ColtFreaks.com - Indianapolis Colts Fan Forum - Why does the focus need to be on defense?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by omahacolt (Post 3214)

you can point to 1 game where we had the ball for 14 minutes and still won. how many times since 2000 have we scored over 30 and lost?

That game was simply Manning being the GOAT. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoosierinFL (Post 3215)

Seriously, that list of defensive picks since Bethea is just woeful. That is a long list of failure, and it's no wonder the defense is so bad. It has to get better and that has to start with investing in good draft picks.

The 2010 draft class actually had promise, but injuries derailed the careers of Angerer, Moala and Thomas. Hughes proved to be a late bloomer and Conner wasn't a bad pick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pez (Post 3211)

Aright, despite your occasional bluster, you know more about football than me. I'm having a hard time getting my head around this....

In September of 2009, we beat the Dolphins, despite only possessing the ball for 14 minutes. That was because we had a good offensive line and a great QB.

Depending on who you ask, we have a top five QB and a bottom half offensive line.

I don't see anyone presenting a convincing argument that the future of the Colts franchise is on defense. We should have fixed the OL 3 years ago, two years ago... and we didn't.

I would draft an OG in the 1st. To me it's a no brainer. So when you guys say that in a condescending way (that means talk down to), that many colts fans still want offense, are you saying that the 16th ranked offensive line (being kind) is what we want for Andrew Luck?

see also: Ezekiel Elliot, Dak Prescott

Not sure a high draft pick should be used on o-line this year, not with what we saw over the last handful of games from the young players they were starting. Great o-lines don't just happen overnight, a little continuity from one year to the next helps. Either I'm blind or the o-line did actually have some significant improvement over the last quarter of the season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by indycolts2 (Post 3226)

From my RB "State of the Colts" post:

Quote:

Over the last three games of the season (O-Lineup = Stanzo / Harrison / Kelly / Haeg / Clark), Gore was 55 carries for 235 yards or 4.27 yards per carry. In the previous 13 games, he was 208 carries for 790 yards or 3.79 yards per carry.

And from the QB "State of the Colts" post:

Quote:

About the only negative of Andrew’s year was that he equaled his career high sack total from his 2012 rookie year with 41…however, he only suffered 10 of them in his final 7 games. His first nine games averaged 3.88 sacks per game but then in the final 7, he suffered sacks at “only” a rate of 1.43 per game.

So, no, two of the more important measures of performance as to whether an O-Line is performing well or not were both up in the later part of the year. Your eyes were not deceiving you.

Cheers,

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherck (Post 3235)

From my RB "State of the Colts" post:

And from the QB "State of the Colts" post:

So, no, two of the more important measures of performance as to whether an O-Line is performing well or not were both up in the later part of the year. Your eyes were not deceiving you.

Cheers,

Sacks were down but he was still getting drilled too much. But overall I think we have talent and need to give the oline kids a chance to develop

Quote:

Originally Posted by omahacolt (Post 3214)

How many times since 2000 have we scored over 30 and lost?

Too long, won't read:

Since the start of the Peyton years in Indy (1998):

Colts scored more than 30 points in 106 of 329 games (32.2% of them). Of those 106 games, they won 96 of them (90.6% of them).

Colts allowed less than 19 points in 122 of 329 games (37.1% of them). Of those 122 games, they won 116 of them (95.1% of them).

Even for a team like the Colts that is NOT known for building a winning defense over the years, holding opposing teams to less than 19 points is more effective in winning games than scoring 30 or more points.
================
These numbers include post-season games. I also went back to 1998 to cover all of Peyton's years.

1998: 03 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 01 - 2
1999: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 05 - 1
2000: 07 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 06 - 1
2001: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 05 - 1
2002: 01 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 01 - 0
2003: 09 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 08 - 1
2004: 11 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 10 - 1
2005: 07 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 07 - 0
2006: 07 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 07 - 0
2007: 08 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 08 - 0
2008: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 06 - 0
2009: 08 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 08 - 0
2010: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 05 - 1
2011: 00 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 00 - 0
2012: 02 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 02 - 0
2013: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 06 - 0
2014: 06 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 05 - 1
2015: 02 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 02 - 0
2016: 05 games of scoring over 30 points; record = 04 - 1

Since Peyton was drafted, the Colts have scored 30 or more points in 106 of 329 games (19 seasons of 16 games each plus 25 post-season games) for a percentage of scoring 30 or more points in 32.2% of our games

Of those 106 games, the Colts won 96 of them for a win percentage of 90.6%.

So, sure, we win most of the games when we put up more than 4 TDs in a game. I would love to know how that percentage stacks up to the NFL as a whole. How many teams put up more 30 or more points in more than 1/3 of their games?

However, the flip side needs to be exampled as well. The question? "How many times since 1998 have the Colts allowed less than 19 points in a game and won?"

1998: 01 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 01 - 0
1999: 07 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 07 - 0
2000: 08 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 07 - 1
2001: 02 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 02 - 0
2002: 08 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 07 - 1
2003: 08 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 08 - 0
2004: 08 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 08 - 0
2005: 10 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 10 - 0
2006: 07 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 07 - 0
2007: 09 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 08 - 1
2008: 06 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 06 - 0
2009: 12 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 12 - 0
2010: 06 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 05 - 1
2011: 01 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 00 - 1
2012: 06 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 06 - 0
2013: 07 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 07 - 0
2014: 09 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 09 - 0
2015: 04 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 03 - 1
2016: 03 games of allowing under 19 points; record = 03 - 0

Since Peyton was drafted, the Colts have allowed less than 19 points to be scored against them in 122 of 329 games (19 seasons of 16 games each plus 25 post-season games) for a percentage of allowing 19 or less points in 37.1% of our games

Of those 122 games, the Colts won 116 of them for a win percentage of 95.1%.
There you have it. Holding opposing teams to less than 19 points is more effective in winning games than having your own team score 30 or more points.

AND, these win numbers are for a team that was no know for building a game winning defense.

That is why we need to work a whole lot more on our defense.

Cheers,

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherck (Post 3172)

From the Colts.com mailbag:

And, without looking it up, can you name the last defensive player drafted by the Colts that received a new contract from the Colts after their rookie one?

BTW, this does not count Vontae Davis since he was not drafted by the Colts.....

Anyone?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Antonie Bethea, drafted in the 6th round by the Colts in 2006 and re-signed to a veteran contract after 4 seasons in 2010. Let go at the end of that contract following the 2013 season. Only missed 5 games out of a possible 128 games in his 8 years in Indy; all within his rookie and 2nd season.

Defensive players selected by the Colts following Bethea 2007 - 2014:

2007:
CB Dante Hughes
DT Quinn Pitcock
SS Brannon Condren
LB Clint Session
FS Michael Coe
DT Keyunta Dawson
2008:
LB Phillip Wheeler
DE Marcus Howard
2009:
DT Fili Moala
CB Jerraud Powers
DT Terrence Taylor
2010:
DE Jerry Hughes
LB Pat Angerer
CB Kevin Thomas
DT Ricardo Matthews
ILB Kavell Conner
CB Ray Fisher
2011:
DT Drake Nevis
SS Chris Ruker
2012:
NT Josh Chapman
ILB Tim Fugger
2013:
OLB Bjoern Werner
DE Montori Hughes
SS John Boyett
2014:
OLB Jonathan Newsome
ILB Andrew Jackson

26 guys, none of which earned a 2nd contract from the Colts. Perhaps we missed on a few guys like Phillip Wheeler, Jerraud Powers and Jerry Hughes but, overall, there was very little NFL talent there.

2015 picks of Henry Anderson, Clayton Geathers and David Parry are the next set of folks that might break this trend in actually having a Colts rookie draftee defender signed to a veteran NFL contract. We will see in 2019.

Cheers,

Goddamnit, Donald! Guessed Kelvin Hayden and missed by one year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by omahacolt (Post 3240)

Sacks were down but he was still getting drilled too much. But overall I think we have talent and need to give the oline kids a chance to develop

At this stage, you have to play the kids and see if they have it. By all accounts the olinemen suck in this draft anyway, so defensive need should align with BPA.

I've always heard that OG is the easiest position on the OL to fill late in draft or FA, wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to draft one in the 1st, with our highest pick since Luck