NFL Network Picks Colts Third In AFC South

[King Colt]

Texans / Jags / Colts / Titans, that is the order posted on the NFL Network show yesterday. They had the Colts at 8-8. Regardless of the teams how does anyone pick the success/failure of any team with a brand new QB? Furthermore, how does anyone pick anything on a new team unless they are pathetic or dominant in the previous seasons?  The AFC South does not look to be dominated by any team as far as I can see. It looks more like a teeth puller division. Injuries could play a huge part of the final word when teams are this close.

[Yoshinator]

Texans aren't that great IMO, Osweiller is still unproven, and Clowney is absolute crap. Watt and Hopkins can't do it all, and even though I may draft Lamar Miller in fantasy because he is very good, the Texans don't have the QB to be a huge threat. They also don't have the defense to make up for the below average QB play. 

 

The real threat IMO, is the Jags. They got Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, and they have Dante Fowler back from injury, which is basically like adding 3 first round picks to the defense. We can rave about Ryan Kelly and an improved offense, but with those 3 and Malik Jackson, they easily cancel us out. I don't know which of the two teams will win the division, but it will be a slobberknocker. 

 

Luck better learn fast how to tweak his game, or Bortles and the Jags will take over the division. The offense is a mini version of the Colts and the defense is twice as good.

[Bravo]

Just picking based off of paper. Whoever makes the most moves in the offseason becomes one of the best teams in the league/division right away. 

 

How it works every offseason.

 

 

Since the Colts signed one FA, they "didn't improve."

[krunk]

I'm glad we only have a two week wait left for the preseason and training camps to start.  This disrespect is starting to be a bit much.

[Yoshinator]

4 minutes ago, krunk said:

I'm glad we only have a two week wait left for the preseason and training camps to start.  This disrespect is starting to be a bit much.

I'm looking forward to it as well. Baseball is fun to watch and do fantasy, but I want to see these guys from the draft play and see how Luck performs with the team. Really focused on watching Moncrief and Dorsett. Both guys I mocked a ton to us in mock drafts and studied their tape. Want to be right about them and want them to succeed.

[krunk]

25 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Texans aren't that great IMO, Osweiller is still unproven, and Clowney is absolute crap. Watt and Hopkins can't do it all, and even though I may draft Lamar Miller in fantasy because he is very good, the Texans don't have the QB to be a huge threat. They also don't have the defense to make up for the below average QB play. 

 

The real threat IMO, is the Jags. They got Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, and they have Dante Fowler back from injury, which is basically like adding 3 first round picks to the defense. We can rave about Ryan Kelly and an improved offense, but with those 3 and Malik Jackson, they easily cancel us out. I don't know which of the two teams will win the division, but it will be a slobberknocker. 

 

Luck better learn fast how to tweak his game, or Bortles and the Jags will take over the division. The offense is a mini version of the Colts and the defense is twice as good.

 

You're kind of crowning that defense way too early I think.  Most rookies struggle learning to be pros in their first year so don't expect Jack, Ramsey, Fowler and the rest to come out dominating the league.  It likely won't happen that way, there's a learning curve to this thing.  I remember in Andre Johnsons early days in the league he used to get shut down by Nick Harper.   I remember Deandre Hopkins first year or so getting shut down by Greg Toler. Takes rookies no matter what side of the football a minute or two to learn the game.  Outside of Ramsey you have Davon House and Amukamara.  Respectable, but not great.    Fowler to me will be more closer to a Sam Backer.  I don't think he'll be all that great as a pass rusher.  If my memory serves me right I don't think he every posted more than 10 sacks in a year at Florida. Usually was around 8.  From the outside they really don't have any other pass rushing threats unless the rookie Tyrone Holmes turns into something. Maybe Ngakoue, but he's kind of slow.  On the back end you have Tshaun Gipson who is a good safety.  They've added some good pieces but it's way too early to tell where they'll be.  

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, krunk said:

 

You're kind of crowning that defense way too early I think.  Most rookies struggle learning to be pros in their first year so don't expect Jack, Ramsey, Fowler and the rest to come out dominating the league.  It likely won't happen that way, there's a learning curve to this thing.  I remember in Andre Johnsons early days in the league he used to get shut down by Nick Harper.   I remember Deandre Hopkins first year or so getting shut down by Greg Toler. Takes rookies no matter what side of the football a minute or two to learn the game.  Outside of Ramsey you have Davon House and Amukamara.  Respectable, but not great.    Fowler to me will be more closer to a Sam Backer.  I don't think he'll be all that great as a pass rusher.  If my memory serves me right I don't think he every posted more than 10 sacks at Florida. Usually was around 8.  From the outside they really don't have any other pass rushing threats unless the rookie Tyrone Holmes turns into something. Maybe Ngakoue, but he's kind of slow.  On the back end you have Tshaun Gipson who is a good safety.  They've added some good pieces but it's way too early to tell where they'll be.  

I do agree that rookies struggle early, but I trust my evaluations of these guys as well, and Jalen Ramsey was the only special player I saw in the draft. Jack, Ramsey, and Fowler are all top 5 guys (Jack would of been), these aren't guys who struggle like common rookies, they are blue chip players. They are on a curve. I hope we can beat them up, but it will be a dogfight, and unfortunately, they have the best possible improvements possible. Kelly will help, I believe in him. I don't believe in the right side of the line though, I haven't seen us start off quick in games. I have legit concerns. 

 

If Luck is 100%, we can win the division. We basically have 1 new starter on offense, they have 4 big pieces on defense. They countered us well, it's like a chess game. I hope some guys break out in training camp for us, we need a surprise or two to keep up with them. A great defense beats a great offense.

[weslo1812]

29 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Texans aren't that great IMO, Osweiller is still unproven, and Clowney is absolute crap. Watt and Hopkins can't do it all, and even though I may draft Lamar Miller in fantasy because he is very good, the Texans don't have the QB to be a huge threat. They also don't have the defense to make up for the below average QB play. 

 

The real threat IMO, is the Jags. They got Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, and they have Dante Fowler back from injury, which is basically like adding 3 first round picks to the defense. We can rave about Ryan Kelly and an improved offense, but with those 3 and Malik Jackson, they easily cancel us out. I don't know which of the two teams will win the division, but it will be a slobberknocker. 

 

Luck better learn fast how to tweak his game, or Bortles and the Jags will take over the division. The offense is a mini version of the Colts and the defense is twice as good.

Jalen Ramsey has to stay healthy and is unproven in the NFL, Myles Jack the same and he's likely to need a knee surgery at some point in the near future. Fowler hasn't proven anything yet either. Nothing is a guarantee as far any of those players are concerned yet, and all of them have pretty good injury concerns around them. And you're basically counting on all of them coming in and playing big time right away, which is not likely to happen. No doubt they are getting better and they have a load of talent. But untill it shows on the field, it don't mean much.

 

And Colts went 8-8 without Luck for 60% of the season and an offense that couldn't stay on the field at all and put the defense in a very tough spot majority of the season. Ohh and you might wanna look at the Jags defensive ratings from last year....they were nowhere near twice as good. And you look at the Defensive Efficiency Ratings and the Colts rank 13th, Jags....26th. And consider that with how much our D was left on the field last year and basically had to carry this team. You're automatically assuming waaay to much about the Jags with nothing having been proven on the field yet.

 

 

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, weslo1812 said:

Jalen Ramsey has to stay healthy and is unproven in the NFL, Myles Jack the same and he's likely to need a knee surgery at some point in the near future. Fowler hasn't proven anything yet either. Nothing is a guarantee as far any of those players are concerned yet, and all of them have pretty good injury concerns around them. And you're basically counting on all of them coming in and playing big time right away, which is not likely to happen. No doubt they are getting better and they have a load of talent. But untill it shows on the field, it don't mean much.

 

And Colts went 8-8 without Luck for 60% of the season and an offense that couldn't stay on the field at all and put the defense in a very tough spot majority of the season. Ohh and you might wanna look at the Jags defensive ratings from last year....they were nowhere near twice as good. And you look at the Defensive Efficiency Ratings and the Colts rank 13th, Jags....26th. And consider that with how much our D was left on the field last year and basically had to carry this team. You're automatically assuming waaay to much about the Jags with nothing having been proven on the field yet.

 

 

The Colts went 8-8 because Luck wasn't playing, they did it because of Hasselback, they would of done worse if Luck was playing.

[weslo1812]

4 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

The Colts went 8-8 because Luck wasn't playing, they did it because of Hasselback, they would of done worse if Luck was playing.

How do you know, you got a crystal ball??? I don't think so... so you can stop with that crap. And did you forget the injuries he was trying to play through??? And you ignored the rest of my post as well. You're just throwing out a bunch of wild assumptions...that's all.

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, weslo1812 said:

How do you know, you got a crystal ball??? I don't think so... so you can stop with that crap. And did you forget the injuries he was trying to play through??? And you ignored the rest of my post as well.

yes I do, it's called a brain. Luck was injured and he was struggling. Also with your defensive effeciency, it means nothing to me because the Colts can't generate a pass rush to save their lives. At least the Jaguars can rush the passer some, and that was before the players they gained. You are handpicking stats to fit your narrative. I like this team probably more than you, but I'm a realist, and I want to see an improvement. Not these slow future fixes that will take 5 years. We are barely improving every year, it's not good enough with someone the quality of Andrew Luck at QB.

[krunk]

27 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I do agree that rookies struggle early, but I trust my evaluations of these guys as well, and Jalen Ramsey was the only special player I saw in the draft. Jack, Ramsey, and Fowler are all top 5 guys (Jack would of been), these aren't guys who struggle like common rookies, they are blue chip players. They are on a curve. I hope we can beat them up, but it will be a dogfight, and unfortunately, they have the best possible improvements possible. Kelly will help, I believe in him. I don't believe in the right side of the line though, I haven't seen us start off quick in games. I have legit concerns. 

 

If Luck is 100%, we can win the division. We basically have 1 new starter on offense, they have 4 big pieces on defense. They countered us well, it's like a chess game. I hope some guys break out in training camp for us, we need a surprise or two to keep up with them. A great defense beats a great offense.

 

I've been watching football long enough to understand that Top 5 this and that doesn't always pan out that way.  I watched the Lions draft guys high in the first round for a number of years not to pan out to anything.  The NFL is a different league so it's no guarantee.  I think they picked up some good players, but we'll see what happens.  I can't crown them yet.

[GoColts8818]

For those concerned about pre-season predictions last year the Colts were the Super Bowl team and look how that worked out.

[Jason_]

11 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

yes I do, it's called a brain. Luck was injured and he was struggling. Also with your defensive effeciency, it means nothing to me because the Colts can't generate a pass rush to save their lives. At least the Jaguars can rush the passer some, and that was before the players they gained. You are handpicking stats to fit your narrative. I like this team probably more than you, but I'm a realist, and I want to see an improvement. Not these slow future fixes that will take 5 years. We are barely improving every year, it's not good enough with someone the quality of Andrew Luck at QB.

 

who are these players that are going to take 5 years to develop?  And you're also kind of cherry-picking...yes, on average for the entire season, the Colts were bad at rushing the passer.  However, that's because they started out horribly but improved as the season went along.  Through the month of December, I believe they were ranked 2nd or 3rd at pass rush efficiency.  

[Jason_]

20 minutes ago, weslo1812 said:

How do you know, you got a crystal ball??? I don't think so... so you can stop with that crap. And did you forget the injuries he was trying to play through??? And you ignored the rest of my post as well. You're just throwing out a bunch of wild assumptions...that's all.

 

well that crap was his opinion and he's entitled to it.  there's certainly a possibility that he would have been right.  We have no way of knowing how 2015 would have played out if Luck hadn't gotten hurt in the Denver game, but there's certainly no guarantee that all of  his issues were fixed after that game. He very well could have gone back to playing just as poorly as he did prior to that game.

[weslo1812]

26 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

yes I do, it's called a brain. Luck was injured and he was struggling. Also with your defensive effeciency, it means nothing to me because the Colts can't generate a pass rush to save their lives. At least the Jaguars can rush the passer some, and that was before the players they gained. You are handpicking stats to fit your narrative. I like this team probably more than you, but I'm a realist, and I want to see an improvement. Not these slow future fixes that will take 5 years. We are barely improving every year, it's not good enough with someone the quality of Andrew Luck at QB.

So tell me how you know the future and that the Colts would have been worse if Luck was healthy??? You don't!!! I don't care how much you "think" you know....you don't know the future. The defensive efficency rating is faaar from nitpicking, It's not considering only one thing like you are, pass rush. Thats actually nitpicing to fit your agenda, exactly what YOU are doing. And I'd rather judge a defense by considering a wider scope of factors like the defensive efficiency rating does rsther than just basing off one factor like you wanna do. Pass Rush is great and important, but it's far from everything. Ohh and Jacksonville had 1 more sack last season than the Colts, and 11 more hurries, so obviously they weren't really much better. And a man with a brain will give evidence for his argument and why he believes what he does. Not just state a bunch of assumptions essentially while giving very little evidence for his argument as you've done.

[jskinnz]

1 hour ago, King Colt said:

Texans / Jags / Colts / Titans, that is the order posted on the NFL Network show yesterday. They had the Colts at 8-8. Regardless of the teams how does anyone pick the success/failure of any team with a brand new QB? Furthermore, how does anyone pick anything on a new team unless they are pathetic or dominant in the previous seasons?  The AFC South does not look to be dominated by any team as far as I can see. It looks more like a teeth puller division. Injuries could play a huge part of the final word when teams are this close.

 

Is it really that hard to picture why they picked the Texans?  Regardless of what you think of Osweiler, he does seem to be an improvement over the dumpster fire they had at the position last year when the won 9 games and the division. 

 

I think you can make a reasonable case for every team except the Titans to be division champs.  But ultimately, who cares?  This is decided on the field and what is said in July means precious little in season.  Kind of like the Colts last year.

[weslo1812]

19 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

who are these players that are going to take 5 years to develop?  And you're also kind of cherry-picking...yes, on average for the entire season, the Colts were bad at rushing the passer.  However, that's because they started out horribly but improved as the season went along.  Through the month of December, I believe they were ranked 2nd or 3rd at pass rush efficiency.  

Exactly!!!!

[weslo1812]

20 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

well that crap was his opinion and he's entitled to it.  there's certainly a possibility that he would have been right.  We have no way of knowing how 2015 would have played out if Luck hadn't gotten hurt in the Denver game, but there's certainly no guarantee that all of  his issues were fixed after that game. He very well could have gone back to playing just as poorly as he did prior to that game.

He was stating is as if knew it would have been the case, that's why I said what I did. I know there is the chance he could have been right, but just as much so that he could have been wrong. As you say, we have no real way of knowing which basically my point.

[Solon]

Luck was hurt for the majority of last season and we missed the playoffs by 1 game. I'm tired of everyone talking like we fell off. Time to reclaim the South.

[bababooey]

Weren't we supposed to win the superbowl last year? Don't worry about this.

[lollygagger8]

[Jim H.]

Not the first time I have said - wait until training camp injuries settle out, then make predictions.

[SilentHill]

Someone should tell the NFL that Hasselbeck retired. It's the only explanation for these crazy pundits.

[Smonroe]

48 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

Our opponents HAD to play like S__ in several of our wins to keep us from going 5-11.
I`m tired our you Homers forgetting this!

 

They HAD to?  Who made them?   

[SilentHill]

1 hour ago, Jared Cisneros said:

yes I do, it's called a brain. Luck was injured and he was struggling. Also with your defensive effeciency, it means nothing to me because the Colts can't generate a pass rush to save their lives. At least the Jaguars can rush the passer some, and that was before the players they gained. You are handpicking stats to fit your narrative. I like this team probably more than you, but I'm a realist, and I want to see an improvement. Not these slow future fixes that will take 5 years. We are barely improving every year, it's not good enough with someone the quality of Andrew Luck at QB.

 

Andrew Luck didn't look like he was struggling when he led the colts to victory over the undefeated and eventual SB champion Broncos.

[Jason_]

6 minutes ago, SilentHill said:

 

Andrew Luck didn't look like he was struggling when he led the colts to victory over the undefeated and eventual SB champion Broncos.

 

no he didn't...but that was one game.  we have no way of knowing if he'd have played that way the rest of the season, or if he'd have reverted back to the way he was playing prior to that game.  Obviously I'd hope for the former but can't rule out the possibility of the latter.

[SilentHill]

13 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

no he didn't...but that was one game.  we have no way of knowing if he'd have played that way the rest of the season, or if he'd have reverted back to the way he was playing prior to that game.  Obviously I'd hope for the former but can't rule out the possibility of the latter.

 

I agree, no one knows what could or would have happened after that game, and for someone to insist something was going to happen one way or another is ridiculous.

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

yes I do, it's called a brain. Luck was injured and he was struggling. Also with your defensive effeciency, it means nothing to me because the Colts can't generate a pass rush to save their lives. At least the Jaguars can rush the passer some, and that was before the players they gained. You are handpicking stats to fit your narrative. I like this team probably more than you, but I'm a realist, and I want to see an improvement. Not these slow future fixes that will take 5 years. We are barely improving every year, it's not good enough with someone the quality of Andrew Luck at QB.

 

He wasn't struggling against Denver.....

 

I think you've jumped to a wrong conclusion.

 

[Jason_]

1 hour ago, weslo1812 said:

He was stating is as if knew it would have been the case, that's why I said what I did. I know there is the chance he could have been right, but just as much so that he could have been wrong. As you say, we have no real way of knowing which basically my point.

 

19 minutes ago, SilentHill said:

 

I agree, no one knows what could or would have happened after that game, and for someone to insist something was going to happen one way or another is ridiculous.

 

Fair enough...I used to react that way to similar posts myself.  But that's just the way some people express their opinions.  I agree it can be annoying at times...but I'm almost positive at one time or another I've seen you (silenthill) do the same thing. ;)

[jameszeigler834]

3 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Texans aren't that great IMO, Osweiller is still unproven, and Clowney is absolute crap. Watt and Hopkins can't do it all, and even though I may draft Lamar Miller in fantasy because he is very good, the Texans don't have the QB to be a huge threat. They also don't have the defense to make up for the below average QB play. 

 

The real threat IMO, is the Jags. They got Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, and they have Dante Fowler back from injury, which is basically like adding 3 first round picks to the defense. We can rave about Ryan Kelly and an improved offense, but with those 3 and Malik Jackson, they easily cancel us out. I don't know which of the two teams will win the division, but it will be a slobberknocker. 

 

Luck better learn fast how to tweak his game, or Bortles and the Jags will take over the division. The offense is a mini version of the Colts and the defense is twice as good.

Malik Jackson was overpaid and I don't see him living up to the 90 million dollar contract he got and I just don't think the jags improved that much and the players they drafted I think Ramsey will be good but I don't know if Jacks knee can hold up to a 16 game season or not and Fowler is already a gimp so you never know I think we have just as good a chance as they do for the division.

[Solon]

1 hour ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

Our opponents HAD to play like S__ in several of our wins to keep us from going 5-11.
I`m tired our you Homers forgetting this!

At the end of the day, our quarterback missed the majority of the season. A quarterback in which the majority of the country believed ever got hurt, we'd collapse. However, the Colts missed the playoffs by 1 dam game. I'm tired of you haters overlooking that!

[indyagent17]

Thanks for the discussion but the last time I checked none of the people at the NFL network will be suiting up to play this season. Prognostication is not a science and it the game was played on paper or by what pundits said the US Olympic Hockey team would have been bounced in the first round. Milan wouldn't have made it out of the sectional. The Colts should have taken Ryan Leaf and Robert Griffin and the team in 2006 wouldn't have made the playoffs with such a horrible defense.

 

Fun to talk about but I do not care what they say or print.

[krunk]

Again I can not wait until these two weeks pass by.  It's absolutely killing me to keep hearing these people talking down on my squad.   This Colts team is going to be good.  Some of you talk as if we've still got Pep Hamilton and Greg Manusky.  When you see the rest of this puzzle come together your opinion will be different.

[SilentHill]

1 hour ago, SilentHill said:

 

I agree, no one knows what could or would have happened after that game, and for someone to insist something was going to happen one way or another is ridiculous.

 

Proof or it never happened

[southwest1]

49 minutes ago, krunk said:

Again I can not wait until these two weeks pass by.  It's absolutely killing me to keep hearing these people talking down on my squad.   This Colts team is going to be good.  Some of you talk as if we've still got Pep Hamilton and Greg Manusky.  When you see the rest of this puzzle come together your opinion will be different.

I love you man! Preach my brother! All this talk of INDY being subpar is really beginning to infuriate me too krunk.

[southwest1]

5 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Clowney is absolute crap.

Yeah, he's certainly struggled with injuries that's for sure Jared. I won't call Clowney a total bust yet, but he's got some work to do to restore the Houston's fanbase faith in what their owner paid to draft him anyway. 

[krunk]

Clowney is not crap.  You take a man outside of his natural position(DE) which in his case I truly think that's what he is and then you combine that with all the injuries. To me that stunted his growth some.  He's slowly starting to blossom a little bit though.   He's very good against the run and his pass rush is starting to come around.  I think he'll put it together soon.,

[Nadine]

We pretty much had this sort of prediction coming after how we played last year.

Time will tell 

[southwest1]

14 minutes ago, krunk said:

Clowney is not crap.  You take a man outside of his natural position(DE) which in his case I truly think that's what he is and then you combine that with all the injuries. To me that stunted his growth some.  He's slowly starting to blossom a little bit though.   He's very good against the run and his pass rush is starting to come around.  I think he'll put it together soon.,

Good point. Clowney has been absent from the field for so long that football fanatics tend to assume he's overrated. Now, SW1 is not in that category. I just mean that re-hab & minimal game action often makes fans forget how much promise you had & hold setbacks against the athlete trying to get better, which isn't right.

 

I just keep thinking back to Vick Ballard's injure woes before INDY cut him loose. I know; I know different positions and all. I just know guys on re-hab feel isolated, alienated, & they start to wonder if they can still bring the heat once they are fully healed from surgery. More of a mental strain than a physical one in most cases.