Posts tagged Antoine Bethea
Colts Off-Season: A Time for Change and Hope
Feb 9th
Will the Colts make a move for free agent running back DeAngelo Williams? (Chris Keane | Reuters)
The Indianapolis Colts are known for their ability to put together teams that are young and competitive on the field with a chance to win the Super Bowl every year. The team has accomplished this by finding jewels in the draft that other teams simply overlook. As a Colts fan I have nothing but respect and admiration for the front office of the Colts and thank them for the product they consistently put on the field for Colts fans to cheer. It’s time for the next step, and at this point in Peyton Manning’s career it’s now or never for the Indy. Unlike many of the experts out there, I do not believe that Peyton is anywhere close to the end of his career. I do believe that he is at the point where the team can’t just wait for young talent to develop around him.
Starting with the offensive line, Ryan Diem has been rode hard this year for the false starts and his mental mistakes, but I’m one who believes that a lot of his issues were because of having to play through injuries all year long with a lack of depth behind him. The same could be said for left tackle Charlie Johnson. The hope in the franchise should be that Ryan Diem will work with the front office on restructuring his $5.4 million deal that would allow the team to pay him on incentives as opposed to cutting him as cap casualty.
Regardless what happens with Diem, the best answer for the Colts is to not miss out on a chance to get an anchor left tackle early in the draft such as Anthony Castonzo, Boston College, Nate Solder, Colorado, Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin, or Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State. There is also the option of landing a couple solid free agents with both Tyson Clabo of Atlanta and Matt Light being available, Clabo being ideal because of his youth. At guard the best answer without question is to find a way to sign Logan Mankins out of New England. Adding an all pro will allow you to let Jamey Richard and Mike Pollak fight for the starting spot next to Mankins with the loser backing up both the center and guard spots.
Ideal line: LT-Tyson Clabo, LG- Logan Mankins, C- Jeff Saturday, RG- Mike Pollak, and RT- Gabe Carimi. More >
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Previewing the Colts 2011 Safeties
Jan 31st
Melvin Bullitt running with the football against the Houston Texans during the Colts Week 1 game in Houston. (Ronald Martinez | Getty Images)
No position more closely resembled a MASH unit for the Indianapolis Colts than safety. Consider that undrafted free agent rookie David Caldwell suffered a shoulder injury that landed him on injured reserve before having the chance to play in a preseason game. Veteran backup Jamie Silva went down for the season with a torn ACL in the Colts first preseason game — against the San Francisco 49ers. Undrafted rookie free agent Donye’ McCleskey was waived/injured following the same game. After Bob Sanders traversed all of training camp and the preseason completely healthy, he went down with his second torn biceps in an many years in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
Dependable backup strong safety Melvin Bullitt lasted until Week 4 in Jacksonville where his season ended to a shoulder injury of his own. Undrafted rookie cornerback Brandon King moved to safety to fill-in for the injury depleted unit. His stay lasted only two weeks before a hamstring injury prematurely ended his rookie season. If that list isn’t long enough, the Colts brought in Chip Vaughn, formerly with the New Orleans Saints, hoping to stop the bleeding. After three weeks on the team, along with one tackle, Vaughn’s year ended due to a foot injury. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Foreshadowing the Colts 2011 Linebacker Corps
Jan 30th
Kavell Conner tackles Steve Smith in an early season meeting with the Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2010. (AJ Mast | AP Photo)
Linebacker has been a position of weakness for the Colts for many years. Other than Gary Brackett, the last time the Colts had a linebacker worthy of NFL recognition was when former 2002 fourth round draft pick David Thornton left the team following the 2005 season — he signed a lucrative five-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
In many ways, the fact that the linebackers have not been a major strength is expected with the Colts’ history of refusing to pay veterans at the position after their rookie contracts expire — they did the same with Marcus Washington following the 2003 season, who went on to a Pro Bowl in 2004 and two alternate bids in 2005 and 2006. With a speed-focused defensive philosophy, however, it is reasonable to keep costs low because Colts linebackers are typically not high-profile players to other teams — they are generally too short and too light for other defensive schemes.
These facts and this history makes the Colts current depth chart at linebacker an albatross. While only Gary Brackett has a resume deserving of Pro Bowl consideration over the last three years, the young talent, potential, and depth at each of the linebacker positions is unfamiliar. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Quick Reaction: Colts 34, Jags 24
Dec 19th
Donald Brown breaks an attempted glove tackle to rumble for a 49-yard gain
Highlights:
- The refs played a larger part in this game than anyone would appreciate… on both sides of the ball.
- RB Donald Brown showed what he can do when he has good blocking in front of him (14 carries for 129 yards and 1 touchdown)
- I am heartbroken for WR Austin Collie, who after returning in a big way at the beginning of the game (8 catches for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns), suffered yet another game-ending concussion. Inexplicably, the team allowed him to return to the sidelines late in the game where he moped in his street clothes.
- The Colts once again won the turnover battle, giving up zero, while the Jags committed two – a Garrard interception by Antoine Bethea, and a blocking-into-the-receiver penalty with the bounce-off-the-receiver-into-the-Colts-hands turnover on a punt.
- As usual, the game came down to some nail-biting moments when the Jags scored a touchdown with 1:59 left to close the gap to 3. Coach Caldwell made a great call taking a time out just before Scobee squibbed the kick straight ahead on what appeared to be an attempt to catch the Colts’ line off guard.
- On the ensuing attempt, on-again off-again Colts’ LB Tyjuan Hagler grabbed the short squib kick by Scobee and ran it 41 yards for a touchdown to ice the game.
- The Colts are now first in the AFC South (on tie-breakers) and continue their playoff hunt next week in Oaktown (where I will be reporting live!)
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Colts 30 Titans 28 – Quick Reaction
Dec 9th
One of Pierre Garcon's two touchdowns against the Titans. (Joe Howell | AP Photo)
Reaction highlights:
- Manning kept the pace slow and steady, able to eschew the no-huddle, hurry-up offense because the Colts held the lead.
- The slower pace and more frequent huddles contributed to the rookies’ ability to keep up.
- The Colts ran more than in the prior 3 games, in part because they had the luxury to do so because they had the lead, but even with a smaller lead the Colts kept at it.
- Forced into the LT position when Charlie Johnson injured his shoulder, Jeff Linkenbach put in a good performance… might we see him more at that position going forward?
- The defense was not very good tonight, allowing Tennessee, who had been held to 13 touchdown-less quarters, to score 4 touchdowns in the game. But frankly, on a short week, against a familiar opponent, and in the NFL… you can hope for a shut-out, but don’t expect one. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Game Stats: Cowboys v. Colts
Dec 9th
After the debacle against the Chargers, and the heart breaker against the Patriots, the Colts dropped another game. They gave the Cowboys 17 points to start the contest, and had the chance to pull out a last minute victory on three occasions. Unlike previous weeks, no single unit can carry all of the blame.
The Colts had multiple series where one good play after another would get completely erased by a horrible play or decision. Manning threw interceptions on the heels of key defensive stands, Eric Foster jumped on top of an opponent to negate an amazing goal line stand, and Wayne tallied his only drop to erase a chance for the offense to win after taking the kickoff in overtime. In the end the Colts fell to 6-6, one game behind Jacksonville, and head into a short week — at least three players left the game with injuries.
It makes more difficult to know that some guys had great games. Antoine Bethea was absolutely everywhere and tallied 15 tackles, Pierre Garcon caught EVERY SINGLE throw his way, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis both had a sack, Jeff Saturday returned to form, and even Manning was not terrible statistically.
On to the stats.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Game Stats: Chargers v. Colts
Dec 4th
4 comments
Blair White catches his breathafter scoring against the Chargers(Don Larson | Colts.com)
The Colts offensive struggles have doomed the team the past two weeks — as poor decisions and poor timing stifled a last minute come from behind victory against New England, and handed the Chargers 20 points. While the team won’t make excuses, fans should realize that Manning’s limited options at wide receiver, running back, and tight end have ruined Indy’s offensive cohesion. Add poor performances from both offensive tackles, and the situation gets even worse.
While there were numerous things for fans to complain about, there were also enough positive signs to make one hopeful. The biggest was the fact that despite common perception, Jeff Linkenbach has actually been an improvement over Mike Pollak at right guard (albeit a modest one). Receivers Blair White and Jacob Tamme are becoming very stable for Manning, showing both good timing and hands. The Colts also found a use for Donald Brown. He may not function as a pass blocker, or have the vision to effectively run through a gap, but he showed an edge on quick slant routes that gives him a tangible positive.
Let’s move on to the stats. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Why the Colts Future is not in Doubt
Dec 2nd
15 comments
Peyton Manning speaking gealic to his offense in Super Bowl XLI. (Jed Jacobsohn | Getty Images)
With Indianapolis struggling recently, a lot of fans are questioning the team’s future. Many complain about recent drafts and believe the young talent will be incapable of replacing the perennial Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame talent that is starting to age.
This negative perspective is premature. As long as Peyton Manning is healthy and playing at a very high level in the NFL, the Colts future is safe. With that in mind, it makes sense to focus on the players who represent the team’s future, consider their talent level, and where that talent can take the Colts moving forward. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
After Review: Chargers 36, Colts 14
Nov 29th
Peyton Manning punches the ground after a play in which he was knocked down in the third quarter. (Brent Smith | Reuters)
Wow. The San Diego Chargers absolutely dominated the Indianapolis Colts. Home field? Irrelevant. Fast field? Helped the Chargers as much as it did the Colts. Crowd? Had little chance to have an impact due to turnovers creating a big gap on the scoreboard.
Just about everything that could go wrong did in this game. The Colts offensive line was battered and bullied by San Diego. The running game was dead before the first hand-off. The best receivers on the team right now? Blair White and Jacob Tamme.
This Indianapolis team is not the same as it was when the year started, the injuries are hurting badly, and the offensive line is a mess. The only unit who played a pretty good game was the defense, though a lot of people will not be able to believe that if they look at the score. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Questioning the Toughness of Players like the Colts Sanders or Gonzalez is “Ignorant”
Nov 19th
5 comments
Dallas Clark on the sidelines prior to the Colts and Texans Week 9 match-up. (Darron Cummings | AP Photo)
Ross Tucker of ESPN wrote a story yesterday regarding an oft-discussed issue with injured NFL players, particularly ones who miss time more often than fans think they should. His response is clear, questioning the toughness of NFL players because they suffer from injuries that hold them out of long stretches of football games, even multiple times, is ignorant.
Too often fans and a lot of writers in the media, particularly fan writers on blogs, will throw around labels like “injury prone” or say things like a player is not “tough enough” to play professional football. These comments are almost always uninformed, lack depth, and are only written because those writing the comments are ignorant to the kinds of injuries players often suffer, the gravity of those injuries, and the difficulty of overcoming not only the pain but the rigorous rehabilitation processes that go along with them. More >
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...