Indianapolis Colts linebacker Dwight Freeney senses closer to end of league career – NFL News
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Dwight Freeney is holding out to hope for another chance from the team in spite of a deep down realisation that a number of factors do not favour his comeback with the side in 2013.
First, Freeney’s performance has consistently gone down from 2009, and he has ended this season at the lowest-ever achieved sacks in the league.
It all started in 2009 when he hit the highest number of tackles at 31 and sacks at 13.5. He ended up the 2010 season with 25 tackles and 10 sacks and further went down at 19 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 2011.
This year (2012), Freeney has only 18 tackles and four sacks, which is quite in contrast with his salary cap that has hit the staggering figure of $19.035.
So, the player himself has conceded that the Houston Texans’ game this weekend might be the maximum he can achieve with the Colts. He said:
"This could be it. We'll see what happens for me and my career later and what they decide to do. Those are all business decisions for both of us. But yeah, I think the later in your career, the older you get and especially when your contract is what it is,
you have to sit there and say, `Hey this might be it, man.' Just take in as much as you can take in."
Still, he has a sort of optimism to manage another chance from the team, which could be a possibility if the Colts change their defensive strategy from 4-3 to 3-4. The Colts have switched to 4-3 hybrid defence since arrival of coach Chuck Pagano, and Freeney
has increasingly become a misfit in the scheme.
His inability to adapt to the new defensive scheme is another problem confronting him. His performance at least shows that he has so far not been able to adjust to the new scheme.
Moreover, the way the Colts have parted ways with former star Peyton Manning shows they are least likely to be considerate in deciding the cases of other players, including of Freeney. Next couple of weeks are expected to clear the situation.
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