Colts pass rusher Dwight Freeney's spin move Hall-of-Fame worthy? 'You couldn't stop

[JAFF]

Colts pass rusher Dwight Freeney's spin move Hall-of-Fame worthy? 'You couldn't stop it.'



Former Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Dwight Freeney has a backer for a Pro Football Hall of Fame bid: Joe Thomas.

The former Cleveland Browns tackle, who was inducted into the shrine last weekend, didn't hesitate when asked on the "Dan Patrick Show" which defender should be next to get a gold jacket.

"Put him in there next year: Dwight Freeney."

"The games you faced Freeney, you didn't sleep much the night before because you knew how challenging it was going to be," said Thomas, who played 11 seasons in Cleveland, earning six first-team All-Pro nods.
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"I knew what his game plan was going to be," Thomas said. "He's just going to try to run around you for a full half, wear you out, then he's going to try to run you over. Then, as soon as you stick your heels in the ground and you try to make a stand, it'll be like 3rd-and-8, he's going to spin inside and he's going to sack your quarterback.


"Everybody knew he was going to do it, everybody knew when it was coming, but you couldn't stop it."

Freeney, who is in the Colts Ring of Honor, is a multiple-time Hall of Fame nominee. He played the first 11 of 16 total seasons with the Colts (2002-12), compiling 107.5 sacks and 44 forced fumbles. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro.

[ChaosTheory]

Freeney is going to need public testimony like this to get him in as soon as he deserves. Relying solely on the numbers will push him down because he played alongside guys that just accumulated more sacks.

Similar to Marvin Harrison, I think Freeney should benefit from his opponents' stories getting some publicity. The further you get from their playing days, the more people forget which guys were the real problems.

[Dam8610]

He basically invented a pass rush move that changed the game, in addition to getting over 100 sacks, 47 forced fumbles (3rd all time), and regularly dominating Hall of Fame LTs (Jon Ogden should give his testimonial next). If he's not a Hall of Famer, I don't know who is.

[ChaosTheory]

He basically invented a pass rush move that changed the game, in addition to getting over 100 sacks, 47 forced fumbles (3rd all time), and regularly dominating Hall of Fame LTs (Jon Ogden should give his testimonial next). If he's not a Hall of Famer, I don't know who is.

Right. Encouraging thing is that mostly anyone that played then speaks his praise. Unfortunately sacks are one of those black and white numbers for a lot of people. So they'll see that he has less than Jared Allen or John Abraham and not realize that Freeney was the bigger gameplan threat. Arguably the biggest threat of his time.

Also, the spin move gets all the shine and for good reason. But it was the way Freeney rock/paper/scissored OTs to death that was so impressive to me. He could beat you with straight speed, bull rush, or spin and he knew how to set guys up over the course of several plays at a time.

[ukcolt]

He was a true game wrecker as a pass rusher, one of the very best i have ever seen at this element of the game. But the counter argument is that he was always a liability against the run and teams game planned their run game to aim at this weakness. And that is where i have always thought that Robert Mathis was under rated. He wasn't the dominant pass rush threat that Freeney was and gained a lot of his sacks because of Freeney, but he was a more disciplined all around defender in my opinion.

In terms of elite traits, hands down Freeney was the better player though.

[JAFF]

He was a true game wrecker as a pass rusher, one of the very best i have ever seen at this element of the game. But the counter argument is that he was always a liability against the run and teams game planned their run game to aim at this weakness. And that is where i have always thought that Robert Mathis was under rated. He wasn't the dominant pass rush threat that Freeney was and gained a lot of his sacks because of Freeney, but he was a more disciplined all around defender in my opinion.

In terms of elite traits, hands down Freeney was the better player though.

It was a one gap Dungy D, and how often did you see a team get outside of the DE’s? It was the SAM and WIL to fill inside. When Dungy finally put Morris inside of Freeny, he played it like a traditional SAM, and the Colts finally solved the run D.

[YDFL Commish]

Julius Peppers will get in before Freeney.

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Chris Hanburger went to 9 Pro Bowls in a 14-season career between 1965 and 1978 ........ that was a record for players NOT in the Hall of Fame, yet he was snubbed each and every year that he was eligible between 1984 and 1998.

He was finally inducted into the Hall in 2011, after he was nominated as a Senior candidate (football's version of the Veteran's Committee.)


If the voters at-large can have their heads up their asses for so long about Hanburger, nothing surprises me about whom they decide does and does not get in.

o