Some Things I Want To Get Off My Chest

[Geo]

I thought Freeney was playing the run too much in the first half against Houston actually, Rosenfels was killing the team on bootleg passes.

[bigbluedefense]

i always wondered what Freeney would do as a 3-4 rushbacker.

that would be a site to see.

[NY+Giants=NYG]

Originally Posted by Geo

I thought Freeney was playing the run too much in the first half against Houston actually, Rosenfels was killing the team on bootleg passes.

Playing the run, and actually making tackles are two different things. All DEs are going to play run when they read their keys and act accordingly. The thing is if they can disengage make a play.

Yeah, that's what I would do if I was facing a team with good pass rushers. I'd move the pocket with bootleg, sprint protection, and rollout protection. Keep your guys guessing. Plus bootleg works well with bread and butter running plays.

[captainjack27]

Originally Posted by Geo

I'd like to add:

- Braylon Edwards is terrible. Even when he does catches the ball on occassion, he can't hold onto it firmly. Marvin Harrison is old, what the heck is this guy's excuse?

Stevie Breaston is easily the best Michigan receiver in the league right now.

I have to disagree here. Sorry, but A LOT of people would look good in the slot in Arizona's system. Despite Edwards having bad hands, He did make a pro bowl nad had 16 tds last year, with Derek Anderson at the helm. That is last year, but no way can I say Breaston>Edwards.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Shockey+Manning=Shocking

Yeah true, Freeney was never a complete DE. For a pass rushing specialist that's a good season so far. It's good to see him back from injury.

Freeney actually holds his own against the run when he's not being called upon to try to run by the opposing team's LT and try to pressure the QB at pretty much all costs. Watching him completely abandon playing the run at times, it has to be the coaching telling him to do it, especially when you consider their philosophy at times has been "stop the run on the way to the QB". The Jaguars ran for 375 yards on the Colts in 2006 running draws to Freeney's gap pretty much the whole game. Why? Because the coaching staff had him playing 7 technique and trying to loop past the LT every play (the fact that Gilbert Gardner was left to cover the gap didn't help matters either). I'd consider it a player flaw if it didn't happen so often. Also note that that same year in the playoffs, one of the adjustments the coaching staff made on defense was to have the DEs play more gap control type assignments rather than abandoning gaps and attacking the QB. These days Freeney doesn't seem to have that assignment nearly as much, especially on likely run downs, and teams haven't exactly had success running to the left side against the Colts, although you could say that's because all they have to do is run up the gut, considering how poor the DT play has been this year. All-in-all, though, I think the whole "Freeney can't play the run" thing is overblown. The Colts run defense has fluctuated over the past few seasons based on the quality of DT play they've gotten, really.

[Geo]

Originally Posted by Shockey+Manning=Shocking

Playing the run, and actually making tackles are two different things. All DEs are going to play run when they read their keys and act accordingly. The thing is if they can disengage make a play.

There's a reason teams don't ever run wide left against the Colts. Their chances are much better up the middle or to inside tackle to the right, which was pretty much the case for Houston as I recall.

[NY+Giants=NYG]

Originally Posted by Geo

There's a reason teams don't ever run wide left against the Colts. Their chances are much better up the middle or to inside tackle to the right, which was pretty much the case for Houston as I recall.

I don't doubt that. I was just speaking in general for his career. 37 career tackles season high is still pretty damn weak. That to me says that for all his talent to get to the QB, he still can't properly disengage off of the various types of run blocks by the OL, to make a play consistently game in and game out. I was just wondering if he was playing all season because 18 tackles is damn low!

[Geo]

So much of the (run) defense is funneled to the WLB, the MLB, and the SS. Those guys are going to get the tackle numbers for sure. Just shy on the second tier come the CBs and the FS, then the third tier of the SLB (might be second tier) and the def linemen if they can make plays down the line/field, which Mathis and Freeney occassionally do. I suppose I could put it that way, although it's more fluid than how I described it.

Maybe Freeney could be a better run-stopper in a more traditional defense, who knows. I think he does a solid job, thankfully the coaches have cut down a bit on having him rush too wide from 7 tech as Dam noted. And the one thing I've liked is that he's gone inside a little more the last few weeks, bull-rushed every so often. It's good for him to mix it up a bit.

[MetSox17]

Originally Posted by bigbluedefense

i think you got a crush on me son

Lol it's cute that you think the world revolves around you, but that was not a reference to your post.