Interesting nugget in the press conference

[omahacolt]

1) other than luck still can't throw a football

is

2) we are definitely going to a 4-3. and the one that lovie used in chicago. which i believe was a tampa 2 right? granted a way better version of ours.

i can't say i watched too much of the bears during that time so i don't know how much they deviated from the standard dungy version.

thoughts on this news?

[GoBigBlue88]

Tampa-2 is great if you have an athletic MLB who can drop 20 yards, and a killer DL.

With Chubb, Colts could have 1 of those 2 things...

(But I do love the idea of Hooker in a Tampa-2.)

[HoosierinFL]

Tampa-2 is great if you have an athletic MLB who can drop 20 yards, and a killer DL.

With Chubb, Colts could have 1 of those 2 things...

(But I do love the idea of Hooker in a Tampa-2.)

regardless of which style of defense, ILB/MLB remains a top priority in the draft. I'm sure Ballard has ideas on the kind of guy he wants in that position.
But a DL of Chubb, Hankins, Wood, Anderson - you know that's not half bad.

[Colt Classic]

Lovie had Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and that safety who was good for a bit, Mike Brown. That's probably why it seemed like a better version. Pretty sure it was the same flavor of Tampa 2, just with better ingredients.

[YDFL Commish]

Under Lovie they did run more man concepts, maybe blitzed a little more, but that's about it.

[FatDT]

Anyone have details on the Dallas defense from the last two seasons? That is probably the closest approximation to what we can expect here. I find it hard to believe it's that close to a pure Tampa 2 base.

[omahacolt]

Anyone have details on the Dallas defense from the last two seasons? That is probably the closest approximation to what we can expect here. I find it hard to believe it's that close to a pure Tampa 2 base.

that is a good point

i fucking hate dallas so i only watch them under protest

[sherck]

Lovie had Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and that safety who was good for a bit, Mike Brown. That's probably why it seemed like a better version. Pretty sure it was the same flavor of Tampa 2, just with better ingredients.
The biggest ingredient that you missed which makes the Tampa-2 go was Tommy Harris getting the inside penetration (just like Warren Sapp in Tampa).

We never had that in Indy except for Booger and that other DT that I cannot remember his name who had the bad knees. 2 or 3 good years in all the time Dungy was in Indy. Those defenses were improved because of inside pressure. Otherwise, our DTs were fricking 265 pound wonders.

With Hankins/Woods/Anderson/Hunt/Ridgeway at DT and Sheard/Chubb/Basham/free agent at DE, I think we will have a D-Line that can do the job of a Tampa-2.

Simon/Mingo at SSLB with perhaps a free agent/Walker at WSLB leaves our 2nd round pick to be the best ILB we can get; I don't think there are any good MLBs in free agency this year.

I think we can get to a Tampa-2 front-7 setup pretty well in 2018.

Walk Worthy,

[sherck]

Good reminder of the Tampa-2 (located here (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/208030-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-tampa-2-defense-as-we-know-it)).
Key quote:
What happened to the Colts was that teams in the division decided that they weren't going to get into a shoot out with them. They were just going to get big up front and run the ball down their throats. It's the same strategy that has been used against them in the playoffs. The easiest way to beat the Colts is to have Manning sitting on the bench for 12 minutes while you wear down that undersized defense running the ball.
I hate getting run on.

Walk Worthy,

[VeveJones007]

Under Lovie they did run more man concepts, maybe blitzed a little more, but that's about it.

Yep. It wasn’t as vanilla Tampa 2 as we saw under Dungy here.

[VeveJones007]

Good reminder of the Tampa-2 (located here (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/208030-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-tampa-2-defense-as-we-know-it)).
Key quote:

I hate getting run on.

Walk Worthy,

The Bears didn’t. Ballard’s version would have bigger, stronger athletes. Just look at Sheard, Hankins, etc.

[VeveJones007]

Anyone have details on the Dallas defense from the last two seasons? That is probably the closest approximation to what we can expect here. I find it hard to believe it's that close to a pure Tampa 2 base.

Bears ran zone about 40-50% of the time under Lovie/Marinelli. I would imagine the Cowboys were about the same.

[FatDT]

I still think there’s a good chance we see some Ryan concepts creep in, especially once the roster shakes out and the guys get more experience in the system. If Everfuzz is as a good as advertised he’ll continually adapt scheme to fit the roster.

[omahacolt]

Good reminder of the Tampa-2 (located here (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/208030-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-tampa-2-defense-as-we-know-it)).
Key quote:

I hate getting run on.

Walk Worthy,

But Dungy actually had a year where the heaviest dude on the line was freeney

[FatDT]

But Dungy actually had a year where the heaviest dude on the line was freeney

Was that the year Keyunta Dawson started?

[omahacolt]

Was that the year Keyunta Dawson started?

Yeah. Him and Eric foster right?

[FatDT]

Yeah. Him and Eric foster right?

Foster. That’s right. I actually liked Foster. He was put in a bad situation but he could penetrate,had some moves. He was fun to watch except when he was getting blown off the line. He was 265 if I remember right so yeah Freeney at his heaviest weighed the most on that DL. So dumb.

[Butter]

Foster. That’s right. I actually liked Foster. He was put in a bad situation but he could penetrate,had some moves. He was fun to watch except when he was getting blown off the line. He was 265 if I remember right so yeah Freeney at his heaviest weighed the most on that DL. So dumb.
I like him also, but he was not large enough to be a part of such a small line. Dude did bring a lot for what he was. Polian just fucking fell in love with smaller faster guys, and that is fine to a degree, but not across the line.

[VeveJones007]

Good stuff from Holder today on the defense.

The Colts seem likely to run what’s considered a 1-gap defensive front — one that positions defensive linemen to attack a single gap and emphasizes penetration. In the 3-4 scheme used under recently-fired coach Chuck Pagano, the defensive linemen typically are asked to play a 2-gap style. In it, linemen are positioned head up against an offensive linemen and attack one of the two gaps on either side based on reads and where the ball goes once it’s snapped.

The 1-gap scheme will require a lot from defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, a candidate to be the so-called under tackle – a key element of the scheme. While the system won’t be identical to the one the Colts used under former coach Tony Dungy, the importance of this position can be seen by looking back at the role of Booger McFarland. The former Colts defensive tackle was traded to Indianapolis from Tampa Bay in 2006 and provided a key boost to the defense on the way to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.

The coming defensive migration could be a compelling reason for the Colts to target North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb with the third overall choice in April’s NFL Draft. A premier edge rusher, such as Dwight Freeney, is a huge variable in this kind of scheme.

The Colts will need more out of their linebackers. In the new scheme, Jabaal Sheard would presumably shift from rush linebacker to defensive end, playing in a three-point stance. John Simon, on the other hand, seems like a potential 4-3 strong-side linebacker. But questions exist at the middle and weak-side linebacker spots. Whether the Colts have the athleticism on their roster to man those spots is debatable, at best.

The good news here is that Ballard and his staff have a great deal of experience scouting for this kind of defensive scheme. The Colts, according to a source, have already formulated a plan for addressing their defensive personnel this offseason to fit the new scheme. You can rest assured moves at linebacker will be among those changes.

A related point at linebacker: The traditional Tampa 2 defense did not ask linebackers to be frequent pass rushers. But as blitzes have become much more of a staple in the NFL, the modernized version of the scheme is going to include the pressure packages that are a must in today’s game. The linebackers will have to be good in open space and solid in coverage. But linebackers such as Simon, with some pass-rush ability, would definitely be a bonus.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2018/02/09/colts-dont-have-coach-but-they-do-have-brand-new-defense/323577002/

[falloutboy14]

Is Geather's big enough to take on the Brackett role? I got a bunch they want to get Farley on the field. He could certainly cover the deep center.

Realistically, we should mimic the Seattle defense. We're a lot closer to that than the cover 2.

[omahacolt]

Is Geather's big enough to take on the Brackett role? I got a bunch they want to get Farley on the field. He could certainly cover the deep center.

Realistically, we should mimic the Seattle defense. We're a lot closer to that than the cover 2.

no

if anything geathers is a wlb in this scheme. farley won't be given a spot. he has to beat out geathers. not to mention though that hooker might start out on pup.