Off season defense

[Stinger226]

I took 30 mil of the cap and tried to fill as many needs as possible. I used the salaries they posted in the article of PFF top 200 FA

LB Anthony Walker. 4 mil led Browns in Ts

WR Micheal Gallup 5 mil. He will miss 4 to 5 games

3T Quinton Jefferson 4 mil. 6 sacks--43 pressures

CB Mike Hughes 3.25.    77.8 PFF Coverage rating

OC Ted Karras 4.33.   73 PFF  grade,  started last 2 years for NE

LT Joseph Noteboom 4 mil   filled in for Whitworth 400 snaps, 79 PFF rating

SS Jayron Kearse 5 mil   played well for Dallas last year.

Spent 29.53 mil

 

 

[Mongo3451]

9 hours ago, AZ54 said:

In terms of FA fits this proposal feels more likely: 

Anthony Walker played for the Browns last year. Led the team in Ts. Played in Indy the previous 4 yrs. He played for 2.5  mil. He's 27. Would be a perfect get at MLB. A 3 year- 14 mil should get him here. Give him 7 guaranteed. What say you

Looks good on paper, but if he was what Eberflus needed on D, he never would have left Indy.  The Colts have been in great cap shape the last few years.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

Looks good on paper, but if he was what Eberflus needed on D, he never would have left Indy.  The Colts have been in great cap shape the last few years.

He was drafted in 2017,  second on team in Ts 2018 and 2019, then led the team in 2020. Couldn't find any stories relating to why he left .  Maybe he wanted a better contract, turned down there offer and ended up getting stuck in the second wave sighing .  Had to settle for a 1year deal. The stories said he was one of the team leaders so not sure why he left.  It wasn't because of production. Had more Ts than Dadius Leonard in 2020.

[adam]

8 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

8 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I took 30 mil of the cap and tried to fill as many needs as possible. I used the salaries they posted in the article of PFF top 200 FA

LB Anthony Walker. 4 mil led Browns in Ts

WR Micheal Gallup 5 mil. He will miss 4 to 5 games

3T Quinton Jefferson 4 mil. 6 sacks--43 pressures

CB Mike Hughes 3.25.    77.8 PFF Coverage rating

OC Ted Karras 4.33.   73 PFF  grade,  started last 2 years for NE

LT Joseph Noteboom 4 mil   filled in for Whitworth 400 snaps, 79 PFF rating

SS Jayron Kearse 5 mil   played well for Dallas last year.

Spent 29.53 mil

You nailed in man. I completely agree on Walker, Gallup, Jefferson and Karras.

My only changes would be instead of Noteboom and Kearse for $9M, I would go Solder, OT (5M), Desmond King, CB ($2.5M) and Rashard Higgins, WR ($2M) for $9.5M total. That would put you at $30.03M for:

Walker, LB
Jefferson, DL
Hughes and King, CB

Karras, C
Solder, OT
Gallup and Higgins, WR

You can replace Solder with Noteboom and save $1M. For Safety, I think they bring back Gipson and DHC. 

WR before draft: Gallup, Mooney, Higgins, Grant (this actually feels better than ARob, Mooney, Byrd, Goodwin)
OL before draft: Jenkins, Whitehair, Karras, Borom, Solder/Noteboom
CB before draft: Johnson, Graham, Hughes, King, Vildor, Shelley (Vildor and Shelley from CB2/3 to CB 5/6)

[adam]

Smith, Kitchens, and Walker would be a very solid LB corps.

[Mongo3451]

3 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

He was drafted in 2017,  second on team in Ts 2018 and 2019, then led the team in 2020. Couldn't find any stories relating to why he left .  Maybe he wanted a better contract, turned down there offer and ended up getting stuck in the second wave sighing .  Had to settle for a 1year deal. The stories said he was one of the team leaders so not sure why he left.  It wasn't because of production. Had more Ts than Dadius Leonard in 2020.

I stand corrected.  Thank you...

 

Colts lose long-time starting LB Anthony Walker to Browns in free agency

Jim Ayello

Indianapolis Star

 

another multi-year starter is leaving Indianapolis. Following in the footsteps of Jacoby Brissett and Denico Autry, Anthony Walker became the latest Colts veteran to say goodbye to the Circle City. 

The longtime Colts linebacker is headed to Cleveland on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, according to a league source familiar with the situation.

The final pick of Chris Ballard’s first draft as general manager of the Colts, Walker proved to be a steal in the fifth round (No. 161 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. 

In four seasons in Indianapolis, Walker suited up for 57 games, made 48 starts and recorded 347 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.

As those numbers surely testify, he provided a stable, consistent force in the middle of a blossoming Colts defense, missing just one game in his final three seasons. He also flashed some impressive versatility, ably sliding over to weakside linebacker whenever Darius Leonard was forced to miss time. 

Walker was able to play multiple positions for the Colts, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus once said, for the same reasons he was so stellar in the middle: His intelligence and preparation. 

Walker liked to do his own film study of an upcoming opponent on Mondays, taking notes and passing them to his teammates before they got the game plan from Eberflus later in the week.

“What makes Anthony so good is his ability to see things fast and beat guys to the punch,” Eberflus said. “He’s able to do that down in, down out, and that’s why he’s been such an effective linebacker for us over the last couple of years." Added veteran Justin Houston, “I think he is very smart. “He recognizes a play so fast. All screens and trick plays, you see how fast he comes downhill just because he recognizes the play. You can tell he watches a lot of film.”

Outside of being a field general and tackling machine, Walker emerged quickly as a locker room leader and was considered by many Colts to be a close friend.

“Well, I’m about to cry,’' Leonard tweeted, just after the news broke.

“Crazy to see such an amazing person, leader, player and a friend leave a locker room!  …. Amazing player man, he does everything the right way! It sucks that he’s leaving but Cleveland is gaining a Dawg! He’s a great leader and he’s going to lead your defense to be great! I will truly miss him! I give him a lot of credit for my success! I wouldn’t be me without him!’' Leonard said in subsequent tweets. 

Despite all of Walker’s ability and what he meant to the team, the Colts knew they were probably going to lose him this offseason. Over the past year and a half, Walker had begun to cede some of his playing time to the younger, more athletically gifted Bobby Okereke. 

Though Walker played 68% of the Colts defensive snaps last season, he lost more and more playing time as the season wore on. He cracked 50% just one time in the final three weeks of the regular season and played only 18 snaps against the pass-first Bills in the postseason. 

At the beginning of the offseason, Ballard all but said goodbye to Walker:

“I’ve got a special relationship with Anthony Walker,” Ballard said. “Selfless, team guy, rare leader. I hope he gets into coaching or scouting one day. Mark my words, Anthony Walker, if he gets into coaching, will be a head coach in the National Football League some day, and if he gets into scouting, he’ll be a general manager. He’s brilliant. He’s absolutely brilliant, and he’s made of the right stuff.

[AZ54]

12 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I took 30 mil of the cap and tried to fill as many needs as possible. I used the salaries they posted in the article of PFF top 200 FA

LB Anthony Walker. 4 mil led Browns in Ts

WR Micheal Gallup 5 mil. He will miss 4 to 5 games

3T Quinton Jefferson 4 mil. 6 sacks--43 pressures

CB Mike Hughes 3.25.    77.8 PFF Coverage rating

OC Ted Karras 4.33.   73 PFF  grade,  started last 2 years for NE

LT Joseph Noteboom 4 mil   filled in for Whitworth 400 snaps, 79 PFF rating

SS Jayron Kearse 5 mil   played well for Dallas last year.

Spent 29.53 mil

 

 

Looks good.  Adds some players who can start or contribute now without long term handicaps in contracts.  It's a strategy Poles could pursue to give him a couple years to draft his players.   The alternative being to lockup 2-3 higher priced starters long term.  

[Stinger226]

5 hours ago, adam said:

You nailed in man. I completely agree on Walker, Gallup, Jefferson and Karras.

My only changes would be instead of Noteboom and Kearse for $9M, I would go Solder, OT (5M), Desmond King, CB ($2.5M) and Rashard Higgins, WR ($2M) for $9.5M total. That would put you at $30.03M for:

Walker, LB
Jefferson, DL
Hughes and King, CB

Karras, C
Solder, OT
Gallup and Higgins, WR

You can replace Solder with Noteboom and save $1M. For Safety, I think they bring back Gipson and DHC. 

WR before draft: Gallup, Mooney, Higgins, Grant (this actually feels better than ARob, Mooney, Byrd, Goodwin)
OL before draft: Jenkins, Whitehair, Karras, Borom, Solder/Noteboom
CB before draft: Johnson, Graham, Hughes, King, Vildor, Shelley (Vildor and Shelley from CB2/3 to CB 5/6)

There is risk with Noteboom, the last two years he only played part time but played very well. I figured taking the chance on a ascending player instead of one that was in decline. I figure the new oline coach could have some input , there is a few options with Pittsburgh, OG Trai Turner and Chukwuma Okorafor could be in play also. I was trying find room for another WR. I like Zay Jones but he was  to expensive at 6 mil. We will definitely add two FAs. I think Pringle and Demarcus Robinson could be in play with Poles coming from KC, or with Getzy from GB, Valdes-Scantling , Allen Lazard.

[Stinger226]

Does anyone think Kyle Long could stay healthy enough at a  one year gig? Poles thought so in KC last year.

[Mongo3451]

22 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Does anyone think Kyle Long could stay healthy enough at a  one year gig? Poles thought so in KC last year.

He's a talent evaluator, not a doctor.  I can hear Bones yelling that at Jim.  "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a talent evaluator!"

[adam]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Does anyone think Kyle Long could stay healthy enough at a  one year gig? Poles thought so in KC last year.

Did he stay healthy in KC, I didn't follow him?

[Stinger226]

No hurt in training camp.

[adam]

11 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

No hurt in training camp.

oh, hard pass unless he comes in for league min.

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, adam said:

oh, hard pass unless he comes in for league min.

He stole that money from KC.  He didn't last the first week.  He's made too much money to accept a vet minimum, unless he's dying to play again.

[Connorbear]

19 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Does anyone think Kyle Long could stay healthy enough at a  one year gig? Poles thought so in KC last year.

No. He's done. Can't stay healthy. 
 

Peace

[Stinger226]

Our D line coach came from the Raiders. I hope he can get Quinton Jefferson to come here . He would be a perfect 3T . last year had 6 sacks and 43 pressures. He's 28, 6'4" 291. I don't think he makes more than 6-7 mil per year.