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Who gets the third RB spot?


RockThatBlue

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Its pretty safe to assume that the first and second spots will be Gore and Herron but who in your opinion gets that third spot? This may be the most interesting battle this off season between Ballard and Robinson (and others but those two have the best shot IMO)

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Robinson unless he looks like total crap. I think everyone on here is tired of holding their breath

every time Ballard takes a snap. :oops:

Yep...better we forget Brittle Ballard and keep the best big back as the 4th RB.

If we keep Ballard, he will just get hurt and leave a hole at RB later.

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I think we'll keep 4 also..Gore, Boom, Robinson, and Tipton...I think Ballard and Tipton will battle for the 4th spot, with Tipton coming out on top..I like Ballard and wouldn't be too surprised if he made the roster, but 2 seasons out of football and injury concerns might cost him his spot on the team with Tipton being healthy and just as capable of doing what ballard does.

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I think we'll keep 4 also..Gore, Boom, Robinson, and Tipton...I think Ballard and Tipton will battle for the 4th spot, with Tipton coming out on top..I like Ballard and wouldn't be too surprised if he made the roster, but 2 seasons out of football and injury concerns might cost him his spot on the team with Tipton being healthy and just as capable of doing what ballard does.

I don't have a dog in the hunt when it comes to either Ballard or Tipton because as long as we can run the ball at a respectable amount I don't care who is doing it but at what point in his 28 (59 if you want to include preseason)career regular season carries has Tipton shown he is capable of doing what Ballard can do if healthy?

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If we keep four I'd like to think the odd man out would be Tipton. Ballard showed so much potential his rookie year and came up big in big moments like the Titans helicopter dive in OT and the backwards run to close out the Miami game. Tipton just seems so blah to me...

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If we keep four I'd like to think the odd man out would be Tipton. Ballard showed so much potential his rookie year and came up big in big moments like the Titans helicopter dive in OT and the backwards run to close out the Miami game. Tipton just seems so blah to me...

Agreed. Ballard has the upper hand for now. But its a new season and anything can happen. This will be a fun battle to watch in training camp and pre season.

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I don't have a dog in the hunt when it comes to either Ballard or Tipton because as long as we can run the ball at a respectable amount I don't care who is doing it but at what point in his 28 (59 if you want to include preseason)career regular season carries has Tipton shown he is capable of doing what Ballard can do if healthy?

Tipton showed a couple flashes in the playoffs both receiving and running (although nothing eye popping)..but givin more chances (if he started like Ballard did his rookie season) I think he could produce just as much as Ballard did, all while not having the injury concerns. But that's why I mentioned I wouldn't be surprised if Ballard made it. ( if the coaches think he's healthy and they have faith that he can stay healthy)..But that's just my opinion of the situation, not saying I'm right

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Tipton showed a couple flashes in the playoffs both receiving and running (although nothing eye popping)..but givin more chances (if he started like Ballard did his rookie season) I think he could produce just as much as Ballard did, all while not having the injury concerns. But that's why I mentioned I wouldn't be surprised if Ballard made it. ( if the coaches think he's healthy and they have faith that he can stay healthy)..But that's just my opinion of the situation, not saying I'm right

That's really what it comes down to with Ballard, Certainly not a question of talent

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I think Gore is the only "lock".  I'd agree Herron goes into camp as the leader in the club house for the other spot but if he has an awful camp and pre-season (highly unlikely) and two of the other backs prove they are better the Colts would go with them.  I think the third spot is completely up in the air but I think Ballard and Robinson have a better shot at getting the third spot more than Tipton.  It doesn't mean Tipton can't win it but I think if Ballard is healthy and he looks like he did before the injuries it's his job to lose but after two years of injuries it's going to be pretty hard to look like his old self.  They clearly saw something they liked in Robinson or they wouldn't have drafted him.  Tipton is a good young talented player but I think he's the odd man out right now and much like Whalen is going to have a really hardtime making this roster despite being really solid players. 

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It surprises me how quickly and easily a lot of Colts fans throw Ballard under the bus before they even see him in TC... 

Yes he had two non contact season ending injuries in back to back years. Yes it is fair to say he might not ever fully recover from those injuries.... But he is young and medical practice these days is so much farther along than it was even 10 years ago.

 

Until I see with my own two eyes that Ballard isn't the same player he was in his rookie season I am NOT counting him out. If he is healthy, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Ballard took the #2 spot behind Gore or at least splitting those #2 reps with Herron by the start of the season.... 

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Running backs don't come back from achilles It's not like Ballard was a pro bowler before the injury.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000224126/article/achilles-tendon-tear-a-death-knell-for-running-backs

Gore will be the work horse. Booms a fumble from not seing the field. He has a loose grip on the 2nd back. I wouldn't be surprised if JR takes his spot sooner than later

I could see us keeping 3 Gore JR Boom with Tipton on the PS. Varga might surprise. I see no reason for 4 backs on the 53 man. Gore will be the cow bell we have been looking for.

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Running backs don't come back from achilles It's not like Ballard was a pro bowler before the injury.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000224126/article/achilles-tendon-tear-a-death-knell-for-running-backs

Gore will be the work horse. Booms a fumble from not seing the field. He has a loose grip on the 2nd back. I wouldn't be surprised if JR takes his spot sooner than later

I could see us keeping 3 Gore JR Boom with Tipton on the PS. Varga might surprise. I see no reason for 4 backs on the 53 man. Gore will be the cow bell we have been looking for.

 

You're so ready to throw Ballard under the bus but see no reason to think that Robinson might take the 2nd back role sooner rather than later.... before he has played a single snap in the NFL?

 

Until proven otherwise I get that Vick is a risk, but until proven otherwise by Robinson he is just another no name rookie on our team. You have to be impartial to both until at least third preseason game i think.

If Adrian Peterson recovered from his ACL in 2011 to be the MVP in 2012 with over 2000 yards rushing (not the same injury i know but an ACL tear used to be a killing blow to a RB as well), then i think you have to give Ballard the benefit of the doubt.

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It surprises me how quickly and easily a lot of Colts fans throw Ballard under the bus before they even see him in TC... 

Yes he had two non contact season ending injuries in back to back years. Yes it is fair to say he might not ever fully recover from those injuries.... But he is young and medical practice these days is so much farther along than it was even 10 years ago.

 

Until I see with my own two eyes that Ballard isn't the same player he was in his rookie season I am NOT counting him out. If he is healthy, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Ballard took the #2 spot behind Gore or at least splitting those #2 reps with Herron by the start of the season....

No one is throwing him under the bus. It's just now one it's holding their breath for him. Two serious injuries that are career altering for a RB. If it had been a lesser injury like tearing his bicep, there'd be more optimism. But an Achilles tendon tear on top of a knee injury? Plus 2 years without football? Hard to be hopeful with those circumstances. We would all love for him to return to form, it just seems unlikely.

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I want 4 RBs. Would love to see Ballard back in action. He could provide an emotional spark on gameday if he is able to bounce back and be productive with his snaps... no matter how few he gets.

I've always wondered why people felt we need to carry 4 RBs.  And if we do, then we dont need a FB....

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No one is throwing him under the bus. It's just now one it's holding their breath for him. Two serious injuries that are career altering for a RB. If it had been a lesser injury like tearing his bicep, there'd be more optimism. But an Achilles tendon tear on top of a knee injury? Plus 2 years without football? Hard to be hopeful with those circumstances. We would all love for him to return to form, it just seems unlikely.

I feel ya, i get there is the uncertainty and its not exactly likely that he will come back 100%. But with advances in medical procedures I wouldnt count him out just yet. 

 

I think you have to treat that knee as a completely separate issue as well btw. If he had done them both at the same time then yeah fair enough, but that knee injury was 2 years ago now, 2 years is an awful long time for something to recover. If anything is going to hold him back it'll be the achilles. I guess im just being a little too optimistic about his chances and I certainly am not ready to write him off yet.

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It's a very big IF on Ballard, but if he shows to be pretty healthy it's going to be hard not to keep 4 running backs.  He definitely fits the scheme and we know that he can ball.  Initially I was feeling the same way as many others in this thread.  My mind frame was Brittle Ballard won't last.  However if he's healthy it's going to make it a hard call to let him go.   The team could keep him and let a guy like Tipton go.  In the scenario that Ballard is healthy we may go with Gore, Herron, Robinson and Ballard.  Honestly if Vick is healthy he's a better back than Boom Herron and it's not a surprise at all if he beat him out.

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You're so ready to throw Ballard under the bus but see no reason to think that Robinson might take the 2nd back role sooner rather than later.... before he has played a single snap in the NFL?

Until proven otherwise I get that Vick is a risk, but until proven otherwise by Robinson he is just another no name rookie on our team. You have to be impartial to both until at least third preseason game i think.

If Adrian Peterson recovered from his ACL in 2011 to be the MVP in 2012 with over 2000 yards rushing (not the same injury i know but an ACL tear used to be a killing blow to a RB as well), then i think you have to give Ballard the benefit of the doubt.

Adrian Peterson isn't human, you can't compare Ballard to him

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I've always wondered why people felt we need to carry 4 RBs. And if we do, then we dont need a FB....

We don't need to carry 4 but you never know with Pep as your OC

I say just 3 and 3 TE'S with Doyle & Allen be in our FB/H-Back players so we don't need a FB

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It's a very big IF on Ballard, but if he shows to be pretty healthy it's going to be hard not to keep 4 running backs.  He definitely fits the scheme and we know that he can ball.  Initially I was feeling the same way as many others in this thread.  My mind frame was Brittle Ballard won't last.  However if he's healthy it's going to make it a hard call to let him go.   The team could keep him and let a guy like Tipton go.  In the scenario that Ballard is healthy we may go with Gore, Herron, Robinson and Ballard.  Honestly if Vick is healthy he's a better back than Boom Herron and it's not a surprise at all if he beat him out.

 

 

Gotta feel a little bad for Boom, guy ran his heart out, despite the fumble issues and did pretty well for us.  He goes from starter to possibly not making the cut for no reason but the colts signed frank gore.  I like the Gore signing and I think Robinson has potential but if we keep ballard over boom and ballard gets hurt again, I swear I'll personally smack Grigs if I'd get the chance.

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It's a very big IF on Ballard, but if he shows to be pretty healthy it's going to be hard not to keep 4 running backs.  He definitely fits the scheme and we know that he can ball.  Initially I was feeling the same way as many others in this thread.  My mind frame was Brittle Ballard won't last.  However if he's healthy it's going to make it a hard call to let him go.   The team could keep him and let a guy like Tipton go.  In the scenario that Ballard is healthy we may go with Gore, Herron, Robinson and Ballard.  Honestly if Vick is healthy he's a better back than Boom Herron and it's not a surprise at all if he beat him out.

 

Seems like this to me.  And I would really like to see them have Vick get through the preseason and then sit on the roster as the #4.  Should something catastrophic happen to our lead 2 backs (whoever they are), we have a solid proven contributor.  If all goes well, Vick would essentially be a proven talent who is simply working on getting stronger and ready for his time.  I just don't want to see him thrown back in early and have him go down again.  But if that guy can get healthy, we know he is a darned good running back.

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Gotta feel a little bad for Boom, guy ran his heart out, despite the fumble issues and did pretty well for us.  He goes from starter to possibly not making the cut for no reason but the colts signed frank gore.  I like the Gore signing and I think Robinson has potential but if we keep ballard over boom and ballard gets hurt again, I swear I'll personally smack Grigs if I'd get the chance.

 

Yeah but in my scenario I have us keeping both backs so if Ballard got hurt we could bring Boom back in the mix.

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Seems like this to me.  And I would really like to see them have Vick get through the preseason and then sit on the roster as the #4.  Should something catastrophic happen to our lead 2 backs (whoever they are), we have a solid proven contributor.  If all goes well, Vick would essentially be a proven talent who is simply working on getting stronger and ready for his time.  I just don't want to see him thrown back in early and have him go down again.  But if that guy can get healthy, we know he is a darned good running back.

 

Ballards situation kind of reminds me of Correll Buckhalter some years ago with the Eagles.

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Robinson, if we keep 4 then maybe Ballard gets a spot.

 

Tipton isn't good.  His Yards Per Carry average makes Trent look like a hall of fame running back.

 

 

I think you have to look at YPC with a grain of salt.  If the line wasn't blocking how does that make the back a bad performer? Especially a guy like Tipton who didn't get very many carries. I don't think he had a big enough workload to say much. Had some pretty good carries in the playoffs though.

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I feel good about Ballard. lets hope it was just bad luck because he looked really good when he played. Robinson could be that shifty back with great speed we need.

 

It is possible to keep 4 RB's but it seems unlikely

From what I saw ok on table, Robinson looked like a pure power runner.

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You're so ready to throw Ballard under the bus but see no reason to think that Robinson might take the 2nd back role sooner rather than later.... before he has played a single snap in the NFL?

 

Until proven otherwise I get that Vick is a risk, but until proven otherwise by Robinson he is just another no name rookie on our team. You have to be impartial to both until at least third preseason game i think.

If Adrian Peterson recovered from his ACL in 2011 to be the MVP in 2012 with over 2000 yards rushing (not the same injury i know but an ACL tear used to be a killing blow to a RB as well), then i think you have to give Ballard the benefit of the doubt.

How is looking at the history of Achilles injuries to running backs career's throwing Ballard under the bus?

 

An Achilles injury is not the same as an ACL. There is a precedent for RB's coming all the way back from an ACL tear medicine has advanced on that front. There is no RB that has come back from an Achilles injury. Could Ballard be the first? It is possible but looking at it objectively: he tore his ACL no contact never saw contact again then 2 days into camp tears his Achilles. He hasn't played since 9/8/13. On top of it all he was good not great. We are not talking about AP here. The guy ran hard for 800 yards at 3.9 per carry.

 

The odds are stacked against him. Do I wish him the best? Of course but realistically I don't see it happening. Frankly I will be disappointed if JR isn't better than a guy who hasn't seen the field in 2 years and is coming off of 2 major injuries. I hope we have found a late round gem.

 

In my opinion it will be tough for Ballard to make the team but opinions are like....  we will all find out in a couple of days. I am not throwing any Colt under the bus, I am 100% behind anyone wearing the horseshoe. I just don't see Ballard being the 3rd back.

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How is looking at the history of Achilles injuries to running backs career's throwing Ballard under the bus?

 

An Achilles injury is not the same as an ACL. There is a precedent for RB's coming all the way back from an ACL tear medicine has advanced on that front. There is no RB that has come back from an Achilles injury. Could Ballard be the first? It is possible but looking at it objectively: he tore his ACL no contact never saw contact again then 2 days into camp tears his Achilles. He hasn't played since 9/8/13. On top of it all he was good not great. We are not talking about AP here. The guy ran hard for 800 yards at 3.9 per carry.

 

The odds are stacked against him. Do I wish him the best? Of course but realistically I don't see it happening. Frankly I will be disappointed if JR isn't better than a guy who hasn't seen the field in 2 years and is coming off of 2 major injuries. I hope we have found a late round gem.

 

In my opinion it will be tough for Ballard to make the team but opinions are like....  we will all find out in a couple of days. I am not throwing any Colt under the bus, I am 100% behind anyone wearing the horseshoe. I just don't see Ballard being the 3rd back.

 

I wouldn't even call him good.  I would say he was solid but that's it.  But I do agree with your post.  

 

Grading RB's can be on the subjective side and you are talking about a guy who's had 2 major injuries and hasn't played in 2 years.  If him and Robinson are even close then you have to think Robinson has the edge due to no major injuries and being slightly younger.  

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