Indianapolis Colts Most Overrated And Underrated Players

by Brad Wells on Jun 13, 2011 5:00 PM EDT in 2011 Colts News

INDIANAPOLIS IN - JANUARY 08: Braylon Edwards #17 of the New York Jets fumbles the ball (which he recovered himself) on a reception in the fourth quarter against Antoine Bethea #41 of the Indianapolis Colts during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 8 2011 in Indianapolis Indiana. The Jets won 17-16. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

We're now in that point in the lockout where NFL writers are literally just making things up as they go, hoping that, someday soon, this black hole will end and they can start writing about real news that's relevant. Until then, we have Pete Prisco and his overrated-underrated NFL players list. Here's his opinion on who the most overrated and underrated Colts are.

Indianapolis Colts

Overrated: RT Ryan Diem. He never gets blamed like the left tackle, but he's part of the problem in protection. He has real trouble with speed rushers.

Underrated: S Antoine Bethea. He was the glue of the secondary last season when injuries shelved all the players around him. He is a free agent, whom the Colts will bring back.

Not going to disagree with that. In fact, it's quite accurate. I'm actually one of these fools who thinks Ryan Diem won't be playing for the Colts next year. But, that's just me.

Paul Kuharsky also has his most underrated Colts player:

Jerraud Powers, cornerback: His second season was cut short by a broken arm, but since entering the league in 2009, Powers has proved to be a very effective player. Colts corners are asked to keep plays in front of them in a relatively simple system in which they usually get safety help over the top. Still, doing that well and tackling consistently are necessities at the spot. He provides that, along with the sort of confidence and poise a team’s best defensive backs typically have. I expect him to continue to get better, to grow into a primary defensive leader and to have a long career.

Again, like Prisco's choices, can't say I disagree with this. My one issue with Powers is he has yet to play a full season. Injuries seem to float around him. Kuharsky doesn't seem to have his overrated players listed, but that might be because he doesn't want to piss anyone off who he might have to interview next year.

My overrated and underrated Colts players are after the jump...

Underrated: Charlie Johnson

All this guy does is show up, play his butt off, and not complain. He's played out of position for two years, and was lining up at tackle last season with foot and ankle injuries. Yet, despite the injuries and playing out of position, he started 15 games. Charlie's the ultimate 'glue guy.' One of the best things about the Colts drafting left tackle Anthony Castonzo is that Charlie could get moved back to his natural guard spot.

Others considered here: Tyjuan Hagler, Blair White, and Justin Tryon

Overrated: Kelvin Hayden

He signed a five-year, $43 million dollar contract in 2009, and since then he's started in only 20 of a possible 32 regular season games, notching just three INTs and thirteen passes defended. Right now, Hayden might be the third best corner on the team right now, behind Kuharsky's pick Powers and last year's surprise, Justin Tryon. When your team's third best corner is making millions more than the guys ahead of him, that pretty much defines the tag 'overrated.'

Others considered here: Gary Brackett, Ryan Diem, and Clint Session

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I agree will all of these except the linebackers

Neither Tyjuan Hagler nor Clint Session deserve more or less credit, as the case may be, than they do in my opinion. Session is a bruiser but he misses takles and isn’t gap disciplined – big no-nos in our system and most media souces acknowledge that. Hagler, has been was a god-send when we needed him but he played the exact role we needed and he hasn’t stayed healthy enough to warrent a bigger role than he had last season. They both have the upside of quality starter but the downside of NFL scrap heap. They’re both role players with positives and negatives.

Essentially, I would be neither shocked, nor upset if either of these guys do or do not suit up for the Colts again. Does that make sense?

by GoHorse88 on Jun 13, 2011 5:23 PM EDT reply actions

l love that

Blair White is considered for this, he’s had to earn every position he’s gotten since HS. Walked on to Michigan State, got a scholarship his Junior year (while keepin a GPA above 3.5), didn’t get drafted and was picked up as a free agent, made it off the practice squad and is now catching TDs (a knocking down one from Pierre Garcon ) from the Great One. He’s an inspiration for everyone who laces up their cleats and is a great role model.

by andyprocombat on Jun 13, 2011 5:24 PM EDT reply actions

he knocked that one away from reggie

and i thought he might murder him for it haha

i don't give autographs

by muncie_in_this on Jun 14, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

that was defiently reggie man,

reggie was so freakin pissed!!!

COLTS FOOTBALL

by cooltrev on Jun 16, 2011 1:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Agree 100%

Also agree with considering Brackett as most overrated. I would love to have a stud MLB on this team to cover up some of the average DT’s mistakes.

And I agree with Session’s overratedness too. He could be good if he knew how to wrap up, but far too often goes for the big hit and ends up whiffing. That’s when he is actually in position to make the play and hasn’t already overpursued his gap responsibility.

I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.

by AceOfSpades on Jun 13, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the Blair White mention

He’s very hard-working, very smart, and played on special teams as well as offense last season. And if there are too many receivers, Blair can always play safety per his beautiful pass defense against Reggie.

by coltsfoot85 on Jun 13, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

I don't hear this about Brackett...

We’ve been pretty hard on brackett lately and I can’t disagree with his struggle tackling, but what a lot of times gets left out is his ability to cover a TE. If you look at 2009 and TE production with and without him, he makes a big difference. He forces opposing offenses to game plan a little differently when looking at TE packages. In a league where the TE has become more and more valuable, it’s nice to have Brackett against teams like the Pats…

"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy

by Mark Olson on Jun 13, 2011 5:40 PM EDT reply actions

Nice article BBS. I like reading this kind of stuff.

by DFree on Jun 13, 2011 6:04 PM EDT reply actions

only one i disagree Ryan Diem

anyone who watched a colts game knows he’s terrible. I haven’t heard anyone give him any praise for his play, which would lead to the “over-rated” tag. He just sucks now.

"Are you f*cking kidding me???"

by danorocks17 on Jun 13, 2011 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

That’s a good point, but I think his contract deems him overrated.

And it's now my sig
by Bronn on May 17, 2011 4:56 PM EDT

by Sparhawk on Jun 13, 2011 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

If I may quote one of the great cinema treasures of our time, Robocop

“I’d buy that for a dollar”

If they were looking at it from a purely financial standpoint, then absolutely.

"Are you f*cking kidding me???"

by danorocks17 on Jun 13, 2011 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree on most of your guys, except for Session.

He’s a good linebacker. He plays with heart, and has speed and power when making the tackle. It’s not easy to be a linebacker with the dreadful tackle play on that defense, so I think you’ve got to give him a bit of leeway.

Antoine Bethea - the most underrated safety in the NFL.

by Ben Savage on Jun 13, 2011 6:31 PM EDT reply actions

Great article BBS. Most of the posts you came out with today are the type of stuff that I enjoy reading.

And it's now my sig
by Bronn on May 17, 2011 4:56 PM EDT

by Sparhawk on Jun 13, 2011 6:33 PM EDT reply actions

Peyton is our most underrated player

Why doesn’t everyone worship him? Literally…

by icedude on Jun 13, 2011 6:36 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

lol dude

I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t some how be reminded of Peyton’s greatness!

COLTS FOOTBALL

by cooltrev on Jun 16, 2011 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions

I think Brackett is extremely overrated.

However, I think your most underated guy is either Blair White or Muir on defense.

by JetKing55 on Jun 13, 2011 7:29 PM EDT reply actions

Muir is considered to be pretty bad.

I believe FO’s run stop rates (not a perfect measure) had Muir as the 2nd worst D-lineman. He’s not much of a pass rusher either.

by Lell87 on Jun 13, 2011 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Muir

Second worst stop rate at 57%. He’s sandwiched in between two d-linemen for the Browns (Schaefering and Rubin), and Cleveland’s defense is awful. Muir is also PFF’s lowest ranked DT of 2010. Advanced NFL Stats also had Muir ranked low.

Muir was awful in 2010. If he’s starting again in 2011, we will not win a Super Bowl.

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

by Brad Wells on Jun 13, 2011 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow well our two playoffs games

Kind of showcased him to me and he looked pretty good, but you guys would know so…

by JetKing55 on Jun 13, 2011 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions

good read

i strongly disagree though about blair white being underrated. that dude is the most overrated player that has ever put on a football helmet.

i will never understand what colts fans see in this guy that make them love him. the guy can hardly seperate from linebackers. i would rather have taj smith on the roster over white. at least taj can make plays on special teams and i really doubt we would lose much, if anything, in the wr dept.

by omahacolt on Jun 13, 2011 9:17 PM EDT reply actions

I'll mix things up a bit...

Overrated: Jeff Saturday – Don’t get me wrong, I love Saturday, and he can be our starting C until the day he retires. I still think he’s a solid starter, but he’s no longer the dominant force he was earlier in his career. He still anchors the line, but his skills have diminished dramatically the past few seasons. He’s still viewed around the league as an elite Center, when in actuality he’s merely a solid one on the decline.

Underrated: Pierre Garcon. I know I’ll catch a lot of criticism for this pick, but the guy has produced. Yes, he’s been inconsistent. But besides one costly drop in the SB, he’s been phenomenal in big games. These are his stats for his 8 biggest games of his career (4 playoff games + the 4 regular season, team-declared games to finish this past season): 47 catches, 613 yards, 7 TD’s. Nobody really knows if he’ll eventually take over for Reggie Wayne. But I do know that he’s only 24 years old, with only 2 seasons of highly competitive football under his belt. He’s a big, physical, speedy WR who has performed on the biggest of stages. He still has a lot to improve on, but if he continues to work on his route running & consistency, he could be a stud.

by kmbryant09 on Jun 14, 2011 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

Oh man, I'm going to defend Saturday.

I guess it’s okay, since Pouncey was HUGELY oversold to be All-Pro quality last year, and Saturday’s a good player.

This isn’t 100%, “he’s still the best in the game” stuff, because the stats used are still dependent of Peyton and his ability to get rid of it quickly. But since it takes into account hurries, it’s good enough for a shortlist of the best.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/14/2010-pass-blocking-efficiency-guards-and-centers/

Now as he gets older, or as anyone gets older actually, their power does diminish. Speed drops off. That will lead to a letdown in the run game, so I’m sure he’s not what he was in that aspect. And I wouldn’t put him at the top of the list of Cs, primarily because of Nick Mangold. But he’s still a top 5 guy (with Mangold, Kreutz, Birk and Mack as a young gun). We’ll see how much another year affects 3 players on that list.

"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West

by insertscreenname on Jun 14, 2011 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Point taken...

But those lists are an inexact science, to say the least. Manning takes far fewer hits than just about every other QB because of his pocket movement & quick release. That release probably reduces the amount of “hurries” as well…That list also had Kyle DeVan as the 15th best Guard in the league, and well….that’s just simply not the case.

Like I said, I still believe he’s a solid starter, but he’s definitely regressed from the prime of his career. In his prime, he was a top3 Center and great OLineman in general. But he’s probably 3 or 4 years past his prime…Which, IMO, puts him closer to the middle of the pack.

by kmbryant09 on Jun 14, 2011 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions

He's still a top 5 guy, I feel.

But yeah, he’s past his prime.

I did say it wasn’t the be all end all, but there’s signs he’s still a good (or better) player. Put it this way – I doubt he’s the weakest link in the chain in 2011.

"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West

by insertscreenname on Jun 14, 2011 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

No doubt...

That’s why I was afraid to list him as “overrated”. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good…Just that I feel like people around football overvalue him more than most Colts’ players. He was in the 50’s (I think?) for greatest players of 2011; but I think that’s just too high. There’s plenty of other OT’s, some OG’s, and a handful of Centers who are better than him right now. He’s probably somewhere in the 20’s among offensive lineman, so 50-something overall is too much….IMO

by kmbryant09 on Jun 14, 2011 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I call you a fool a lot...

but there’s nothing foolish about your prediction for Diem. The only reason he wasn’t cut months ago was in case they didn’t get better at OL in the draft AND the lockout cut offseason prep down to nothing.

It will be nothing short of a miracle if he and Hayden keep their jobs for 2011 if the lockout ends in time for training camp.

by willyduer on Jun 14, 2011 3:10 PM EDT reply actions

Easy

Overrated: Bill Polian
Underrated: Mookie.

by braveheartcolt on Jun 15, 2011 5:42 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I would go,

Overated: Anthony Gonzalez. When he came out school he was very highly regarded and he deserved it but unfortunatley he can’t stop getting injured and I think the colts can afford to lose him.
Underrated:Joseph Addai. This man is a freaking animal and still year in and out no body gives him credit. He is an elite player especially utilizing his much needed and incredible blocking skill in this offense. He is an elite blocker and keeps the colts prize possession on his feet and gives him the precious tenths of second’s extra time he needs to throw. Also when the offensive line gets Joe holes, he is unstoppable in the open field and can make people miss. I think Addai deserves some serious credit and attention from the fans as I believe he will be resigned and stay with the colts for years to come
Also considered jacob lacey!

COLTS FOOTBALL

by cooltrev on Jun 16, 2011 1:55 AM EDT reply actions