Tag: George Odum

Colts’ George Odum ‘disrespected and disappointed’ with low tender

George Odum is not happy about receiving the low tender.

The Indianapolis Colts applied a tender to restricted free agent George Odum on Tuesday, giving him the right of first refusal level. It seems the All-Pro special teamer isn’t happy with that.

Odum took to Twitter to air his feelings about the Colts’ decision to give him the lowest of the tenders applied to restricted free agents. The right of first refusal level gives the Colts the chance to match any offer given to Odum, but they won’t get any compensation if he leaves.

That likely makes Odum feel like he’s not valued as an All-Pro special teamer.

Per the NFL on the right of first refusal tender in 2021: “One-year contract worth $2.133 million. Team has the right to match any offer sheet signed with another team, but there is no draft compensation tied to this tender.”

The other options for Odum’s tender would have been the first-round, second-round or original-round tender. The compensation would follow whichever level they give him. Because it was the right of first refusal, the Colts can only match another offer sheet from a team but if they decline it, no compensation is given.

It remains to be seen if this result in any drama down the line, but it is something to keep an eye out for as we progress through the offseason.

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Colts tender S George Odum with right of first refusal

George Odum has been tendered by the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts applied a tender on restricted free agent safety George Odum with the right of first refusal, first reported by Jim Ayello of The Indianapolis Star.

While it seemed for a moment that Odum would be testing free agency, the Colts applied a tender as expected. This is the lowest tender, though, of the three. Essentially, the Colts have the right to match any team that gives Odum an offer.

The tender is worth $2.1 million for the 2021 season. The Colts can still come to a contract extension agreement if they want to with Odum.

The former undrafted free agent has turned into a key cog on special teams for the Colts. He led the NFL in special teams stops for the 2020 season en route to an All-Pro selection for the first time in his career.

The Colts have two other restricted free agents in wide receiver Zach Pascal and tight end Mo Alie-Cox, both of which could be tendered before the new league year arrives on Wednesday.

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Are Colts letting All-Pro George Odum hit free agency?

The All-Pro special teamer may be headed for free agency.

Indianapolis Colts safety and All-Pro special teams player George Odum is a restricted free agent and it seems the team is letting him test the market.

While the Colts have the chance to apply the tender on him before the new league year opens on Wednesday, the tweet above seems to indicate that they are letting him test the market to see what kind of deal he can get from another team.

An undrafted free-agent in 2018, Odum has turned into a lead on special teams. He has worked in the rotation at safety before but spent most of his time on special teams in 2020. It helped him earn an All-Pro nod while leading the NFL in special teams stops.

The Colts have their starting duo at safety in Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon but letting Odum test the market might not be the best move if a team winds up snagging him.

We know how Chris Ballard has a set value on each player and won’t go over it, but even an All-Pro special teamer won’t—or at least shouldn’t—break the bank so this is an interesting move, to say the least.

Odum is a restricted free agent which means the Colts can apply a tender on him for a set amount of money for one season. Other teams can try to sign Odum with the Colts having the opportunity to match that team’s offer.

The Colts are seemingly letting all of their unrestricted free agents hit the market before they try to match it, but it wasn’t clear if that extended to the restricted free agents as well, seeing as it’s easier to retain those players.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this situation if Odum hits the market because if that happens, there is at least a chance he finds a new team.

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3 Colts named to PFWA 2020 All-NFL team

A trio of Colts was recognized by the PFWA.

The Indianapolis Colts had three players named to the 2020 All-NFL team, voted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Those three players include left guard Quenton Nelson, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and safety George Odum. All three players were also named to the All-Pro first team by the Associated Press.

While this was Nelson’s third time making the team, both Buckner and Odum are first time selections by the PFWA. Along with Buckner at the defensive tackle position was Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald.

Odum made the squad as a special teams player, which is also the fashion in which he was recognized as an All-Pro.

The PFWA also made an All-AFC team. Along with the trio above, linebacker Darius Leonard—also an All-Pro—and center Ryan Kelly were recognized on the AFC squad.

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Colts’ special teams unit ranked 4th in NFL

Colts had an elite special teams unit.

Throughout the 2020 season, the Indianapolis Colts were lauded each and every week in how strong their special teams unit was by opposing teams. That trend will continue into the offseason.

In his annual rankings of special teams units, Rick Gosselin of Sports Illustrated had the Colts ranked as the fourth-best unit in the NFL behind only the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

Gosselin also mentioned that the Colts had the biggest jump from 2019, going from the 29th-ranked unit to fourth.

The greatest improvement was charted by the Colts, who vaulted from 29th in 2019 to fourth in 2020. Special-teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone was hired by the Colts in 2018 away from the Patriots, where he had been O’Brien’s assistant. New England then hired Judge to replace Ventrone. Now it’s Achord’s turn.

The Colts had a strong unit throughout that phase of the game. They had the NFL’s leader in special teams tackles, George Odum, who was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

They also got strong contributions on the coverage unit from linebackers Zaire Franklin and Jordan Glasgow while long snapper Luke Rhodes continues to be one of the underrated parts of that group.

In the return game, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was electric on kick returns. He was third in the league averaging 28.8 return yards per kick. Meanwhile, running back Nyheim Hines was sixth in yards per punt return with an average of 10 yards.

This unit was disciplined, physical and well-coached by Ventrone. They were able to flip the field constantly while punting and gave the offense an advantage with their returns.

Special teams may go overlooked often, but the Colts had one of the best units in the league in 2020, and it was a big reason they had the success they did.

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Colts’ George Odum named to PFF’s 2020 All-Pro team

George Odum gets a nod from PFF.

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Indianapolis Colts safety George Odum may not have seen a lot of work on the defensive side of the ball, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t make a huge impact for the team during the 2020 regular season.

Despite being snubbed a Pro Bowl spot on special teams, Pro Football Focus wasn’t going to make the same mistake. In their 2020 All-Pro team, Odum was the first-team selection for a special teams player.

Colts special teams ace George Odum has been the best special teamer all season long, playing extensive snaps across five different phases of special teams play. Odum notched 13 solo tackles and an assist without giving away a penalty.

Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was named to the second team for defensive tackles behind Aaron Donald.

As Odum led the NFL with 13 solo tackles on special teams, he also led the league with 20 total tackles altogether. No other player had more than 16 special teams stops.

Odum has been one of the most underrated players for the Colts since he joined the team in 2018 as an undrafted rookie. He’s seen seldom work on defense as a reserve safety but is more than qualified to hold the role as the third player in the rotation.

But his value has come on special teams. His 340 snaps on special teams (77.8%) were second on the team only to linebacker Zaire Franklin.

Odum remains a versatile player, capable of filling in as a rotational safety if needed. But he’s been an incredible value on special teams and rightfully gets some respect from Pro Football Focus.

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3 Colts to watch vs. Jaguars in Week 17

Keep an eye on these Colts on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts (10-5) wrap their regular season with a home matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-14) on Sunday.

As the Colts prepare for their regular-season finale, they will need some help getting into the playoffs from some other teams also in the race. They need either the Dolphins, Titans, Browns or Ravens to lose mixed with a Colts win.

Here’s a look at three Colts to watch in the finale:

Colts coordinator corner: Darren Waller is special

Colts coordinators talk about the Raiders matchup.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-4) are on the road again in Week 14 as they visit the Las Vegas Raiders (7-5) at Allegiant Stadium for what should be a big matchup with playoff implications.

Entering the weekend as 2.5-point road favorites, this game should be close between two teams fighting for a wild-card spot. Before the matchup, offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus touched on a few topics.

Darren Waller is special

Each week the Colts have a few key targets on either side of the ball in which their game plan typically revolves around. When it comes to the Raiders, there is one player on offense that they will be prioritizing. That would be the tight end in Waller.

The 28-year-old has revived his career and is now one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL. He has 77 receptions for 742 yards and seven touchdowns and is coming off of a 200-yard performance against the Jets. Stopping Waller will be a tough task for the Colts defense.

“The challenge every week is to defend the guys that get the football the most and (Darren) Waller is one of those guys. It’s certainly a tough match for everybody in the league,” Eberflus said. “This guy is special, he is one of the special guys in this league and this is what makes this league fun to watch – guys like him and the guy we played last week. It’s going to be all hands on deck to try to play good, solid defense against him and the Raiders.”

The Raiders offense is centered around getting Waller as many looks as possible. He’s a mismatch in the passing game given his size, length and athleticism and should be a fun challenge for the likes of Bobby Okereke, Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore.

Quarterback Derek Carr has been enjoying a solid season, and one of the biggest reasons has been the continued emergence of Waller as one of the most explosive tight end threats in the NFL.

The rookie is being decisive

It has been a roller coaster of a season for rookie running back Jonathan Taylor, but things seem to be pointing up. He has 114 and 125 scrimmage yards in each of his last two games while showing plenty of developments as a runner with four games remaining.

There’s a lot that goes into why a rookie running back may struggle to break out but part of the reason for Taylor has been his decisiveness. Understanding which holes to hit is part of the equation but being decisive is part of the battle as well. Sirianni sees a more confident runner in Taylor when making those decisions on hitting the hole.

“Yeah, I think he was and I think he is just continuing to get a little bit better each day and each week. I think that is pretty typical of a rookie that’s just finding their way through and seeing all the different looks they could get and being able to adjust off the things they get,” Sirianni said. “I was really pleased with the way he ran the football. He really hit it, he really looked good running the football.”

Sirianni also believes the coaching staff is getting a better feel for which play calls benefit the rookie the most.

“Yeah, I think that is kind of with any play or any player – what we want to do or how we want to attack, but it really has to start with what the players do best. I think that goes through the season, right?” said Sirianni. “As guys get better at doing things, you want to do them more and you want to do them in different ways. 100 percent you have to figure out what they do best and you want to see what they have success on and build upon that.”

Taylor has another juicy matchup to prove his worth as the Raiders are allowing 4.5 yards per carry to opposing offenses.

George Odum deserves his respect

The Colts may have other players getting the majority of attention in other phases of the game, but Odum is a star in the making on special teams. The third-year safety currently leads the league in special teams stops and is making his case for a Pro Bowl roster spot.

Special Teams coach Bubba Ventrone believes Odum’s success comes from his toughness and his willingness to work.

“I’ll say one thing about George (Odum), he is a tough kid now. This kid is tough. He is willing to do anything you ask him to do. He’s very productive, instinctive, he does a good job – he just finds the ball, consistently finds the ball in all these coverage units and he has improved in the return game,” Ventrone said. “He’s been a great guy for our unit overall and obviously, the production has been outstanding this year. That’s one thing – to be able to lead the league in tackles at this point in the season is a testament to him and his hard work and his toughness.”

Colts’ George Odum making his case for a Pro Bowl spot

George Odum is making a name for himself on special teams.

When looking at most teams, the attention typically goes to certain positions like quarterback, pass rusher and wide receiver. Rarely does a special teams star make the headlines on a consistent basis.

But as the Pro Bowl voting is underway, Indianapolis Colts safety George Odum is making his case for a spot in 2021. It wouldn’t be as a safety on the Pro Bowl roster. No, Odum should be in consideration as a special teams specialist.

Odum leads the NFL in special teams tackles and that margin is pretty wide. All but two of his tackles have stopped a returner short of his average gain.

Special teams isn’t a phase of the game that gets a lot of recognition. But it certainly holds a lot of weight. Odum’s success in that department has made a difference for the Colts, and running back Nyheim Hines has taken notice.

“I vouch for George for Pro Bowl specialist,” Hines said Tuesday. “That’s how he made the team. He got here the same year I got here, and ever since I’ve been here, he’s always had a nose for the ball. He’s one of the best special-teams players in the NFL.”

The Colts, surprisingly, don’t have a lot of names vying for spots on the Pro Bowl roster. Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is leading his position but other than that, the Colts don’t seem to be a team that will have a ton of names in 2021.

But with the way Odum is playing on special teams, he absolutely deserves to be in the conversation for a spot on the Pro Bowl roster.

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The 5 most underrated Colts players

These Colts deserve more recognition.

The Indianapolis Colts have slowly but surely built the roster from the ground up since Chris Ballard took over as general manager of the front office and now they sport a deep roster with talent throughout.

Being in the Indianapolis market and seeing one prime-time game here and there, several of the players on the roster fly under the national radar. Even if they aren’t getting recognition from the national media, some Colts deserve a bit more attention.

Here are the five most underrated Colts entering the 2020 season:

Kenny Moore II | CB | Age: 24

While the fanbase certainly understands how good Moore is at playing the game of football, the national media has yet to catch on. Moore has emerged as one of the top slot cornerbacks in the NFL over the last few seasons and even received an extension that reflects that.

Despite his smaller stature, Moore has the length and athleticism to make plays on the ball constantly. He can work in zone, man and press coverage while being one of the surest tacklers at the position. The Valdosta State product can also apply pressure by blitzing from the nickel spot, making him an invaluable piece of the defense.

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