That sounds like I’m unhappy, but honestly, I’m not, at least not about the draft. First off sorry for the black out. Demond went AWOL, and now I get home to two picks and have to figure out what to make of them.
Let’s cover the easy part first:
Third round pick Kevin Thomas CB.
Anyone surprised by the Colts taking anything but a corner in the third round hasn’t been paying attention.
2009: 3rd round CB
2007: 2nd round CB
2006: 2nd round CB
2005: 2nd round CB
2004: 4th round CB
2003: 3rd round CB
2002: 3rd round CB
2001: 3rd round CB
2000: 3rd round CB
1999: 4th round CB
Have we detected a pattern here yet? Everyone should have had the Colts slotted to take a DB in the third round. It’s when they feel like there is value. I’ll be honest, I know NOTHING about Kevin Thomas. The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Corners are totally interchangeable in the Colts system. They won 12 games with Ratliff and Jennings starting two years ago. It’s the third round? Time to draft another warm body. Whichever one Polian likes is fine by me.
Now, the more controversial pick was the second round pick, linebacker Pat Angerer from Iowa. This pick has irritated some fans. First off, no one has the right to call any Polian pick a bad pick. That’s the height of stupidity.
Flash back to what I said last night about the pick of Hughes:
6. Everyone on the Colts defense is basically expendable to some degree or another except for the DEs and the MLB. We need to find a new MLB soon, but DE should be covered for the time being.
It’s like some people pay no attention to how the Colts work at all.
Now, I know that Angerer will likely be competition on the outside at first, but remember that the Colts are always looking two and three years down the road. Gary Brackett is not going to last forever. Also, remember that he was freaking undrafted free agent to begin with. Angerer has been playing middle linebacker for Iowa for three years now. Frankly, I’d think Colts fans would do a freaking jig every time someone gets drafted from Iowa…it has a habit of working out.
He ran a crappy 40 at the combine or where ever. So what? He showed solid cover skills for three years. What are you going to believe? With the first two picks in the draft the Colts bought depth at the only two defensive positions that really matter. That’s brilliant.
Everyone is still whining about the Colts not upgrading the O line, but that’s just not what they usually do in the early rounds. That was never a credible or realistic vision for this team. First off all, the 2008 Steelers and 2009 Colts both proved that offensive line has become a vastly overrated component of championship caliber teams.
Secondly, the Colts are a young team with an old core. They don’t need starters now. They need depth. The last three seasons ended in defeat because of injuries to Freeney and Brackett.
Finally, a first year back up is a fine result for a second round pick. In fact, anyone expecting to get an instant starter from the second round again hasn’t been paying attention.
YOU DON’T USUALLY GET FIRST YEAR STARTERS IN ROUND TWO!
In the Polian era, 5 of 10 2nd round picks have started most of the games in their rookie year. The immortal names:
Idris Bashir, Larry Tripplett, Mike Doss, Charlie Johnson, Mike Pollack
Among the ones who didn’t: Marcus Washington, Bob Sanders, Kelvin Hayden.
Pundits whine about the Colts being hard to figure out. They aren’t. They do the same things every year. It’s time to start paying attention. I don’t know anything about these players. What I study is the Indianapolis Colts and how they operate. It’s all about philosophy and fit. The Colts made two picks today that are 100% in keeping with their style and philosophy of drafting. If you want to understand the Colts drafts, don’t waste time on mocks and and player evaluations. Just go to this page and stare at it until it makes sense.
History tells us that the Colts are likely to come up with four eventual starters from this draft. One of them will probably make a Pro Bowl. 6 or so players from this draft will make the team. One or two will start immediately. The rest won’t.
My grade? A+. Because of the players? No. I have no idea.
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