FanPost

Analysis of the Colt's Free Agent Signings

Free Agency is nearing the end and everyone is now eying the NFL Draft. Colts GM, Chris Ballard had a rather conservative approach to this year’s free agency period, as he didn't necessarily spend big on a star and seemed to bring in a majority of good role-players. Even if Ballard's approach was to be conservative, moves in free agency were inevitable given the amount of holes on this team, particularly in the defense. Now, here is an analysis for each of the signings the Colts have made (except Locke).

Jabaal Sheard

Sheard is a good edge setter with above-average speed and length. Very quick on the point of attack and does a nice job disrupting the opposing team’s line. Can adjust and accelerate, giving him room to penetrate to pick up the run. He will most likely take over Walden’s role from last season. Sheard gives decent production as a pass rusher and sets the edge well against the run, and overall he is more of an edge setting run defender then a true pass rusher. He doesn’t have a variety of rush moves. When asked to drop back into coverage, Sheard did an acceptable job. Sheard started the season hot, accumulating 3 sacks in the first 4 games, but was benched in favor of an emerging young star in Trey Flowers after the Patriots switched to a fast hybrid defense. His consistency, especially this past season was worrying at times. One major flaw he does have is that tackles and guards too easily swallow up Sheard on the block, and he can struggle to get their hands off of him.
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Keeps up with a very mobile QB in Taylor and forces him out of bounds. Good play to not allow big yards on the ground and contain the edge.

Sheard-sack-of-Brady.0.gifHere’s a play from Sheard’s time with the Browns. Sheard disengages and gets his hands off one of the more athletic tackles in the league, Solder, and then proceeds to bend the edge to get the sack on Brady.

sheard-interior-sack.0.gifVery good bull rush from Sheard here on one of the top guards in the league, Ron Leary. Uses his pure strength to power his way to get the sack.

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Powers and disengages off the double team to make a play of the ball, making Goff throw an arid pass for the turnover. Great awareness to force the turnover.

Wqaa9vb.0.gif(93)Was swallowed up by the tackle here and wasn’t able to get Beachum’s hands off of him. Not good enough.

John Simon

John Simon could end up to be Ballard’s most underrated signing for this upcoming season. Simon graded out to be on of the top run defending linebackers in the league and excels in coverage. His motor and effort is relentless and he leaves everything on the field. He has excellent feet and elusiveness, allowing him to fake out linemen and get to the quarterback with ease. Even though he isn’t necessarily a pass rush specialist, he does have nice moves in his game rushing the passer. But, his money will be earned from him setting the edge, consistently stopping the run, and being reliable in coverage. Having said that, Simon has slowly developed his rushing prowess from when he was picked up by the Texans. He is still pretty young (26), and does have some room for improvement, more specifically as a pass rusher. Not to mention, he is known to be a great glue guy and a presence in the locker room.
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Try to keep an eye on #51, who lines up at the bottom of your screen on the D-line. He recognizes the tackle overplaying him to the edge, so he uses an inside move to get the sack on the quarterback. Great stuff.

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Once again, Simon lines up at the bottom of your screen on the D-line. On this play, Simon stunts, leaving the guard in no-mans-land and he bends the edge, forcing the QB to throw it away.

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Can’t gif this because of copyright by the NFL, but on this play, Simon makes an extremely athletic play, tipping the ball to himself and then accelerating for the touchdown.

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On this play, Simon BADLY misses on an open field tackle, going to show he needs to work on his tackling technique and timing.

Barkevious Mingo

An athletic freak. Mingo was actually doing well in his rookie season until a chest injury derailed him. Since that injury, Mingo hasn’t had the early production he had in his rookie season, where he opened the season with 3 sacks in his first 3 starts. His physical tools are certainly intriguing, but at this point, his best use is on special teams. He does relatively well in space, so he could move inside giving the inside linebacker corps some good speed and athleticism. Mingo has been known to be a good teammate and has relished his role on the team, whether that is a starter or a situational player. But his issue has always been weight. He can’t keep weight on his frame and as a result, he never been able to carve out a role on either the Patriots or Brown’s defense. His favorite move in rushing the passer is a spin move, which when timed correctly, is very effective. Mingo is actually very good in coverage and average against the run.
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Mingo-Beats-Oher-vs-Run.0.gifBeats the block of Oher, one of the best tackles at the time, with a very quick first step and inside move. Good show of his athleticism and speed.

Mingo.0.gifDisplay of the spin move I was talking about earlier. On this play, he times it to perfection when the OT overplays the edge. Good stuff.

4941bd101ce017127d09eb9594a14d00.0.gifMingo Overpowers the tackle, Glenn, which is quite rare given his frame. Nevertheless, it is a good shot of his bulrush, and it causes the QB to step into the pocket, leading to a sack.

xBfVjvF.0.gifMingo gets absolutely swallowed up by the guard here. He doesn’t seem to have the ability to get bigger guard’s hands off of him, which given his athleticism, is a problem.

Margus Hunt

Hunt came into the league as a project and 4 years into his career, he still hasn’t seemed to develop his game most thought he should’ve as a former 2nd round pick. As a collegiate player, Hunt showed off his raw but freakish athleticism, which quickly caught the attention of scouts. By the start of the season, he will already be 30 years old, so expect him to be a rotational piece at DE this season, with the majority of his playing time on special teams. Hunts biggest asset he has shown in his brief career is his ability to block kicks. In fact, he led the league last year in blocked field goals. Hunt has always had severe leverage issues, as he doesn't seem to get under pads(can be because of his frame), and he struggles to retain power as a result. He has been an average, but capable run defender. Here is a quote from scout, Joe Goodberry, written on Bleacher Report:

"He's big and strong, but extremely stiff and slow to react. This hurts him not only as a pass-rusher, but also as a tackler. He can help as a run defender, but he often gets out leveraged and moved too easily."

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Here, he does a nice mini bullrush, and when he has the tackles hips turned, Hunt uses his base strength to go inside and get the sack.

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Impressive play from Hunt. Gets inside leverage on the tackle (which he rarely does), using his off hand to keep the tackle off of him. He then uses his right hand to make a play on the runner.

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(Lines up at the top of your screen on the D-line) Hunt’s best asset is his run defense. On this play, he pushes off the double team and splits the Guard and Tackle, letting him have a open lane for the tackle.

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Even though this play results in a turnover, you can easily see Hunt’s inability to finish off the play causing him to miss easy tackles. Nevertheless, he does a nice job forcing the QB out of the pocket and forcing an ill-advised throw.

Al Woods

Woods is very versatile for his size, and has impressive athleticism considering he is 307 pounds. Can overwhelm some opponents off the snap, and is deceptively quick. Blessed with excellent overall explosiveness and first step quick ness from the snap. Has great reach and is big, strong, and relatively mobile. Has a very good bullrush in his game. Throughout his career, he has lacked consistent production, and could get much more out of his frame and athleticism. Durability and motivation have also been questioned in the past. Somewhat of a journeyman and been a backup most of his career, but he started 16 games for the Titans the past 2 years. He shouldn’t be anything more then a rotational, maybe a low-end starter, and provide competition.
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Great example of his bullrush. He gets excellent leverage on the guard pushing him right into the QB, disrupting the pass attempt.

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Woods is a step too quick and agile for the guard, blowing past him, and creating a free lane for the sack on the QB. Another plus is that he seems to have used his strength to push off the running back's block attempt, which is superb awareness from Woods.

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Gives up too (#65)Easily on the play, allowing the guard to push him off to the side, creating a gaping hole in the middle. And with no linebacker covering the gap, the defense gives up a huge gain on the ground.

Brian Schwenke

Very durable and dependable option for the interior offensive line. Has the ability to play both guard and center, but was woeful playing center the past few seasons, which prompted his switch to guard. Schwenke possesses good strength and excellent overall technique. Anticipates rushers well, has quick feet and a very low base, and does a nice job using his hands and leverage to stay with his man while adjusting in space. He is a very stout pass blocker, but has struggled at times in run blocking. He’s not as explosive strength-wise but gets the job done. More of a finesse blocker then a mauler. Started 20+ games for the Titans and has high praise from their fan base.
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Keep an eye on #62 who lines up at center. He leads the line on the stretch play, but the play didn’t result into anything. One criticism from this play is that he tries to block the DT with his right arm alone, which severally takes away from his leverage and base strength.

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This play shows Schwenke wasn’t necessarily prepared for the DT to burst so quickly from the line. His instincts and awareness need a bit of work. He is already off balance from the snap, allowing the DT to push him off with ease.

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Keep an eye on the center. Schwenke shows great technique, hands, and base strength, canceling the DT out of the play.

Sean Spence

Spence has gone through a lot in his short career. He missed his entire rookie season after blowing up his ACL, MCL and LCL while obtaining severe nerve damage. It was uncertain whether he could even walk properly nevertheless play at a high level in the NFL. This kid has a tremendous work ethic and perseverance. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the same burst or explosiveness he once displayed at in college at Miami, but he has rebounded quite nicely. He is quite small for his position being 5’11, and as a result can easily be taken out of plays, especially against the run. Since entering the league, Spence has improved every year in coverage, and this past year, he was graded as one of the better coverage linebackers in the NFL. Spence is an explosive hitter with great mobility and quickness. He's constantly around the ball and can make plays sideline-to-sideline. That athleticism also helps him excel in pass coverage. He has experience rushing the pass rusher, but he does have a tendency to miss tackles. Like I said before, he is a bit undersized and isn't an elite burner. Needs to add a little muscle mass and keep improving his shedding skills.
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Goes up to his block while keeping an eye on the running back. He gets the bigger guard off of him to make a play on the ball carrier.

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Shoots the gap and is able to make the athletic tackle on the running back. Sums up his speed at the point of attack.

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Prime example of one of Spence’s biggest issues: missed tackles. Seems like he loses concentration, making what should have been a negative play turn out to be a positive gain for the running back.

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Kamar Aiken

Very fluid and athletic and excels at making tough, off-balance catches. Aiken is a solid playmaker who has the ability to get separation from the corner (but not elite speed) and also the size to handle the jam at the point of attack. You can line him up anywhere on the field where he can use his physicality and toughness to gain leverage in short, intermediate and deep areas of the field. Big red zone target for Luck. Aiken has the acceleration to challenge off coverage but lacks the

elite quickness and agility to consistently create separation in space without using physical contact. Under Trestman’s offense in 2016, Aiken was primarily used outside, but has experience playing in the slot. Displays very good body control and ability to adjust to balls thrown over his head or to either side and good, soft hands to secure the ball outside of his frame with little effort while also showing good concentration to make catches in traffic and hold on through contact. Very good and willing blocker, but struggles with balls thrown below his waist, mainly because of his big frame.
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Aiken is a trailer on this Hail Mary play. He shows very good body control and keeps an eye on the ball for the touchdown.

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Finds the cover gap in Tampa’s zone, splitting the two linebackers and goes up to grab the red zone touchdown. This guy is money in the red zone.

0624562001467906735_filepicker.0.gifEven though he scores on this play, you can see his quickness off the LOS isn’t too great but makes up for it with his strength and good hands.

Brandon Williams

I'm not going to pretend I was able to watch film on this guy, because frankly, there really isn't much tape to look at. The tight end played 16 games for the Seahawks last season, recording two receptions for 36 yards. His biggest contributions should come in special teams and will likely be the #3 tight end coming into the season. He is a capable blocker and quoting Kenneth Arthur from the Field Gulls:

His strengths are special teams, locker room presence, working his ass off, positive attitude, and blocking.

*I'll update this fanpost if the Colts sign any more free agents leading up to the draft*

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.