http://www.colts.com/news/article-1/GRIGSON-MOVES-TOWARD-COMBINE/3fc11d12-ea8c-4dde-bae7-adb35768c7f0
I especially like this paragraph.
“We want to try to get starters in every round. That’s the goal. I firmly believe that is what we have to shoot for. You have to out-scout people. You have to out-work people. You have to watch more tape than the next guy. Each scout has to know his territory better than the next person. You have to have an eye for talent. You have to also know if a player is talented and if he will fit in the vision we have and the direction we’re going to go.”
This is in stark contrast to Polian who I sometimes felt made excuses because of where we were picking or how this draft was weak on talent. The jury will be out on Grigson, but he seems like a work-aholic which I really like.
Here's what I would like the Colts to do this offseason. Who knows what will really happen.
Sign Free Agents
Pierre Garcon - WR (Colts)
Antonio Garay - DT(Chargers - former DC team)
Scott Wells - C (Packers)
Trade 4th Round Pick - Asante Samuel (Eagles - former GM team)
Dennis Dixon - QB (Steelers - former OC team)
Jarrett Johnson - OLB (Ravens - former DC team)
Cut
Gary Brackett, Melvin Bullitt, Joseph Addai, Dwight Freeney
More after the jump
1. The pick will be Andrew Luck, as it should be. Luck is a better prospect and a better fit for what the direction that the organization wants to go in.
2. Why is RG3 considered a "running quarterback" anyway? Name the last QB to complete 291 passes for 4300 yards that was considered a "running QB."
Still, let us PRETEND that the Colts actually are weighing the two against each other, and that RG3 is in fact a running QB. So what? The whole "no running QB has won a Super Bowl" thing is a canard. The reason: not enough running QBs have had a chance to make a good sample. Now let us narrow our view to running QBs that teams have actually invested money and time in: guys that were 1st or 2nd round picks and/or started for 3 or more years, not every running QB to have ever gotten a training camp invite or something. And also let us only consider guys that were actually running QBs, and not guys that get labeled as such for various reasons that will not go unnamed. When you do this, you come to the conclusion: not many dual threat QBs have ever played in the NFL.
Consider this: the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets have never had a running QB. Neither have the Ravens, Bengals or Browns. Nor have the Texans or Colts, Kansas City, Oakland or San Diego. Neither have the New York Giants, nor the Washington Redskins (unless an aging Doug Williams and Donovan McNabb count), Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, or Minnesota Vikings (unless an aging Randall Cunningham/Donovan McNabb counts). Neither have the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, or Saint Louis Rams. So, 19 of the 32 NFL teams have NEVER truly had a running QB.
Of the teams that remain? The Steelers had 1 (Kordell Stewart, Joe Gilliam doesn't count because he started only 20 games). The Jaguars had 1, David Garrard. The Titans had 2: Steve McNair and Vince Young. Excluding John Elway from the analysis, the Broncos have only had 1, Tim Tebow, who hasn't had his 3 years yet. The Cowboys had 1: Quincy Carter (Roger Staubach was too long ago). The Eagles have had 3: Cunningham, McNabb and Vick. The Falcons had 1: Vick. The Panthers have had 1: Newton, who is also still in his 3 year period. The Bucs: 1, Shaun King. And that is really it. All right, let us go ahead and include Aaron Brooks of the Saints: 1. Add those numbers up? You get 10 QBs. That is all. 10 QBs since the running QB experiment began with Randall Cunningham in 1985.
Really, the whole argument is silly anyway, because it relies on excluding John Elway, who had 3400 career rushing yards and 33 career TDs. It also requires excluding Steve Young, who rushed for 4200 yards and 43 TDs in only 9 seasons as a starter! But still, claiming that running QBs as a rule can't win a Super Bowl because 10 guys in 25 years didn't get it done is utterly ridiculous. It really is a failure of those 10 guys alone. Even further, it is a failure of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans' organizations, who have played HALF of the NFL's running QBs. While Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair, Michael Vick and Vince Young certainly had their flaws as players, it is difficult to claim that the Eagles or Titans would have been better with dropback QBs.
So end the "running QBs can't win the Super Bowl" nonsense. That is, at least until enough running QBs get a shot for us to be able to really tell.
I want to take a moment here to give some credit to TrueBlue87 for his awesome job in Mocking the Draft's live draft this past week. He did a great job, and although there were some picks that I disagreed with, I thought he did the best possible given the players were available. Personally, when I looked at the results, it killed me seeing Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright taken immediately before our 5th round pick., and the lack of talent at good value in the middle rounds must have been frustrating. However, I am optimistic that the Grigson, Irsay, and Pagano can put together an even better draft. Although it is a talented guard class, they still seemed way overvalued in this draft. Also, every year, analysts and writers are surprised by the quarterbacks that are way overdrafted, and I can definitely see a desperate general manager taking a gamble on Tannehill or Foles in the first round that would push other players down to us in later rounds. Also, as much as I love Mocking the Draft, the guys they feature often times shoot way up readers boards. Players like Josh Norman and Adrian Hamilton will probably be available at least a bit later than where they are projected.
Here is a quick list of the Superbowl winning QB's and where they were drafted. I'm going to take a few cheap shots in the article at the fans, the managers, and some players so i apologize in advance. I'm also going to try to explain in simple English why I think taking luck could be a downfall for the colts organization. Let me say first if the Colts do take luck i am in no way going to be disappointed he has real skills and ability that, no one can deny. So lets go.
WARNER - UNDRAFTED: Alright year 1999 Kurt takes over for an injured Trent Green and leads his team to the show as a backup. This 4 time probowl, 2 time all pro, Superbowl winning SOB went undrafted in 1994. Also on a side note every playoff game he played in when he left the field his team was winning. So humbly I'd say someone let this guy slip through.
JOHNSON - pick 227: Brad Johnson was a career journeyman and got his Superbowl riding a wave of defense and a stellar run game. Their i said it but all in all he wasn't a terrible QB 82.4 career passer rating and the guy throwing to Chris Carter. He took over Trent Dilfer's team a top ten draft pick and took them to the Superbowl.
BRADY - pick 199: I don't really have to go over this as its beat into all our heads. Tom's drafted so low might aswell been undrafted turns out may be the best QB of all time LA DEE FREAKIN DA. But it a great point that this non first rounder has plenty of rings.
BREES - pick 32: Drew had a controversy with the chargers and got off to a late start. Great college career but all the pundits pegged him for his height saying that a 6 foor QB would get swallowed in the NFL by teams d-line. Year after year drew finds a way to get it done and break records. The guy can sling the rock simple as that. Drafted top of the second in the worst QB class in my memory only Vick was before him and he wasnt drafted for his QB skills.
RODGERS - pick 24: Drafted in 05 didn't win a Superbowl until 2010. Some would say he is as good now because he sat for a couple of years behind Farve. I'm not one of those but some might say that.
ROETHLISBERGER - Pick 11: BIG BEN is for me is like Brad Johnson. Won his first Superbowl with Defense and a running game. His first Superbowl was statistically the worst every played by a winning QB. Now Ben has panned out for the steelers but they seem to be on a decline and with cincy on the rise I don't see the big guy making it back to the show but a pair of rings aren't exactly paperweights.
DILFER - Pick 6: Well finally we are into the QB's that were drafted top in the top 10. And we start out with maybe the worst QB to ever win a Superbowl. Make a case for Mark Rypien all you want but Trent is the worst. Again another QB being carried buy defense and a run game.(are you seeing a pattern here)
ELI - Pick 1: I might make a case for Eli's first ring being defense and run game, but his last was purely him. He made all the throws and mangaed the game like a boss. The guy has it all and is a Hall of Fame QB now.
PEYTON - Pick 1: Colts fans im sorry but i have to do this. Peytons ring is a FLUKE. Not in the sense that he doesn't deserve it, or he didn't win it, or he isnt good enogh. In the sense that we played the worst QB in the bears have ever seen, a terrible coaching staff, and had it been a real offense that could function the game would have been different. Now let me defend myself the Peyton has never had the Defense or the Coaching Staff to get him the help he nees. The reason we all believe he is the best QB to ever play is that he made up for our organizations shortcomings. For all his success and stats he still only has one ring in his career. But how did Peyton effect our team outside his position.
My Thoughts:
Now what if we keep manning for two years. Trade the luck pick for some top teir Defensive talent in the draft. Start in a new direction with the new regime. Run first, pass second, our defense is here to hit you in the mouth type of team. Then draft a Ryan Tannehill and let him sit behind a great QB for a couple of years. Let him learn and prepare with a Hall of Fame QB. Hell you could pick up Russell Wilson late in the draft and acclimate him to the NFL and turn him into a Drew Brees. Russell's only down fall is he isn't 6 foot. He has got the arm, the athleticism, the head, and is a great leader we could pick him up in the 3rd and groom him to be a franchise guy for next to nothing on our cap. Well thats all i really had let me have it colts fans.
Thanks for reading
OdnsRvns
Must read article:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/02/weinke-manning-will-come-back-as-good-or-better/1#.T0KN_shm2uI
Chris Weinke had the same surgery as Peyton Manning, to the point he had to "re-teach" himself how to even throw the football.
And a year later he wins the Heisman Trophy and leads Florida State to the National Championship.
Something to ponder in all of the "let's dump Peyton Manning" discussions on this page.
I know I know Luck is good but is he worth the value the Colts could get out of the number one pick? I have been wondering lately what if we trade this pick to Cleveland? Say the colts received cleveland's 4th, 22nd, next years number 1 and hayden for luck? I say trade it ASAP! Just think we could get Blackmon and Dont'a Hightower. In the second we could have the chance of getting Ryan Tannehilla. You are probably thinking who would be our starting qb. I say bring in Orton and lets establish a new run first offense. Orton can win. If he isn't the band aid that he usually is then we still have two number one's next year. I think this gamble is worth taking. Look at the qb class of 11" Dalotn, Newton, Locker, and ponder. Coming into the draft it was a horrible Qb draft. Now we look back and say it wasn't that bad. I hope the Colts take the risk and trade the pick and draft a potential starting qb like Tannehilla or hell even Brandon Weeden. What do you guys think is it worth it????
So, Friday evening and most of Saturday afternoon, MockingTheDraft had their first live mock and I had the honor of representing the Colts. Scheduled on only be five rounds, it ending up being seven. Here is the breakdown of what happened. I'll try and narrate my thought process as well.
Round 1, Pick 1: Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford University
-I don't really need to explain this one.
Round 2, Pick 34: Chase Minnifield, Cornerback, University of Virginia
-The end of the first saw a number of guys on my BPA list go to other teams. New England took Mark Barron at 27, Chicago took Mohammed Sanu at 19, Green Bay took Peter Konz at 28 and Michael Floyd went to Philadelphia at 23. So, between Brandon Thomspon and Alfonso Dennard I took Minnifield.
Chase Minnifield has somehow gotten the label of being a zone guy and that's just not true. Minnifield performs well in both zone and man coverage. His father was a Pro Bowl corner for Cleveland so Minnifield has been raised around the game. At 6' 185 Minnifield has got the perfect build to play corner in the NFL. He's got the necessary personality traits to excel at the next level and pairing Minnifield with Powers goes a long way toward helping shore up the Colts secondary. Several teams, especially Buffalo, were extremely upset I stole Minnifield right out from under them.
I want to go ahead and address Dontari Poe. I don't like him as a prospect and I've been very vocal about that. I don't think he can consistently produce at an NFL level because his disappeared too many times in games against Conference USA, much less better, competition. Poe wasn't even on my board.
Round 3, Pick 65: Trade. Gave New Orleans 65th and 193rd for 91st, 155th, 219th, 2013 2nd, 2013 4th
-Watching the end of the second round was horrible as every single player I had targeted came off the board. Alameda Ta'amu went to Dallas 45. Josh Chapman was snatched up by the Texans at 48. Kevin Zeitler went to New England at 48. Buffalo repaid me for taking Minnfield by getting Fleener at 47. Detroit took Ben Jones at 54. The trade New Orleans offered was too good to pass up. I didn't see any great prospects for the third round so I moved back to the end, where I could use my list of fourth round prospects. I picked up an additional fifth round pick as well as one high and one mid round pick for the 2013 draft. (Though this had no bearing on the mock, it made sense in playing the role)
Round 3, Pick 91: Nicolas Jean-Baptise, Nose Tackle/Defensive Tackle, Baylor University
-I reached a bit here, by consensus of the group. Perhaps that's true (though for some ranking sites I took him right smack dab in the middle of his range), but the drop-off from Jean-Baptise to the other nose tackles was too great to risk. Jean-Baptise is roughly the same size as Chapman (Both are 6'1. Chapman is 310, Jean-Baptise is 335). During his senior season, Jean-Baptise had 36 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss. Jean-Baptise also shined at the East-West Shrine Game, absolutely dominating the East squad's interior line in the game and the West's interior in practice. I would have preferred Chapman, but Jean-Baptise is in the same mold.
Round 4, Pick 98: Ryan Broyles, Wide Receiver, University of Oklahoma
-There were a ton of receivers left on the board when I went on the clock with the second pick of the fourth round. Knowing that a run on receivers was coming, I decided to take a gamble on Broyles, and the pick was universally met with approval from the group. If Ryan Broyles hadn't gone down with an ACL-tear, then we'd be talking about being lucky to get him at 34. He is a stand-up citizen and if you've ever seen the Sooners play, you know Broyles has a great feel for the sideline, excellent body control, runs crisp routes with a full route tree, and makes great catches without using his body. Broyles's size at 5'11 185 has some pegging him for the slot, but I think he has the speed to also play outside. Since his ACL was repaired by Dr. James Andrews, I have no doubt Broyles will make a full recovery and become a favorite target of Andrew Luck.
Round 5, Pick 129: Jordan White, Wide Receiver, Western Michigan University
-I hadn't planned on going receiver twice in a row. I considered taking Tank Johnson, ILB, TCU (Tampa took him at 133. I also considered going corner again with Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa (Buffalo at 140). I had hoped Casey Heyward would've fallen, but he went mid-round in the fourth to Dallas at 114. But White, a third-fourth round prospect offered too much value to pass up. While the Colts might be able to resign Garcon or Gonzalez, it's far from guaranteed. White is a good sized prospect at 6'0 215 and is projected to run a 4.48 40. His route tree is limited and needs some polishing, but he does run those routes he knows well. He has good body control and, unlike guys like Quick, Criner, or Jones he makes catches with his hands and not his body. Value trumped need, and the pick was universally hailed by the other GMs present.
Round 5, Pick 155: David Paulson, Tight End, University of Oregon
-Here is another pick I was trying to trade, to grab picks 172, 203, and a 2013 fourth from Kansas City, but he pulled out of the deal. The two guys I had my eyes on were Paulson and Cyrus Grey, the running back from Texas A&M. However, Seattle traded up 148 and took him. So I went with Paulson. The Oregon tight end had a quite season, but looks like a sleeper prospect. Paulson has a good body at 6'4 245. He runs fluid routes, especially across the seam. His blocking seems to have improved and he looked good at the East-West Shrine Game. With a bit of good coaching, Paulson could surprise and I felt like he was the best value in the mid fifth, especially since he's rated a 3-4 prospect.
Round 6, Pick 162: Joel Foreman, Offensive Guard, Michigan State University
-Some of the guys I targeted with this pick were taken. Asa Jackson and Omer Bolden were off the board. Lonnie Edwards, the Texas Tech standout, went one pick before I took Paulson. Foreman has the potential to be a starter. His season was solid, and he has excellent technique in both run and pass blocking which is of vital importance to an offensive lineman in the NFL. At 6-4, 310 Foreman fits with the move of bulking up along the front. He may never be an All-Pro right guard, but he has the tools to be a starter.
Round 7, Pick 219: Mike Daniels, Defensive Tackle, University of Iowa
-Though Bill Polian is gone I had to keep the Iowa-Colts connection going. The guy I really wanted was Grant Garner, the center from Oklahoma State. Unfortunately, Tennessee took him at 204. Fortunately for me, Daniels fell and the pick got an approving declaration of "steal" from moderate setonhallandsteelers. Daniels is a "tweener" defensive tackle at 6'1 280, which may be why he fell so far in the draft. Daniels has a non-stop motor and ended his senior year with 67 tackles, 9 sacks, and 10.5 tackles for loss. I figured with pick 219 taking a high motor defensive tackle to try and convert to a 3-4 end was worth a shot.
So there is the draft. Not as much defense as I went in with on my board, but people were overdrafting rush linebackers and 3-4 defensive ends. That let my get two great receivers in the fourth and fifth rounds. I did manage to address the biggest holes on the defense by nabbing another starting cornerback and a nose tackle, though there are questions as to whether Jean-Baptise can play from day one. I was also banking on some defensive conversions, including resigning Mathis and Anderson and turning Moala and Nevis into 3-4 DE's. I also didn't take any strong safeties because there weren't any for any kind of reasonable value. Barron went in the first and Harrison Smith was overdrafted in the second round. I gamble Delano Howell would be available as a UDFA and I was right, but I don't know if he offers much upgrade over Lefedge.
I've been here before to share full interviews that I have had with Tommie Harris, Quan Cosby, and Pat Angerer. I also was here to share an article I wrote about covering my first NFL game (Colts v. Redskins). That's when I met LB, Pat Angerer. It was his first NFL start, and we talked after the game. He had 11 tackles, and one sack, and was a really nice guy. I will tell you that I was a sophomore in high school at the time, so he found it pretty confusing why I was in the locker room, but it started our conversation. Hope you remember me as I'm a high school senior and I work really hard to interview NFL players. I'm here to share a more-focused interview I did with him after this past season.
Here is the link to the interview: http://prointerviews.org/Angerer. If you want to read a teaser to the interview, use the jump.
With all the talks surrounding Peyton and Luck. We are forgetting that Freeney is in the last year in his huge contract. With the colts switching to a 3-4, maybe the colts should try to trade Freeney! Just like the Pats did with Seymour. The Bucs, Jags, and Falcons all need a D.E. and they all have plenty of cap space. The Bucs and Jags have great first round pick. I think the Colts should be able to get a 1st or more for a HOF DE. What does everyone else?
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