Looking Forward to 2008: Special Teams

In 2007, special teams was one of the biggest problems for the Colts. It cost the Colts the first Chargers games, and it wasn't helpful in the 2007 Playoffs Super Bowl run. The Colts haven't had a great returner since Brad Pyatt, who had his career ended by injury. The kickoff coverage is mediocre outside of Darrell Reid. The punt coverage is better than the kickoff coverage because of the team speed, but it still is not where it should be. Well, this is a whole new year, and the Colts have drafted and signed players who could completely revamp the coverage and return games. The Colts may have been anemic in the return game and incompetent in coverage last year, but next year will be different.





Kickoff Coverage





The Colts had a bunch of stupid mistakes last year covering kickoffs. There were multiple offsides penalties and missed tackles. However, the Colts have made some moves with personnel that will make this team one of the premier coverage squads in the NFL.





This offseason, the Colts kept their current special teams stars and then drafted and signed some players with potential to be stars. Darrell Reid, the man who almost killed Chris Henry, and Matt Giordano resigned with the Colts. With those two, the Colts have a great cornerstone for a strong special teams. However, the other 7 coverage men all were subpar. Here is the lineup I would use.





Michael Coe and Matt Giordano are the gunners. These are two of the fastest players on the team, and they should be able to keep the returner from making it to the outside.





Darrell Reid is the wedge breaker. He is big and normally one of the first defenders down the field. He is a Pro Bowl-caliber special teamer.





The other two players on the outside are Jamie Silva and Roy Hall. I would like to keep Hall away from special teams after his shoulder injury, but he is too fast and too big to be on the sidelines on kickoffs.





The five other defenders that I would send out would be Philip Wheeler, Colin Farrell, Brandon Archer, Curtis Johnson, and Ramon Guzman.



With this setup, this is how the kickoff formation would look like:



MC JS PW BA CF AV DR CJ RG RH MG



With this lineup, the Colts will have two of the fastest players in the league in Coe and Giordano being able to shut down the outside. Darrell Reid could very easily be another Colts Pro Bowler this upcoming year. The big defenders are also giants, and the linebackers are solid tacklers.



Kickoff Returns



Since Brad Pyatt's neck injury, there hasn't been a dynamic Colts returner in ages. In the sixth round, a Division III player became the next Colts returner.



Pierre Garcon is the ideal returner for this team. First, he will not play a big role on Sundays when Peyton is on the field. At most he will be a fourth receiver if Marvin is suspended or still injured. Secondly, he is one of the most explosive returners I have seen highlights of. Most would think Joshua Cribbs got put in a Mount Union jersey and starting returning kicks on Pop Warner teams. That's how good he has looked. I don't think there is a question who will be returning punts this year.



However, we have seen returners come and go. Brad Pyatt hurt his neck. Terrence Wilkins became too old. TJ Rushing is now expendable. To be safe in case of a freak injury, the Colts have backup returners. Sam Giguere is a probable practice squad player who could be a quality returner some day. Rudy Burgess and Charles Dillon both were returners in college, and they could be signed to the 53 man roster if Garcon and Giguere would be injured. Speed is never a concern for the Colts.



Here is a Pierre Garcon kick return highlight for those who don't believe how good this kid can be.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvzTkNIVEj0


Convinced? I think most Colts fans are, and more importantly, Bill Polian is.


Punt Coverage


The punt coverage and kickoff coverage teams should look similar. Matt Giordano and Michael Coe will be gunners. Coe is not as solid of a tackler as one may want for gunner, but he is as fast as any player on this team. Giordano combines speed and tackling to make an unstoppable gunner. I would like to see the players I listed on my kickoff coverage being on there as well. Philip Wheeler, Curtis Johnson, and Brandon Archer are all solid tacklers who would not let big plays happen.

Punt Return

I think we all know that Garcon will be the returner, but who will be on the line? Last year, Michael Coe made a great block in the Baltimore game. I think he and Giordano should be on the outside to go for the blocks. On the inside, I would like to see big bodies like Quinn Pitcock, Ed Johnson, and Josh Thomas in the middle. Also, an offensive lineman like Jamey Richard wouldn't hurt either for blocking. To drop back and block, linebackers like Tyjuan Hagler and Philip Wheeler would help. With this, they could get some good returns. However, I think we do not have the best blockers for returns, which is why we have had minimal success returning punts.

This is my preseason overview of the special teams. It's mostly guesses, because we don't even know the roster yet. But this is what I think it will look like.

Breaking Down the Draft

The Colts, again, had great draft. They always say Bill Polian does what no one suspects. This year, everyone thought that linebacker and guard were positions that, even though they lost players there, they wouldn't cover early. Well, the first two picks were Mike Pollack and Phillip Wheeler. The Colts covered all of the needs, and there are still some fantastic undrafted free agents that the Colts could and probably will sign. Here is the breakdown of the draft.

2nd (59th)-Mike Pollak/C or G/Arizona State: At first glance, the Colts drafting a center is a little strange. Jeff Saturday is easily the best center in the NFL, and offensive line is definitely not a huge need. But then after really thinking about it, right guard is wide open for competition, and Jeff Saturday is not young as well. Pollak will be the leader for the right guard spot coming into training camp. Pollak's strength is his strong point, and his main weakness is his size, which allows him to be pushed around by nose tackles. Pollak will be a big contributor whether he is starting or giving Dylan Gandy or Charlie Johnson a break.

3rd (93)-Philip Wheeler/LB/Georgia Tech: Wheeler is one of the fastest linebackers in this draft. With the loss of Rocky Boiman and possibly Rob Morris, the Colts need a little depth at linebacker. Wheeler was recruited by Georgia Tech as a defensive end, so he could be moved in pass rushing situations. Wheeler is versatile enough to play oustide linebacker, middle linebacker, and defensive end. If injuries become a problem again, he could be a key player at multiple positions. Wheeler's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his size.

4th (127)-Jacob Tamme/TE/Kentucky: With the loss of Ben Utecht, Jacob Tamme could be a main target for Peyton Manning. Tamme played on the explosive Kentucky offense alongside Andre Woodson, Rafael Little, and Keenan Burton, so he is used to having great talent around him. It will be interesting to see his blocking ability, which could be helpful in short yardage situations, which the Colts struggled a bit in last year. Tamme's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his strength.

5th (161)-Marcus Howard/DE/Georgia: I have no idea how Marcus Howard fell this far. Howard has the potential to be one of the premier pass rusher in the entire league. Luckily for the Colts, Howard was available here, and we picked him up. Howard will be used as a pass rushing specialist on third downs. With Howard, quarterbacks like Billy Volek will not be able to pass on us. Howard's strength is his speed, and his weakness is his size.

6th (196)-Tom Santi/TE/Virginia: The Colts are definitely set at tight end for the future. They signed Dallas Clark long-term, and now they have 2 rookie tight ends. Santi will be used more as a blocking tight end, even though he can still catch. He led the Cavs in receiving yards and touchdowns per game. His strength is his blocking, and his weakness is his lack of speed.

6th (201)-Steve Justice/C or G/Wake Forest: Out of the centers the Colts took today, Justice is the most likely to actually stay at center. Saturday will be his mentor, and he is expected to take over for him in the near future. Justice's strength is his football IQ, and his weakness is his lack of experience in a pro style blocking system.

6th (202)-Mike Hart/RB/Michigan: This was the sexiest pick of the Colts draft. Hart is a superstar and former Heisman contender that fell in the draft because he is not a combine player. Hart will be a change of pace back for Addai and will help keep Addai healthy. Hart's strength is his aggressive running style, and his weakness is his durability.

6th (205)-Pierre Garcon/WR/Mount Union: I'd never heard of Garcon before today. He went to Division III Mount Union, and he was never projected to be drafted. Garcon's strength is his quickness, and his weakness is his lack of competition in college.

7th (236)-Jamey Richard/C or G/Buffalo: Richard is another interior lineman. Last year against San Diego, the Colts barely could field an offensive line because of injuries. Now, they have much better depth. Richard's strength is his footwork, and his weakness is his lack of athleticism.

With these picks, here is what the Colts pre-UDFA 53 man roster.

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

RB
Joseph Addai
Mike Hart
Kenton Keith

WR
Reggie Wayne
Marvin Harrison
Anthony Gonzalez
Roy Hall
Devin Aromashodu
Pierre Garcon

TE
Dallas Clark
Bryan Fletcher
Jacob Tamme
Tom Santi

LT
Tony Ugoh
Michael Toudouze

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday
Steve Justice

RG
Mike Pollak
Dylan Gandy

RT
Ryan Diem
Charlie Johnson

DE
Dwight Freeney
Robert Mathis
Marcus Howard
Josh Thomas
Keyunta Dawson

DT
Ed Johnson
Raheem Brock
Quinn Pitcock
Darrell Reid

SLB
Tyjuan Hagler
Ramon Guzman

MLB
Gary Brackett
Phillip Wheeler

WLB
Freddie Keiaho
Clint Session

CB
Marlin Jackson
Kelvin Hayden
Tim Jennings
Dante Hughes
Michael Coe
TJ Rushing

FS
Antoine Bethea
Brannon Condren

SS
Bob Sanders

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Hunter Smith

LS
Justin Snow