Opinnion on Leonard
 

I don't analyze the individual play of each player the way some on here do, so I thought I'd get an opinion on Leonard's play in this last game. Is he improving?

I've always been a fan of his, so if he could actually return to the player he was before his injuries, I'd see this LBing crew as one of the best in the NFL.

He's no longer The Maniac. Not in play or in demeanor.

The lack of hit on Ingram was deplorable and I had given up hope. I will say there were two plays late that he seemed to show a little flash of the old Leonard. So.... jury still out but not high on the prospects of a return to the form of old.

o


Incomplete ...... there have been many basketball players who have had their noses broken during a game, and it took them some time to play as daringly and ruggedly under the boards as they did prior to the broken nose ...... but many of them did indeed gradually play their way back to their previous form.

Granted that being a linebacker in football is different than being a center or a forward in basketball, but the timidness/reluctance to go all out immediately after coming back from an injury is a common variable.

o

I remember disruption in the middle, int’s, and punching the ball out.

I don’t remember any of that from him since he came back. Just not the same.

he is just a guy out there imo.


but sunday was the best he has looked

Leonard
 

Just wondering if those that watch the Colts games in depth have seen any improvement in the play of Leonard. I posted this question once before, but it seems to have disappeared.

I'm nothing more than a casual fan, so I will only comment rather than access his play in depth, I have not really noticed him in games, I often forget he is even out there, and that can't be good!

I think Bradley gave him some praise after the jags game saying he did some good things out there. He got dinged a couple games ago and didn’t play well. Last I looked at his eval numbers it was on par with the other linebackers. Of course that is below the old Leonard we were used to.

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The thread has resurfaced.


http://www.coltfreaks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=169987

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It did, but not until I added this one. Hey mods, maybe combine them.

Done

To be fair. Old Leonard was on a hall of fame pace with better stats than Ray Lewis.

The Colts can save 16 million in cap savings if the cut him after this year.

Something to think about for sure

Which is why he's being paid like a future HOFer. The problem is that we can't keep paying him like that if he's become a league average LBer.

thought about it


get rid of him

o


I would love it if Leonard would read each and every post in this thread at 12:30 PM ...... and then come back and comment about them after the completion of today's game.

o

And given Ballard's history, they would use that 16 million to do what?

Pittman

With the recent talk, as good as gone.
I remember that game, fitting against the Gayders, where he made a chop forced fumble to seal the game.
Sad...

I guess I'm a softie/ There were a couple of years where Leoanard was my favorite performer on a pitiful Colts team. Hoping he could return to that form was what I hoped for. Too bad that's not happening.

o


Shaquille Leonard Is Upset With His Current Role

(By Destin Adams)

https://atozsports.com/indianapolis/...-current-role/

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then the mfer should play better.


just look at his physicality and effort compared to Speed or Franklin. it isn't even close to the same

o


(vs. PANTHERS, 11/05)


Leonard led the team in tackles, with 10 (7 solo, 3 combined.)

The league-leader in tackles (Zaire Franklin) missed the game with a knee injury.

o

So it appears that whomever plays that position will lead the team in tackles in this defense. I can't remember any real impact play Leonard made. For him to be worth a 20 million cap hit he will need to do more. It is one of the reason stats can be misleading.

Some guys think he's playing like shit. I'm not one of them. He's just not where he was (yet, hopefully). Even really good LB's are not worth $19m. It's all a financial quandry.

He had 11 tackles last week. But yes, tackles definitely have context. Hopefully, we look back and say it was a sign of him becoming more active en route to regaining form. We'll see.

What made him great was also a very unorthodox style. We shouldn't be waiting for him to look like Zaire Franklin.

He was never, ever one of these thumpers that would just stick a guy in the ribs. At his peak, you could always say he kind of looks like he's avoiding contact with RB's and lead blockers. He was never a "standard" Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, Devon White type LB. Franklin is.

Leonard would look a little more awkward, but then he'd produce like 8 pass breakups, 4 ints, 5 sacks 8 forced fumbles, 12tfls, etc. over the season. Weird shit.

o


"They Wrote Me Off" ...... Shaquille Leonard Has a Message for the Colts

(By Scott Horner)

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...n/72031028007/

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Trying to motivate himself … they wrote you off based on pay for performance.

He’s always looked for bulletin board motivation… just wish he would’ve had that same fire coming into this season because it definitely wasn’t there

He is right, in a way. Yes, the team wrote him off. That is why they released him. However, his play declined after the surgery, and the risk was too high to keep him, especially when he wanted more snaps over Speed.

As for the comments about his name, I feel that came from fans on social media. I heard all sorts of things (and he probably also saw them) about him being scared, being soft, being paid and then losing his fire. I am sure I am missing some of the worst ones. While I agree his play fell off, I also had hopes that he would get it back with time. Unfortunately, the Colts did not have the time needed, and let him go.

I have always been a huge Maniac fan, and hope he can return to form, to an extent. I just wish bad games on him when we play his team(s).

It is what it is. My loyalty to this franchise likely clouds my capacity to have a truly objective opinion here. Would he have been willing to re-negotiate his contract? Did Ballard and Irsay even want to put up with his agent?

He's also still helping, at least in my perception, Omaha's argument for years that he isn't a real leader. It sounds like he was a good teammate, and a great friend, but this dude is always a victim.

Where is his locus of control?