Weekend ramblings on Freddy K. the 2008 Playoffs and Pat A.

Hey folks Rob S. here, also known as BetterD, I have that name because the first post I ever did was a post on the Star web site arguing against a poser Colt fan named BET, I was arguing that the 2007 defense was going to be better than the 2006 defense, hence the name BetterD.  I’ve been posting here since the Star changed their format back in 07 or 08, and I have used that name since my first post. 

I used to post a lot when the evil Ron Meeks was the Defensive Coordinator, since he was not re-signed and a real defensive coordinator that uses real defensive tackles with real NFL talent and size were incorporated into the Colts defense, I really don’t have too many complaints about the Colts personnel.  I had a lot of heated arguments about the Colts personnel in 2008.

  It should be noted that my real complaint wasn’t the size of the defensive ends, but the defensive tackles.  I had no problem with a 290 – 310 NT and a 275 UT, but when 245 lbs Key Dawson was drafted and moved to UT, before Pitcock retired and before Ed Johnson got kicked off the team, I had a serious a problem with this move.  I also had a serious problem with a 265 lbs rookie, who was a defensive end in college, being inserted as the starting NT instead of a 280lbs veteran Darrel Reed, who probably still has more career sacks and pressures than both of those guys combined.  One the big arguments used against me back then was “these were the only guys available and other personnel would cost too much, this argument turns out to be total BS, the fact is, the defense got much better using other teams cast offs or other teams practice squad players.  The fact is the coaches went off the deep end on stopping the pass and their attempts to get smaller and faster not only destroyed the Colts ability to stop the run, but ultimately hindered their ability to stop the pass, here’s why after the jump. 

In 2008 there was a rules change, it may have happened before that who knows, it allowed the refs to be even more subjective when they would call an offensive lineman for holding, the rule roughly states that a player should be called for holding only if it is obvious they are hindering a defensive player from getting to the QB.  Here’s the rub, if you grab a guy right off the bat, in his first or second step, then he would never get close enough to the QB for the offensive lineman to get called for holding.  This rule really affects cover-2 teams because they don’t disguise who is going to be rushing the passer.  As a defensive player, you know that the front 4 are coming every single time, just wait for the guy to get close to you, grab him and drag him towards the hash marks.

This became an issue in the 2008 playoff game against the Chargers because of the 3rd down ineffectiveness of the Colts defense.  The back up Mike, Freddy Keiaho has received a lot of the blame for this loss.  I couldn’t disagree more; the blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of Key Dawson and Eric Foster.  What happened that day in passing situations was that the Chargers would double team the ends.  Since Dawson and Foster were both inexperienced and undersized lineman.  The Chargers doubled up on Freeny or Mathis and some times they used the TE to help, this left Daswon and Foster on a one on one situation.  This should have been an advantage to the Colts, but the interior offensive lineman new what the Colts defensive lineman were going to do and simply waited for them to try and penetrate, they grabbed both Foster and Dawson holding them and dragged them towards the hash marks, leaving the middle totally open for Sproles, to run for a first down, or Rivers too hit the TE over the middle, if he had time or for him to look like Michael Vick and scramble up the middle for several first downs.

Freddy Keiaho is not a great LB, but, there were bigger problems with that defense that year than him as a backup MIKE.  Since then Dawson has been moved to back up DE, which he is still to small and way to slow for and Foster has been moved to situational pass rushing UT, which he has done well, but to blame that loss on Freddy is not right. The Colts were good on first and second downs and most ineffective on passing downs and 3rd and longs when Foster and Dawson were in there together.

This argument that the 08 loss was Keiaho’s fault has been bothering me for a while, I am not a Freddy fan, but, he was a tough competitor for the Colts and a fan favorite for a while, there were a lot of reasons the Colts loss that Playoff game in 08,  Freddy playing MIKE was not the biggest reason.  I also don’t believe it was the reason Angerer was drafted this year.  I believe he was drafted because he was the player available that was highest on the Colts draft board.  I also believe that the Colts believe the Brackett will start to slow down or become more injury prone, as football players do as they enter their mid thirties.  Angerer is the guy who will replace him.  I don’t think he will play SAM, he is just to small and has trouble shedding blocks, I also believe he is too slow to play WIL, which leaves him a Brackets back up until he has a chance to start I see him as a great special team player 

That's it for weekend ramblings, have a safe and fun weekend.

R.