As we all know....Our biggest issue

[antipatriot]

This article is truly telling of why we just cant get it done and why we cant run the ball

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/17/colts-just-cant-keep-an-offensive-line-together/

 

Apologies if this has been posted already

[Smonroe]

This article is truly telling of why we just cant get it done and why we cant run the ball

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/17/colts-just-cant-keep-an-offensive-line-together/

 

Apologies if this has been posted already

 

Just read that, and it's hard to argue history.  But we were steady the last few games of the season.  The past is what it is.  I'm more concerned about how we'll look in 15.

[SilentHill]

and here I thought our biggest issue was that we only have 1 safety on the roster.

[BullsColtsFan1]

I read that earlier today.  I believe this is an issue but not the biggest.  Their biggest issue is stopping the run imo.

[Smonroe]

and here I thought our biggest issue was that we only have 1 safety on the roster.

Is 1 the new 5?

[SilentHill]

Is 1 the new 5?

 

Oh, I thought the "serviceable" was implied.

[Smonroe]

Oh, I thought the "serviceable" was implied.

If that's the case, our roster is already under 53.

[NewColtsFan]

This article is truly telling of why we just cant get it done and why we cant run the ball

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/17/colts-just-cant-keep-an-offensive-line-together/

 

Apologies if this has been posted already

 

Thanks.....

 

This is why some of us have been calling for the Colts to spend a top-3 pick (even a 1st round pick) on an OL this year despite our bigger needs on defense.

 

That said,  some of us have also been talking about a better strength and conditioning program to minimize injuries.

 

11 different offensive line combinations.    That's the textbook definition of a lack of continuity.

[21isSuperman]

I blame coaching for some of it.  You put in Shipley and he plays well, then you suddenly take him out and put Harrison in.  Harrison plays poorly, but you leave him in.  Then a couple of weeks later, you take Harrison out and put Shipley back.

[BlueShoe]

Ereck Flowers. 

 

Let go get him.

[Dustin]

I blame coaching for some of it.  You put in Shipley and he plays well, then you suddenly take him out and put Harrison in.  Harrison plays poorly, but you leave him in.  Then a couple of weeks later, you take Harrison out and put Shipley back.

 

No, it's cool man, you see, Harrison has a higher ceiling, so it's ok to put him and get our QB repeatedly hit for the sake that the experience may turn him into a mediocre center one day. 

[Colts_Fan12]

Oh, I thought the "serviceable" was implied.

great one!! I agree lol and that's only if we are lucky and old man Mike Adams shows up again

[BlueShoe]

Oh, I thought the "serviceable" was implied.

 

Nice! Not very often do we see an old Polian quote on the board.

 

I will never forget how much these boards erupted when Polian called Rob Morris "serviceable". 

[Hoosier]

No, it's cool man, you see, Harrison has a higher ceiling, so it's ok to put him and get our QB repeatedly hit for the sake that the experience may turn him into a mediocre center one day.

And don't forget, we don't know what the coaches know.

A guy may be a human turn-style on game day, week in and week out, but we don't see the amazing things he does at practice.

[TKnight24]

Oh, I thought the "serviceable" was implied.

...... seriously? One safety?

How'd you draw that conclusion when you have no idea how much Dewey progressed or what Lowery and Guy can bring to the table?

[SOMDColtsfan]

So our eyeballs have been telling the truth this whole entire time? I knew I should have believed them

[CoachLite]

Both individually and as a team, it takes time to learn the lessons that need to be learned. That goes for coaches, players, and the front office. Smarter teams and individuals learn lessons better and faster, but everyone makes mistakes along the way.

It won't be too long before we see what we've learned and what we haven't. That grade will be determined by a series of tests that start in September. It's not merely pass /fail, however.

[PeterBowman]

I thought the biggest issue was pass coverage in the middle and rushing the passer without blitzing.

[Defjamz26]

...... seriously? One safety?

How'd you draw that conclusion when you have no idea how much Dewey progressed or what Lowery and Guy can bring to the table?

 

Winston Guy? Practice squad MVP? Oh yeah, let's definitely see what a guy who couldn't make the 53 on a team with little safety depth can bring to the table?

 

And Dewey McDonald clearly went undrafted because no one but Grigson could see his future potential. I'm sure we've just been grooming him for that FS spot.....

[TKnight24]

Winston Guy? Practice squad MVP? Oh yeah, let's definitely see what a guy who couldn't make the 53 on a team with little safety depth can bring to the table?

And Dewey McDonald clearly went undrafted because no one but Grigson could see his future potential. I'm sure we've just been grooming him for that FS spot.....

So we're in trouble cause it's oh let's say April and we don't have a "safety" other than Adams on the roster?

Or are we in trouble because we didn't sign or don't have an all star safety to go along with our all star defense like most of this forum believes can happen overnight?

It's April, plenty of time to get a saefty. It's not an urgent need unless the front 7 of the defense is ignored

[SilentHill]

...... seriously? One safety?

How'd you draw that conclusion when you have no idea how much Dewey progressed or what Lowery and Guy can bring to the table?

 

How'd you draw that conclusion when you have no idea how much Dewey progressed or what Lowery and Guy can bring to the table?

 

See it goes both ways....

[NewColtsFan]

Winston Guy? Practice squad MVP? Oh yeah, let's definitely see what a guy who couldn't make the 53 on a team with little safety depth can bring to the table?

 

And Dewey McDonald clearly went undrafted because no one but Grigson could see his future potential. I'm sure we've just been grooming him for that FS spot.....

 

I'm not sure why you feel the need to trash practice squad guys?    We're basically talking about free agents.

 

I could be wrong,  but I think there are former free agents in the Hall of Fame.     And even if not,  there clearly have been FA's who became all-pros and pro bowlers.

 

Some guys develop faster or slower for a variety of reasons.

[bap1331]

The oline is there. Theyre just playing around with the starters too much. They didnt keep a consistent line until the playoffs. And gosh harrison was horrible!!!

[Defjamz26]

I'm not sure why you feel the need to trash practice squad guys? We're basically talking about free agents.

I could be wrong, but I think there are former free agents in the Hall of Fame. And even if not, there clearly have been FA's who became all-pros and pro bowlers.

Some guys develop faster or slower for a variety of reasons.

You're talking about the 2% though. Not to mention those are probably players back when the draft was like 20 rounds.

Majority of players in the hall or who will be in the hall are drafted players. I'm not bashing undrafted and PS players, I'm just being realistic to the person who said Winston and Dewey could be options.

Suggesting that we are fine at safety because some guy was good on the PS or because an UDFA could have progressed is silly. There are more Odell Beckham stories than there are Victor Cruz stories.

[TKnight24]

How'd you draw that conclusion when you have no idea how much Dewey progressed or what Lowery and Guy can bring to the table?

See it goes both ways....

No it doesn't. You said we had one serviceable safety on the roster. That's false. The reality is we have one safety that YOU like on the roster so you down the others

We have 5 or so regardless of what you think of them or what personal feelings/judgements you have of them

[Gavin]

Yep, No secret we have to improve, Being able to run the ball when/if that happens will help

[GwinnettColt]

I blame coaching for some of it.  You put in Shipley and he plays well, then you suddenly take him out and put Harrison in.  Harrison plays poorly, but you leave him in.  Then a couple of weeks later, you take Harrison out and put Shipley back.

Extremely frustration and baffling as well. 

[SilentHill]

No it doesn't. You said we had one serviceable safety on the roster. That's false. The reality is we have one safety that YOU like on the roster so you down the others

We have 5 or so regardless of what you think of them or what personal feelings/judgements you have of them

 

Wait, your talking in circles, is your problem based on the fact that I said "1" or is it based on the "serviceable was implied".

 

Regardless of what YOU think, there is only one safety on this roster that can be semi-trusted to contribute to the team this season (at the safety position), and that is a fact.

[horseshoeblue22]

I'm not sure OLine continuity is our BIGGEST issue, but it is a big one. We could spend every draft pick on OL, and we would have the same issue...sorting through the guys we have an configuring who represents our best five. To me, continuity means picking 5 guys, keeping them together and letting the reps mount up. No team has five or six outstanding olinemen, but the successful teams let their group build and grow that chemistry together. Simply put, we need to stop taking guys out, putting others in, etc.

Obviously injuries play a role in that, and we could certainly upgrade our overall talent level...but we finished 4th in total offense. Every RB we put in our system (aside from Trent) has been moderately successful.

If our defense could finish in the top 5 in total defense, even for one season, I think our fanbase would be running around giving each other high fives and we would be on our way to the Superbowl. Thats where our biggest issues lie.

I know what youre thinking, we have Andrew Luck and we are guaranteed to be in the top 5 in all offensive stat categories for the next decade. Thats simply not true. There have been dozens of quarterbacks to come out of college over the years that have recieved considerable hype and havent been half as successful as Luck. Andrew has literally been the more successful (in terms of passing statistics) in the first 3 years of his career then any other QB in league history. I dont think that is by accident, and I think our OL, TE, and WR groups deserve at least a little bit of credit for that.

[Warhorse]

Our biggest issue is the fact we didn't win the SB. If we had ...this thread wouldn't exist.

 

 

 

Oh wait................never mind.

[Andrew Luck's Beard]

Wait, your talking in circles, is your problem based on the fact that I said "1" or is it based on the "serviceable was implied".

Regardless of what YOU think, there is only one safety on this roster that can be semi-trusted to contribute to the team this season (at the safety position), and that is a fact.

"I only kinda trust safeties who led the league in turnovers and made the Pro Bowl. Everybody else sucks!"

[Colts_Fan12]

"I only kinda trust safeties who led the league in turnovers and made the Pro Bowl. Everybody else sucks!"

yeah that pro bowl S is also 34 we can't just keep counting on him to put up numbers like that every year. I think some put too much trust in him for his age.

[antipatriot]

To those who mentioned the D-line I also agree.  We need our lines to get better if we want to win a SB.  I think the point of my post is you cant win without a great/elite QB and ours is gonna get killed unless we get it together.  As someone mentioned coaching is a factor and when we are consistent with our line up we do pretty well.

 

Hopefully we address the lines in the draft.  I think we have a real shot this season more so than any in the Luck/Pagano era.  As long as we play to our strengths and don't get stubborn as has happened we will be hard to beat.

[SilentHill]

"I only kinda trust safeties who led the league in turnovers and made the Pro Bowl. Everybody else sucks!"

 

 

yeah that pro bowl S is also 34 we can't just keep counting on him to put up numbers like that every year. I think some put too much trust in him for his age.

 

 

Yea, what he said.

[Dark Superman]

We can't stop the run.

And the draft isn't going to fix that.

[throwing BBZ]

Winston Guy? Practice squad MVP? Oh yeah, let's definitely see what a guy who couldn't make the 53 on a team with little safety depth can bring to the table?

 

And Dewey McDonald clearly went undrafted because no one but Grigson could see his future potential. I'm sure we've just been grooming him for that FS spot.....

 

 Yet Sergio Brown played well as our 3rd safety and YOU THINK W Guy, who arrived in October, should have been ahead of McDonald who had a training camp and pre-season experience.

 Not particularly sound logic IMO.

 

We can't stop the run.

And the draft isn't going to fix that.

 

 No, but dumping Redding helped, and improved ILB`er and safety play would help. And some scheme improvements it looked like.

[COLT in J-ville]

Man I miss Tarik Glenn

[OLD FAN MAN]

need to get some real talent on the o-line, we have a left tackle, the rest lack real o-line skills from left guard to right tackle they are below average.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

I blame coaching for some of it.  You put in Shipley and he plays well, then you suddenly take him out and put Harrison in.  Harrison plays poorly, but you leave him in.  Then a couple of weeks later, you take Harrison out and put Shipley back.

 

 

No, it's cool man, you see, Harrison has a higher ceiling, so it's ok to put him and get our QB repeatedly hit for the sake that the experience may turn him into a mediocre center one day. 

 

 

And don't forget, we don't know what the coaches know.

A guy may be a human turn-style on game day, week in and week out, but we don't see the amazing things he does at practice.

 

Shipley wasn't exactly playing great for us.  He started the first four games of the year and the last game of the year.  Denver and Philly have decent defenses, but nothing too spectacular (both were better on the end than up the middle last year) and we lost those 2 games.  Then we beat Jacksonville and Tennessee with AQ as our starter (nothing to write home about).  I am not saying he was playing bad, but he is very limited in his abilities and (IMO) it made sense for the coaches to switch to a young guy who does have a higher ceiling and who played OK (really not much better or much worse than Shipley).  For Harrison's sake, please note he started his career against Baltimore (better line than any of the 4 teams AQ started against), Houston (better d-line than any of the 4 teams AQ started against), Cincy (arguably better DL than the 4 AQ started against), and NYG (who had as good of an interior DL as any of the 4 AQ faced).  Hoosier, you are right, we don't know what goes on at practice.  The coaches obviously thought Shipley is more of a back-up type player than a starter, and the only way to really know what we have in Harrison (or other younger guys with more potential) is to see what they can do in a game. 

 

 

We can't stop the run.

And the draft isn't going to fix that.

 

I am pretty confident Hughes, Chapman, Kerr, and others will improve and am very happy to hear Art Jones sounds like he is finally healthy again.  Art Jones, when healthy, is one of the better run-stoppers in the league.

[Dustin]

Shipley wasn't exactly playing great for us. He started the first four games of the year and the last game of the year. Denver and Philly have decent defenses, but nothing too spectacular (both were better on the end than up the middle last year) and we lost those 2 games. Then we beat Jacksonville and Tennessee with AQ as our starter (nothing to write home about). I am not saying he was playing bad, but he is very limited in his abilities and (IMO) it made sense for the coaches to switch to a young guy who does have a higher ceiling and who played OK (really not much better or much worse than Shipley). For Harrison's sake, please note he started his career against Baltimore (better line than any of the 4 teams AQ started against), Houston (better d-line than any of the 4 teams AQ started against), Cincy (arguably better DL than the 4 AQ started against), and NYG (who had as good of an interior DL as any of the 4 AQ faced). Hoosier, you are right, we don't know what goes on at practice. The coaches obviously thought Shipley is more of a back-up type player than a starter, and the only way to really know what we have in Harrison (or other younger guys with more potential) is to see what they can do in a game.

I am pretty confident Hughes, Chapman, Kerr, and others will improve and am very happy to hear Art Jones sounds like he is finally healthy again. Art Jones, when healthy, is one of the better run-stoppers in the league.

Shipley was playing well.