Kavell Conner And Pat Angerer Could Tackle God

by Brad Wells on Oct 19, 2011 7:49 PM EDT in 2011 Colts Analysis

Depending on your point of view, you could say that Colts linebackers Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner being the No. 1 and No 2 respective leaders in total tackles going into Week Seven is either a very good or very bad statistical fact.

If you think it's good, then for you it means that the Colts have two guys who can really bring down the ball-carrier. ~~The Indianapolis Colts have never, EVER, had any player lead the league in tackles~~. [Correction]: Mike Peterson led NFL in tackle with 159 in 2000. So, yeah. Sorry. I suck. --bbs

So, if either one of them achieve this feat, it would mean something. It's also worth noting that the Colts are, shockingly, ranked 12th against the run in terms of yards per carry (3.9). This puts them better than the Packers, Patriots, and Jets; all teams noted for tough interior run defense and outstanding linebacker play.

If you think the tackle stats are bad, then it's likely because you know the Colts are woefully bad on third down, and the tackle numbers do nothing but reinforce this. Failing to get offenses off the field on third down means more plays. More plays equal more tackles. This holds up when you factor in that although the Colts are only allowing 3.9 a rush, they are surrendering a average of 136 rushing yards a game, third worst in the NFL. This means teams are not gashing Indy for big chunks of yardage on the ground, but are instead bashing away with more frequency, using the pass to convert third downs while continuing to pound the ball into the teeth of the defense.

The Colts are allowing opposing QBs to complete 70% of their passes, by far the worst in football.

Personally, I think the tackle stats are more of a positive. I say this for two reasons:

1) In year's past, safeties like Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea would be tops on the team in tackles. This meant that ball-carriers were blowing past the d-line and linebackers, and the safeties had to come up and stop them.

2) The Colts are 0-6, for god-sakes! I need something positive to keep me going through this perpetual nightmare of a season.

For Gary Brackett, the normal starting MIKE and the best backer this franchise has had during their Super Bowl runs, his best season, in terms of tackles, was in 2005. He had 92 that year, and many Colts fans still feel that 2005 defense was the best fielded in the Polian era.

Angerer has 73 tackles through six games this year. Conner has 58.

It's also worth noting that, in previous years, guys with names like Jerod Mayo and Patrick Willis were tops in the NFL in tackles. While I'm not deluded enough to say Angerer and Conner are as good as those guys, that's impressive company to keep.

Tweet Comment 29 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

PAT ANGERER is the man!

That’s the truth. I’m putting this on his facebook page.

Just a high school student who lives his ambitions of working for the NFL,
Twitter = http://twitter.com/ProInterviews
Facebook = http://facebook.com/prointerviews/
YouTube = http://youtube.com/user/ProInterviews/

by Max Strauss on Oct 19, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions

love it...

Nice to have some positives to look at. One of the things I thought going into this season was hoping to see the development of some gems that would actually be worth paying and learn who to cut. I was really hoping that somebody could step in and replace the way overpaid Bracket and here we go. Hopefully they will keep up with this pace and we’ll end up with a top 10 LB core in the next couple of years.

I really wanted to see Tryon continue to improve in our scheme… but… oh well..

I also wanted to see who could get cut and I’m waiting for the day that I read this headline “Lacey cut”. No doubt Lacey is a hard worker… yada yada… but I wouldn’t pay the man to fry me up a burger because I know he wouldn’t be able to cover it with mustard! He’d probably stand 15 yards away from it too.

by coltsfanbeforemanning on Oct 19, 2011 1:10 PM EDT reply actions

Shoutout to Wheeler

He’s played I’d say really well filling in at SAM for Angerer who’s filling in Brackett at MIKE. I really thought we’d be screwed but he’s done a nice job. Same with Conner, I thought the loss of Session might be huge, but other than Session’s blitz and strength, we’ve lost nothing.

Pat McAfee for President 2016
RIP Steve Jobs - Thank you for the Mac computers that I mortgaged my house for.
Anthony Calvillo - 72,382 passing yards - pro football's all-time leader

by KBUnitz on Oct 19, 2011 1:21 PM EDT reply actions

Why

would anyone bother running the ball against the Colts when it’s so easy to pass?

I think if the DBs were halfway decent and defended the pass even at a mediocre level that opponents would run more and be more successful and the ypc figures against the colts would rise a bit.

by tapper on Oct 19, 2011 1:44 PM EDT reply actions

Exactly...

Teams only need to run the ball against the Colts to set up the pass. There’s no need to run the ball. The Colts have yet to face one of the better running teams in the league, so add that to how bad the secondary is and the defensive rushing stats aren’t really as good as they appear.

by Yougotme on Oct 19, 2011 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel great about our DL and LBs

I just hope we can make a quick fix to the DBs for next year. It’s just a disaster. Remember when Sanders, Bethea, Jackson, Hayden was one of the up and coming defensive backfields in all of pro football? Yeah, me either. It’s a long way from there to here.

by DeepThought on Oct 19, 2011 1:46 PM EDT reply actions

how

how on earth do you feel great about or dl and lbers?

by omahacolt on Oct 21, 2011 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions

i think the title is a bit of an overexageration

But the fact that these guys are putting up numbers like patrick willis, who is a man among boys when he plays ball, is extremely impressive. I don’t think they are on that level, but we definutely have an above average LB group.

The Indianapolis Colts are going to be the 1st team to win a super bowl in their own stadium. 'nuff said.

by It'sAlways18 on Oct 19, 2011 1:52 PM EDT via iPhone app reply actions 1 recs

*definitely

The Indianapolis Colts are going to be the 1st team to win a super bowl in their own stadium. 'nuff said.

by It'sAlways18 on Oct 19, 2011 1:54 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

hahahahahahahahaha

The Indianapolis Colts are going to be the 1st team to win a super bowl in their own stadium. 'nuff said.

by It'sAlways18 on Oct 20, 2011 2:34 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

oops

Nevermind

The Indianapolis Colts are going to be the 1st team to win a super bowl in their own stadium. 'nuff said.

by It'sAlways18 on Oct 20, 2011 2:35 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

'i think the title is a bit of an overexageration'

Comment of the friggin year.

SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.

by Brad Wells on Oct 19, 2011 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions

hahahahahahahahahaha

The Indianapolis Colts are going to be the 1st team to win a super bowl in their own stadium. 'nuff said.

by It'sAlways18 on Oct 20, 2011 2:35 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

Ypc

All I know is that for the past several years I would have been thrilled with under 4 ypc. I think if our secondary was at least mediocre we could have won at least a few games this year with cp7 at the helm. Yes the tackles are a product of having to run alot of plays, but at least they’re doing their job. I remember watching linebackers whiff or not even be in their gap in recent years.
There may be more yards after initial contact than we would like, but many times running backs are hitting these guys with a full head of steam. Plus being on the field for so many plays can result in fatigue and they are still there doing their job regardless. So I am looking at this as a positive…

by Kdog@usi on Oct 19, 2011 3:39 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Why "could"?

They tackle well- period. Imagine Angerer hurt and you’ll quickly figure out what i mean- we’d have a much worse Run d and our games wouldn’t be nearly as close As they’re now.
But thx for the article- it gives credit where credit’s due!

Btw- talking about many defensive plays run cause of bad third down play and even worse CB play tells only half the truth: our offense is 30th in First downs per game among many other categories where they rank near the bottom which also leads to extensive d plays

by Martin Steinkogler on Oct 19, 2011 4:25 PM EDT reply actions

Sorry...

I obviously completely misread your headline :)

by Martin Steinkogler on Oct 19, 2011 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Its nice

To see that the LBs can tackle. Unfortunately they HAVE to tackle so much, because the secondary keeps them on the field for a year. Next draft: an 1OL, 1DT and 5 DBs. We should get at least one quality DB by sheer probability!

by HellaColts on Oct 19, 2011 4:51 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Mike Peterson

is the only Colts player to ever lead the NFL in tackles in a season. He had 159 tackles in 2000, with Ronald McKinnon from ARI a close second with 155.

by nickfromnaptown on Oct 19, 2011 4:58 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

LB

This is a good thing, to have your Linebackers leading the team in tackles. Running defense, the Texans last year had a decent against the run defense. Also, the had the worse pass defense, so why run the ball when you can throw it at will? I don’t know the Stats, or the number of run vs. pass plays against your team. Yet I think the same mentality applies

2 Defensive Scores are in the Karma Bag
"Wade aid has lean in it, just saying"

by WreckNTexan on Oct 19, 2011 6:26 PM EDT reply actions

Team Will Win Some Games -

And it will be against a team that least expects it. The team has talent, more talent that most teams, but they are faced with trying to modify their game plans to work with no having a nearly guaranteed march down the field by the offense each time (aka Manning). And due to that, the opposing teams can burn more time, run more running plays, and gas the defense. And a gassed defense doesn’t play well a Tampa 2, which allows for some short passes, but counts on good tackling.

I dare say that if you right now placed a healthy Manning into the lineup (assuming he was practiced up and ready), we’d be torching teams now. It’s a better O Line, better running game, and adequate defense.

I’d be really surprised if we went 0-16 because, as was pointed out on a competing blog, 0-16 takes more than just a very sucky team, but it takes a lot of bad luck, including injuries, etc. Look at the Panthers, and their first round pick Tackle Otah is on IR. Bad luck and injuries happen, even to teams with good conditioning folks.

And speaking of Otah and the Panthers, why not head out to their blog and read the blog owner’s post, and the fan reactions. They’re at www.catscratchreader.com. No screaming, yelling – asking the general manager to get fired. instead intelligent discussion about why this happened, and what the team will do to adapt.

I’m starting to think the crazy posts on this site are seriously just to get crazy reactions from fans and to get high hit counts. I’m starting to think BBS is one smart cookie.

by buymymonkey on Oct 19, 2011 9:26 PM EDT reply actions

"More talent than most teams"

That’s where you lost me.

One of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, talent-wise.
One of the worst pairs of defensive tackles in the NFL, talent-wise.
Possibly the least talented secondary, coupled with one of the worst schemes/philosophies in the NFL.
A slightly below-average group of RB’s.

Heck, even our strengths are easily mitigated. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis didn’t record A SINGLE TACKLE AGAINST THE BENGALS. Some/most of our offensive weapons appear to be more a product of Peyton Manning than a product of their talent (Clark, Collie, Tamme, White, Wayne at this stage in his career).

www.Coltsider.com
check out the new Colts blog!

by kmbryant09 on Oct 20, 2011 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions

I guess the point is that we have talent

That teams have to deal with. Mathis and Freeney often draw the double teams that should allow our other defenders the freedom to make big plays. It’s not panning out this much due to our less than stellar d-backs.

Not sure I agree it’s one of the worst offensive lines, but I’d need to dig up the facts/rank. And true, the receivers are a product of the QB. They’re seeing more success as Painter gets settled in.

Frankly, I think their sucking is mainly due to Painter never getting many reps with the first offense.

by buymymonkey on Oct 20, 2011 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions