PFW- Rookie Meter: Young Colts on the rise

[Tribal Warfare]

Rookie Meter: Young Colts on the rise

When you think of teams that could use rookie help, you tend to think of the cellar-dwellers of the NFL. Take Detroit, for example. Even the veterans that Jim Schwartz kept had hands in the Lions’ 2008 disaster, so it’s only natural to think he’d give rooks like Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew and Louis Delmas the chance to strut their stuff early.

You don’t, however, think of perennial playoff participants like the Colts as clubs that will be trotting out their rookies for meaningful snaps. Yet there was Indy Sunday night in Nashville, entrusting a host of their guys that spent the 2008 season as pawns of the college game laying waste to the woeful Titans.

Austin Collie, the smooth-operating receiver from BYU, is proving that sickening collegiate production in Provo shouldn’t be merely chalked up to the system as the regrettable NFL careers of former Cougars greats like Luke Staley and the boatload of Norm Chow-schooled quarterbacks would indicate. Donald Brown continued running hard in relief of Joseph Addai, affording the Colts their best 1-2 RB tandem in years.

And, perhaps most impressively, was the stunning work of Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey in the secondary. Both were given starts with stud corners Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson on the mend, and both more than made the defense proud. Lacey, who went undrafted in April, was particularly good, toying with Kerry Collins and knocking away three of his passing attempts.

1. QB Mark Sanchez, Jets (First round, fifth overall pick)
Watching Sanchez hit Braylon Edwards on all those tight money balls Monday night, it's not hard to get the feeling that this duo is going to be a good one for a long time. A really good one.

2. OLB Rey Maualuga, Bengals (2, 38)
Make no mistake, Maualuga is the single biggest difference between the Bengals' defense last season and the 2009 edition. In Sunday's downing of the Ravens, the tatted-up Samoan who just looks like a football player tallied two tackles for loss among his eight stops.

3. RB Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (1, 12)
There's no longer any question, Moreno is the Broncos' No. 1 back. In Josh McDaniels' takedown of Bill Belichick's Patriots, the pride of Georgia carried the ball 21 times to LaMont Jordan's three carries, and delivered over 100 yards of total offense.

4. OLB Brian Cushing, Texans (1, 15)
No, Cushing wasn't assigned to Larry Fitzgerald, who showed once again why he's peerless in the receiving ranks. Cushing did what he could for the Texans, getting some nice penetration on the Cardinals' line, but there's not much he can do when his quarterback telegraphs a ball to Cardinals CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to win the game for Arizona.

5. WR Percy Harvin, Vikings (1, 22)
For Harvin's standards, there was nothing too special he did in the beatdown of the Rams. Of course, there was nothing too special he needed to do, seeing as the Vikings were playing, well, the Rams.

6. OT Michael Oher, Ravens (1, 23)
Oher did himself proud in his first start at left tackle following Jared Gaither's neck injury, especially in pass protection. He remains the elite lineman on either side of the ball in the rookie ranks.

7. OLB Aaron Curry, Seahawks (1, 4)
Curry has stepped up his game a lot the last few weeks, and Sunday might've been his best showing yet. Among his nine tackles was a strip sack of David Garrard early in the third quarter of the Seahawks' rout of the Jaguars.

8. MLB James Laurinaitis, Rams (2, 35)
Not much went right for the Rams against the Vikings, but Laurinaitis did pick off Brett Favre. Then again, that might be a bit more of feat against any other Hall of Fame quarterback.

9. WR Austin Collie, Colts (4, 127)
Collie jumps up to the top 10 after not even being "on the cusp" last week. That's what happens when you string together an evening like he had in Nashville. Of his three touchdowns the last two weeks, two will be replayed on the season-ending highlight reel.

10. WR Johnny Knox, Bears (5, 140)
Knox and the Bears had the week off.

On the cusp (listed alphabetically)

S Al Afalava, Bears (6, 190)
WR Kenny Britt, Titans (1, 30)
RB Donald Brown, Colts (1, 27)
CB Derek Cox, Jaguars (3, 73)
S Louis Delmas, Lions (2, 33)
CB Jacob Lacey, Colts (not drafted)
OT Phil Loadholt, Vikings (2, 54)
CB Jerraud Power, Colts (3, 92)
QB Matthew Stafford, Lions (1, 1)
WR Mike Wallace, Steelers (3, 84)

[Deberg_1990]

What about the great blocker eating of Tyson Jackson?

[Reaper16]

Johnny Knox! D2 football, baby.

[Tribal Warfare]

It seems like my mancrush on Oher was justified.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

It seems like my mancrush on Oher was justified.

I mentioned him for our draft choice and was summarily crucified.

I also wanted the Chiefs to take Austin Collie in the fourth. Asshats.

But Sanchez at #1?! Shit. With that offensive line, most of the guys on this board could be effective at quarterback.

[ChiefsCountry]

The two guys who were available at the Chiefs picks, not to mention two of our biggest needs are the top rated rookies. Not to mention the two guys most on the CP would have drafted.

[Marcellus]

7. OLB Aaron Curry, Seahawks (1, 4)
Curry has stepped up his game a lot the last few weeks, and Sunday might've been his best showing yet. Among his nine tackles was a strip sack of David Garrard early in the third quarter of the Seahawks' rout of the Jaguars.

I thought Curry want a pass rusher?

[52decleetzu]

Oher has been flat out awesome.

He was prepped for the right side since camp, played there the first 4 games and then all of the sudden had to switch to left and he made it look easy.

It is just not that simple to switch sides like that at tackle, and he did it against a guy who is leading the league in sacks and handled him with no problem.

He is a keeper.

I have to say I about fell off my sofa when the Chiefs took Jackson at 3......sorry. Very rarely are 3-4 ends going to be impact players, and that is what you would expect out of a pick that high. Could have traded down 3 times and still got him probably in the 20's at about 1/5th the cost.

Who am I to question Pioli though, I guess he had his reasons. I think he took the term 'safe pick" to another level that is for sure.

[Mecca]

Austin Collie is basically a perfect fit for the Colts slot position in that system, that's a perfect fit. I don't think he'd look that way anywhere else..

Maualuga on the other hand, yea NFL people are brilliant letting him fall.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

I mentioned him for our draft choice and was summarily crucified.

I could see the logic in not drafting Oher, but I wouldn't have complained about it if KC selected him.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Austin Collie is basically a perfect fit for the Colts slot position in that system, that's a perfect fit. I don't think he'd look that way anywhere else..

Maualuga on the other hand, yea NFL people are brilliant letting him fall.

Collie was going to play regardless. Fast in pads, amazing hands, precision routes and liked/didn't shy away from contact. Absolutely agree that he's in a perfect situation with the Colts, but he was going to play wherever he went. And Dennis Pitta might be even better than Collie in terms of his position, and I'm sure that the Chiefs are going to blow that one as well. He was the same player that Eric Decker of Minnesota is, and probably had a little more polish to him than Decker does. (Who I wouldn't mind as a Chief at the top of the third round - if he lasts that long.)

The thing with Maualuga was that I couldn't envision all three/four of USC's linebackers being "that" good in terms of making an impact in the NFL. I guess they were though.

I yearn for a decent MLB/ILB. It's almost becoming a fixation with me at this point.

[Mecca]

Rivers and Maualuga are back together in Cincy, that's probably something really driving that defense.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

I could see the logic in not drafting Oher, but I wouldn't have complained about it if KC selected him.

I wouldn't have either, though I understood the arguments against him at that time. Same thing with Curry. Albert and Johnson. ****ing hindsight is a killer though. And I don't mind the Jackson pick. With as many holes as the Chiefs have, just getting a guy that will start because he's better than what you have is important. And stopping the run is a big key in getting better, and he looks like he's helping the team do that.

I personally don't understand how Oher drops to the twenties. Kid said the right things, played tough on the field and looked every bit the best tackle in the draft. But come draft day, Monroe and Smith are getting the love. Weird how shit happens like that. Brady Quinn versus Jamarcus Russell kind of thing.

[kepp]

What about the week Maclin had? 170+ yards, 2 TDs

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by kepp

What about the week Maclin had? 170+ yards, 2 TDs

He had a nice day. The D was doubling/cheating triple on D. Jackson all day and maclin proved he can't be ignored. Maybe the reviewers want to see how maclin does when the D plans for him for a few games before evaluating him.