HawkMeat":1qup9z6q said:
This makes sense, but it bums me out because I dig Andre, and hawks are so thin at receiver. Colts looking better on paper for sure.
I guess we'll see what happens with the Trent Cole signing (which I'm not in love with), but for Gore and Johnson, these are the type of low risk/high reward signings that usually translate to working off paper as well.
They're not looking for either of these guys to be saviors, and want from them the exact things that they provide.
Is it possible that Gore will be WORSE at being an inside the tackle runne to pair with Bradshaw than Trent Richardson was, or worse protecting Luck in pass-pro than Richardson was? Nah, not really. If you need an inside the tackle runner to pair with Bradshaw and an RB to pick up the blitz in pass pro, Gore is your guy. It's a great signing, as they'll only be asking him to do what he ALREADY does well.
Likewise, Is it possible that Andre Johnson will be worse than an injured and 36 year old Reggie Wayne was last year if he's asked to play the same role (keep the chains moving while Hilton creates space over the top)? Nah, not really. If you need a player with sure hands who can outmuscle DBs on third downs and has high field awareness to find space in zones on short and intermediate routes, Andre Johnson is your guy. Like Gore, they're only asking him to do what he ALREADY does well.
Teams get in trouble with big FA hauls when they sign players with the expectation that they'll do MORE than they've done (e.g. "Vick will stay healthy", "Maxwell can be a #1 CB", "Julius Thomas" has the ability to become the focal point of a passing attack and stay healthy and motivated finally", etc.)