Will we switch to 3-4 defense under Pagano?

but the transition will be tough cause our D is built around a totally different philosophy. we don’t have a NT, DE’s (except for Hughes…) or OLB and we could really need some pressure DB’s.
Maybe the FO tries to ship Manning to a 3-4 team to aquire some guys via trade…

We hardly have the personnel at all to make the move. Bethea is fine, Freeney and Mathis WILL NOT play 3-4 DE, that would be absurd. They are too small and not strong enough. They will move to 3-4 rush OLB like Mario Williams. You wanna keep them doing what they do best. Alot of our LB maybe in trouble size-wise and maybe replaced soon. Angerer should be find because he maybe undersized but is a heck of a tackler. Wheeler has the size and would be moved inside. Connor and the other guys im not so sure. Theinterior of the D-line would get a major overhaul. We have no one who can play NT or 3-4 DE. All are current DTs are inadequate for the job as they lack power and are predominantly pass rushers. Powers may survive for now and Thomas and Rucker MUST show drastic improvement or they are gone as the new regime has no loyalty to them. So it wont be all that simple and will take more than 1 season to do it on the fly (mind you the Texans already had the size and personnel).

It also will take some serious dipping in Free Agency which makes me fear for Peyton even more. Im one of the people who want Both Manning and Luck on the roster for a couple seasons to groom Luck and not throw him into the fire day 1 regardledd of how good people say he is. He STILL has yet to play an NFL game. Period! So with a defensive shift the Colts may need the extra money tied up with Peyton to go out and get the necessary free agents for the defense to work

Their bodies are too small for 3-4 DE, they would have to move to LOLB and ROLB and learn to drop in coverage zones from time to time. You can have Drake Nevis playing as L/RDE and resign Jamaal Anderson or Tyler Brayton to play the other DE while you need a whole new NT, Antonio Johnson has a size, but can’t bring pressure. I don’t like moving to a 3-4 defense for the Colts right now, but I am a fan of the 3-4 defense as a whole. Now, if Mathis isn’t resigned, then I’d say move to 3-4 and have Freeney playing ROLB and just like Terrell Suggs, just blitz the QB on every play. But what do you do with Jerry Hughes?

There are not a lot of players on the current defensive line roster that fit a 3-4 very well.
Looking at DE’s you typicallly want height and size. Fili Moala played the 5 Tech DE in college and is the typical height and weight for the position.
Jamal Anderson and Tyler Brayton both fit the position and are free agents.
Mathis looks like he could switch to OLB. Freeney is an awfully expensive OLB experiment.

Freeney is exactly what the Bears need, a pass rusher outside Peppers in the 4-3!

but there would be some growing pains. The biggest needs would be CB and NT. We’d have to go after Alameda Ta’amu or Dontari Poe in the draft. The biggest challenge would be coaching Freeney and Mathis (or Freeney and Hughes) into good OLBs. But imagine what a beast Mathis would be rushing the passer from the ROLB. As a plus, Hughes may become salvagable (and, given his performance, we may get him for a bargain) or even very good, since that scheme is more familiar to him.

People are too concerned with the size issue. It’s all about whether or not people can play and fill a role. Freeney faces double teams week in and week out yet he continues to put pressure on the QB. I have no doubts that he could play the defensive end spot in a 3-4. I do agree that Mathis will be an OLB because he fits the mold and he’s athletic enough to be able to drop into coverage when needed. Hughes and Wheeler can both rotate at the other OLB spot. Both were DE pass rush specialists in college and were to be the top 3-4 linebackers in their class before Polian thought he could make magic happen. Now we’ll see them in the roles that they were meant to be in. Moala can play the end opposite Freeney. Anderson and Brayton could also be possibilities. Yes, find a NT as thats the most important part of the 3-4. Replace the current corners, awful play or injured too often. Keep Bethea, find another dependable safety. You keep Angerer and Brackett on the inside. People forget when they were talking about how well Brackett could play when he stepped in for an injured Rob Morris.

Remember, it’s a “New Era,” most likely not getting back to the Super Bowl in one year. They’ll make due with what they have and go from there. Even though Mel Kiper and everyone on NFL Network and ESPN tell you size is important, it doesn’t matter as much as they think. Jeff Saturday is undersized and undrafted. Dwight Freeney was said to be underzied. It’s heart and ability that matter. They’ll get it done.

The Colts absolutely have the personnel to convert to a 3-4. Pagano is creative enough to use Mathis and Freeney as OLBs. Anderson and Brayton can be the DEs. They would only need a big DT (Red Bryant or draft Dontari Poe). This is great, I am excited as heck.