Dr. Duran Duran wrote:I think some of you are missing the point here. It's not that Edge isn't a huge asset or that he's not an elite back, it's that he's not worth the money they'd have to sign him for when you consider how much more valueable Wayne and Freeney are at this point in their careers. Wayne is just now entering his prime and Freeney is as valueable a defensive player as they come. Signing the two of them takes priority over signing a back entering his late 20's who'll command prime dollars. I'm not ever going to say that Rhodes alone can take up the slack. But, Rhodes and another back in a 1-2 scheme can certainly be called upon to take up the slack until another back comes to fruition.
I couldn't agree more Doc. WR in his prime, at a position where its hard to find playmakers versus a RB on the back side of his career. I can't think they couldn't go with Rhodes next year or sign a free agent for less money.
Do you guys all agree that the Colt's will be fine no matter what they do in free agency, and that they have a high chance of getting into the playoff's next season irregardless? Really the main stumbling block for Indy is choking it up in the playoffs.
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My theory is that their running game is not utilized properly and that an effective running game is the key to all of their problems. Just look at the win streak this year. Every game= Edge is above 20 carries and above 100 total yards. Stud consistency. Now just think about the teams that get deep into the playoffs every year. They either have a dominating defense, or a dominating running game, or both. If you're missing a component of that, you're just not gonna win or get far. The Panther's shut down Tiki Barber and the Giant's couldn't even get a single point on the board.
And I think we all know that the Colt's will never be a dominating defense. Even this year when they were the #2 in the land on both sides of the ball, they got beaten down by an underrated Steeler's team. Since when does the #2 defense/#2 offense in the league get down 14 points in the first half of the first quarter? Even then, if they would have just run Edgerrin James 5 more times over the course of that, or maybe even 2 more times during the final drive, they will AT LEAST send it to overtime. Just look at the Colt's first scoring drive, that was almost entirely Edge.
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I can totally agree with all the points of a RB being almost worthless and interchangeable in today's NFL and how important a guy like Reggie Wayne is to the majority of teams. But is he the answer for the Colt's? Is Edge really that interchangeable? I really don't think so. Manning and Harrison are already locked up for a few years at HUGE cap numbers, how much money do you want to lock up in a passing offense that has already proven to be good for 28+ TDs year in and year out Wayne or no Wayne? Freeney is sure to be locked up long term... There are only so many big contracts that one team can hand out without getting into major cap trouble down the road. And frankly, Is the #1 passing offense in the NFL winning very many Super Bowl titles recently? Why would they continue to sacrifice at other positions just to make Peyton Manning look even better (during the regular season).
Manning/Harrison/Edge are all likely to be restructured a couple years down the line anyways.. They can give Edge his $10-$12 million upfront and then pay him a 15-20 mill for the next few seasons. Add on another heavily backloaded 30 million to the last few years of the contract and a roster bonus or two, and you get a 7-year $65 million mega deal. Edge gets cut/restructured at age 32.. and the Colt's only pay him around $25 million out of pocket for 3 or 4 years of service. The already gave him what like $9 million this past season? That's a bargain for an Edgerrin James.
P.S. - Edge got 20 or more carries in every single game during the Colt's winning streak this year. The last time Edge got 20 carries or more was in the week 14.
The most important thing that sticks out to me is that during the Colts 14 game win-streak, they handed the ball off to Edge 20 or more times. Every game they lost this year was due to the fact that Edge was not fed the ball enough.
And you can't honestly compare TDs per carry with Edge and Rhodes. Rhodes has gotten alot of goal-line carries.
I think the colts will decide to let Edge go. They can't afford to let Wayne go with Harrison getting older. Wayne is a number 1 receiver on any other team besides Cincy or Arizona.
I would love to see Edge go to Pittsburgh. I'm just not sold on Parker yet. But, if I remember right, Pitt was skimming the cap this year (which is why they had to chose to let Burres go and keep ward), so that's not going to happen.
It's not even as much as a debate is it's sounding like. Since I started this thread, it's been popping up all over that the Colts will not, in fact, keep Edgerrin and that they are going to try and sign Wayne long-term and, failing that, use the franchise tag on him. And I don't think it's a bad move.
However...that does not mean that Dominic Rhodes is just going to be handed a starting job. Kiper, among others, have the Colts taking a RB with their first pick; Calhoun some, Maroney if he falls, guys like that. Also, free agency will have a lot of available RB's, some of which have started before, some of them who have been backups. Let's not assume that Rhodes is just going to step in as the starter; he's due a $2 million roster bonus this off-season and I've even read speculation that the Colts may release him and just start over at RB.
michaelavelli wrote:It's not even as much as a debate is it's sounding like. Since I started this thread, it's been popping up all over that the Colts will not, in fact, keep Edgerrin and that they are going to try and sign Wayne long-term and, failing that, use the franchise tag on him. And I don't think it's a bad move.
Freeney is a FA. The Colts would be ridiculous not to use the franchise tag on him until they can work out a long term deal, so unless they get Freeney resigned early, they won't likely have the luxury of tagging Wayne.
Kensat30 wrote:Do you guys all agree that the Colt's will be fine no matter what they do in free agency, and that they have a high chance of getting into the playoff's next season irregardless? Really the main stumbling block for Indy is choking it up in the playoffs. --
My theory is that their running game is not utilized properly and that an effective running game is the key to all of their problems. Just look at the win streak this year. Every game= Edge is above 20 carries and above 100 total yards. Stud consistency. Now just think about the teams that get deep into the playoffs every year. They either have a dominating defense, or a dominating running game, or both. If you're missing a component of that, you're just not gonna win or get far. The Panther's shut down Tiki Barber and the Giant's couldn't even get a single point on the board.
And I think we all know that the Colt's will never be a dominating defense. Even this year when they were the #2 in the land on both sides of the ball, they got beaten down by an underrated Steeler's team. Since when does the #2 defense/#2 offense in the league get down 14 points in the first half of the first quarter? Even then, if they would have just run Edgerrin James 5 more times over the course of that, or maybe even 2 more times during the final drive, they will AT LEAST send it to overtime. Just look at the Colt's first scoring drive, that was almost entirely Edge. --
I can totally agree with all the points of a RB being almost worthless and interchangeable in today's NFL and how important a guy like Reggie Wayne is to the majority of teams. But is he the answer for the Colt's? Is Edge really that interchangeable? I really don't think so. Manning and Harrison are already locked up for a few years at HUGE cap numbers, how much money do you want to lock up in a passing offense that has already proven to be good for 28+ TDs year in and year out Wayne or no Wayne? Freeney is sure to be locked up long term... There are only so many big contracts that one team can hand out without getting into major cap trouble down the road. And frankly, Is the #1 passing offense in the NFL winning very many Super Bowl titles recently? Why would they continue to sacrifice at other positions just to make Peyton Manning look even better (during the regular season).
Manning/Harrison/Edge are all likely to be restructured a couple years down the line anyways.. They can give Edge his $10-$12 million upfront and then pay him a 15-20 mill for the next few seasons. Add on another heavily backloaded 30 million to the last few years of the contract and a roster bonus or two, and you get a 7-year $65 million mega deal. Edge gets cut/restructured at age 32.. and the Colt's only pay him around $25 million out of pocket for 3 or 4 years of service. The already gave him what like $9 million this past season? That's a bargain for an Edgerrin James.
P.S. - Edge got 20 or more carries in every single game during the Colt's winning streak this year. The last time Edge got 20 carries or more was in the week 14.
I definitely think that the Colts have a few more years to make a run before the window shuts entirely. They've got alot of good young defenders and the team for the most part will be fine on offense so long as Manning is there.
That being said, I think if they truly want to get to the promised land, they do need to keep Edge. It's not just his ability to run and catch the ball in that offense, he's also an integral part of the pass protection that for the most part keeps Manning's jersey pretty clean most game days. You saw in the Denver playoff loss what a poor blocking back like Tatum Bell can cost you.
I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me.
Both Baltimore backs are free agents this year... I think either one would be studly in Indy, and with the crap year Jamal Lewis had last year, I think either of them can be signed for about half what Edge can...
Jamal Lewis would be a beast in Indianapolis... His struggles in Baltimore lately are the result of facing 10 guys in the box almost every down... Put him on an offense with a good passing attack to keep defenders honest and he's good for another 2,000+ yard season...
Plindsey88 wrote:Both Baltimore backs are free agents this year... I think either one would be studly in Indy, and with the crap year Jamal Lewis had last year, I think either of them can be signed for about half what Edge can...
Jamal Lewis would be a beast in Indianapolis... His struggles in Baltimore lately are the result of facing 10 guys in the box almost every down... Put him on an offense with a good passing attack to keep defenders honest and he's good for another 2,000+ yard season...
Chester Taylor ain't shabby, either....
Jamal Lewis, Chester Taylor, Najeh Davenport, Ahman Green, DeShaun Foster...there are going to be a LOT of running backs that can be signed for pretty cheap and do a respectable job in that Indy offense.
Also, about Freeney, yeah I know he's a free agent, I believe that the Colts are going to try and sign both long-term and use the franchise for either player if it doesn't work out. If they both don't work out I guess they're in trouble but I don't see that happening.
Think about this:
We could potentially have an off-season in which Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis, Ahman Green, and Shaun Alexander are all FA's.
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by Dadd » Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:24 am 
