Could former Lions and Buccaneers CB Brian Kelly help our football team? |
Brian Kelly was, at one point, one of the better corners in the NFL a few years ago. While with the Tampa Bay Bucs, he and Ronde Barber formed an outstanding CB tandem that was vital in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run back in 2002. As a Cover-2 corner, he was as good as it gets: Sure tackler, tough, covers well in zone, ballhawk. He signed with the Lions this past off-season, but it just didn't work out. Detroit cut Kelly yesterday.
Kelly was initially drafted and coached by Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay 11 years ago. Dungy coached Kelly for four seasons before Tampa Bay fired him. With the season-ending injuries to starting CB Marlin Jackson and reserve Michael Coe, the Colts might consider bringing Kelly on board. The key is: Does he have anything left?
The pinnacle of Kelly's career was 2002, when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl. He had 65 tackles, 8 INTs, and 13 passes defended. Some were calling him the best CB in football. In 2003 he got hurt, but bounced back for some very good seasons following. Then, he got hurt again in 2006, and has really been battling the injury bug since with knee, groin, and ankle ailments. After 2007, he signed with the Lions after buying out his own contract so he could get away from Tampa Bay.
I'll repeat that: Kelly bought out his contract with the Bucs so he could sign with the Lions. If you needed any more proof that Jon Gruden is an ass, look no further than that.
Can Brian Kelly help the Colts? Yes. Even though the Colts are posed to have the greatest regular season passing defense in modern NFL history (only 4 passing TDs allowed in 14 games... amazing), Kelly could provide a veteran presence and playmaking ability, especially in nickel packages.
The key is his health. Kelly will look to sign with a playoff team that runs a Cover 2 or Tampa 2 scheme. Teams currently fitting that bill are Indy, Minnesota, Chicago (maybe), and Tennessee.