Posts tagged Receivers
Colts Running Game on Verge of Breakthrough?
Jun 23rd
Paul Kuharsky of ESPN’s AFC South Blog reported on a story by KC Joyner discussing the state of the Indianapolis Colts ground game. Joyner noted that the difference between a respectable running game and the bottom of the league is relatively small.
The separation between the 15th ranked running game and the 29th ranked running game is only a few percentage points of yards per rushing attempt behind good blocking. Joyner believes the additions of rookie tackle Anthony Castonzo and guard Benjamin Ijalana are likely to make up that ground.
If he is right, Indianapolis’s offense should be as potent as ever. Consider how much more dangerous Indy would be with the option to run on short-yardage, save Manning’s arm, and command more balanced defensive attention that allows receivers time to get into their routes. It could be an interesting year.
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Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell’s Stamp on Coaching Staff Complete?
May 11th
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With the news that former Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore has left the team, it occurred to me that a great deal of turnover has taken place since Head Coach Jim Caldwell took over for Tony Dungy in 2009. Many considered the initial changes minor, as Caldwell has consistently stated his opinion that he was taking over a team and staff that was not broken, and a team philosophy that he promised to uphold, but the gradual transition from the Dungy coaching staff to the Caldwell coaching staff has been significant — and could be complete after Caldwell’s third off-season behind the wheel.
Since Caldwell took over the team he has:
Replaced former Special Teams Coordinator Russ Purnell with Ray Rychleski
Replaced former Defensive Coordinator Ron Meeks with Larry Coyer
Replaced former Offensive Line Coach Howard Mudd with Pete Metzelaars
Replaced former Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore with Clyde Christensen
Replaced former Running Backs Coach Gene Huey with David Walker
Added Ron Turner as Quarterbacks Coach
Moved former Quarterbacks Coach Frank Reich to Wide Receivers Coach More >
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With the 188th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select…
Apr 30th
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Chris Rucker deflects a pass. (Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images)
CB – Chris Rucker
Michigan State cornerback Chris Rucker had success in college and earned a reputation as a physical corner who could shut down opponents. He used his size to jam receivers off of the line often and had enough speed and hip fluidity to keep up with his man. In the NFL he may need to develop fluidity in his hips for NFL caliber receiver if he plans to stay on the outside.
At 6-foot 2-inches tall and 200 pounds, Rucker may remind a lot of fans of former Colts defensive back Marlin Jackson. His 4.55 40-yard dash is not great for a cover corner but his play style is perfect for a zone system. One has to wonder if the Colts might ask Rucker to put on 10 pounds or so and step into the S rotation.
Rucker had some character concerns, including a DUI that was reduced to a reckless driving offense, which caused him to slip from what could have been a third or fourth round grade to a fifth or sixth round value.
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Coltzilla’s Ultimate Colts Mock Draft
Apr 28th
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As NFL Draft crazed football fans already know, one of the biggest problems with mock drafts is that they are extremely unlikely to be accurate. Knowing how each team will pick, let alone the teams writers are most familiar with, is a shot in the dark scenario. Accordingly, Coltzilla has put together the “Ultimate Colts Mock Draft” which will list those players who may be available when the Colts make each of their six selections.
The Ultimate Colts Mock Draft will include prospects from nearly all positions in each round, and will attempt to rate the players in order in each round based upon our assessment of the raw best player available standard. Each of the players listed should be in contention for the most valuable player on the draft board specifically for the Colts, so this delineation hopes be useful following the draft to subjectively determine how team needs may affect Indy’s draft room. More >
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Assessing Positional Value for the Colts 2011 NFL Draft: Cornerback
Apr 21st
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Earlier in the off-season, Coltzilla wrote about how well Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian has handled turnover at the cornerback position. Exiting training camp, the 2010 team had only Kelvin Hayden, Jerraud Powers, and Jacob Lacey with experience in the Colts defense on the roster. The position was widely considered one of the team’s weakest and most susceptible to injuries.
Entering the draft this year, the situation has changed drastically. While it is widely accepted that Hayden is not playing up to his contract and has annual struggles to stay healthy, he is a legitimate NFL cornerback and would likely start for a lot of teams. The question is – will he start for the Colts in 2011? Polian traded a seventh round pick to the Washington Redskins for Justin Tryon before Week 1. Tryon had a considerable impact on defense and improved in the Colts system throughout the year. He may be good enough to push Hayden for his starting spot across from Powers. More >
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Assessing Positional Value for the Colts 2011 NFL Draft: Safety
Apr 20th
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The Colts are in a state of transition at the safety position. 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders will not return to Indianapolis and has signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers. While this arguably “weakens” the position, what offsets the blow is that Sanders has not been a meaningful part of the rotation for three years. Losing Sanders, in some regards, is like losing something that was not really there.
What the Colts can be sure of is that safety Antoine Bethea is with the team long-term and is playing at a very high level. He is one of the league’s top safeties and is also one of the most reliable.
The uncertainty surrounds what will happen with strong safety Melvin Bullitt when the collective bargaining agreement negotiations are ironed out in court. If the Colts are able to honor the offer they made to Bullitt prior to the lockout, the team has a starter who is durable enough and strong enough in the Colts system to be a part of a very strong secondary. If, on the other hand, Bullitt’s restricted status is nullified from the court’s ruling, Indianapolis will be faced with players who have either never started in the NFL, who have not spent meaningful time in the Colts system, or who are coming off of relatively major injuries. Assuming they do not work out a long-term weal with Bullitt. More >
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Assessing Positional Value for the Colts 2011 NFL Draft: Wide Receiver
Apr 7th
When healthy, the Colts sport one of the NFL’s top groups of wide receivers. Reggie Wayne is an elite number one receiver who tops 1,000 yards and approaches 10 touchdowns regularly. Pierre Garcon has not established himself as one of the league’s top receivers but, with consistent hands, offers Indianapolis a legitimate deep threat across from Wayne. Austin Collie was on pace to put up absurd numbers in 2010 if he did not suffer multiple concussions that would keep him out of numerous games and end his season prematurely. If Collie played a full season in the slot he would have pushed Wes Welker for the best slot receiver in the NFL.
Anthony Gonzalez has been unable to stay healthy for two straight seasons, although he was ready to return in 2010 had the Colts coaching staff not felt compelled to move him to injured reserve. While he has yet to have his “break out” season, all signs indicated that 2009 would be his first year with better than 1,000 yards receiving in place of Marvin Harrison. Gonzalez and Collie are both able to play inside or outside. Even undrafted rookie Blair White stepped in and showed a great deal of potential when Gonzalez and Collie missed significant time. Once he gets his timing down with Manning, he could likewise offer a legitimate receiving threat who has already shown a propensity for being a big end zone target. More >
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Lack of Respect for Bill Polian and Colts Roster Unreasonable
Mar 27th
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With so little going on in the NFL world, the analysts at ESPN are left only to speculate about each of the league’s 32 teams’ needs prior to the 2011 NFL Draft. In the segment discussing the Colts, Mel Kiper, Trent Dilfer, Chris Mortensen, and Mike Tirico dropped a bomb on the Indianapolis fan base when they collectively agreed that without quarterback Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts would be cellar dwellers as one of the league’s worst franchises. Such words suggest that the talent on the Colts roster starts and ends with Peyton Manning.
Unfortunately, some fans and team analysts have bought into the claims. They have used the claims as ammunition to attack Vice Chairman Bill Polian as leaving the team high and dry if not for the 1998 Draft. Dilfer suggested that the team needs a philosophical adjustment to larger, stronger players, and that without it the team will continue to struggle. This analysis is popular, and even shared by a big portion of the Colts fan base but it does not tell the whole story. More >
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Introducing: Coltzilla Stats & Draft Board
Mar 23rd
Anyone who frequents Coltzilla — and is rather perceptive — will notice two additions to the Coltzilla navigation bar. We have added two new pages, “Stats” and “Draft Room.” You will have noticed the flood of draft profiles recently, and with the draft still fast approaching, those posts will continue to come out regularly as writers here work to cover as many of the prospects we have marked as potential grabs for the Colts. You can view all those profiles through the link to the splash page and sort by position.
The Coltzilla stat page is rather near and dear to my heart, though. While I do some of the profiles for prospects and players, I have spent most of my time working on the “Game Stat” series over this past year. Those of you who remember those posts will also remember that they grew over the year, and that has been a major factor in the delay in getting this data finalized. Now, though, enough of the information has been collected that we can start bringing all of the statistics for the 2010 season to our readers. This section will be a work in progress, so while there is a lot of information there, more will be added over the coming weeks and months. After the jump, I’ll talk a little about the vision for “Game Stats” and some of the work that will be done to improve the data. More >
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