Chris Ballard Press Conference @ Noon

[Jason_]

6 hours ago, Superman said:

 

The player that immediately came to mind is Jake Butt.

 

I knew you had Butt on the brain.

[Superman]

19 minutes ago, Majin Vegeta said:

He was a top 30 visit. 

 

20 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Although it's not all said and done, Ballard confirmed today that they haven't removed any guys off their board. But I was thinking about the when he said "Ignore the noise. I don't care about what everyone says about him. We'll get to know him." Everyone seems to be saying Malik has questionable effort (although the tape shows otherwise) but his talent is tremendous. He strikes me more as a guy that Ballard would take a chance on more than Mixon. Aside from being raw, I don't really see the issues with Malik. Just my two cents.

 

I believe Ballard when he says they're going to 'go A - Z on every player ourselves,' and drown out the outside noise, and whatnot. I think that's a good approach, because there's a lot of groupthink anymore, so it's important to gather information yourself and come to your own informed and balanced opinion. I think his visit with the Colts speaks to that, and it makes sense that if they're wondering about a guy, they'd visit with him.

 

However, I keep reading and hearing how the consensus out there is McDowell isn't a very good pro, has issues responding to coaching, etc., and it's led me to believe that there's some truth to it. Even if it's overblown, it's not likely coming from nowhere. JMO

 

That being the case, I don't think the Colts anticipate having such a high pick in future draft's. Maybe they'll be within shouting distance and make a move to come up, but I think expectations are for the team to be in the playoffs next year. So you have one top 15 pick -- and outside of 2012, which was dedicated to a QB, this is the first one since 2002. I think they want it to be the last one for a while. When you have players who don't have these kinds of question marks still on the board, I don't see them going with the guy who does have issues. 

 

To me, they should be looking to reduce the risk on this pick as much as they can, while still getting a great prospect. There are too many options, IMO, for them to use this pick on a player with question marks -- injury, character, coachability, whatever. 

[Superman]

4 minutes ago, J@son said:

 

I knew you had Butt on the brain.

 

 

[Defjamz26]

16 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

 

I believe Ballard when he says they're going to 'go A - Z on every player ourselves,' and drown out the outside noise, and whatnot. I think that's a good approach, because there's a lot of groupthink anymore, so it's important to gather information yourself and come to your own informed and balanced opinion. I think his visit with the Colts speaks to that, and it makes sense that if they're wondering about a guy, they'd visit with him.

 

However, I keep reading and hearing how the consensus out there is McDowell isn't a very good pro, has issues responding to coaching, etc., and it's led me to believe that there's some truth to it. Even if it's overblown, it's not likely coming from nowhere. JMO

 

That being the case, I don't think the Colts anticipate having such a high pick in future draft's. Maybe they'll be within shouting distance and make a move to come up, but I think expectations are for the team to be in the playoffs next year. So you have one top 15 pick -- and outside of 2012, which was dedicated to a QB, this is the first one since 2002. I think they want it to be the last one for a while. When you have players who don't have these kinds of question marks still on the board, I don't see them going with the guy who does have issues. 

 

To me, they should be looking to reduce the risk on this pick as much as they can, while still getting a great prospect. There are too many options, IMO, for them to use this pick on a player with question marks -- injury, character, coachability, whatever. 

That's a respectable stance. One that I understand. My argument however would be to remember how much negative we heard about Clowney. A lot of the same things being said about McDowell were said about him. He's turned out fine as a pro. I think this might be the case with McDowell as well. Remember he's a kid. "Doesn't respond to coaching " could really be just him being cocky or that he's a slow learner. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between though.

[Defjamz26]

@Superman

 

Also for what it's worth it seems McDowell has admitted to having issues like that in the past but seems sincere in saying he improved in it

 

 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, Defjamz26 said:

That's a respectable stance. One that I understand. My argument however would be to remember how much negative we heard about Clowney. A lot of the same things being said about McDowell were said about him. He's turned out fine as a pro. I think this might be the case with McDowell as well. Remember he's a kid. "Doesn't respond to coaching " could really be just him being cocky or that he's a slow learner. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between though.

 

I personally felt the questions about Clowney were overblown. McDowell also isn't the dynamic talent that Clowney was. 

[braveheartcolt]

I hope we take a WR in the first. This place would be funnier than a Monty Python / Benny Hill baby.....

[richard pallo]

5 hours ago, masnerj said:

I hate to say this but after watching his press conference and hearing him discuss the BPA stuff, I immediately thought of one player as a gut feeling for the Colts at 15: Christian McCaffrey.

 

I don't know how, I can't explain it, its not rational but something about what he said in the press conference has convinced me that if Christian McCaffrey is on the board at 15 and none of the top 5-6 type guys have dropped, we pull the trigger and draft him. 

I agree.  The big if is will he be there at 15?  He could easily go before 15.  On the other hand we could trade up a few spots to get him before the Eagles.  That would make for entertaining reading on this board. 

[southwest1]

9 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

Chris Ballard is the real deal. 

 

I like everything that he's saying. 

Yeah, I agree with this post completely. I like how Ballard talked about his thought process out loud. Weigh injury against longterm talent on tape, strong locker rooms based on accountability vs finger pointing, if a pick fails I'll take the hit; If it blossoms, I consider the pick a team success. He just has a quiet confidence about him that gives me a good intuition & plus, he comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree, which carries a great deal of clout with me. 

6 hours ago, Shive said:

http://www.colts.com/videos/videos/Chris-Ballard-Full-Pre-Draft-Press-Conference/a087afb8-b066-4157-9e04-2fa9cedb89f4

 

I'd also be willing to bet most of the folks taking digs at BPA haven't watched the actual press conference. He actually goes into how the range for players typically goes.

Exactly, Shive. It's pretty clear to anybody who watched that presser that Ballard has a long range plan to protect Luck & give him more opportunities to touch the ball via a smothering defense. 

1 hour ago, braveheartcolt said:

I hope we take a WR in the first. This place would be funnier than a Monty Python / Benny Hill baby.....

Thanks BHC for making me laugh again. You appreciate sarcasm & know when & how to use it effectively for maximum impact. Seriously, you're very good at this BHC. 

[stitches]

5 hours ago, Superman said:

 

 

I believe Ballard when he says they're going to 'go A - Z on every player ourselves,' and drown out the outside noise, and whatnot. I think that's a good approach, because there's a lot of groupthink anymore, so it's important to gather information yourself and come to your own informed and balanced opinion. I think his visit with the Colts speaks to that, and it makes sense that if they're wondering about a guy, they'd visit with him.

 

However, I keep reading and hearing how the consensus out there is McDowell isn't a very good pro, has issues responding to coaching, etc., and it's led me to believe that there's some truth to it. Even if it's overblown, it's not likely coming from nowhere. JMO

 

That being the case, I don't think the Colts anticipate having such a high pick in future draft's. Maybe they'll be within shouting distance and make a move to come up, but I think expectations are for the team to be in the playoffs next year. So you have one top 15 pick -- and outside of 2012, which was dedicated to a QB, this is the first one since 2002. I think they want it to be the last one for a while. When you have players who don't have these kinds of question marks still on the board, I don't see them going with the guy who does have issues. 

 

To me, they should be looking to reduce the risk on this pick as much as they can, while still getting a great prospect. There are too many options, IMO, for them to use this pick on a player with question marks -- injury, character, coachability, whatever. 

Who's your safest pick that would reasonably be there for us to pick? Barnett?

[stitches]

4 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

That's a respectable stance. One that I understand. My argument however would be to remember how much negative we heard about Clowney. A lot of the same things being said about McDowell were said about him. He's turned out fine as a pro. I think this might be the case with McDowell as well. Remember he's a kid. "Doesn't respond to coaching " could really be just him being cocky or that he's a slow learner. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between though.

He actually admited to openly and knowingly disregarding coaching instructions and gameplans and freelancing in games. I've been one of McDowells biggest fans around here, but I don't think you can easily dismiss those concerns. I agree with @Superman that in this case it seems like there is real fire behind the smoke.

[krunk]

11 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

My takeaways :

 

-I have us taking one in the 4th round but it's very possible the Colts take a safety in the first 3 round. He thinks the class is really deep and I agree

 

-Grigson said the same thing, but Ballard also confirmed that teams DO draft for need. Just not how we think. They go with need when the players on the board are similarly graded. It explains a lot of recent picks by different teams that I thought were reaches.

 

- Seems like unless guys like Fournette and Howard fall to our picks, we'll see a defensive heavy draft.

 

-I get the feeling that Conley and McDowell have a high probability of being our pick. Can't really explain it, it's just kind of a feeling I got based on certain things he said and inferences I made

 

-A lot of our mocks might be way off, including mine. We've all basically kind of mocked the same positions in each round. CB,LB, FS or LB, CB, RB. But based on some things he said the draft might not shape out anything like most of us are predicting. 

All I will say is I think they may have a decent interest level in Malik. I haven't seen them look at too many DL heading into the draft and they brought him in for a top 30 visit. I dont know what their plans are but it wouldn't shock me. Well see

[LockeDown]

Malik is the kind of player that if he matures, a future redraft will have him top 10-15. You just never know.

[lollygagger8]

17 hours ago, Superman said:

 

The player that immediately came to mind is Jake Butt.

[lollygagger8]

17 hours ago, myic90 said:

 

Why? Everything he's said, Grigson's said before. A very good FA notwithstanding, this is the crucial period for Ballard as a GM.

 

And to many others:

 

Enough with those moronic "BPA? guess we're taking a qb" nonsense. It's best player available on our draft board, not mike mayock's.

 

Let me put it in overly simplified terms:

 

Everything is weighted. Need from 0 to 1. Player positional ability from 1-100. The combination of those will result in a weighted grade and ranked on our draft board.

 

Let's say Watson is graded as a 90 on ability but on our need multiplier, it's a 0.5 (i.e. not needed). His final grade on our board will be 45.

 

Now take some random edge rusher from xyz state. His ability is a 60, our need multiplier is a 0.9 (heavy need). His final grade will be a 54, and he will be graded higher on our board than Watson even though he's a 3rd day prospect.

 

Obviously this is over simplified and there's many many more factors like leadership, injury history, potential, coachability, system fit, legal history and others but this is an example of how it works.

 

When we say BPA, It's the best grade on OUR DRAFT BOARD.

 

So stop with the nonsense please and thank you.

 

 

 

 

Being excited about Ballard is nonsense? Lol, you must be fun at parties. 

 

Ballard has to start fixing 5 years worth of Griggles mistakes, so of course it's a crucial time period. The good news is he's already off to a great start.

 

[Defjamz26]

2 hours ago, krunk said:

All I will say is I think they may have a decent interest level in Malik. I haven't seen them look at too many DL heading into the draft and they brought him in for a top 30 visit. I dont know what their plans are but it wouldn't shock me. Well see

Considering he is one of the players with a lot of "noise" around him, he could be a guy like Peters and Hill, who Ballard is going A-Z on. Trying to get comfortable with him. There's a chance that the guys that we've been mocking to the Colts (Foster, Reddick, Conley, etc..) are all gone and he will be there. 

[krunk]

30 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Considering he is one of the players with a lot of "noise" around him, he could be a guy like Peters and Hill, who Ballard is going A-Z on. Trying to get comfortable with him. There's a chance that the guys that we've been mocking to the Colts (Foster, Reddick, Conley, etc..) are all gone and he will be there. 

Probably.  I think they are definitely doing their homework regarding the perceived issues here or there which I relate to maturity.  I mean lets face it the guy is 20 years old.  With all that's being said about him I feel like if it was all snake oil we'd have heard at least one of his coaches come out to clear his name, but I haven't seen that yet.  Hopefully his issues are something they feel can be over come because he's a hell of a ball player.  

 

I'm not sure what the specific sticking points are but I don't think I'm  ready to buy it being his willingness to accept coaching or his football intelligence.  I mean the guy plays every single position on the defensive line.  That alone requires the will to learn each spot and the rules that make the position work.  I didn't see much on film to say he had major issues with his effort.  I don't know of any significant off the field issues either.

[krunk]

1 hour ago, Defjamz26 said:

Considering he is one of the players with a lot of "noise" around him, he could be a guy like Peters and Hill, who Ballard is going A-Z on. Trying to get comfortable with him. There's a chance that the guys that we've been mocking to the Colts (Foster, Reddick, Conley, etc..) are all gone and he will be there. 

 

I have to retract a little bit reading through some article.   Coaches and team mates spoke well of him heading into the 2016 season according to this article.

 

Teammates, coaches say hype for Michigan State's Malik McDowell is justified

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2016/08/teammates_coaches_say_hype_for.html

 

 

Another article after the season:

 

Malik McDowell reflects on a difficult season at Michigan State as he prepares for the NFL

 

McDowell is now in South Florida, where he's training in preparation for the NFL combine, which starts in late February.

Along with training for that, McDowell said he's also focused on getting healthy, which he wasn't at any point this season. This season featured a slew of injuries, McDowell said, from his ribs and chest to his shoulder. The ailments went far beyond the typical wear and tear of a season, he said, and were made worse by the constant pressure he faced.

"It felt like I was taking on more double teams, triple teams," McDowell said. "It was a hard year for me this year, a hard year for the team overall."

 

Despite all that, McDowell claims he didn't get frustrated with his year.

"You can't really get frustrated," McDowell said. "I couldn't really be mad. It was up to us to win and to lose. There isn't anybody to really be mad at. You can't say I was really frustrated, I was more like 'We need to get it together.'"

Those injuries and added attention helped keep him to 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a sack in nine games in 2016. That, in turn, led most media mock drafts to slot him somewhere in the middle of the first round.

 

And to notion that there was discord between him and others in the Michigan State football building throughout the season, McDowell says that's not true.

"You can ask my teammates or coaches, I didn't have any problems with anybody," McDowell said.

McDowell's season ended a three-year run in which one of the most celebrated recruits of the Mark Dantonio era largely lived up to his billing, at least in physical capabilities. He played as a true freshman, then started as a sophomore alongside three future NFL defensive linemen in establishing himself as a future first-rounder.

[myic90]

2 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

 

Being excited about Ballard is nonsense? Lol, you must be fun at parties. 

 

Ballard has to start fixing 5 years worth of Griggles mistakes, so of course it's a crucial time period. The good news is he's already off to a great start.

 

strawman, all I'm saying is Grigson's said these same things. 

[Superman]

10 hours ago, stitches said:

Who's your safest pick that would reasonably be there for us to pick? Barnett?

 

Yup. I think he has a high, solid floor. I'm still having trouble seeing him last til #15.

[PeterBowman]

4 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Yup. I think he has a high, solid floor. I'm still having trouble seeing him last til #15.

same here and his production wasn't just about speed it was bend, technique, counter moves, and relentlessness. You can't teach motor.

[PrincetonTiger]

On 4/19/2017 at 11:09 AM, TKnight24 said:

 

I knew I liked him

[James Ducheteau]

21 hours ago, krunk said:

It's already been explain AD Nauseum on this form countless numbers of times.  It's not that simple, but you're making it very simplistic just to bash the philosophy.  Its really very clear we won't be taking a QB.  I'm sure somewhere in your mind you know this. 

Haha..I do not know that..I don't REALLY know how Luck's shoulder is or how the leadership feels about it. They very well could take a QB in the 3 or 4th depending on who is there and where they rate them on their board.

[James Ducheteau]

17 hours ago, CptHooligan said:

 

Did you really just try to equate trusting a Football GM to betrayals of indigenous in the past?  Seriously?

He said "that's a problem of the world today", that people don't trust first...to me that's crazy talk..that kinda thinking will get ya killed...I could have used a more modern reference like don't look in a strangers trunk or something but I it's just such a historically bad idea to trust first that I went historically. 

[Defjamz26]

6 hours ago, krunk said:

 

I have to retract a little bit reading through some article.   Coaches and team mates spoke well of him heading into the 2016 season according to this article.

 

Teammates, coaches say hype for Michigan State's Malik McDowell is justified

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2016/08/teammates_coaches_say_hype_for.html

 

 

Another article after the season:

 

Malik McDowell reflects on a difficult season at Michigan State as he prepares for the NFL

 

McDowell is now in South Florida, where he's training in preparation for the NFL combine, which starts in late February.

Along with training for that, McDowell said he's also focused on getting healthy, which he wasn't at any point this season. This season featured a slew of injuries, McDowell said, from his ribs and chest to his shoulder. The ailments went far beyond the typical wear and tear of a season, he said, and were made worse by the constant pressure he faced.

"It felt like I was taking on more double teams, triple teams," McDowell said. "It was a hard year for me this year, a hard year for the team overall."

 

Despite all that, McDowell claims he didn't get frustrated with his year.

"You can't really get frustrated," McDowell said. "I couldn't really be mad. It was up to us to win and to lose. There isn't anybody to really be mad at. You can't say I was really frustrated, I was more like 'We need to get it together.'"

Those injuries and added attention helped keep him to 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a sack in nine games in 2016. That, in turn, led most media mock drafts to slot him somewhere in the middle of the first round.

 

And to notion that there was discord between him and others in the Michigan State football building throughout the season, McDowell says that's not true.

"You can ask my teammates or coaches, I didn't have any problems with anybody," McDowell said.

McDowell's season ended a three-year run in which one of the most celebrated recruits of the Mark Dantonio era largely lived up to his billing, at least in physical capabilities. He played as a true freshman, then started as a sophomore alongside three future NFL defensive linemen in establishing himself as a future first-rounder.

 

6 hours ago, krunk said:

Probably.  I think they are definitely doing their homework regarding the perceived issues here or there which I relate to maturity.  I mean lets face it the guy is 20 years old.  With all that's being said about him I feel like if it was all snake oil we'd have heard at least one of his coaches come out to clear his name, but I haven't seen that yet.  Hopefully his issues are something they feel can be over come because he's a hell of a ball player.  

 

I'm not sure what the specific sticking points are but I don't think I'm  ready to buy it being his willingness to accept coaching or his football intelligence.  I mean the guy plays every single position on the defensive line.  That alone requires the will to learn each spot and the rules that make the position work.  I didn't see much on film to say he had major issues with his effort.  I don't know of any significant off the field issues either.

 

And that's the thing for me. All these attacks on his character yet no suspensions, no arrests, no reports of being thrown out of practice, no school transfers, no benchings, no nothing. And like your post above his teammates and coaches seem to like him. He also admitted that he had to learn to listen and respond to coaching better. I'm really starting to think the issues with him are just a mesh of smaller things that got lumped together and blown way out of proportion by the media. I think the scouts got this one wrong.

[RomanianColtsFan]

What do you guys think of that OSU safety, Malik Hooker, good enough for a top 20 draft pick?

[MFT5]

On April 19, 2017 at 0:49 PM, Gabriel Alexander Morillo said:

Well put your money where your mouth is.  If QB is bpa is best player at the time then take him....  

 

I hate when guys claim bpa,  it's much more complicated than that 

 

do yu not have common sense ... 

[IinD]

Off they draft a QB with bpa...I'm thinking Andrew is hurtin'...