Doyle article on Quentin Nelson
 

Damn, I am glad they drafted this kid … :cool:


WESTFIELD – They said he was big, and he is. Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson is listed at 6-5, 330 pounds, and those numbers don’t completely describe the cartoonish size he brings to an NFL locker room, where everyone is big but Nelson is somehow … bigger.

“Broadest back I’ve ever seen in my life,” Colts quarterback Andrew Luck says.

They said he was nasty, and he is. Nelson, the Colts’ first-round pick out of Notre Dame, spotted Colts coach Frank Reich shortly before the first full-pad practice of camp last week and was bugging him to call for running plays – specifically for plays that would let Nelson put his hands on someone and drive them underground. “Dirt-dogging,” is what Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart told me Nelson wants to do to opposing linemen, and sure enough, Nelson was involved in the first flare-up of camp when 6-2, 307-pound defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches objected to his methodology.

“Nasty mean streak,” Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni says.

Gregg Doyel describes a blow from Quenton Nelson to a defender as "a box of dynamite delivered to the poor guy’s chest."


One week into training camp at Grand Park, Quenton Nelson is the storm we were told was coming when the Colts did something weird and chose an offensive guard with the sixth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Guards don’t normally go that early, but Nelson isn’t normal. In his last two seasons at Notre Dame, Nelson allowed zero sacks.

And pass-protection isn’t his strong suit, if you can believe that. He’ll get better with time and technique, but Nelson’s strength at the moment isn’t standing up and backpedaling and buying time for the quarterback to throw. No, his strength is exploding into his defender, a box of dynamite delivered to the poor guy’s chest, and locking him up until the whistle blows and someone like Rakeem Nunez-Roches is tired of being mauled and starts lashing out.

On Tuesday, I saw this happen: Nelson is blocking 6-5, 270-pound Denico Autry, a fifth-year veteran who looks like the Colts’ best defensive lineman, and Autry is tired of Nelson’s hands being on him after a pass by Andrew Luck, so he grabs them and throws them away. But Nelson puts his hands back on Autry, because the whistle hasn’t blown. And Nelson plays through the whistle. That’s what his dad taught him in Pop Warner, when Quenton Nelson – who came into this world as a 10-pound, 10-ounce bruising baby boy – had to drop 20 pounds each summer to play on his older brother’s youth team.

He hasn’t played an NFL game yet, so let’s not go crazy with our praise, but … Nah, that’s no fun. Let’s go nuts. Let’s listen to Stewart, the second-year pro who at 6-4, 330 pounds is the biggest player on the Colts defense.

“He’s going to be a great player,” Stewart says of Nelson.

Let’s listen to veteran lineman Jack Mewhort, a fifth-year pro out of Ohio State who plays the same position as Nelson.

“He’s one of a kind … a great player,” Mewhort says. “There’s a reason that an offensive guard was picked sixth overall. Obviously we haven’t played the game yet, but from everything I’ve seen, he’s lived up to it so far. He hasn’t taken one misstep or done anything that’s made me say, ‘Eh, I don’t know.’ He’s the man.”

At one point during 11-on-11 drills Tuesday, it fell to Nelson to slide over and handle the bull rush of rookie Tyquan Lewis, a 6-3, 269-pound defensive lineman out of Ohio State. Lewis had physics on his side – he had momentum and energy and force – but Nelson majored in business, not in physics, and the buck stopped right there. It looked as if Lewis had run into a brick wall, which I suppose he had.

You know that whole unsolvable paradox about an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object? When Nelson is the immovable object, consider that paradox solved.

“At guard,” says Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo, “you want one of those people that if he’s walking down the street and someone comes and runs at him full speed, that person is going to get knocked out even though he didn’t know it was coming. (Nelson) has that ability that when people run into him, they move, and he doesn’t.”

It’s strength, for one thing, and at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis before the draft Nelson bench-pressed 35 reps of 225 pounds. But it’s also an attitude of confidence and nastiness, one Nelson was more willing to share before the draft – when he was trying to sell himself – than he is now, as he’s more interested in fitting in. Nelson’s sound bites have been devoid of meat since training camp began, but at the combine in March he said, “I should be in the top-five (draft) conversation," and he said, “I also help the offense establish the run through my nastiness.” And he said: "I want to dominate all my opponents. I want to take their will away to play the game."

These days Nelson talks about technique and footwork and being a good teammate and making Castonzo and center Ryan Kelly proud, but don’t be fooled. He didn’t go soft on anyone. In the hour of 11-on-11 drills I saw on Tuesday, Nelson was the first offensive lineman – more times than not, the only offensive lineman – sprinting down the field after Andrew Luck had completed a pass. Afterward, I was asking him why.

“When a wide receiver catches the ball and he gets tackled,” Nelson said, “I want to be the first guy to help him up and let him know: ‘Great job, I’ve got your back, let’s keep moving the ball.’”

That’s not the only reason he’s running downfield. The whistle hasn’t blown yet, which means there’s still time to hit someone, and Nelson is a hitter. On one screen play at camp, Nelson was running downfield and the whistle hadn’t blown and safety T.J. Green was in the vicinity, so Nelson hit him. Green didn’t like it but he’ll learn to expect it, and avoid it. All the Colts will learn, and someday, the rest of the NFL:

A storm’s coming, and it is every bit as violent as we were led to believe.

IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...uck/870430002/

:cool:

I said when we drafted him that if he wasn't a team changing All Pro that it was a wasted pick. It's early. But so far so good. Better than taking a LT first overall and then hearing how he's getting taught lessons and needs to get used to NFL linemen.

With a young core interior line of Nelson, Kelly and Smith (law firm, anyone), the O-Line has a very good looking future.

Castonzo is not done yet and could play another 3-4 years at a high level; however, I hope they get a young kid in whom is a worthy heir apparent.

Right Tackle is the only spot I am concerned with and that concern is pretty low. Between Howard (who is now full go), Good and Haeg, I have confidence that we will see at least "aveage" play there and that will be a huge improvement.

If the O-Line truely becomes a strength of this team, watch out NFL, Andrew is going to completely dominate you.

Walk Worthy,

Smash as many Patriots defenders as you want big man. Can we line he up on defense just once to see what he does to Brady?:cool:

Howard And AC back today so today is the first day the starting unit will practice together......besides talent upgrade and scheme change, unit consistency is 3rd most important to better line play. I just hope these guys can stay healthy.

On a separate note.....yesterday they practiced with music blaring to work on execution when communication was difficult. The tune they played over and over again? ..........Highway to Hell! Love ❤️

I like that he's sprinting downfield after a completion, that potentially puts him in a position to throw a key downfield block to spring a big play. If he's the only one doing it, I hope the coaches are calling out everyone else to step up and follow suit. It's a little thing that could play huge dividends, and it's the type of thing winning teams do.

what I love most about that clip, outside of the awareness he shows, is that the defensive player had a running start, whereas Nelson only had a chance to take 3 steps in his direction, but the defender is the one gets flattened. Its just what everyone is saying, he moves people, no one moves him.

The athleticism is amazing. I haven't been this high on a player since Andrew Luck.

With that power and ability, why are we leaving him at lg?