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Rick Gosselin: Colts' Freeney gains a dome-field advantage at home
09:47 PM CDT on Thursday, September 23, 2004
Derrick Thomas was the NFL's premier pass rusher in the 1990s for the Kansas City Chiefs. The combination of his speed, artificial turf and a loud, boisterous home crowd gave him a tremendous edge on Sunday afternoons.
Dwight Freeney has those same advantages in his quest to become the NFL's elite pass rusher of this decade. He's off to a superb start with double figures in sacks in each of his first two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Freeney was an NFL all-rookie pick in 2002 when he posted 13 sacks, then went to his first Pro Bowl in 2003 on the strength of an 11-sack season. This week he can get serious about the pursuit of a second Pro Bowl berth.
That's because Freeney and his Colts are back home after spending the first two weeks of the NFL season on the road. Freeney loves playing on turf. He loves playing indoors. He loves playing at home. The RCA Dome gives him that trifecta.
Start with the turf. Freeney came out of Syracuse as a squat (6-foot), 260-pound defensive end. Speed was his game, having clocked a 4.39 40-yard dash for NFL scouts at his pre-draft campus workout.
Freeney used that speed to lead the NCAA in sacks as a senior with 17 ½ . He picked up 111/2 of them indoors on the carpet at his home Carrier Dome.
"It's definitely an edge for me," Freeney said. "The surface plays a big part. I can accelerate a lot quicker, a lot faster. I can make a lot more different cuts. The ground doesn't give. The turf definitely steps up my game."
Which made Indianapolis the perfect NFL team for him. Colts coach Tony Dungy covets speed on defense, even if it means sacrificing some size. He saw firsthand how disruptive speed can be in the early 1990s when he was on the Kansas City defensive staff and Thomas was shredding pass protection schemes.
Thomas also was a light speed rusher, reporting to his first Kansas City NFL training camp at 234 pounds in 1989. He was a perfect fit as an outside linebacker in the Chiefs' 3-4 scheme, leading the NFL in sacks in 1990 and hitting double figures in each of his first four seasons.
Thomas played his first five years on the artificial turf at Arrowhead Stadium. He collected 66 sacks during that time – and 441/2 of them came home. He had an NFL-record seven-sack game at Arrowhead against Seattle, plus a pair of four-sack games.
But the Chiefs replaced the artificial turf with grass in 1994 and the pass rush slowed for Thomas. He never again hit the heights of his NFL-leading 20-sack season in 1990 or his 14 ½ -sack season in 1992.
Still, Thomas finished the decade with an NFL-leading 116 1/2 sacks. He collected 841/2 of them at Arrowhead. Even when he lost the advantage of the surface, he retained the advantage of the noise.
Arrowhead is considered the loudest outdoor venue in the NFL with a college-type atmosphere. The Indianapolis crowd is more laid-back than the Kansas City crowd. But because the Colts play in a dome, the noise is contained and can be deafening at times.
A dome benefits any home speed rusher because if an offensive lineman can't hear the signals, he must watch the defender and react to his movement to start the play. That gives a speed rusher the jump. For a Freeney or Thomas, it's like spotting Michael Johnson a stride in the 400.
Freeney has called domes home for the last three seasons, playing a combined 22 games at the Carrier and RCA Domes. He's averaging better than a sack per game at home during that stretch with 24 ½ . He has 191/2 sacks in his 24 road games.
Freeney has bulked up since his rookie year. He's now packing 268 pounds on his frame to give him a better anchor against the run from his end position. But his speed remains. And Freeney is playing smarter as he becomes more experienced.
"He's still learning," Dungy said. "His first year he kind of caught everyone by surprise. Then last year he had to learn how to deal with chip blocks and different game plans that brought the center his way and moved the tight end over to his side. He fought his way through that and the frustrations of being a marked man.
"Now we know more about what we can do with him, and he has a better understanding of himself. He understands run defense better and he's on his way to being a more complete player. He should be much better this year than last."
Especially at home.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
09:47 PM CDT on Thursday, September 23, 2004
Derrick Thomas was the NFL's premier pass rusher in the 1990s for the Kansas City Chiefs. The combination of his speed, artificial turf and a loud, boisterous home crowd gave him a tremendous edge on Sunday afternoons.
Dwight Freeney has those same advantages in his quest to become the NFL's elite pass rusher of this decade. He's off to a superb start with double figures in sacks in each of his first two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Freeney was an NFL all-rookie pick in 2002 when he posted 13 sacks, then went to his first Pro Bowl in 2003 on the strength of an 11-sack season. This week he can get serious about the pursuit of a second Pro Bowl berth.
That's because Freeney and his Colts are back home after spending the first two weeks of the NFL season on the road. Freeney loves playing on turf. He loves playing indoors. He loves playing at home. The RCA Dome gives him that trifecta.
Start with the turf. Freeney came out of Syracuse as a squat (6-foot), 260-pound defensive end. Speed was his game, having clocked a 4.39 40-yard dash for NFL scouts at his pre-draft campus workout.
Freeney used that speed to lead the NCAA in sacks as a senior with 17 ½ . He picked up 111/2 of them indoors on the carpet at his home Carrier Dome.
"It's definitely an edge for me," Freeney said. "The surface plays a big part. I can accelerate a lot quicker, a lot faster. I can make a lot more different cuts. The ground doesn't give. The turf definitely steps up my game."
Which made Indianapolis the perfect NFL team for him. Colts coach Tony Dungy covets speed on defense, even if it means sacrificing some size. He saw firsthand how disruptive speed can be in the early 1990s when he was on the Kansas City defensive staff and Thomas was shredding pass protection schemes.
Thomas also was a light speed rusher, reporting to his first Kansas City NFL training camp at 234 pounds in 1989. He was a perfect fit as an outside linebacker in the Chiefs' 3-4 scheme, leading the NFL in sacks in 1990 and hitting double figures in each of his first four seasons.
Thomas played his first five years on the artificial turf at Arrowhead Stadium. He collected 66 sacks during that time – and 441/2 of them came home. He had an NFL-record seven-sack game at Arrowhead against Seattle, plus a pair of four-sack games.
But the Chiefs replaced the artificial turf with grass in 1994 and the pass rush slowed for Thomas. He never again hit the heights of his NFL-leading 20-sack season in 1990 or his 14 ½ -sack season in 1992.
Still, Thomas finished the decade with an NFL-leading 116 1/2 sacks. He collected 841/2 of them at Arrowhead. Even when he lost the advantage of the surface, he retained the advantage of the noise.
Arrowhead is considered the loudest outdoor venue in the NFL with a college-type atmosphere. The Indianapolis crowd is more laid-back than the Kansas City crowd. But because the Colts play in a dome, the noise is contained and can be deafening at times.
A dome benefits any home speed rusher because if an offensive lineman can't hear the signals, he must watch the defender and react to his movement to start the play. That gives a speed rusher the jump. For a Freeney or Thomas, it's like spotting Michael Johnson a stride in the 400.
Freeney has called domes home for the last three seasons, playing a combined 22 games at the Carrier and RCA Domes. He's averaging better than a sack per game at home during that stretch with 24 ½ . He has 191/2 sacks in his 24 road games.
Freeney has bulked up since his rookie year. He's now packing 268 pounds on his frame to give him a better anchor against the run from his end position. But his speed remains. And Freeney is playing smarter as he becomes more experienced.
"He's still learning," Dungy said. "His first year he kind of caught everyone by surprise. Then last year he had to learn how to deal with chip blocks and different game plans that brought the center his way and moved the tight end over to his side. He fought his way through that and the frustrations of being a marked man.
"Now we know more about what we can do with him, and he has a better understanding of himself. He understands run defense better and he's on his way to being a more complete player. He should be much better this year than last."
Especially at home.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***