Colts D and our D....

They have a great passrush, speedy LBs, and forced a lot of turnovers. The key for Indy is to get a lead and force the other team to throw the ball. If they can do that, it plays to their strengths on D.

That's why the Steelers could beat them in the playoffs. They had a power run game that Indy couldn't match up with and a defense that kept Indy's offense in check.

No philosophy is perfect. Indy's works for their game with the talent they have at DE. But then it worked in Tampa with a so-so offense because they had better overall talent on D.

 

They have Bob Sanders!

 

Yeah I'd rather have LBs with more bulk that put fear in RBs mind as soon as they THINK about taking the handoff. But with the new rules the NFL is allowing way less contact and speed is the only way to be effective until they eliminate these pro-payton rules

 

Cato June should have come up by now!!

 

Colts D has several advantages over our D.

First and foremost is the guy running it! Even when they only had one NAME player they had an average D. With a lot of NAME players we get an average D. This is because we have - at best - an average DC.

Second, they have a better front four than Tampa did in terms of pass rush and as SK said, that's WHY their D has been so good. With their excellent offense...they get the lead and then you have to play against an awesome passrush and a zone D played very well!

One thing you should notice about Indy is that they have so many quick and fast guys, someone always slips a blocks and gets the ball carrier. On paper you should be able to run all over them. Mathis is what...250 against a 320lb OT? He should be pancaked on every run but he's not. That's excellent athleticism combined with good coaching. And even if you get him blocked, one of the LB's usually slips a block. When most teams get blocked the way it's drawn up, it's a 5-7 yard gain. Indy'll give up 10-15...but it happens so rarely because like we used to be, they are a high EFFORT D! If you can get by the front 7, Doss or Sanders are flying up to make the tackle.

Arguably, we have MORE talent than they do on D but don't finish anywhere as close...and it's not ALL on their offense getting them the lead.

But to answer your question, I prefer faster LB's who can cover, blitz, shed well and are excellent tacklers. Think Derrick Brooks in his prime!

If a guy can't tackle at LB, he can't play. If he's too slow, or doesn't shed well, or can't cover well, you have to figure out how to use him to maximize his strengths and limit his weaknesses. This is much more important than whether or not we have fast LB's or slow beefy guys. This is why Schwartz takes so much heat...and should! It's up to him to get these guys to fit into being a dominant D....and we haven't seen that since Gregg Williams....5 years ago?

Ya think we're gonna give Tyrone Calico 6 years to develop at WR? Heck no. Schwartz is about 2 years overdue on delivering on his promise. If he doesn't get it done this year, he should be gone.

And keep this in mind. If Gregg Williams were our DC, I'm pretty sure this D would be in the top 10!

Gut

 

The Colts offense helped out there D allot last season.

Manning was not looking to bomb down the field on every play but took advantage of the smaller plays. Move the chains instead of score on every play.

It kept there D off the field more and they controlled the clock better. The D had time to study on the sidelines and rest up.

 

There are always 2 ways of looking at stats...

Did Indy give up a high rush avg because they were playing pass first most of the time and didn't care if you got 6 yards on 3rd and 10?

And analyzing a pass rush has a lot more to do with sacks and stuff because no one compiles stats of QB pressures or forced errant throws.

We are not losing our Old Titans style D...we lost that the first year Schwartz took over...5 years ago. Hopefully, playing more man will see us get CLOSER to what we used to do. Unfortunately, from what I've seen the last 5 years, I'm not gonna hold my breath...just HOPE for the best!

Gut