J.T.
03-27-2013, 05:09 PM
In 2013, the Colts embark on the truly difficult task of surpassing their magical 2012 season in which they made the playoffs with a really shitty roster on defense and a bunch of rooks on offense (honorable mention to Grandpa Wayne). Here is their roster turnover following free agency:
Departures:
Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians
QB Drew Stanton
OT Winston Justice
WR Donnie Avery
WR Austin Collie
OLB/DE Dwight Freeney
DT Antonio Johnson
LB Moise Fokou
CB Jerraud Powers
S Tom Zbikowski
Of the departures, Freeney will probably be missed the most although he wasn't a good fit for Pagano's 3-4 hybrid scheme. Dude did command a double team which will be surely missed, but the Colts still have Mathis and will probably look to add another pass rushing element to their defense via the 2013 draft. Stanton and Powers followed Bruce Arians to Arizona, but Powers ended each of the last three seasons on IR. He was good when he played, but he didn't do a whole lot of that. Antonio Johnson always gives 100% but the Colts have added a lot of younger pieces to the D-line in free agency making him expendable. Avery had a good year with the Colts but also led the league in drops. Overall, Freeney is the biggest loss here and you can't exactly replace a sure thing HOF'er overnight but I trust Grigson has a plan with the draft.
Additions:
Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton
QB Matt Hasselbeck
OT Gosder Cherilus
OG Donald Thomas
DT Fili Moala (re-signed)
DT Aubrayo Franklin
DT/DE Ricky Jean Francois
DE/OLB Lawrence Sidbury
LB Erik Walden
CB Greg Toler
CB Darius Butler (re-signed)
CB Cassius Vaughn (re-signed)
S LaRon Landry
Indy did a real good job mitigating their losses and actually improving the team in needed areas. The offensive line was my biggest area of need following last season as Luck was sacked over 40 times and avoided Lord knows how many more sacks with his athleticism and by sheer magic sometimes. Cherilus not only stayed healthy but gave up little pressure from the right side and with Costanzo showing improvement every year, the Colts look to have two pretty legit tackles for the first time in a while. Donald Thomas was a backup with the Patriots, but DoK seemed to suggest he was decent while filling in for injured starters last year. A lot of league personnel guys really like the Greg Toler signing. He figures to start opposite Vontae Davis, and with Darius Butler being re-signed the Colts have a pretty good nickle configuration for the first time in years. They gave a little bit too much money to Erik Walden and Ricky Jean Francois, but I think these guys are talented and just don't have a lot of stats accumulated because they were behind names such as Justin Smith and Clay Matthews on their respective depth charts. Still feels like gambling on an unknown a little bit, but there is potential for upside. Hasselbeck is a huge improvement over Stanton at backup QB, although I sincerely hope I never have to see him attempt a pass for us. Vaughn, Sidbury and Franklin are great depth signings and Landry gives the Colts their best player at safety since Bob Sanders. He has had problems with injuries, but I think a lot of that was due to the shitty field in D.C. and not necessarily because he's injury prone. He started every game last year with the Jets. Overall, the Colts had a lot of money to spend and spent it wisely by adding a ton of depth to their team rather than shelling out the big bucks for the top FA's available. Defense actually looks promising, although they need to add another pass rushing element in the draft.
What's next?
The Colts have been negotiating with Darrius Heyward-Bey, formerly of the Oakland Raiders and one of Al Davis's last first round reaches. He has like a career 15 yards per catch which is pretty good considering the QBs he has had. With Luck and Indy's young and improving offense, he could be a good fit. He left Indy without a deal to go visit the Lions, but has not signed yet. If the Colts add him, their 2013 FA class is insanely good for the amount of money they had to spend.
As far as the draft goes, the Colts have a few areas of need remaining. Obviously DHB would offset the loss of Donnie Avery (I actually see DHB as an upgrade considering Avery's league-leading drops) but Reggie Wayne is 35 this year I do believe. His replacement needs to be drafted to being the grooming process. Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins may fall to the Colts at #24 in which case Grigson needs to pull the trigger. I don't recommend they try to trade up considering they gave their 2nd rounder this year to Miami in the Vontae Davis trade last year. But Davis's play improved dramatically toward the end of the year when he recovered from his injuries including the playoff game in which Joe Flacco did not target any WR covered by Davis in the 2nd half. Also had 2 picks in the season finale against Houston. The Colts also need a pass rusher and perhaps another RB as Donald Brown continues to not live up to his first round draft status.
Overall there is a lot of pressure on the Colts to win the division this year considering the 11-5 record last year. The Colts are transitioning from the Bruce Arians "bomb it downfield" offense into Pep Hamilton's West Coast scheme which Luck played in at Stanford. Look for Luck's completion percentage to go up, interceptions and attempts to go down. Passing yards is probably still a lock for around 4,000. I'm expecting big things from the Colts defense this year. If they can stay healthy, they should be much improved from last season.
My prediction: 10-6, Wild Card berth* (schedule is rough, complete with Peyton returning to Indy. Probably gonna go to that game).
* This is dependent on Houston having another injury free year which is rare and unlikely. If Houston falters at all, Indy takes the division.
Departures:
Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians
QB Drew Stanton
OT Winston Justice
WR Donnie Avery
WR Austin Collie
OLB/DE Dwight Freeney
DT Antonio Johnson
LB Moise Fokou
CB Jerraud Powers
S Tom Zbikowski
Of the departures, Freeney will probably be missed the most although he wasn't a good fit for Pagano's 3-4 hybrid scheme. Dude did command a double team which will be surely missed, but the Colts still have Mathis and will probably look to add another pass rushing element to their defense via the 2013 draft. Stanton and Powers followed Bruce Arians to Arizona, but Powers ended each of the last three seasons on IR. He was good when he played, but he didn't do a whole lot of that. Antonio Johnson always gives 100% but the Colts have added a lot of younger pieces to the D-line in free agency making him expendable. Avery had a good year with the Colts but also led the league in drops. Overall, Freeney is the biggest loss here and you can't exactly replace a sure thing HOF'er overnight but I trust Grigson has a plan with the draft.
Additions:
Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton
QB Matt Hasselbeck
OT Gosder Cherilus
OG Donald Thomas
DT Fili Moala (re-signed)
DT Aubrayo Franklin
DT/DE Ricky Jean Francois
DE/OLB Lawrence Sidbury
LB Erik Walden
CB Greg Toler
CB Darius Butler (re-signed)
CB Cassius Vaughn (re-signed)
S LaRon Landry
Indy did a real good job mitigating their losses and actually improving the team in needed areas. The offensive line was my biggest area of need following last season as Luck was sacked over 40 times and avoided Lord knows how many more sacks with his athleticism and by sheer magic sometimes. Cherilus not only stayed healthy but gave up little pressure from the right side and with Costanzo showing improvement every year, the Colts look to have two pretty legit tackles for the first time in a while. Donald Thomas was a backup with the Patriots, but DoK seemed to suggest he was decent while filling in for injured starters last year. A lot of league personnel guys really like the Greg Toler signing. He figures to start opposite Vontae Davis, and with Darius Butler being re-signed the Colts have a pretty good nickle configuration for the first time in years. They gave a little bit too much money to Erik Walden and Ricky Jean Francois, but I think these guys are talented and just don't have a lot of stats accumulated because they were behind names such as Justin Smith and Clay Matthews on their respective depth charts. Still feels like gambling on an unknown a little bit, but there is potential for upside. Hasselbeck is a huge improvement over Stanton at backup QB, although I sincerely hope I never have to see him attempt a pass for us. Vaughn, Sidbury and Franklin are great depth signings and Landry gives the Colts their best player at safety since Bob Sanders. He has had problems with injuries, but I think a lot of that was due to the shitty field in D.C. and not necessarily because he's injury prone. He started every game last year with the Jets. Overall, the Colts had a lot of money to spend and spent it wisely by adding a ton of depth to their team rather than shelling out the big bucks for the top FA's available. Defense actually looks promising, although they need to add another pass rushing element in the draft.
What's next?
The Colts have been negotiating with Darrius Heyward-Bey, formerly of the Oakland Raiders and one of Al Davis's last first round reaches. He has like a career 15 yards per catch which is pretty good considering the QBs he has had. With Luck and Indy's young and improving offense, he could be a good fit. He left Indy without a deal to go visit the Lions, but has not signed yet. If the Colts add him, their 2013 FA class is insanely good for the amount of money they had to spend.
As far as the draft goes, the Colts have a few areas of need remaining. Obviously DHB would offset the loss of Donnie Avery (I actually see DHB as an upgrade considering Avery's league-leading drops) but Reggie Wayne is 35 this year I do believe. His replacement needs to be drafted to being the grooming process. Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins may fall to the Colts at #24 in which case Grigson needs to pull the trigger. I don't recommend they try to trade up considering they gave their 2nd rounder this year to Miami in the Vontae Davis trade last year. But Davis's play improved dramatically toward the end of the year when he recovered from his injuries including the playoff game in which Joe Flacco did not target any WR covered by Davis in the 2nd half. Also had 2 picks in the season finale against Houston. The Colts also need a pass rusher and perhaps another RB as Donald Brown continues to not live up to his first round draft status.
Overall there is a lot of pressure on the Colts to win the division this year considering the 11-5 record last year. The Colts are transitioning from the Bruce Arians "bomb it downfield" offense into Pep Hamilton's West Coast scheme which Luck played in at Stanford. Look for Luck's completion percentage to go up, interceptions and attempts to go down. Passing yards is probably still a lock for around 4,000. I'm expecting big things from the Colts defense this year. If they can stay healthy, they should be much improved from last season.
My prediction: 10-6, Wild Card berth* (schedule is rough, complete with Peyton returning to Indy. Probably gonna go to that game).
* This is dependent on Houston having another injury free year which is rare and unlikely. If Houston falters at all, Indy takes the division.