Indinapolis Colts May Strike Gold With the Addition of Tommie Harris

One of the more under- rated moves made this offseason might be the new addition of the Indianapolis Colts who recently signed former Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris to a deal.

Tommie Harris fell out of favor with the Chicago Bears after have an excellent start to his career. The former Bears defensive tackle was one of the most feared interior pass rushers in the league just a few seasons ago where in a stretch from 2006 to 2008 he had nearly as many sacks as any defensive tackle in the league (18 over three years, which is very good for an interior defensive linemen). Harris didn’t have the same kind of production the last two years for the Bears. With only 2.5 sacks in 2009, and then only 1.5 in 2010. What’s worse is in the 2010 season, he fell out of favor with the coaching staff and only made 6 starts and appeared in 15 games.

Harris can be a dominating pass rusher and has excellent quickness. He’s an ideal fit for the Colts Tampa 2 principle defense and might be able to rediscover his form playing next to two premiere pass rushers in the league in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Harris offers the same type of explosive first step, but from the defensive tackle position. And the offensive line got better as well. The additions of Castanzo and Ijalana in the draft really add talent to a offensive line that needed an infusion of young talent. The signing of Tommie Harris and the drafting of Drake Nevis also gives the Colts perhaps the best interior pass rush they’ve had in years.

This is a good signing by the Colts, who have been relatively quiet in free agency so far. With the only free agent signing not previously on the roster being Ernie Sims, another ideal fit for their system. But it’s not like that’s much different than any other year. The Colts trust in their system and their system works. And let’s not forget number 18. He can take a bad team to 10 wins. The Colts had one of the best drafts in the league this past year, getting serious bang for their buck and I love the moves they are making in free agency. I think this is one team that might be able to maximize the talent of both Ernie Sims and Tommie Harris. I haven’t loved what the Colts have been doing in the draft the past few years, but 2011 was different and right now I feel that the Colts are more poised for a big season than most experts are predicting. The additions of Castanzo and Ijalana in the draft really add talent to a offensive line that needed an infusion of young talent. The signing of Tommie Harris and the drafting of Drake Nevis also gives the Colts perhaps the best interior pass rush they’ve had in years.

What do you guys think?

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