was not a tight end at his first year in college. He played special teams as a linebacker for his redshirt freshman year. It was during the offseason that the Hawkeyes staff decided to move Clark to tight end. Over the next two years, Clark became one of the top tight ends in college football. In 2002, his senior year, he had 742 yards, 2 touchdowns and won the John Mackey Award, the award named after a Colts great that is given to the top tight end in college football. He also was a first team All-American. He left Iowa with a year of eligibility left.

Draft: The Colts had Marcus Pollard, a solid tight end who was a fan favorite as a Colt, but the loss of Ken Dilger left the second tight end spot open. As we all know, Moore loves to use the 2 tight end set, but using a first rounder was a bit of a surprise. We saw a similar scenario going into the 2008 draft when Ben Utecht went to Cincy, but they didn't take a tight end until the fourth. Clark did show the current trend of Polian and the Colts favoring offense over defense in the first round.

Today: Clark is one of the best tight ends in the league and is working his way to being the best tight end in Colts history. Last season he broke John Mackey's record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end with 848. He should have been an All-Star last season but a combination of the fan vote and the voting ending way too early cost him a trip. Clark is the second best receiver on the team and will have to be relied on more with the slot receiver being an inexperienced player.

Awards & Records
Colts record holder for season receiving yards in a season for a tight end (848 yards)
No other records or awards

Review: Great pick. Clark is a premier tight end and has become a touchdown threat, which is huge for the team. 17 receiving touchdowns over the past two years have made him a fantasy favorite as well as a top tight end. He broke his leg in his rookie year, but he has improved every year. Some Pro Bowlers taken soon after Clark are Larry Johnson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Rashean Mathis and Anquan Boldin. This has been a great draft, and the Colts got a great player.

2004: No first round pick

The Colts had the 28th pick in the 2004 pick but traded down. The Falcons took Michael Jenkins, the wide receiver out of Ohio State. The Colts then traded down again from 38 to 48. They swapped picks with the Steelers. The Steelers took the cornerback Ricardo Colclough. The Colts took some guy named Bob Sanders with the 48th pick. I don't know what he's up to now. The Colts also got Gilbert Gardner, Kendyll Pope and Jason David from those trades.

2005: Marlin Jackson/CB/Michigan

College: Jackson is one of the greatest corners in Michigan history. He was a freshman All-American, a second team All-American as a sophomore and a first team All-American as a senior. So in his three years as a corner (he was moved to safety for his junior year), he made some sort of All-American team. The most amazing fact is that for his senior year, teams only threw his way around 13 percent of the time. That shows how dominant he was.

Draft: The 2005 draft was one of the weirdest in Colts history because of the focus on defense. 4 of the first 5 picks were of defensive players. The first offensive skill position player taken was Anthony Davis in the seventh. Coincidently, this was not a good draft with only 4 of the players are still on the team. However, Jackson was considered a good pick at the time.

Today: Jackson, when healthy, is part of the best secondary in football. The 1st and 2nd round picks Jackson and Kelvin Hayden are perfect for the Cover-2 where their size and decent speed are just what the team needs. Jackson is my ideal cornerback. He may not get a lot of interceptions (3 regular season picks in 4 years), but in 2007 and 2008 he had a combined 169 tackles, and in just 7 games he had 47 tackles last year. That shows how good of a tackler he is, something his replacement Tim Jennings was not.

Awards & Records
"Brady sets up, sets up, throws across the middle.... INTERCEPTION!!! MARLIN JACKSON!! MARLIN'S GOT IT!! WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!"

Review
Even though he doesn't get a lot of interceptions, I am a big fan of Marlin Jackson. His size and tackling makes him a great player to have on the outside, especially when the run defense is the weakness of the team. Marlin is probably gone after this season, but his interception in the AFC Championship Game is one of the all-time greatest Colts moments.

2006: Joseph Addai/RB/LSU

College: Addai breaks the trend of stars being taken in the first round. Addai was good, especially in his final year at LSU, but he was in a two-back system and never had over 1,000 yards. However, Addai had an amazing Combine and rose up the draft boards.

Draft: From the beginning I expected Joseph Addai to be the pick. Laurence Maroney probably would have been the pick if he was left, but thankfully the Patriots took Maroney and he ended up being a major bust. Addai was taken at 29th in the running back-loaded draft where he was the 4th running back taken (Reggie Bush, Laurence Maroney and DeAngelo Williams were taken before Addai).

Today: Addai is a fan favorite completely loved by all. Kind of. There are the few that want his head on a platter and are planning on running him out of town. Those people favored Dom Rhodes over Addai last year even though Rhodes had the same yards per carry average. Addai has made a Pro Bowl and has had 2 1,000 yard seasons. He has been very injury-prone and that is one of the reasons why he didn't have 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, which he is definitely capable of. However, in Colts land you have one bad injury year and you are a pathetic excuse for a running back. If only we had ran that Bob Sanders guy out of town with his injuries...

Awards & Records
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month (November 2006)
1 time Pro Bowl selection (2007)
Only player in NFL history to have 1,000+ rushing yards without starting a single game
Most Irrationally Hated Player in History

Review: I think Addai is still a great running back. It will be interesting to see how his knee responds to surgery and if it will return him to 2006 form. I expect him and Donald Brown to make up one of the best combos in football. The 2006 Rhodes-Addai one was so great, and an experienced Addai and a talented Brown should be even better.

2007: Anthony Gonzalez/WR/Ohio State

College: Gonzalez played with other future NFLers in Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr., Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline, and our own Roy Hall. Gonzalez was a great player in 2006, the first year the Buckeyes decided to ruin the national championship game. He was a great combination of a deep threat and a possession receiver. He was often overshadowed by Ted Ginn, but I remember him clearly. He was fantastic and did not get the recognition for his work.

Draft: The Colts were coming off of an amazing Super Bowl run, but none of us forgot the pathetic run defense during the season. Although Brandon Stokley was leaving, I was expecting a defensive player like Paul Pozluzsny. However, the Colts took Anthony Gonzalez in the first, continuing the now unignorable trend.

Today: Anthony Gonzalez is now the number two receiver. The Colts and Marvin Harrison sadly parted ways and now Gonzalez has to replace the future Hall of Famer. Gonzalez has had two great years, where in just 11 starts he has 1240 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. Gonzalez will get more looks this year now that Marvin is gone, and Peyton and he have a great connection.

Awards & Records
No notable achievements...yet

Review: I am a big fan of Gonzalez. His yards per catch average of 13.2. He is a good possession receiver who can go deep. He is tough and has good size. I don't think Gonzalez will ever be a consistent Pro Bowler, but I think he could have multiple years of 1,000 receiving yards and will be a main part of a future Super Bowl Colts team.

2008: No first round pick

The Colts traded their first round pick in 2008 to the 49ers for the 42nd pick in the 2007 draft, which with the Colts took Tony Ugoh.

2009: Donald Brown/RB/UConn

College: Brown's 2008 season is one of the best and most underrated in college football history. Brown had 2,083 rushing yards, only one of 14 players to have more than 2,000 yards in a season. His bowl performance against Buffalo was unbelievable. He had 208 yards in the first half and completely carried the team while finishing with 261 rushing yards. It was right after the game that he decided to skip his last year of eligibility.

Draft: I remember it like it was yesterday. The anticipation was crazy for me. I was all prepared for Peria Jerry to be the Colts first rounder, but the Falcons took him before the Colts got on the clock. It seems that the Colts lucked out as Jerry has already gotten hurt. I know most people around Stampede Blue was expecting Ziggy Hood, the defensive tackle from Mizzou to be the pick now that Jerry is gone, but history repeated itself. The Colts took the offensive player over the defensive tackle.

Review: No one is complaining about this pick. Everyone expects great things from Brown, and he will revitalize the running game. Expect him to get around 12 carries a game and have a major impact right away.

So now with all of the first rounders being scouted and reported on, I am now ready to rank them. I am leaving off Brown and Gonzalez due to a lack of experience. I know this could cause a little controversy, but I am sure that it is accurate.

8. Rob Morris
7. Joseph Addai
6. Marlin Jackson
5. Dallas Clark
4. Dwight Freeney
3. Edgerrin James
2. Reggie Wayne
1. Peyton Manning

I expect to see Addai, Brown and Gonzalez climb this and hopefully jump Edgerrin one day.

Phillip Wheeler, Marcus Washington 2.0?

shake n bake — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:32:38 -0000

BBS' post on blitzing from the Tampa-2 and a comment from tim55 got me wondering on who was the last Indy linebacker to have success rushing the passer. It's no exaggeration to say that the Colts don't use their back 7 for pressure. In the 7 years under Dungy only 4 non-linemen have recorded multiple sacks in a season (two did it twice), only one of those 6 seasons totaled over 4 sacks.

Player	Year	Sacks
2007	Bob Sanders	3.5
2005	David Thornton	2.0
2004	Rob Morris	3.0
2003	Marcus Washington	6.0
2002	Marcus Washington	2.0
2002	Rob Morris	3.0

It's been 3 years since an Indy linebacker has had more than 1 sack in a season, and 6 years since a 4+ sack season from a non-lineman. The one standout season under Dungy was from Marcus Washington. Washington recorded 16 sacks in his 3 years as a starter in Indy, including 8 sacks in 2000, before departing to Washington where he recorded 19.5 sacks over the following 4 years for the Redskins. Marcus Washington is the last Indy linebacker to have success blitzing.

via cache.gettyimages.com

With the new DC in place, who is far more prone to blitz than Meeks and Dungy, it's likely we'll see more opportunities for the linebackers to get after the QB. However it wasn't just what the linebackers did that changed under Dungy. Both of the LBs to have more than 2 sacks in a season were holdovers from the Mora era. Under Dungy the Colts drafted and played a different style of LB. Marcus Washington is 6'3" 247lbs, a far cry from the players that have been starting for Indy. Only 3 of the 11 LBs on the Colts roster are listed at over 6 foot (2 of whom weren't on the roster last year), and only two are listed at 240+ pounds. Phillip Wheeler (6'2" 245) and Adam Seward (6'3" 250) are the big LBs (with rookie Tyrell Sales the 3rd LB over 6 foot at 6'2 230).

Wheeler, who is the favorite for the starting SAM spot is the closest thing to Marcus Washington Indy's seen in a long time. They are similar in size and both played defensive end and linebacker in college in (Washington played OLB as an underclassman and DE as an upperclassman, while Wheeler did the reverse).

Wheeler seems to fit into an older mold of a Colts LB, instead being an entirely new one for the team. A big LB with extensive pass rushing experience.

The No. 28 Overall Pick: Player and Financial Histories

MattRichWarren — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:00:13 -0000

About a month ago I took a look at the last 25 No. 11 overall picks in the NFL Draft. Now the Bills hold the No. 28 overall pick as well, so I went back and looked at the history of our new selection. As you would expect, the results are not as appealing as the eleventh overall. The picks marked with an asterisk were made in the second round, but still at 28 overall.

No. 28 Picks, 1984-2008
2008 - Lawrence Jackson, DE, Seahawks
2007 - Joe Staley, OT, 49ers
2006 - Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jaguars
2005 - Luis Castillo, DE, Chargers
2004 - Chris Gamble, DB, Panthers
2003 - Andre Woolfolk, DB, Titans
2002 - Jerramy Stevens, TE, Seahawks
2001 - Derrick Gibson, DB, Raiders
2000 - Rob Morris, LB, Colts
1999 - Andy Katzenmoyer, LB, Patriots
1998 - R.W. McQuarters, DB, 49ers
1997 - Trevor Pryce, DT, Broncos
1996 - Jerome Woods, DB, Chiefs
1995 - Derrick Brooks, LB, Buccaneers
1994 - William Floyd, FB, 49ers
1993 - Thomas Smith, DB, Bills
1992 - Darryl Williams, DB, Bengals
1991* - Mike Dumas, DB, Oilers
1990* - Reggie Rembert, WR, Jets
1989 - Keith DeLong, LB, 49ers
1988* - Marcus Cotton, LB, Falcons
1987 - Mark Ingram, WR, Giants
1986* - Jackie Walker, LB, Buccaneers
1985 - Trevor Matich, C, Patriots
1984 - Brian Blados, OT, Bengals

There are some outstanding players on this list. We can measure how many outstanding players there are by looking at individual honors like Pro Bowl appearances, All-Pro Team selections, and Hall of Fame enshrinement.

Pro Bowl
Every year the Pro Bowl takes the best players from each conference and plays them against one another. Between 40 and 50 players are considered Pro Bowl players in a given year from each conference for a grand total of 80-100 players. Here's the No. 28 overall picks from our list that have been selected to the Pro Bowl:

Trevor Pryce ('99-'02)
Jerome Woods ('03)
Derrick Brooks ('97-'06, '08)
Darryl Williams ('97)

All-Pros
At the conclusion of every season, 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL select the All-Pro Team. This is a much more exclusive honor than the Pro Bowl, however; 27 spots existed on the team in 2008. Here are the All-Pro No. 28 overall picks.

Trevor Pryce ('99)
Derrick Brooks ('99, '00, '02, '04, '05)

Hall of Famers
The Hall of Fame is the greatest individual honor an NFL player may receive. It takes into account your entire body of work throughout your career. Of the thousands of NFL players and contributors in the league's rich history, only 247 people are currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Derrick Brooks is a probable Hall of Fame player, he is still active and can't be considered. No one else on the list has come close.

Picks 11 and 28
Ironically, in 2007 the Niners had the same two picks - 11 and 28 overall - and got Patrick WIllis and Joe Staley. Willis has been to the Pro Bowl twice and named to the All Pro team once. Staley has started all 32 games of his career at tackle for the team.

Potential Salary
While looking at the eleventh overall selection, I also broke down about how much this year's pick will be paid. The No. 28 overall selection will obviously be making less that the eleventh, but how much less? Here are the last three contracts for players taken No. 28 overall:

DE Lawrence Jackson (2008): 5 years, $11.25M, $6.1M signing bonus
OT Joe Staley (2007): 5 years, $8M, $5.6M guaranteed, $1.1M signing bonus, $3M in bonuses
TE Marcedes Lewis (2006): 5 years, $7.5M, $4.8M guaranteed

The only reason I can see for Jackson's contract being so much higher than Staley's is the guaranteed money. Staley's deal has most of the contract guaranteed, where Jackson has no guaranteed money but rather a $6.1M signing bonus.

If the Bills go the guaranteed money route, they will likely sign the player for somewhere in the range of 5 years, $9M, $6.5M guaranteed. If they go signing bonus route like the Seahawks, expect the salary figure to be higher, in the range of 5 years, $12M, with a $6.5M signing bonus (almost the exact contract that last year's No. 27 overall pick, San Diego CB Antoine Cason, signed).