While the Colts may not be making changes to the scheme ran under Tony Dungy, they appear to be making a change to their philosophy. Below is a quote from an older article from the Indy Star:
It appears the days of the bend-but-don't-break defense, especially on third down, are over. Larry Coyer, who replaced Ron Meeks as coordinator, will force the issue. His objective is for the defense to be more aggressive on third down, make plays and get the ball back to the offense. I have never been a big fan of the bend but don't break philosophy of defense. The Colts offense goes full throttle. Let's get a defense out there that does the same. There was nothing more frustrating than watching the Colts defense on 3rd down give a life lin to the opposing team on a repetitive basis. It is absolutely demoralizing to the defensive unit, it wear them out, and the longer they are on the field the longer the offense has to sit on the side lines and lose any rhythm.
The Colts defense has ranked 31st since 2002 in allowing opponents to convert 42% of 3rd downs. Yes they limited the big plays but I would rather give up a big play or two and be more consistent getting the opposing offense off the field more consistently rather than have them nickel dime the Colts to death with the run. Speed the flow of the game. Heck even have the offense go more no huddle which works well when the Colts use it.
I was hugely thrilled by the DTs picked up which should help shore up the horrible run D and allow the play makers to do what they do best make plays. This has the looks of the strongest defense that the Colts have fielded in a few years but it doesn't just end with the players in the scheme but the coordinator calling the plays. Here is hoping Coyer is the answer to turn this thing around. Things sound and look good so far.
I was also tired of watching the cushions given to opposing WRs on 3rd downs. They CBs were playing so far off the opposing WRs, that it made it easy for the team to pick up a first down.
I am really looking forward to seeing the defense this season. It looks like the team has the bodies in the middle, which will allow the LBs and Bob Sanders to run blitz and force teams into more 3rd and long situations.
This will should help Freeney and Mathis do what they do best -- rush the passer.
Croyer's track record with the Broncos as their defensive coordinator is definitely something that gives us reason to hope. The worst part about the Colts defensive philophy of bend-but-don't-break was that it was such a horrible fit for this particular team. The Colts offense is predicated on tiring out bigger defenses. You can't do that if those defenses are getting spa treatments on the sideline while the Colts defense gives up one long drive after another.
In Economics, they have what they call opportunity cost. In short, making a decision that earns you $10 is not as good as it sounds if it involves foregoing an opportunity to make make $20. Yes, the Colts defense might save some points by bending but not breaking, but what good is it if it winds up costing the Colts offense even more points? If the defense holds the opponent to a field goal instead of a touchdown, but as a result wastes a touchdown the Colts offense would have otherwise scored, what good did it accomplish really? I'd rather be tied at 7-7 than down 3-0.
This is exactly why points per game alone is not always enough to properly rate defenses. If you believe that stat, the Colts had a top 10 defense last year. The Colts were a top 5 offense in both points and yards per drive, but they were just average in points and yards per game. That's entirely on the defense.
i totally agree we rely on a perfect offense way to much.if our offense makes one mistake our d is unable to find the motivation to get a stop or a turnover.basically if our offense plays bad our deffense plays bad and that needs to change.if our d can find a way to get the ball to our offense more we could possibly win another superbowl.
I am really looking forward to seeing the defense this season. It looks like the team has the bodies in the middle, which will allow the LBs and Bob Sanders to run blitz and force teams into more 3rd and long situations.
This will should help Freeney and Mathis do what they do best -- rush the passer.
I am predicting a little bit more blitzing but not that much because that is not how the scheme is designed and they are still running the same scheme. I think they will probably blitz in certain situations which is good so they are not so predictable.
However, I do believe the key point you hit on is that with the big DTs in the middle hopefully stuffing the run and putting the teams in more 3rd and longs the Colts will be able to unleash their pass rush with Freeney and Mathis. They will be far more effective if the Colts can stop the run. They were basically voided out last year because teams could just run on the Colts at will. That is the key that the Colts won't need to blitz much with Freeney and Mathis going after the QB (or even Howard as a sub).
That is the key that the Colts won't need to blitz much with Freeney and Mathis going after the QB (or even Howard as a sub).
Agreed, but I would like to see the effectiveness of blitzing Phillip Wheeler up the middle with the new interior linemen occupying blockers and the protection scheme's overly concerned with stopping Freeney and Mathis off the edge. When the Colts blitzed up the middle with Bracket from time to time, it just never seemed worthwhile since that's not exactly his forte.
I think that could turn into a real nice go-to-play, especially against teams like the Steelers who struggle with handling blitzes. The Colts will need to put a lot of pressure on both Roethlisberger and Brady if they want to go somewhere far next season.
Yessir, this year we've got plenty of options! But I, for one, would love to see Howard at the "Will" linebacker slot. Since he has speed to burn, let him shade RBs coming out of the backfield and help support the down linemen. There's a couple of decent players, who used to man the DT position (Dawson & Foster) who should be considered for the position. If you feel the need for a speed rusher, you still have Curtis Johnson! Provided everybody stays reasonably healthy, we're pretty deep across the board. I just wish we had a bruising RB to push the chains when we need it. We have speed & finesse; we need a Peterbilt too!
Phillip Wheeler up the middle with the new interior linemen occupying blockers and the protection scheme's overly concerned with stopping Freeney and Mathis off the edge.
If there is blitzing, I would like to see Wheeler be the one to do it as that was one of his strengths in college. I am looking forward to hopefully a few wrinkles such as a blitz or two to keep teams guessing. As I said for the most part, I don't think that they will blitz much but I am sure they will do more so than last season.
I just wish we had a bruising RB to push the chains when we need it.
Kappa
I love the Colts back field this year and the depth there but that is one thing that is missing is a big back for 3rd and shorts and goal line situations. I still think the running game will be vastly improved this year though.
If there is blitzing, I would like to see Wheeler be the one to do it as that was one of his strengths in college. I am looking forward to hopefully a few wrinkles such as a blitz or two to keep teams guessing. As I said for the most part, I don't think that they will blitz much but I am sure they will do more so than last season.
Yeah, I'm looking for more effecitve blitzing rather than simply more blitzing. The only blitzing that ever seemed to do anything before was with Bob Sanders, and that seemed to really just be about him already being down close to the line of scrimmage in case of a run, so he might as well go after the quarterback instead of trying to recover back into coverage.
I just wish we had a bruising RB to push the chains when we need it. We have speed & finesse; we need a Peterbilt too!
Haha maybe the Colts are going to use Terrance Taylor as a situational full back like the Bears did with the Fridge. He's the strongest player the Colts have had in forever. I'd like to see that guy trying to pick up short yardage sometime just to see if it works out.
I agree with the sentiment on the defensive philosophy. I have said from way back I like a Jim Johnson Eagles style attacking D. But dont forget that this same defense run in Tampa was stifling offenses. This team's problem in my opinion has not been the defensivee scheme but the fact that talent was limited by disparate ditribution of assets, skewed towards the offense. The scheme was also crippled by the string of bad luck/bad decisions/bad karma at DT. I am glad we seem to be moving somewhat to a more aggressive D with more blitzing packages. But I am not sure our prior defenses could not have been more effective with more, or at least a better fit, of talent.
This team's problem in my opinion has not been the defensivee scheme but the fact that talent was limited by disparate ditribution of assets, skewed towards the offense. The scheme was also crippled by the string of bad luck/bad decisions/bad karma at DT. I am glad we seem to be moving somewhat to a more aggressive D with more blitzing packages. But I am not sure our prior defenses could not have been more effective with more, or at least a better fit, of talent.
I agree that the DT situation has hurt the Colts and the bad luck there. They never had that dominating defensive tackle like Warren Sapp was for Tampa in that scheme.
However, I am of the firm belief that if you plug enough talent in to any scheme it will work. No doubt that Tampa Bay team had a lot of defensive talent with Sapp, Lynch, Brooks, Barber, McFarland, etc. I think with more aggressiveness with the current scheme and a bit of tweaking as well as the addition of the DTs this will lead to better results. I like you like more attacking like the Eagles or even Buddy Ryans' defenses.
This team's problem in my opinion has not been the defensivee scheme but the fact that talent was limited by disparate ditribution of assets, skewed towards the offense.
I don't know if that's fair. The Colts have used more of their draft value for defense than offense. They have actually been more one-sided in favor of defense than either the Patriots or Steelers. The percentage of their salary cap dedicated to defense in 2008 was right there with the Patriots and Eagles.
Even Tampa Bay's potent defense wasn't particularly good against the run with Sapp and McFarland in the middle. The bend but don't break philosophy inherent in the Tampa 2 is part of the problem here because the Colts are worse in that regard than they are as an overall defense. Even in 2007, with a rather good defense, they had one of the worst third down conversion rates allowed in the league. Obviously it's not the only problem, but it is certainly part of the problem. You can only afford to skew your defense that way when you have an elite defense year after year. It simply doesn't work. Even then it can be problematic against the right offenses.
The Bucaneeers spent their time battling the Rams and Eagles as the top dogs in the NFC during Dungy's time there. Those are two offenses that loved to pass and don't think a whole lot about running. In that situation, the Tamp 2 is exactly what you want. However, in a division where everyone is gearing up to pound the ball on the ground and in a conference/time the Patriots, Steelers, and Chargers are the top dogs, it doesn't work so well.
The Colts defense has been way too unbalanced. They have been built to expect the Colts offense to put up a bunch of points every game, and that's not right. As I mentioned earlier, it's particularly problematic when the Colts offense is designed and built to tire out bigger defenses. You can't do that with extended vacations on the sideline. When the Colts offense is humming, the Tampa 2 seems like the perfect scheme for this team. However, when it inevitably hits a speed bump, it's honesty the worst scheme for this team. The Colts offense would score more points in the games they have struggled in if they could get back out on the field sooner and more often. It has gotten to the point where giving up more points more quickly is probably better than giving up fewer points more slowly.
Teams are not going to be able hold off the Colts offense for 12 drives in a game, but they are going to be able to do it for 8 drives.
indianajim , I totally agree great post , I was very happy when the Colts picked Tony Dungy as Head coach , I at the time felt our defense would instantly improve , But Ron Meeks was a failure , It was excruciating to watch the defense continually give up run after run for huge gains , I am happy with the new beef in the middle but more than that , A change in the philosophy is exactly what was needed . Our offense was in place & has performed at a high level all these years , Now as a Colts fan I believe there on the right track & Hope springs eternal once again , I go into every season with high hopes an this year will be no different , Yet because of the coaching changes as well as DT additions , I believe we have the defense that can finally compliment one of the best offenses in the league
I am quite happy as well going into this season. The only potential issues I see going into this season are OT and WR (if the three younger players the Colts have don't pan out) and those are only issues if injuries occur. Obviously backup QB would be an issue as well but that would be true for most teams with a QB the caliber of Manning. It would be hard to replicate that on the bench but I wouldn't mind seeing some improvement at that position as well.
I am quite please with the way the Colts look right now and the defensive improvements are a big part of that. The Colts are deeper at most positions than they have ever been. Hopefully, this reaps some rewards this season.
Has anyone even stopped to consider what it will cost in terms of money to play the game on defense you guys want the Colts to play? You guys are all chomping at the bit because Coyer is supposedly turning the dogs loose. Do the Colts really have the corners to play an all out aggressive defense? What is the cost of a true "cover corner" that will be needed? Hey, I like Hayden and Jackson as much as anyone. I just don't want to see them out on an island too many times during the game. It will cost money to bring in and keep the tpe of corners needed to play that type of defense. Wheeler is a very good pass rusher, but which of the other LBs is? Once again, you're back to paying for the type of LB to play that type of defense. Sanders and Bethea are playmaking/ball safeties, but do you really want them on their heels all game because aggressive defenses get burned big time when the gamble fails. It's why the Ravens spend all of their money on the defensive side of the ball. On every level, their defense has real players. The Patriots until recently spent their money on their defense. The Steelers spend their money on defense. The Eagles, Giants, Bucs, etc. spend their money on defense. Amazingly the Colts (by stats alone and not in real life??????) still manage to have put in top 12 finishes with a couple top fives during Meeks' tenure. This includes their weakness against the run that for some reason has the blinders on people. Reality time people. If the team is 'weak" against the run and still manages to be one of the better teams in OVERALL defense and scoring defense, which of the stats really count? HELLO, it's the OVERALL and SCORING defenses. If the other team doesn't score moree than you, what happens? The other team loses. Does it matter if they ran for 500 yds if they score 17 pts and lose?
Now the last time I checked, the Colts did not have a lot of cap room, if any at all to play this game. Who are you going to sacrifice on offense? What weapon are you going to take away from Peyton Manning? After all, it takes plenty of money to keep his arsenal full and his butt protected.
That being said, bend but don't break was boring but had it's merits. Oh yeah PIA, you can't play the deceptive stats game when it comes to defense without playing the same game when it comes to the offense. Yes, you're playing a game. If the defense was one of the better defenses in the league in pts allowed, then it was according to your theory of "stats don't lie" when you want to protect the virtue of the Colts offense. The fact that the Colts allowed only one passing TD all season is astounding. To say the stat covered up for other failings opens the door for people to bring up once again that the Colts offense's propensity for turning the ball over at the absolute worst times is becoming legendary and a lot of times it's happened directly after a key defensive stop. Talk about deceptive stats. Does it matter how many points you've scored or yards you've gained during a game if you can't convert a 2nd and 2 to ice a game? If you can't do that, then what was the point of the other yards. For the defense, if they let the other team drive 50, 60 and 70 yds for FG's when they know their offense is built to score TDs is a win every day of the week unless...the offense isn't scoring.
Good lord I wish people would stop buying in to the talking heads on tv sometimes and believe what their actually watching. People dogged the Colts defense a couple years ago when they were top 5 and led the league in scoring defense as being not good enough. Whether or not Coyer brings 1 extra blitz a game more than last year or doesn't, the Colts defense stands to improve due to the interior line help through the draft and the return of big Ed Johnson. The line depth alone is a game changer without changing the defensive "theme" as their top 5 finish had a lot to do with the play of guys like Johnson and Pitcock and not blitzing or doing anything fancy.
Do the Colts really have the corners to play an all out aggressive defense? What is the cost of a true "cover corner" that will be needed? Hey, I like Hayden and Jackson as much as anyone. I just don't want to see them out on an island too many times during the game.
Bill Polian considers Kevlin Hayden to be a player who can cover. He drafted Powers this year because he considers him a man who can cover, comparing him to Kelvin Hayden. I think Jackson will either be off the team after his contract is up this year or he will be moved to safety to replace Bethea if he is off the team after his contract is up this year. Oh yeah PIA, you can't play the deceptive stats game when it comes to defense without playing the same game when it comes to the offense. Yes, you're playing a game. If the defense was one of the better defenses in the league in pts allowed, then it was according to your theory of "stats don't lie" when you want to protect the virtue of the Colts offense. The fact that the Colts allowed only one passing TD all season is astounding.
What on earth are you talking about? The Colts defense has had a horrible time with getting off the field for years. This is nothing new. Everyone knows this. Teams specifically game plan against the Colts to exploit this.
Nobody in their right mind would say that the Colts pass defense last year was exceptional simply based on them 6 passing touchdowns (not sure where you got the one from). Yes, that was the fewest in some time, but that had everything to do with teams being more than happy to score their touchdowns on the ground and shorten the game at the expense of their own scoring.
The Colts defense only ranked 11th in opponent passer rating last year. That's not bad, but that's certainly not exceptional, and it's certainly not good enough when the defense is skewed so much in favor of stopping the pass at the expense of stopping the run.
Does it matter how many points you've scored or yards you've gained during a game if you can't convert a 2nd and 2 to ice a game?
What on earth does the Colts offense's failure to pick up a first down on a particular play have to do with the Colts defense's inability to get off the field for years? If you want to play that game though, you should think consistently and ask yourself what your conclusion must be of a defense that allowed scores on consecutive drives at the end of regulation and in overtime to give up a lead and prevent the offense from even getting a chance in overtime.
But again, what does one have to do with the other? You sound more like a Colts hater than Colts fan with tactics like these.
I like a differing view point that is what keeps this interesting. I am not quite sure what you are on about though. There is going to be no massive over haul in the scheme just more aggresiveness. And what is wrong with an occassional blitz?
Predictability is the worst thing for a defense. Offenses knew every time how to beat the Colts. Ram the ball down their throats, run the clock, and keep the Colts vaunted offense off the field. Yes it lead to some top defensive finishes but a defense will look much better when a team is running the clock because they know they can. Save 2006, the Colts would get burned in the playoffs.
Bottom line is we are not talking about a drastic change here. They are running the same scheme just with more aggression and a few wrinkles thrown in. Any defensive coordinator knows to use their defenders to the best of their ability. If Wheeler is a decent blitzer which is what the scouting report says, why not send him on a couple blitzes a game to keep offenses on their toes? Again, we are not talking about drastic changes here.
Yes with more aggression will come with giving up the occassional big play but this has to beat letting teams run the clock and keeping the Colts strength - their offense - off the field especially come playoff time. Also, with a slightly more aggressive style of play should come more turnovers as well.
