A Question about Dwight Freeney.

[Digger44]

If he is in the final year of his rookie contract, it is my understanding that he is a RFA. Is this right thinking? If it is, does anyone know what his tender is? No matter what it is set at, why not make him an offer sheet? If the Colts do not match, we have a great OLB/DE and the $$$ to sign him right now. If they do match we just sent the Colts into cap problems because of an unexpected signing. Why the heck not?

 

[Digger44]

I do not see him on the RFA list on NFL.com.

 

[pats1]

A) Dwight Freeney is signed through 2008.

B) Whether a player is on their rookie contract or not doesn't matter. A player is a resticted free agent when he has 3 accredited seasons. If more than that, he's an unrestricted free agent. If less, he's an exclusive rights free agent.

Dwight Freeney signed a 7-year contract in 2002, when he was drafted:

1. DE Dwight Freeney (Syracuse/No. 11 overall) -- Signing bonus: $3,000,000. Base salaries: $944,000 (2002); $1,180,000 (2003); $1,416,000 (2004); $1,652,000 (2005); $1,888,000 (2006); $2,124,000 (2007); and $2,360,000 (2008). Notes: Team can exercise option-buyout on 2008 season with $3,000,000 payment next spring. If exercised, base salaries are reduced to $300,000 (2003); $391,000 (2004); $600,000 (2005); and $765,000 (2006). The 2007-2008 seasons are voided with minimal playing time. Total: seven years, $14,564,000, or five years, $9,000,000. Cap value: $1,372,000.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/afc/draftsignings2002.html

Here's his more current base salary numbers:

2006 5000000.00
2007 1001000.00
2008 1237000.00

http://nflpa.org/Members/playerProfile.asp?ID=32987

When the 2008 league year is up, he'll be an unrestricted free agent.

The only case where he would be a restricted free agent would be if he was a free agent after the 2004 league year and had been on the roster long enough in 2002-4 to get an accredited season (3 games, I believe, I.R. and PUP included). Obviously, that wasn't the case. Since he now has 4 accredited seasons under his belt, he's an unresticted free agent for life.

 

[workhorse]

I would not be surprised to see him signed to a long term deal before this season starts. The Colts aren't going to come close to letting him test the free agent market.

 

[Phokus]

I would not be surprised to see him signed to a long term deal before this season starts. The Colts aren't going to come close to letting him test the free agent market.

Do you even have any cap room left? You guys are throwing money left and right.

 

[ruacoltsnut]

Thanks for you support of a great end in DWIGHT FREENEY and remember......

 

[Remix 6]

its okay we have seymour. btw hows James doing? how many yards is he gonna get? what about bracket? hows his defense next year? wait i forgot..they are gone. darn

 

[ruacoltsnut]

Is seems that the NFL is reporting your losses and gains. Wow, good to see that you signed all of these free agents:

Troy Brown, WR New England Unrestricted Undisclosed

Reche Caldwell, WR San Diego Unrestricted Undisclosed

Steve Neal, G New England Unrestricted Undisclosed

Chad Scott, DB New England Unrestricted Undisclosed

Departures Tom Ashworth, T (SEA); Andre' Davis, WR (BUF); Christian Fauria, TE (WAS); David Givens, WR (TEN); Willie McGinest, LB (CLE); Adam Vinatieri, K (IND) Way to go and remember.......

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Colts guys, thanks for stopping by. On your way through, you'll see various photos of assorted Lombardi Trophies. You'll have to do some work in Photoshop, but you'll probably be able to drop Peyton into one of them.

Back to how this one started... even if this were Freeney's last year, even if the Colts are cash-strapped, we have issues with depth/injuries. And we could get better in a few places. Obviously, Freeney is a great DE in a 4/3 - but where do you project him in the 3/4? The Pats aren't in real trouble at OLB, except for the youth issue. Their D line is one of their stronger units, with Seymour healthy, and they're only getting better.

Now if you tell me Freeney will be available cheap, that's another matter. But the likelihood of that compares unfavorably with, say, the moon turning blood red, dogs lying down with cats, or Nazis riding dinosaurs. For the Pats to make all that cap room and use it on Freeney just seems silly. We all identify big CB expenditures as foolish, and that's more a position of need for NE than a new emphasis on the pass rush.

All that said, watch them trade for him next week.

PFnV

 

[Remix 6]

hey ... wasnt there a talk about 16-0? Well that turned into 14-2. Didnt the Colt fans get all excited about the SB prematurly? What happened? Oh yeah..Steelers beat you..Manning choked..that that "best kicker in history" of yours missed a chance..a defensive player couldnt run away from Ben Roethlisberger..tried running near him and gets tackled. Nice talkin..hey remember..we got Harrison in FA, Vrabel, Bruschi wasnt supposed to be this good..Seymour is 1 of the best DE...Brady was a 6th round pick..Givens was a 7th rounder..when Law went out..we played through it and won SB against Eagles..managed a 10-6 after so many injuries. You guys had no injuries really but made it as far as we did. Sucks. By the way..your best player is gone in the desert sun and 1 of your better D players went to Tennessee. Its alright that we lost them..we lost Law, Milloy in the past. We made it..both were pro bowlers. We did it..and we expect nothing less.

 

[ruacoltsnut]

You might want to start thinking 8-8 season. The way you guys are losing players and picking up no one. Good Luck. You were a dynasty and now it's over. Nice job winning the three, but now it is our turn. Watch, listen, learn and remember................

 

[Remix 6]

lol when was last time we took big names? you might be looking at a 9-7 season at best...with James gone..your just about done

who was Brady before coming here? just a Wolverine QB that was drafted in 6th round and came and won 3 SBs

Givens was a 7th rounder from Fighting Irish..

and i can keep going..we made these players in a lot of ways..we evaluate talent well. we dont need a Marvin Harrison/Reggie Wayne/Peyton Manning(1st rounder)/Edgerrin James

 

[BradyisGod]

You might want to start thinking 8-8 season. The way you guys are losing players and picking up no one. Good Luck. You were a dynasty and now it's over. Nice job winning the three, but now it is our turn. Watch, listen, learn and remember................

Wasn't it your turn in 2003. Oh wait, you guys choked.

Oh yeah, it was 2004, then it was your turn. What, am I wrong about that? Oh, they did get beat in Foxboro like 20-3. Wasn't that the game where the high powered offense couldn't be found in the stadium?

Oh right right right. 2005 was your turn. Everything lined up for you guys. Home field advantage and everything. What, they went one and done in the playoffs even WITH HFA? Wow, what a shock.

Based on that, why on earth would you think that it was your turn in 2006?

Your team is worse this year. You've forgotten to add any defense yet again.

 

[Patjew]

Wasn't it your turn in 2003. Oh wait, you guys choked.

Oh yeah, it was 2004, then it was your turn. What, am I wrong about that? Oh, they did get beat in Foxboro like 20-3. Wasn't that the game where the high powered offense couldn't be found in the stadium?

Oh right right right. 2005 was your turn. Everything lined up for you guys. Home field advantage and everything. What, they went one and done in the playoffs even WITH HFA? Wow, what a shock.

Based on that, why on earth would you think that it was your turn in 2006?

Your team is worse this year. You've forgotten to add any defense yet again.

How can anyone disagree with that??? If they didn't win it in 2005, they never will.

Unless their plan somehow involves AV playing RB and defense- then maybe they have a shot.

 

[Digger44]

You might want to start thinking 8-8 season. The way you guys are losing players and picking up no one. Good Luck. You were a dynasty and now it's over. Nice job winning the three, but now it is our turn. Watch, listen, learn and remember................

I totally agree. I was thinking the Colts go 8-8 as well.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

How can anyone disagree with that??? If they didn't win it in 2005, they never will.

Unless their plan somehow involves AV playing RB and defense- then maybe they have a shot.

Get ready for it...
Lil' Ronnie... the Comeback Tour

http://www.crowdpleezers.com/LilRonnie.htm

 

[MoLewisrocks]

For any of you kiddies not interesting in sparing with Colt trolls, this article from IndyStar says Freeney is signed through 2006 and the Colts are planning on signing him and/or Mathis to long term deals this season. If they get one done and not the other they will use the tag on the unsigned one.

A potential problem for us (re: any Seymour deal) is the presumption any deal Freeney signs will make him the highest paid defensive player in the league.

"Irsay provides input on personnel matters and signs the checks, but president Bill Polian and coach Tony Dungy collaborate on how best to structure the roster. That requires prioritizing. Most recently, it meant retaining wide receiver Reggie Wayne, defensive ends Raheem Brock and Robert Mathis and linebackers Gary Brackett and Cato June at the expense of James, Thornton, Tripplett and kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who signed with Dallas.
"Reggie and Raheem were the priorities for a lot of reasons -- their position, their age,'' Irsay said.

The next order of business is locking up Mathis and Dwight Freeney, one of the NFL's best pass-rush tandems, on a long-term basis. Each is under contract through the 2006 season. Freeney is in the final year of his rookie contract and will count $6.18 million against the cap, while Mathis signed a one-year, $2.069 million contract as a restricted free agent.

"We're going to keep Mathis and Freeney,'' Irsay said. "And to get those two guys done . . . we had to look at our roster in anticipation of how we're able to conform to the cap and do these things.''


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060325/SPORTS03/603250465/1100

 

[arrellbee]

The Patriots shouldn't touch Freeney with a 10 foot pole - or any other length pole, for that matter.

Freeney is a pure pass rushing DE. He does not control a DL space on the line of scrimmage. Consequently, he only tackles runners if they happen to run into him. He is also not a pocket-collapsing DE. All of his moves are to go around offensive linemen rather than push them into the pocket. Impossible to utilize a player like that in a Patriot's defense, much less a 3-4 defense which counts heavily on the DE to be a run stopper as well as pass rush.

Freeney is inexplicably over-hyped by the media. He makes his stats mostly against weak offensive lines and is mostly ineffective against the stronger lines - when the Colts need him the most. You can look at his performance on the field and listen to the commentators and what they are saying doesn't match what he is doing. For example, in the last playoff game with the Patriots, the commentators kept talking about the Patriots having to double team Freeney all of the time. In fact, the Patriots only double teamed him twice the whole game - and, ironically, both of those were the only times he was able to put pressure on Brady.

In that game, the Pats ran frequently to Freeney's side of the line. He did not make ONE single tackle (I think he was credited with one or an assist, but I slo-moed the whole game and I couldn't find it). Matt Light handled him one-on-one the whole game and basically shoved him out of any effect on pass rush or runs. Even Ashworth handled him one-on-one a few times when Freeney switched to the left DE spot. Matt Light is certainly a solid OT but not necessarily considered one of the top OTs and he had no trouble whatsoever with Freeney. The Pats need DEs that show up in the tough playoff games.

 

[workhorse]

Do you even have any cap room left? You guys are throwing money left and right.

The Colts have some room. When the new CBA was signed the Colts were $8-$12 million under the cap (Marvin and Peyton restructured). Not to mention that any deal Freeney would sign would be a long term deal with a small front end cap hit. Freeney is one of the main reasons that the Colts let Edge walk. That and the $20 million dollars they Cards just put in his pocket.

its okay we have seymour. btw hows James doing? how many yards is he gonna get? what about bracket? hows his defense next year? wait i forgot..they are gone. darn

Bracket is fine. He is still a Colt. I think you mean Thorton, he sgined with the Titans. You seemed a little fired up, so I let you slide this time.


Mo thanks for the find, you saved me some time trying to hunt that down.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Hey then! This must be the year!

Unless Joe Willie guarantees it's not. Owwww, zing from the past.

But it's okay, you guys have won it since then... Didn't you take out Miami a couple years later? like, 35 years ago or so?

I'm really sorry, Workhorse. I know this has to sting. But it really doesn't matter who steps into that Colts uniform, at least til your current generation of leadership passes. There's something that stops you guys when you're close. Maybe it's the unrealistic self-perception you get, rolling over the "okay" teams, playing at regular season intensity... then every year, like clockwork, the good teams get healthy (or close,) step it up, and beat you guys when it counts.

Out of excuses dude. This year sealed it for me. The Steelers? You guys couldn't get past the STEELERS? I could see if you were going to have to face your arch-nemesis again, the Pats, how you could choke on that. But the Steelers now own you too?

05 was gonna be THE YEAR!

Don't tell me. The second string water boy had a headache that day. It was about to snow real hard. The field was in bad shape. The other team was touching your receivers.

Here's an idea. Maybe if you guys ditch Dungy and go get Chucky. That worked for Tampa.

PFnV