 Adam Seward (59) is now wearing the blue shoe Photo: Scouts.com |
I woke up this morning and thought I'd been transported into some sort of parallel universe; a place where the sky is green, Spock has a beard, and the Indianapolis Colts sign free agents from other teams. The reason I thought I'd been sucked into the new and wondrous universe is I saw the Colts had signed former Panthers LBer Adam Seward.
What? Seward was a free agent. And the Patriots wanted him, and they ALWAYS get the free agents they want. There's no way the Colts would sign someone like that.
Yet, there it was, digitized across my computer monitor in black and white: Colts sign linebacker Seward
Next thing I know pigs will sprout wings, monkeys will fly out of Mike Florio's butt, and IU will have qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
So, just who is this new linebacker named "Adam Seward" that the Colts just signed? Well, for starters, it seems he had a bit of a falling out with Carolina coach John Fox. Because of this falling out, Seward very much wanted out of Carolina. The Patriots showed a lot of interest in him, and almost signed him. In the end, Billy B and co. didn't ink Seward. Despite not signing with New England, Seward expressed a desire to play in a 3-4 defense:
"Coming into the draft, 3-4 teams were what my agent and me were looking toward," Seward said. "Most of our linebackers are 230 pounds, and I’m 250, 255 pounds. And when you’re that big, taking on blocks and being inside is a better fit than playing in a Tampa-2 defense and running downfield. I still feel I can do it. I had a great 40 time coming out in the draft, and still feel when I move on that field I move as well as anybody."But 3-4, 4-3, … I think I fit well in both schemes, but being a bigger linebacker, I feel like I have more value in a 3-4, because you can’t just plug in a smaller linebacker."
Seriously, what is with all these Carolina players bitching about a 4-3 defense? Didn't Carolina have a good defense in 2008? Wasn't it a 4-3? Last I checked, the Panthers defense wasn't the one throwing stupid INTs in the playoff game against the Cardinals. Whatever.
Well, despite Seward's desire to play in a 3-4, he signed with a team that plays a 4-3 Tampa-2. At 6'2, 250 pounds, Seward is one of the bigger linebackers the Colts have. To give you some perspective, he is bigger at LBer than Marcus Howard (6', 237 pounds) is at defensive end. Along with Philip Wheeler, Seward adds both size and speed to a linebacking corps that traditionally has relied on smaller, faster players.
What is clear about this signing is that he feels that the Colts have offered him an opportunity to start in Indy's defense. Seward's not looking for a back-up role, and with linebacker-starved New England interested, signing with the Colts makes Seward a very intriguing player coming into 2009.
So, yeah. Bill Polian actually signed a free agent! I think some kind of parade is in order. I'll bring the lawn chairs and the Wild Turkey.