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Ballard seems to be signing guys just "because".....


threeflight

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Am I the only one who is not liking what I am seeing so far with Ballard's free agent signings?  

 

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

Other than that, he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

And that was just the beginning.  Al Woods?  Mingo?  Schwenke?  Hunt?  And while their contracts are not large, they are still for $5 million or so and it is starting to eat away at our cap space and I cannot say we are any better off today then we were a month ago.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

 

Thoughts?

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10 minutes ago, threeflight said:

Am I the only one who is not liking what I am seeing so far with Ballard's free agent signings?  

 

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

Other than that, he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

And that was just the beginning.  Al Woods?  Mingo?  Schwenke?  Hunt?  And while their contracts are not large, they are still for $5 million or so and it is starting to eat away at our cap space and I cannot say we are any better off today then we were a month ago.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

 

Thoughts?

Name someone that was actually available at OLB that would have been a better signing

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6 minutes ago, threeflight said:

 It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

Wouldn't be a bad policy.

 

Per PFF, we have the 32 ranked secondary and the 31st ranked front seven.  Our highest rated O-lineman was, what, 22nd?    

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I'm guessing that he:

Watched film of the 2016 Colts

Identified areas that need improvement

Got rid of players he thought were not going to be part of the improvement

Gathered a list of players available

Compared that list to any players that he had notes on from previous resources

Signed players that fits the criteria that he has received from Pagano and the OCs

All why keeping in mind that the big name free agents rarely live up to the lofty contracts they sign

Also knowing that he wants to build the team through the draft but you can't do that in one draft nor do you want a team with 40-50% rookies in the starting lineup.

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11 minutes ago, threeflight said:

<snip>...he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts. </snip>...
 

 

<snip>...I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.</snip>...

 

I can see what Ballard is doing.

 

He is getting rid of 30 year old depth and adding 26 year old depth. ...and the depth he has been signing has  almost universally the same career story - guys who never quite panned out and/or were playing behind some really, really good players on really, really good squads.

 

If one wanted to build a base into which to insert 7 round-four or better draft picks, that is how you do it. None of the draft picks can just assume the job is theirs because the guy ahead of the is 'old' - the 'other guy' is also a former high round draft pick who is one team away from leaving the league. They will be here to fight. This whole team for 2017 is made from young, hungry guys. Not stars, yet (for some of them), but hungry and ready for their chance.

 

Clearly, that is the strategy.

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Too many fans let their emotions cloud their judgement/logic 

 

Bet if we brought Darius Butler back & Robert Mathis didn't retire so many would say it's been a great off-season off those 2 alone. Now we have a GM who's putting the roster on notice that no one is safe aside from Luck & Hilton 

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32 minutes ago, threeflight said:

Am I the only one who is not liking what I am seeing so far with Ballard's free agent signings?  

 

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

Other than that, he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

And that was just the beginning.  Al Woods?  Mingo?  Schwenke?  Hunt?  And while their contracts are not large, they are still for $5 million or so and it is starting to eat away at our cap space and I cannot say we are any better off today then we were a month ago.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

 

Thoughts?


 As you really don`t know what was wrong with the guys he has gotten rid of or what is good about the guys he has replaced them with, why would it matter if YOU are not sure if we are better off?
 Ballard has an Excellent history regarding NFL capable talent so all you need to do is get excited about how our staff is going to be able to use these new tools.
  Lets hope Al Woods can actually stuff the run as a NT. That would be a solid upgrade to Parry.
 IMO if you are playing Parry AT MOST as a lightly used backup, your D has an obvious weak link.
  We must get a solid starter at some point, and Woods can be used as a rotational backup, perhaps playing  15-20 snaps a game. Check out the height and arm length. Where Parry offers NOTHING as to disruption of the passing lanes, this guy has ideal length. Nice job Ballard!
 http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/al-woods?id=496881
 

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With all the holes in this roster, you can't just go after 2-3 big signings throwing buckets of money at each, and expect that to fix all of the Colts' problems. 

 

Ballard is building depth. Can't fault the guy for digging this team out of the hole Griggles dug. 

 

I for one like the approach of trying to stop the boat from sinking and patching it and saving(drafting) for a new boat. 

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37 minutes ago, threeflight said:

And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

Why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that's not true?

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The team is planning on getting their stars and core players from the draft (for the most part). Ballard seems to be building from the ground up. Rebuilding the depth and finding stop gaps to plug some immediate holes. Give it time. If anyone here is crowning or belittling our new Gm 1 week into FA is being beyond impatient. 

 

I will say this though, if it was grigson making these moves people would be up in arms. haha 

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7 minutes ago, NorthernBlue said:

The team is planning on getting their stars and core players from the draft (for the most part). Ballard seems to be building from the ground up. Rebuilding the depth and finding stop gaps to plug some immediate holes. Give it time. If anyone here is crowning or belittling our new Gm 1 week into FA is being beyond impatient. 

 

I will say this though, if it was grigson making these moves people would be up in arms. haha 

You nailed it

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44 minutes ago, threeflight said:

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

Sorry, don't want to be rude, but this is an insane conclusion to reach. Do you really think that a guy who's job it is to evaluate talent and bring it in is basing his decisions on "well, they aren't a Colt so what the heck?" Do you also think a guy who has been scouting and working in front offices for as long as Ballard is really just making decisions randomly?

 

His decisions make sense, he's bringing in younger, cheaper and quite frankly more talented players in positions of need. None of them are splashy signings but they really don't need to be. We need to improve in literally every position defensively, I would rather him bring in good depth of talent on sensible contracts than the alternative.

 

And a punter has you worried? With everything else that needs improving?

 

Give the guy time, we aren't even at the draft yet and people are breaking down him based on small free agent signings. Lets see how he drafts and how the 2017-18 Colts look first.

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He is bringing in guys who are going to compete for a starting job, That in itself is light years ahead of Grigson signing people like RJF and declaring them as starters and giving starter money.

 

I feel like we are getting decent value on contracts and we're getting players who are trying to earn a bigger payday down the line if they start.

 

We still have some huge holes on this roster, but I won't judge until we start playing real football games. There is a long way to go, draft, still some good FA left, and of course a trade is always possible.

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So far, looking at the signings, CB has raised the 'floor' of the team. Our depth has improved and the team has gotten younger and more competitive, which is a good thing.

 

However, as it currently stands, our secondary is still a major concern and has gotten worse, compared to last year (I know it's still early -- just comparing a snapshot of the team now vs. last year's squad). We cut Patrick Robinson and have not brought back Butler, both who were starters.

 

So far we have added depth, but still no real substance in these signings....no difference makers. I see potential for an improved defense, from #31 (or whatever the ranking is) down to 25th in the league.

 

Alright team, pile onto Luck's shoulders for yet another season, until we have a viable defense.

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48 minutes ago, threeflight said:

Am I the only one who is not liking what I am seeing so far with Ballard's free agent signings?  

 

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

Other than that, he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

And that was just the beginning.  Al Woods?  Mingo?  Schwenke?  Hunt?  And while their contracts are not large, they are still for $5 million or so and it is starting to eat away at our cap space and I cannot say we are any better off today then we were a month ago.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

 

Thoughts?

 

All of his signings are low-risk, under market value guys, and the defense is already significantly younger than it was a month ago. We actually have NFL-level LBs on our roster now, which is a pleasant change. And no, I would not rather draft a punter. All of our picks in this draft (after the Allen trade) are in the first 5 rounds, so he needs to make every single pick count, and drafting a punter with one of those selections would be the opposite of that.

 

And I personally like the fact that he seems to be honing in on guys that played for top 10 units last year. He's not just poaching the Browns leftovers, he's signing guys from New England (9th overall D), Houston (1st overall D), and Tennessee (3rd overall run D). So if you're looking for rhyme or reason, there it is.

 

Long story short, there are going to be a lot of "meat and potatoes" guys that get signed because we have to get the roster up to 90 players by OTAs. That doesn't happen by signing every top free agent and 7 draft picks.

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Just now, Flash7 said:

So far, looking at the signings, CB has raised the 'floor' of the team. Our depth has improved and the team has gotten younger and more competitive, which is a good thing.

 

However, as it currently stands, our secondary is still a major concern and has gotten worse, compared to last year (I know it's still early -- just comparing a snapshot of the team now vs. last year's squad). We cut Patrick Robinson and have not brought back Butler, both who were starters.

 

So far we have added depth, but still no real substance in these signings....no difference makers. I see potential for an improved defense, from #31 (or whatever the ranking is) down to 25th in the league.

 

Alright team, pile onto Luck's shoulders for yet another season, until we have a viable defense.

This would be the fault of the previous GM... hard to put that on Ballard.  You just expect him to sign a bunch of high-priced free agents and get a top 10 defense when the defense has like 3 starting caliber players on it to begin with?  One injury and we'd be no better off than before.  Patience, people.  This isn't going to be a one year turn around to dominance.

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9 minutes ago, CheezyColt said:

This would be the fault of the previous GM... hard to put that on Ballard.  You just expect him to sign a bunch of high-priced free agents and get a top 10 defense when the defense has like 3 starting caliber players on it to begin with?  One injury and we'd be no better off than before.  Patience, people.  This isn't going to be a one year turn around to dominance.

Nope, not placing the blame on CB. I understand his approach, however, it doesn't change that this team will once again have to rely heavily on Luck this upcoming season, due to lack of defensive talent.

 

IMO, adding Sheard, Simon, etc... adds depth or starters to our D, which is a good thing. I don't think they will be difference makers, and thus, we still have the same exact holes to fill. There were starter level FAs available that we could have targeted that would have filled some holes (CBs, ILB etc.) for the long term. As it stands, we still have so many holes to fill because signing low level players does not effectively address those needs. We will eventually have to find high-level players at these positions.

 

This of course is my philosophy. There are more ways to reach the same end goal and I hope CB's approach is the right one. Besides, what do I know? I'm just a fan.

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50 minutes ago, TKnight24 said:

Now we have a GM who's putting the roster on notice that no one is safe aside from Luck & Hilton 

You're right.  When it comes to 2017, Chuck, the entire coaching staff and virtually everyone on this roster is on notice, and that's a good thing in my book.

 

We're off the 8 year plan.

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1 hour ago, threeflight said:

Am I the only one who is not liking what I am seeing so far with Ballard's free agent signings?  

 

He has signed 2 players who I guess could be considered starters in Simon and Sheard, and even they are not what I would call blue chippers by any stretch.

 

Other than that, he seems to be getting rid of the Colt players who were here already and just replacing them with "guys".  And I am starting to get the impression he doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to his signings.  It is almost as if he is signing them just because they weren't Colts.  

 

As soon as he signed that punter a little part of me went "uh oh".  I know he is just a punter but to me, it seems so much better to draft one then sign a guy like that.

 

And that was just the beginning.  Al Woods?  Mingo?  Schwenke?  Hunt?  And while their contracts are not large, they are still for $5 million or so and it is starting to eat away at our cap space and I cannot say we are any better off today then we were a month ago.

 

I just get the feeling that he really doesn't know what they heck he is doing, and is making changes just for the sake of changes.

 

Thoughts?

I wanted him to assemble an 85 Bears like defense in free agency but it didnt happen now I'm mad too

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1 minute ago, Flash7 said:

Nope, not placing the blame on CB. I understand his approach, however, it doesn't change that this team will once again have to rely heavily on Luck this upcoming season, due to lack of defensive talent.

 

IMO, adding Sheard, Simon, etc... adds depth or starters to our D, which is a good thing. I don't think they will be difference makers, and thus, we still have the same exact holes to fill. There were starter level FAs available that we could have targeted that would have filled some holes (CBs, ILB etc.) for the long term. As it stands, we still have so many holes to fill because signing low level players does not effectively address the needs. We will eventually have to find high-level players at these positions.

 

This of course is my philosophy. There are more ways to reach the same end goal and I hope CB's approach is the right one. Besides, what do I know? I'm just a fan.

I see what you're saying and I can agree to a point.  I think it's probably just a preference thing.  Looks like Ballard is wanting to fill the roster with solid, albeit not dazzling, players at all positions (assuming something is done at cornerback during free agency).  This way he won't necessarily be forced into taking a player due to such a glaring need and he can actually try to go for BPA in the draft.  It's sacrificing high end talent at one position for moderate/solid talent at multiple positions.  I don't disagree with that philosophy when taking over a new team, though I can see why some would prefer at least one or two marquee players at the expense of solid talent at maybe less impactful positions.  Just preference I guess. :)

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These are some quotes over on Stampede Blue, and I cannot argue with any of them.

 

Could someone name 1 position group we've upgraded?

TE , nope we are down 1 guy
OL, Reitz retired Harrison walk, sign Brian Schwenke
DL, Kerr out sign Hunt & Harris
OLB, Mathis retired, Cole walk, Walden walk, sign Sheard & Simon
ILB, DQ released no signings
DB, Adams out, Robinson released, Butler on market, no signings
P Boomstick retired Locke signed

We only have 7 draft picks

 

This feels like the Grigson years all over again only Grigson never had this much money to spend.

Sorry for the negativity but I am really frustrated. All the cap money that we had and we aren’t signing a single big impact player. Not one! Our answer to improve the OL is the second coming of Mike McGlynn (Schwenke). We have not addressed ILB. We have not addressed CB. We have not addressed pass rush or OLB as I don’t think Mingo, Simon, and Shepard are much of an upgrade over what we had.

The last few years have been tough. Teams like the Broncos and Giants and Patriots have found a way to get the guys they want while we settle for depth players that help bring competition. I know the roster is a mess and cannot be fixed over night, but would it hurt to have anyone that is considered one of the best at what they do ( besides Luck)?

 

Ballard lied to us all

I remember in one of his first interviews he stated that when they do go into free agency they are going to get guys who have "earned it". All the Colts have done so far is Sheard- backup, Simon- backup, Schwenke-back up and loves to play video games, Mingo- bust, Hunt-bust, and Woods-back up.

I had high hopes for Ballard, but these moves add zero impact players and the Colts HAD MONEY TO GET THEM. If I was Pagano I would go ahead and pack my bags. This team isn’t winning more than 6 games.

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