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Indianapolis Colts Made A Major Mistake By Extending Robert Mathis

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By @Pimentel_03

Robert Mathis

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts took a big risk in signing Robert Mathis to a contract extension.

Mathis was dominant last year, leading the league in sacks, and he has shown that he can excel in Chuck Pagano’s scheme. But now Mathis is a year older and he is coming off a torn Achilles injury. Age, injury and history are three big reasons why this extension is a big mistake.

With a torn Achilles, Mathis is going to lose some of his burst off the line of scrimmage. He uses speed to his advantage, and that lost burst is something to keep an eye on next year. It is going to be a lot to ask of Mathis to alter the way he plays this late in his career. He is not going to be a power rusher now because rarely do people get bigger as they get older. So, losing that burst is going to be a big deal for Mathis.

As he gets older, Mathis could start to decline because of age, and giving him more money late in his career could be devastating to the cap situation. It’s hard to find an example of a speedy pass rusher being effective into his 30s. Shawne Merriman is a perfect example of a pass rusher who was dependent on speed being slowed down because of an Achilles injury. Merriman wasn’t the same player after he was injured, leading to a significant decline in his pass-rushing abilities.

History has shown that Mathis is not going to be effective when he comes back from his injury. The Colts should have found a way to replace his production either in the draft or free agency. Instead, they invested in a linebacker who is losing his burst off the line of scrimmage and is entering his 30s.

Christopher Pimentel is a Indianapolis Colts writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.

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