Phillip Wheeler, Marcus Washington 2.0?

by shake n bake on Jun 3, 2009 1:32 PM EDT in Analysis Comment 13 comments

BBS' post on blitzing from the Tampa-2 and a comment from tim55 got me wondering on who was the last Indy linebacker to have success rushing the passer. It's no exaggeration to say that the Colts don't use their back 7 for pressure. In the 7 years under Dungy only 4 non-linemen have recorded multiple sacks in a season (two did it twice), only one of those 6 seasons totaled over 4 sacks.

Player	Year	Sacks
2007	Bob Sanders	3.5
2005	David Thornton	2.0
2004	Rob Morris	3.0
2003	Marcus Washington	6.0
2002	Marcus Washington	2.0
2002	Rob Morris	3.0

It's been 3 years since an Indy linebacker has had more than 1 sack in a season, and 6 years since a 4+ sack season from a non-lineman. The one standout season under Dungy was from Marcus Washington. Washington recorded 16 sacks in his 3 years as a starter in Indy, including 8 sacks in 2000, before departing to Washington where he recorded 19.5 sacks over the following 4 years for the Redskins. Marcus Washington is the last Indy linebacker to have success blitzing.

via cache.gettyimages.com

With the new DC in place, who is far more prone to blitz than Meeks and Dungy, it's likely we'll see more opportunities for the linebackers to get after the QB. However it wasn't just what the linebackers did that changed under Dungy. Both of the LBs to have more than 2 sacks in a season were holdovers from the Mora era. Under Dungy the Colts drafted and played a different style of LB. Marcus Washington is 6'3" 247lbs, a far cry from the players that have been starting for Indy. Only 3 of the 11 LBs on the Colts roster are listed at over 6 foot (2 of whom weren't on the roster last year), and only two are listed at 240+ pounds. Phillip Wheeler (6'2" 245) and Adam Seward (6'3" 250) are the big LBs (with rookie Tyrell Sales the 3rd LB over 6 foot at 6'2 230).

Wheeler, who is the favorite for the starting SAM spot is the closest thing to Marcus Washington Indy's seen in a long time. They are similar in size and both played defensive end and linebacker in college in (Washington played OLB as an underclassman and DE as an upperclassman, while Wheeler did the reverse).

Wheeler seems to fit into an older mold of a Colts LB, instead being an entirely new one for the team. A big LB with extensive pass rushing experience.

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Blitz.............

With the personnel that the Colts have, I believe that a blitz package should be added that includes the safetys, OLBs, and on fairly rare occasions, corners. The speed on this defense, coupled with the athleticism is scary and demands some added imagination in the Colts defensive sceme. The possibilities are seemingly endless with guys like Wheeler, Howard, Session, Hagler, etc. in combination with stunts on the end would drive opposing offenses nuts. As long as they are disguised and manned appropriately and not used so often as to take away the element of surprise. I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve begged for a blitz from the Colts, especially out of that damned play it safe defense that we have always used to protect a lead, no matter how small. Make no mistake, I don’t want the Colts to become blitz freaks, but maybe 5 – 10 times a game I bet bumps up our take aways some, as well as forcing more punts.

by tim55 on Jun 3, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I don't think they'll get that exotic

Session wasn’t a pass rusher in college (2.5 sacks in two years as a starter), Brackett was a bit better (9.5 sacks in 3 years) but neither have ever been much of a rushing threat. I think they’ll send Wheeler some from the T-2 look, and send Wheeler and/or Sanders from the C-3 look some as well. I don’t think they’ll up the blitz hugely and I don’t think Session or Brackett would be all that effective rushing the passer, especially vs what they could be doing in coverage.

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jun 3, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

C-3 look?

Now a proud annoyance on Stampede Blue, 18to88, Indy Football Report, and Phil B's blog.

Man, I need a life...

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by Cassieper on Jun 3, 2009 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cover 3, with Sanders coming for blood.

by tim55 on Jun 3, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

cover 3

my bad, if I was going to use shorthand for that I should have used BSBD.

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jun 3, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No prob.

Now a proud annoyance on Stampede Blue, 18to88, Indy Football Report, and Phil B's blog.

Man, I need a life...

Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is what happens when you don't follow the rules...

by Cassieper on Jun 3, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Probably not..............

But I was just thinking of the possibilities. What guys did in college, I wouldn’t really take into consideration. Blitzing from whatever position has to take place with the proper disguise, personnel and situation. My main point is that should the Colts put in a different package than they have been running (or not running), that the new wrinkles would cause trouble for offenses that have been facing the same look from the Colts for the last few years. Hell, if it only works for half a season, install new looks.

by tim55 on Jun 3, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would add...

Don’t use college stats as your biggest indicator for where or how a player can play or will be asked to play now. Using my eye as a judge of ability, Session could excel in a blitz because he has excellent speed and tends to play the angles well. He’s criticized from time to time for being over-aggressive which leads to missing tackles down field on occasion, that kind of tenacity, his burst and speed could translate well to blitzing. Maybe in college they had a blitz specialist at LB and preferred to have their best play-maker back to protect if the blitz failed or maybe the defense he played on in college didn’t utilize a blitz from the back 7 either. Point is, I don’t know, if you do that is cool, but stats shouldn’t be the baseline (at least not for me).

Brackett does fairly well when asked to blitz as well. Admittedly he looked better in that role, flushing out the passer, when we had better DTs. He will be much more capable of doing so this year than he would have been last year.

Wheeler is obviously the most experienced and adept at it. Just don’t throw out others when you’re considering your options. I have a feeling Hagler would take to it fairly well also.

Do I see them issuing an “all out blitz” from the LBs? No. But I think they’re are a host of weapons at the position who should be more than capable of performing the role if called upon.

by bamock on Jun 3, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't have much else to go off of to judge Colts LBs blitzing ability

you rarely see them do anything but drop at the snap so watching them doesn’t help a whole lot and unless they’re an Iowa player I’ve seen a couple of their games at the absolute most.

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jun 3, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs