Colts.com
Following suit with the rest of the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts have begun to do a little housecleaning of their own.
The Colts informed Dwight Freeney, the team’s all-time leader in sacks (107), that they would not be re-signing him to another contract.
Freeney, who turns 33 next week and will be hitting the free agent market next month, was caught off guard by the move.
“I was very surprised to hear they wanted to go in a different direction,” Freeney said in a text message to ESPN’s Ed Werder. “It would have been nice to retire a Colt … my plan is to hit the free agent market and see who has interest.”
Whether Freeney expected it or not, his declining sack numbers over the past three seasons (10.0 in 2010, 8.5 in 2011 and 5.0 in 2012), were a clear indicator to the rest of the league that Freeney’s marriage to the Colts was not fit for the long haul like originally thought.
Not to mention, the Colts’ commitment to move to a 3-4 defensive front last season meant Freeney — who spent the first nine years of his career with his hand in the dirt with the sole objective to harass the opposing quarterback — would have to develop into a somewhat competent coverage linebacker while also maintaining and utilizing that blazing speed and vintage spin move as a situational pass-rusher.
Anyone who watched Freeney in the Colts’ defense this past season knows the experiment didn’t work out too well (especially the coverage part) and is ultimately why it was best for both sides to part ways.
That being said, Freeney won’t be sitting on the couch for too long. While it seems like the entire NFL is transitioning to a 3-4 defense, there should still be quite a few suitors around the league who run a 4-3 and could use someone with Freeney’s freakish athleticism and relentless motor.
Don’t get too comfortable, quarterbacks. The ‘Dwightmare’ won’t be out of the game for long.
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