For Colts, three out of four would help a lot

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, April 10, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Indianapolis Colts
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

Noted rock scholar Meatloaf once proclaimed Two out of Three Ain’t Bad, which means that two out of four is closer to unacceptable. Yet the Colts managed a fine season in 2007 while excelling in only half of the four general team statistical categories while being very average in the others. At the same time, focusing attention on one of the two less-than-impressive areas at the draft would allow the Colts to not only maintain their status but also grant them the ability to consistently beat other elite teams and reliably advance in the postseason.

The only surprising thing about the fact Indianapolis came in sixth in the NFL for passing is that they didn’t break their way into the top five. Coming in at a clip of 252.1 yards per game, this offense continued its eternally proficient aerial display last year. At the same time, the other mode of attack was apparently weaker; that said, the low rushing ranking of 18th is deceptive.

Why focus on grinding it out on the ground when you don’t have to? The important thing is that the Joseph Addai-centered component is effective when necessary, which is why there’s no need to panic and spend a high pick on a running back even though their numbers didn’t superficially impress.

On the ball’s other side, some general football fans who didn’t follow this team carefully would be shocked to learn that the Colts finished second in pass defense, only permitting quarterbacks to throw for 172.8 yards each time out in 2007. Their secondary was able to often suppress wideouts and limit gains in what is a criminally underrated aspect of this franchise.

The most deficient area for the Colts was rush defense; still, they came in a respectably middling 15th, allowing those they faced to run for 106.9 yards on average per contest. That wasn’t a hideous finish, but the fact is that stopping an enemy’s ground attack is the chain’s weak link. Teams were often able to head up and then through the gut or alternately make their way around the edges; offensive lines were able to focus attention on and contain Indianapolis’ defensive ends, who weren’t sufficiently complimented by their middle teammates.

This means it’s time to address the defensive line’s interior in the draft, something that would benefit run stopping attempts as well as the battle against the pass. While the Colts were excellent in defending passes, they were still weak in rushing the quarterback, finishing with only 28 sacks in 2007.

A monolith of a defensive tackle would theoretically draw special attention from pass blockers, freeing up the ends for more sacks; in addition, of course having an athletic giant stationed in the line’s center would disable an opposing offense’s ability to rush straight ahead.

It is a weakness that requires attention, as proved by the fact that San Diego suffered no sacks during their playoff matchup. The remarkable lack of pressure allowed the visitors to throw for 312 yards, as a dearth of difference-makers up front finally caught up to Indianapolis.

While the team finished the regular season tied for second overall with 22 interceptions, it will be inordinately tough to maintain that rate without the quarterback being hassled, a negative situation that culminated during their lone postseason appearance.

That’s the best case for making defensive tackle the team’s utter top priority next month. If nothing else, the team is at worst holding its own statistically in the other major areas. There aren’t many glaring areas the Colts need to address; um, they don’t need to add, like, a quarterback, so they may as well tweak the defensive tackle situation. It’s the wisest place for this franchise to focus its attention on improvement, stats or not.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Anthony Bialy

I'm just here to submit ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report