Full disclosure, when it comes to the “Which came first” query that is transferred from the chicken or the egg to coverage or pass rush, I always pick pass rush. I believe that an active pass rush can make a secondary look better than they actually are. I am not always convinced that the inverse is true. With the roster’s current construction, I am hoping to be proven wrong.
I am fully on board the hype train that the Colts have assembled in the defensive secondary. I understand that some, maybe a lot
of this is unproven. First off, Walley and Haulcey could very well be starters in week one and neither of them has seen a snap in an NFL regular season game. Sauce has barely played a game as a Colt and we have another who contemplated retirement during the off-season. I still look at the unit and get giddy about the prospect of seeing them on the field together.
Add that Lou does much of his “mad scientist” work, with his personnel in the secondary and I think the Colts could have the best secondary in the league. The linebackers should be better in coverage as well, although they are even more unproven than the back end unit. Allen, Davis-Gaither, Boettcher and Carlies look to be the front runners for playing time and there is not a lot experience back there. I’m not convinced that Pratt won’t return in an early downs or short yardage roll. My hope is that the coverage is better by simply removing Franklin from the equation.
The question is, can the back end be good enough to overcome a pass rush that may or may not have improved since March? Many of us have that image of most any QB looking better than they may actually be, because they have time to cycle through options and then find someone open in the middle of the field. This is generally at a depth that produces first downs. I think that a large portion of us would say that we picked up some different pass rushing darts, at best. If this unit is not improved, is there really a path to the playoffs?
If you squint just right, you can convince yourself that Key was equal to Paye, with fewer snaps, or that JTT is set to break out, as some 2nd year players do. Latu didn’t make a seismic leap, but a noticeable one and if he improves similarly next year, then more attention has to be paid to him, which will help the line play in general. Clemons is a veteran that will be part of a rotation and may improve by having his role more defined than it was with the Jets. Seeing the later round rookies contribute in year one would be unexpected help.
Much has been made about Ballard’s inability to draft DE/Edge players. Paye, Dayo, Lewis, Turay and Basham are not considered good picks, even though Paye and Dayo each got a pretty nice bag in free agency. My biggest bash on CB is that he hasn’t found the right coaches and the DL is included in that group. I’m not sure how a lifetime college DL coach was expected to make some kind of difference, no matter how celebrated he was? I think it may have been more of Partridge’s four years at Wisconsin than anything else that garnered him the position. Historically, the Colts have had Nate Ollie, Brian Baker, and Mike Phair as DL coaches under Ballard, with none exceeding two years of service.
There is yet another new DL coach this year, Marion Hobby. He does have NFL coaching experience and a connection with Lou. Possibly more importantly is that he also played in the league. He had three years, 42 games, and 7 starts with the Patriots, although it was before their dynasty (spit, cough, choke). He does bring that perspective of how to compete for and retain a job. I will say that other than Hendrickson in Cincy, his other notable players are Lawson and Beasley at Clemson. Not bad, but you think he’d have crossed paths with some more dominant players over a 31 year career.
I don’t intend to bash the Colts for the hire, but I might question if the move was to try and persuade a Hendrickson signing, or to give Lou one more foot of plank? He may have been the best option, and at 60, he could have a few good years left. This comes from the guy who is leaving the rigors of teaching high school at 65 years old. He’s got a good mix of vets and youth, so just like every member of the coaching staff, it is likely win or update the resume’.
Somebody is going to have to get more out the DL players on the roster than any of the four previous coaches have managed. I know that technique and counters must be developed. There are very few who win because they have the higher RAS score, but some do win with “want to and motor”. I hope that Hobby can instill some Dawg in his players, while they are learning how to be better than the man across the line of scrimmage.
In this writer’s humble opinion, no moves that the Colts have made this off season will matter all that much, unless some increased pressure is realized. Scheme, player development, or simply seeing one or more players decide that they are going to take what they want, will have to produce results. It reminds me of a scene from Blazing Saddles, that I won’t repeat, but will let you see if you share their thoughts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JFlVMfX8XM
I hope that all of the parts that are needed to be better on the defensive line are currently on the roster, but if not, a little luck may be needed. There will be a team that thinks their cap space may not need to be as heavily invested into a player as they are spending. There will also be players out there who decide that they do not want to be where they are, for some reason or another. If the Colts are still deficient by the end of camp (and they really should know this), action needs to be taken prior to the early part of the schedule.
