INDIANAPOLIS – Each week, readers of Colts.com can submit their questions to have a chance of them being answered in our Wednesday or Saturday mailbag.
With the abundance of questions in recent weeks, we will have two mailbags each week. This one comes via a weekend edition (here’s the Wednesday version from this week).
Here is this weekend's collection:Josh M. (Indiana)
While Matt Hasselback black extremely well this year, he can't beat father time. I cringed for him every time He took a hit. What are the chances the Colts keep Josh Freeman as a back up. I thought he played outstanding. Considering he only had a few days of practice. He took what the defense gave him and made some great plays with his legs.
Thanks and as always go Colts.
Bowen: Let me start off by saying (and this is just my opinion), I think Matt Hasselbeck wants to come back for a 19th NFL season. In listening to Hasselbeck the final few weeks of the season, his play this season (when healthy) has him knowing he can still play into his 40s. Plus, he loves the Colts locker room. His family doesn't seem to be pulling him away from the game at all. If anything, they seem to want him to keep playing. Now, Hasselbeck is a free agent so that will factor into things, if he does indeed decide he wants to play at the age of 41. You mentioned Josh Freeman. Both Freeman and Ryan Lindley are under contract for the 2016 season. Depending on Hasselbeck, I could certainly see Freeman and Lindley being involved in a backup role. It's been a while since the Colts have had really any intrigue in the backup quarterback position heading into the offseason. They could have several options there in 2016.
Tyler B. (South Jordan, UT)
With Lovie Smith getting fired this week and the colts still looking for a defensive coordinator do you think the colts should go after him? Thank you. Go colts!
Bowen: Tyler, as you would expect, we received a bunch of defensive coordinator questions in this week's mailbag. The Colts have hired Ted Monachino as their defensive coordinator. Colts.com will have plenty on Monachino next week. After being the linebacker's position coach with the Ravens since 2010, Monachino will become a coordinator for the first time at the professional or collegiate level. What we know about Monachino is that he will implement a similar 3-4 scheme to what the Colts are used to (and their personnel calls for). While Monachino has had great talent play for him in Baltimore, he's also helped many of them to career years in his six seasons with the Ravens. Former 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs thinks extremely highly of Monachino.
Stan C. (Minneapolis, MN)
Kevin, we've had a whole lot of upheaval among the coaching staff. I have a question regarding two of the positional coaches: retained QB coach Clyde Christensen and recently released TE coach Alfredo Roberts.
On first glance, these two men have had pretty similar situations. Both inherited very talented players from the 2012 draft that became core pieces of an explosive offense. Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, and Dwayne Allen all made productivity climbs through 2014, but their structural flaws remained (turnovers/forcing the ball for Luck, drops for Fleener). The biggest difference between the positional groups appeared to be this past season.
In 2015, Luck dealt with injuries (much as Allen has throughout his young career), but I can't attribute all of his regression to injury. Luck would straight up throw the ball towards double coverage while ignoring open receivers. Mental errors that had nothing to do with his ribs or shoulders. Allen and Fleener's regression, on the other hand, looked far more as a result of their misuse in the offense than in their development.
To be clear: this isn't black and white. Luck's injuries can explain his regression to some degree and dropped passes have been troubling for the tight ends. And in Christensen's defense, Matt Hasselbeck was a very competent backup when needed. But I don't see a terribly convincing reason why the TE coach should be fired and the QB coach should be kept outside of just trying to give Luck a sense of continuity. Your thoughts?
Bowen: Trying to pinpoint why assistant coaches are kept and let go can make your head spin. Is a position group's given success in a season solely the grading scale for their specific coaches? Assistant coaches are kept in the background so we have little to go off of when trying to evaluate who had a quality year and who did not. Now, as far as the comparison of Clyde Christensen (quarterbacks) and Alfredo Roberts (tight ends), you have two vastly different seasons. Christensen is obviously thought of very, very highly with him being the lone position coach still in Indianapolis from the previous regime. He's been with the Colts since 2002 when Tony Dungy brought him over from Tampa Bay. That longevity and reputation I think is why the Colts are keeping him. Yes, Andrew Luck had his struggles, but Christensen watched four "reserve" quarterbacks win a total of six games this season. That just doesn't happen in the NFL. Roberts is also a long-time position coach in the NFL (tight ends coach since 2003 with four different teams). His position group did not have the same amount of success as it did in previous seasons. Was that the reason for him leaving? Honestly, we just don't really know because there's little information on these guys. Again, trying to compare which coaches should stay and return when a chunk of the staff is fired can be a taxing, taxing process.
Brian B. (Indianapolis)
Will duron carter get a future contract? Because im hearing hes not , we should keep him he has the talent if he goes to another team theirs a good chance he going to be a beast.
Bowen: As I'm sure you saw earlier this week, the Colts did not sign Carter to a "future" contract. For practice squad players, their contracts expire once the season ends. Players have one week to then sign their future contracts. If they don't, they become free agents. The Colts typically offer future contracts to their practice squad players but again, the player has the right to decline it and then hit the open market. It's not known which side of the Carter situation is balking at things but if there's no action by Monday, he will be free to sign with any team.
Michael S. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Do the Colts have any plans with hb trey williams? Either keeping or releasing him? He looked to have speed and shiftiness, and built similar to maurice jones-drew. I would not like to see him go to a rival and run all over us the next 7yrs like a repeat mjd.
Bowen:The speedy Trey Williams is under contract for next season. Colts fans might have noticed Williams (No. 40) in Week 17 catching a pitch and showing plenty of burst to the outside. A few weeks back, Steve Andress had this article on the Colts signing Williams off the Dolphins practice squad. We will see this offseason if Williams can carve out a permanent role in the Colts backfield.
