The Colts (4-0), who lead Jacksonville (2-2) and Houston (2-2) by two games in the division, hold a four-game lead on defending division champion Tennessee, which lost to Jacksonville Sunday. The Titans, who had the best record in the league last year, (see last years standings) are now 0-4 and looking like a very poor team. The Colts appear to have a wide open division and the chance to run away with it by season’s end. Robert Mathis and his 3.5 sacks were one of the keys of victory on Sunday.
Mathis has always been a good player, and as the bookend to all star Dwight Freeney, he has flown under the radar for a while. Coming out of such a small school (Alabama A&M) he was drafted late by the Colts, and they expected him to be another one of their late round steals. He has delivered with 53.5 sacks in his first six seasons. He is on his way to even bigger numbers this year with five sacks through four games.
The Colts routinely do this, find late round gems to fill out their defense. Sure they have stars like Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson that were taken in the first two rounds, but after the first round bust of Rob Morris and the useless free agent signing of Corey Simon, the Colts now have a philosophy of filling their defense with underrated, normally undervalued players late in the draft.
Players like Freddy Keiaho and Antoine Bethea have been gems that were taken late in the draft that are now quality starters. Mathis is a key example. Ed Johnsosn, who started 16 games two seasons ago as a rookie, wasn’t even drafted as he signed a free agent rookie contract for the league minimum. Now he is a major contributor to a vastly improved defense. That is the Colts way. They are always finding value in players other teams overlook.
