Is actually a better cover guy for a slot receiver than any of our other corners or linebackers. I think it is more of a get him back into game shape and the fact that teams are going to give us alot of three wide formations which means Marlin in the slot.

so they must just be platooning him still. There’s no reason to demote him, he’s been making great tackles and covering well. The other thing is they’ve traditionally kept him inside in the nickel anyway.

First, he is DEFINITELY still dealing with the tendinitis that comes from major knee surgery. While he still looks very good, he won’t be back to normal until next year. So the less reps he gets now, the better his knee will be in January. You can count on it. The fact that he’s only been seen in nickel situations is probably due to the fact that this is where he provides the most value. Having his size there deters teams at least somewhat from trying to run in passing situations.

Second, while I love Marlin, he is really more of a hybrid corner/safety. And especially when he isn’t 100% he’s probably not the guy you want being in single coverage on the outside when we blitz. He just won’t have the agility and straight line speed (which aren’t his strengths anyway) to keep up with a speedy WR on the edge.

And if you want a conspiracy theory, here you go: He WILL NOT get a big extension next year like Hayden did last year. We can’t afford 2 corners making that kind of money. So the Colts are either trying to see what these new kids are made of in order to see if they can replace him. And the side effect is that they are keeping him off the field and out of site to other GMs and coaches in hopes that they get a bargain next year. I’m not sure I believe this, but it is rather “convenient”.

no longer holds water. If you rewatch the game, Marlin was playing on special teams. If you’re waiting for someone to recover from an injury to their knees, you don’t have them running down on kick coverage, etc…

ACL injury usually takes a long time to heal. I really doubt that Marlin is back 100% yet. Besides, he’s the best guy on the roster for covering slot receivers anyway, and the basic DEF scheme is still Tampa 2. From what I’ve noticed, Jerraud isn’t exactly the best type of guy in run support, blitzing, etc compared to Marlin (even Kelvin isn’t quite as good in that matter). Marlin is also more versatile than any of other DBs, and versatility is something the Colts absolutely love.
Yeah, it’s the new defense blah blah blah, but as long as the base scheme is Tampa 2, Marlin is better fit. It’s not like the Colts blitz all the time. They blitz sometimes, and Jerraud or Lacey can be brought in during those man to man situations.