This is the first in Coltplay’s series of positional breakdowns for the Colts as they prepare for the draft and free agency. This entry looks at the safeties.
Bob Sanders Numbers: 5081/204/4.35c in 042008 Stats: 6 GP/6 GS (4-1 SS, 1-0 FS), 25 TK, 14 AT, 2 PBU, 1-0-0 INT2008 preseason stats: NoneStatus: Signed through 2012
Colts fans complain about Sanders too much. They also praise him too much. Both are signs that they don’t understand what is, in reality, a fairly simple construct. Let me walk you through it. Sanders is capable of playing safety as well as any man in the league. As well as any man in recent memory. He destroys the run like a linebacker. He covers like a corner. He has the hands for the pick, and the wheels to take it home. He has no problem putting a 330-pound tackle on his back and simply destroys men much larger than himself. He can sniff out a fake and has such extraordinary closing speed, that it wouldn’t matter all that much if he couldn’t. He’s not perfect, but he is undeniably good.
That said, he has played in just 45 of 80 regular-season games for the Colts since he was chosen in the second round of the 2004 draft. And in many of those games he was nicked up. It is incredibly frustrating for Colts fans to see this dynamo, this miracle, this former Defensive Player of the Year pacing the sidelines in street clothes more often than not. For some, that frustration has turned to anger, especially after Sanders signed a $37.5 million, five-year contract in 2007. They wonder, often aloud, who cares how good he is if he can’t stay healthy?
They say trade him. I say that’s impossible. Moving a contract that big would be so enormously complicated and damaging to both teams’ salary caps that I couldn’t image anyone undertaking it, even if Sanders didn’t have durability problems. And he has.
Of course he has. He’s 5’8 and weighs over 200 pounds. That would be okay if he had that thick, stout build of, say, a Maurice Jones-Drew, but he doesn’t. Instead, Sanders is an unlikely-looking combination of giant arms, a broad chest and heavily muscled thighs on an otherwise thin and spindly body. It’s an enormous amount of muscle on a skeleton that simply was not designed to carry it. He looks inflated. I don’t know how he got that way, but it’s not how humans are supposed to be built. That body may give him super powers, but it also makes him prone to breakdowns. Combine that with Sanders’ kamikaze style of play and it’s a wonder he ever plays at all.
So Colts fans should realize what they have in Sanders and learn to live with the situation. He is the best safety in the league. And he is also an injury-prone player whose presence can never be truly relied upon. But he’s not going anywhere and when he is right — maybe about half the Colts’ games every season — he’ll make a difference.
Antoine BetheaNumbers: 5110/203/4.39c in 062008 Stats: 16 GP/16 GS (11-4 FS, 1-0 SS), 74 TK, 27 AT, 1 TFL, 1 FR, 4 PBU, 2-0-0 INT, 2-10 PEN2008 preseason stats: 4 GP/4 GS, 6 TK, 1 ATStatus: Signed through 2009, due for a huge raiseIt’s interesting that after Bethea joined the Colts after being chosen in the 6th round of the 2006 draft, he didn’t correct the vast majority of media and fans who pronounced his last name incorrectly. Instead, he just smiled and nodded and played his game. But times have changed. Bethea has proven to be a top NFL safety — a Pro bowl alternate last season — and now he’s not too shy to correct those who muff his last name.
He deserves some recognition, but it’s impossible not to compare him to Sanders because they share the same backfield. Bethea’s a touch slower, is a tick behind when it comes to recognizing plays, is not as slick in coverage and hits with a 2x4 rather than a wrecking ball. And he’s not nearly the wrap-up tackler his shorter, more freakishly muscled friend is.
When Sanders is healthy, Bethea plays second fiddle — deeper in coverage, more of a centerfielder type who fixes other people’s mistakes, especially in the running game. And when Sanders isn’t playing, he’s much closer to the line and more aggressive.
On most teams, Bethea — despite his lowly draft status — would be the top safety. On the Colts, he is only half the time.
Melvin BullittNumbers: 6011/201/4.48pd in 072008 Stats: 15 GP/9 GS (6-2 SS, 1-0 NB), 53 TK, 12 AT, 1 QBP, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF, 9 PBU, 4-7-0 INT, 7 STT, 1 STA, 1-15 PEN2008 preseason stats: 1 GP/0 GS, 1 TK, 1 ATStatus: Signed through 2009, likely to get a significant raiseI thought the Colts were nuts last year when they hemmed and hawed on a new contract for restricted free agent Matt Giordano. I mean, with Sanders only available half the time, why were they letting this good-enough-to-start veteran safety dangle?
It was because they knew something I didn’t. They had another option — Bullitt. And I think it was only Bullitt’s preseason injury that brought Giordano back into the fold.
I confess I didn’t know that much about Bullitt. I was aware of him from Texas A&M, but since most of the tape I saw was of him playing outside linebacker, I didn’t think he’d be ready to contribute much at safety. On the Colts, past history dictates, college safeties play linebacker, not the other way around.
And he didn’t do much in his rookie season after being signed as an undrafted free agent after coming out as a junior. I mean, he was okay on special teams but only occasionally showed up on defense. The only extended playing time he saw was in the boring final regular-season game against the Titans. He played extensively in the second half when both teams had their scrubs in and led the Colts with eight tackles. Part of that was him, part of that was him being targeted.
I was actually surprised he made the final cuts in 2008 when 4th-round draft pick Brannon Condren didn’t. Then I saw him play — often as a starter — and I understood what Bullitt was all about.
Colts fans love Bullitt. They remember him more for his game-saving interceptions than his drive-extending missing tackle attempts. In reality, Bullitt will never be the athlete Giordano is, nor will he be as agile in coverage. But he is more of a playmaker, he’s a more reliable tackler (though just barely) and works for a hell of a lot less money. Last year, Giordano made $971,000, while Bullitt made $366,667. Because of that, the No. 3 safety job — although given Sanders’ health history, it’s more like No. 2.5 — is his. With Giordano unsigned and Bullitt with one year left before restricted free agency, look for that to continue.
Matt GiordanoNumbers: 5114/198/4.54c4.48pd in 052008 Stats: 13 GP/1 GS (1-0 SS), 12 TK, 1 AT, 1 PBU, 7 STT, 6STA, 1-10 PEN2008 preseason stats: 4 GP/4 GS, 1 TK, 1 AT, 1 STTStatus: Unrestricted free agentThe writing was on the wall for Giordano early this season when Sanders went down and Bullitt went on the field instead of him. Giordano is in his walk year (he’s an unrestricted free agent), and the Colts are not about to devote much money to sign a guy they consider to be their fourth-best safety.
They will miss him, even though Bullitt has already taken his place on defense. Giordano is a better special-teamer, not just because of his hard-wired toughness, but because he’s one of the few Colts in recent memory who will actually throw a block on return teams when necessary.
The primary reason Giordano hasn’t been a starter thus far in his career has been his tackling. I can hear you now telling me how nuts I am because you have seen Giordano destroy guys. So have I. But I have also seen him throw his body at them with such fury that he’s missed them entirely.
Still, I think Giordano will find a nice paycheck somewhere in the NFL as a No. 3 or perhaps even No. 2 safety. Of course, that will probably happen late in the offseason after the giddiness of the draft wears off and training camp injuries mount, forcing teams to look for reliable veterans.
Jamie SilvaNumbers: 5106/204/4.78c4.79pd in 082008 Stats: 9 GP/0 GS, 3 TK, 3 AT, 9 STT, 3 STA, 3-15 PEN2008 preseason stats: 5 GP/1 GS, 18 TK, 3 AT, 2 PBU, 2 STTStatus: Signed through 2010The easiest way to understand Silva is to think of him as the anti-Giordano. Giordano was a fairly high draft pick (4th) who had so little college recognition that sites like si.com, espn.com and sportsline.com actually had to cobble together biographies of him after the Colts picked him. Silva, on the other hand, was a household name from his exploits at Boston College, but wasn’t drafted at all. While Giordano runs like a cheetah. Silva runs like a mule. Giordano relies on extraordinary athleticism and toughness to overcome sometimes sloppy technique. Silva has the brain of a supercomputer and uses it overcome his limitations with textbook execution.
Polian compared Silva’s abilities to those of Chad Cota, a slow-footed safety who played and even started for his teams in Carolina and Indy. The results were up and down. As a rookie, Silva’s only real playing time on defense came in yet another meaningless Game 16, again against the Titans. In it, he played a pretty decent game against a bunch of Tennessee scrubs, but didn’t distinguish himself. He could grow into an okay defender if he uses perfect positioning and anticipation to overcome his speed limitations, but that’s not the kind of bet I’d put much money on.
More likely, his future is as an intense Steve Gleason-type special-teams guy who only plays on defense in certain package like goal-line situations or exotic blitzes. But for that to happen, Silva is going to have to cut down on the needless penalties that plagued him as a rook.
Brannon CondrenNumbers: 6007/208/4.47pd in 072008 Stats: 4 GP/0 GS, 3 STT with Miami Dolphins2008 preseason stats: 5 GP/1 GS, 25 TK, 1 AT, 1 TFL, 2-41-0 INTStatus: Unrestricted free agentI’ll have to admit I was confused after the Colts cut Condren last summer, keeping Silva instead. Condren was a 4th-rounder the year before and, although he didn’t distinguish himself as a rookie, he certainly didn’t embarrass himself either. Then, in the preseason, he played like a man possessed. He was hitting like a fiend and always seemed to be around the ball. He made some mistakes, but c’mon, your No. 5 safety is all about potential, right?
The Colts didn’t think so. They opted for the much slower, but more accomplished Silva. Condren was picked up by the Rams, and when things didn’t work out there, he signed with the Dolphins. After getting cut by them, he wound up on the Colts’ practice squad.
So where does that leave him now? Well, he’s still a fast, hard-hitting young man who’s much better in zone coverage than man and is a so-so tackler at best. The similarity to Giordano is uncanny.
He has the advantage of being familiar with the Colts defense, but that didn’t help him last year. And he’ll be facing the same set of guys (except, in all likelihood, Giordano) who they preferred to him last year. For him to make the team this year, he needs to prove that either the team made a mistake last year, or he has developed into a better defender than the one they let go.
How this affects the draft and free agencyOn first glance, it looks like the Colts are set at safety. After all, they have Mr. Everything in Sanders, a Pro Bowl alternate in Bethea and a competent No. 3 in Bullitt. Even if Giordano goes, they have tough Silva and speedy Condren fighting it out for No. 4.
But if you look closer, you can see some holes in that particular bucket. Sanders is a part-time player. Bethea is fine, maybbe be a titch overrated, but no doubt a competent starter. Bullitt is better off when he’s exposed less, but not bad. Silva is too slow to be counted on, and Condren has yet shown enough to warrant a roster spot on any pro team.
Making matters worse is the fact that Bethea is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after next season, and Bullitt is due to become a restricted free agent.
With so much money invested in Sanders, the prospect of the Colts signing Bethea to a big-time contract are not great. Traditionally Colts president Bill Polian has little problem handing out big contracts to cornerbacks, but is reluctant to pay much for safeties (other than Sanders). Considering the fact that cornerback Kelvin Hayden is likely to cash in big this offseason, the available cap room for the secondary will be even more limited next season.
So if Bethea leaves, the Colts would then have an aging Sanders and Bullitt, who still hasn’t convinced me he can be a full-time starter on the same level as Bethea. And as for the all-important No. 3 position, who knows? And considering how poorly the Colts’ special teams have been, some athletic depth at the position would be a boon.
Polian has a habit of drafting potential replacements the year before a starter leaves — a good example of this is the three centers he drafted a year before Jeff Saturday became an unrestricted free agent — so a young safety or two will probably be added.
Don’t expect to see any action on the free agency front. It goes against Polian’s philosophy to sign free agents of any note unless he’s absolutely backed up to the wall. You won’t see him looking in the windows of the used safety dealer this year.
Instead, they will add through the draft and undrafted rookies. I don’t see them spending a first day pick at the position because: a) they have other holes to fill, and b) they have had some success with late-round and undrafted safeties. If, as I expect, the Colts have nine picks this draft, my bet is that you’ll see two. How about a fifth and a seventh?
Generally, the Colts look for fast, hard-hitting players at the position and — as with every position — intelligence, college production and strong character are also considerations. They have a habit of grabbing unknowns and are not afraid to choose players from small-time programs.
Although it’s way too early to make any predictions — especially since all-star games, the combine and private workouts and interviews are essential to the Colts’ decision-making process — I would offer
Louis Delmas of Western Michigan and
Alton Dixon of Texas A&M as the type of guys they would definitely consider adding.
Safeties drafted by the Colts since Polian took over2007 4th round Brannon Condren
2006 6th round Antoine Bethea
2005 4th round Matt Giordano
2004 2nd round Bob Sanders
2003 2nd round Mike Doss
2002 6th round James Lewis
2001 2nd round Idrees Bashir
2001 3rd round Cory Bird
2001 6th round Jason Doering
1998 7th round Corey Gaines
Notes:• Tyjuan Hagler started at strong safety once (a loss to the Titams). Although the official NFL documents listed him as a linebacker and the Colts and local media have referred to that particular formation as a 4-4-3, it looked very much more like he was playing strong safety to me.
• As the great and profound Gino points out, Utecht actually left as an RFA, so the Colts will get no compensation for him.
