Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -5/19- Tarell Basham Still Unsigned; Colts OL Chemistry Over Continuity

Episode Date: May 19, 2017

After looking at the rest of the AFC South, we head back to Indianapolis to close the week out. What, if anything, does it mean that Terrell Basham is yet to be signed, and Joe Philbin should be excited about the #Colts OL for 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That's for my crazy day. My packed commute. All those unread emails in my inbox. But I'm getting stronger, faster, and pushing myself further every day. I don't care if I'm not like everyone else. This punching bag is the best way to end my day. Fearless is knowing yoga isn't your style. That's the power of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program.

Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. No, I'm not for sale. You are lockeded On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley, and thank you for joining me here on a Friday. Time to end up the week on Just Talking Colts. It was nice to get through some of the AFC South rivals,

going through everybody's kind of off-season to figure out exactly what we think maybe the Colts will be up against this year. So it was nice to get those guys on and talk through a little bit about what's going on. So let's talk Colts tonight, though. We'll stick to it. More importantly, the Colts have pretty much got their entire draft class signed. They just signed Malik Hooker. They just signed Marlon Mack, Grover Stewart. Basically, everybody is signed except Terrell Basham, the Colts' third-round pick. So we kind of go through this and look approximately about where he's going. I'm not sure what the holdup is.

This isn't really like a really dragged out situation or anything like that. It's not like this isn't common, at least for at least a pick or two for each team. But let's kind of look at what we can expect him to get. Quincy Wilson's contract was four years, $5.76 million. And his annual is about $1.44. So that's where he was at for the second round pick.

His signing bonus throughout was about $2.3 million to $583,000 per year throughout. And then you look at the next pick on the other side of Basham was Zach Banner. Now Banner is an offensive lineman. So this, you know, it may seem a little strange that you're going from a high intense skill position, so to speak, to, you know, an offensive lineman, but offensive linemen get paid, don't get me wrong. But we go to him and his contract is four years, 2.9, so less than three mil. His signing bonus throughout was that 538,000 completely over the four year span. So it kind of made me think, at least initially, that that was probably a little bump and then it was going to go back up with Marlon Max. But Marlon didn't quite get that either. He got $2.8 million, so just under what

Zach Banner got over the four years. And his signing bonus throughout the four years was $104,000 per year, $419,000 total. So I guess if you look between Quincy and Banner, you're looking at probably somewhere around $4.5 million, somewhere between the $4 and $5 million range. I'm not exactly certain on how that's slotted, but I do know that every rookie gets a $465,000 rookie salary. So, I mean, outside of that, there's really no change. But when you look at their signing bonus, you know, I would expect him, Banner got, you know, like I said, just over half a million for his entire signing bonus. Quincy Wilson got 2.3 million. I would look for about

at least 1.5 for Terrell Basham. So I think you're probably looking at around four, four and a half million dollar contract over the four year span. I think that's realistic. There's not a lot that can really be done with these. I mean, these are slotted. These are largely expectations. Signing bonuses are really about where the differences pop in. So I mean, if there's anything that's being negotiated right now, it could be offset language, something about, you know, where he gets a certain amount of sacks and, you know, this year or that year and so on and so forth. That's kind of about the gist of where he's going to be looking. So I would assume there's some of that talk going on. They're just trying to kind of finalize the details and everything. Nothing to worry about. Nothing. I mean, like I

said, this isn't something that's off the charts. It's not something that doesn't happen. It does happen. Obviously, you want him to get signed so that he can start doing OTAs because OTAs start next week. Players can still participate in this stuff without a contract, but I don't think that that's highly looked upon from the NFLPA. I'm not sure that they want guys practicing when they're not getting money. You get hurt and you haven't signed a contract yet. I would assume that the team doesn't have to pay you. So yes, I understand that they can take part in these, but I'm pretty sure that that's not something that any of their representation is going to want them to do.

So let's look at another area here. There was a story that went up not too long ago about Joe Philbin being impressed with what he's seen from the offensive line guys. Now, everybody knows that at this point in time in the offseason, they can't do any of the physical stuff, no pads, no contact, no offense versus defense type stuff. But he's basically saying that what he sees from them is their agility type stuff, their ability to be flexible, to work out at a certain rate

and to get themselves healthy. Their bend is better, stuff like that. Simple technique stuff that they're working on or something like that is about what he's talking about. But there is a certain aspect of this. And now, I mean, you guys know that I'm actually pretty high on the offensive line. And I don't think that that's something that should be discounted. But I think that the, I think that nationally, obviously people are just kind of looking at them as just another offensive line. And it's not impossible for that to happen. But you look at this group that's largely intact from a year ago. I mean, the only difference is that Denzel Good is likely at this point in time not the starter at right guard. I mean, Raven Clark starts at right tackle.

He ended the season at right tackle. You got Joe Haag at right guard, Kelly at center, Muhort left guard, and Costanzo at left tackle. This is a group that is going to be back together that I feel worked pretty well together in the end of the season this past year, and that's possibly what the best part about it is. There's something that Pagano always talks about, and it's continuity along the offensive line.

Continuity is great. Like this is a good thing that the same group, for the most part, is going to be intact there. But chemistry, to me, is more important. I mean, they're not the two aren't. I mean, they're not the same thing. Continuity just means you got the same people there. Okay. Chemistry means the people that are there are working well together. I mean, this isn't, you know, I'm not teaching you guys a lesson, you understand the difference.

But here's the thing with that. I mean, you could have a brand new guy step in there at whatever position, left tackle, right guard, whatever. Regardless if they've been in there and practicing with the same unit over and over and over throughout the offseason or throughout training camp or whatever, if they work well together, sometimes that stuff just meshes. You get with somebody, even you guys and myself at your job, sometimes you work with people that just complement what you do better. You don't have to have worked with that person for years upon years or even, you know, six months. Sometimes somebody that you work with closely just works better and you two complement each other's style perfectly. And that's ultimately what really matters. This group, in my opinion, has good chemistry,

so the continuity is every bit as important. But when you don't have the chemistry, continuity means nothing as far as I'm concerned. When you look at groups that have been together for years and they still suck, I mean, what's the point in continuity if you guys don't work well together? And that's ultimately the idea.

I think Philbin's excited to see these guys all back, working hard, learning day-to-day, the simplistic parts of the offensive line work. And like they said, all these guys started from basically zero as far as being coached by Philbin last year. What they want to see this year is extensive progression with their technique, their ability to work well together, and everything in between. If the group fails to really mesh this year, then you could see a little bit of the offensive line, the makeup of

it, shaken up a bit. I mean, Denzel Good's there as a backup. They did actually get rid of Austin Blythe, which I was a little surprised about. I thought that he was a quality depth guy there in the middle of the offensive line. Although, you know, if they just don't see that he's going to be a starter at any point in time, or if he's not, you know, maybe they just don't feel like he's a legit backup. Then, you know, you get rid of him. You cut bait. You get rid of him. But the Rams ended up picking him up off of waivers. And I, you know, I just was, I wasn't super high on the guy, but I thought he was a good

piece there to back up that offensive line, especially the interior. Guards and stuff go down all the time. And that was just something that I thought was legit there. But, you know, they obviously have a need to back up the center, both the guards. They feel like they've got enough diversity there with those guys and some of the backups with guys like Schwenke. You know, they've got Redmond and Good there. I don't think that Good can move into center or anything like that,

but I think that they just are pretty comfortable with Schwenke being the backup center there and being a guy that can move to the left or to the right with that. Or they've got Deshaun Bond, Adam Redman, and those guys may be able to do that as well. They did also get rid of Christopher Moeller, who was a guy that I thought had legitimate shot at making the roster. I've been wrong a lot about that already. I mean, I wrote a piece on FanRag the other day that had Jerome Lane that I thought could be that nice H-back piece. You know, the guy that they could move around from the backfield in motion and kind

of use him as another weapon out of the backfield. He's not quite as tall as the other tight ends. He's got a little more speed than the rest of them, but he's not fast enough and not technical enough as a wide receiver to be out there amongst that group. He was not going to be in that wide receiver group and make the team. He had to make that team as a specialized player. And they got rid of him as well. So I won't ever bat a thousand. I can promise you that. And like I said on Twitter to somebody, I said, you know, basically that you can always tell

what the player can provide. Like you can see what that player possesses and what they could do for the team. You just don't know what the team is looking for from that specific player. And if what they're looking for, they're not going to get, then there's no reason to keep them around. I mean, if they don't want him as an H-back or that guy who can be out of the backfield, then there's no point in having him on the squad. He's not going to, like I said, he's not breaking into that wide receiver group. So that's something that is just a part of this is trying to figure out the outside pieces to see who can come in as the back roster guys or find a spot on the practice squad.

But it's offensive line, something to be excited about as far as I'm concerned. I'm not too worried about the people that will discount them. There's absolutely no chance that you can look at this offensive line and say they're still going to be bad or whatever. I mean, they may not be great, but they've got the same unit together, like I said. I think their chemistry is solid. And they did improve last year.

Whether they were still allowing enough pressures and such, that's, you know, another story for another day. But that's still the issue is that they've got the group there. They're young. That's the beauty of this all. I mean, aside from Costanzo, that entire group's been there since 2014. And even Costanzo was drafted in 2011. So the offensive line is young. You know, it's a quality team. And they really have, I mean, I'm anxious and excited to

see if Philbin can truly get these guys to the absolute next level. I know that the run game is going to be better than it's been. I think as far as the offensive line and how they block, I think that is only natural to assume. Looking at the group as a pass protection unit is something that's just going to be a work in progress. You hope that they can get the job done. They can protect Luck enough, but Luck's going to take some hits. He's the quarterback. He's a physical player. He's a guy who likes to get outside of the pocket. He's a guy who likes to push the boundaries a little bit.

He wants the plays to go. He does enjoy getting those deeper passes. That's something that I've critiqued about him for, you know, basically since he's been a Colt. I mean, he's a fantastic quarterback. Don't get me wrong. And I love him. And I think he's every bit of what we project him as. But the bottom line is, is that

he is a guy who will bypass a six yard out or a six yard flat route for the 15 yard deep in or the drag that is coming close. And a lot of times he gets hit before that, and that's a problem. So he needs to take the stuff that's given to him. All that stuff works. I mean, guys, when you look and you say, yeah, but you want a guy who takes chances. Okay, I'm with you on that. He will take chances. He will take those deep passes. But watch the guys that are successful in this league. Watch the guys that are playing 12, 13, 14 years, winning Super Bowls. A lot of what they do. I mean, you know, we don't want to talk about Tom Brady, but Tom Brady, man, that dude will absolutely dump everything down with inside of 10 yards until that defense moves. And then he uses

his brain, which Luck has a really nice brain. Luck's a really smart quarterback. Then he'll start taking it to the next level. Then he'll start eating up that safety unit. Then he'll start tearing up that linebacking core. That's what Luck needs to do. And I think that under Schottenheimer, under another year of that, that's going to be something that's just going to – I think we're going to see Andrew Luck at his – we saw him at his best ever last year as far as I'm concerned.

When you look at raw statistical gain and stuff like that, I mean, I think we're going to see that again from him this coming year. I think that we're going to see Andrew Luck on pace to break his best yardage season so far. I think he's going to have as good or better completion percentage. Yards downfield will not change. He's still a guy who's going to take that deep ball when it's there. So, I mean, that's there. We've still got T.Y. Hilton and we've still, you know, a lot of the talk about Dorsett over the past couple weeks. There was a foot issue with him last year and that kind of hampered his ability to progress and to develop. I don't know any different, you know. I mean, I read the same things you guys do. I don't talk to Philip Dorsett, you know, so I don't know one way or the other as far as a straight personal honesty answer, but I can tell you that if that's the

case, that's a good sign. I mean, for, for the Colts, that's something that the Colts need is another deep threat. Another guy that can push the boundaries can keep, uh, the, the corners honest outside and, and, and push the, and, and take the top off that defense. T.Y. is good at the line of scrimmage, very good, very technical, great footwork, good getting deep. He's able to get off of people and create separation. We need a lot of that from Philip Dorsett. Not only that, but that's going to make Aitken significantly better. That's going to hopefully make Moncrief break out this year. And that can also do wonders for Chester Rogers or anybody else who brings in that number five role. I mean, this is a wide receiving core, guys, that has the possibility to be special. They really do.

You can look at other wide receiving cores throughout the league, and they can tell you that this is like the Steelers or just whoever but I mean ultimately are you telling me that after Antonio Brown that they have another wide receiver that's guaranteed to be better than T.Y. Hilton or Moncrief or you know even Aiken for that matter they've got good pieces sometime and in some places very good pieces that all complement each other that find ways to beat defenses. That's basically the key to everything. That's what makes it.

I mean, you can have a guy beat somebody deep all the time. They can't catch. They're worthless. If they can't run a quality route, they're worthless. They can be the best receiver in the league, but if they can't receive and they can't run a route, what's the point? And that's the problem. That's where these

teams grow together start to mesh the wide receiving core starts to bring themselves together and you know once they get all that squared away then this wide receiving core i think like i said i think it has a potential to be special uh so just run through a couple uh groups for you guys and a couple units right now just to give you my feedback. We'll go through a little bit more of this next week and as we get closer. I mean, we've got a lot of downtime this time, right around this time in the offseason. Not a lot's going on. Like I said, OTAs start next week. That'll be something interesting to talk about. We'll get George in here and get his kind of point of view on a lot of what's going on. But really, we're set for a solid couple months here of downtime. So we're going to try to dissect maybe some players,

a couple units in particular, and try to gain and try to pick apart as much as we can about these guys. Some will be great, some will be negative. But we're going to have to do it because we're going to go through these guys and try to get exactly what we expect to see. No fluff here. I mean, I'm not going to tell you that somebody's going to be great if I don't think they're going to be great and vice versa. But I'm going to do everything I can to be straight with you guys and tell you what I see. Not everybody sees the same thing, but that's the beauty in all this, right? That's what we'll probably be doing over the next couple months to try to eat some of this downtime up. And most importantly, I just thank you guys for being back here with me

on a daily basis. The numbers are great. You guys are doing fantastic on Apple Podcasts. I really appreciate the ratings and reviews. Don't forget the call-in. I mean, guys, we can take up several shows with the call-in line. It's 574-516-2881. Use it. I mean, call it. You have a question, you can hit me up on Twitter if you like, but you can also use that call in. You just want to get your name on. I'll put your question on the show. That's always fun as far as I'm concerned to get your guys' voices heard directly, not just me reading your questions. If you want your questions on here, give it a call. Leave a message. It's open all the time. So you guys can do that anytime you want.

Make sure you guys do follow me at mdainley__nfl on Twitter. Follow the show at Locked on Colts. You can always email me if anybody's interested in advertising on the show. You got thousands of ears listening to you. Loving Colts fans around Indianapolis, Lafayette, all this area here in central Indiana, northern and southern Indiana too, for that matter. So if you guys want to do that, give me a shout on the email at lockedoncoltspod at gmail.com

and any other way that you guys want to get a hold of me. Thank you guys for listening. I'll talk to you guys all next week. Have a great weekend. Next week we'll jump right back into some more things and talk to you next week right here on Locked on Colts. You are locked on Colts. You are Locked on Colts, your daily podcast on the Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.