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The brutal truth of the future for our colts franchise


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28 minutes ago, jameszeigler834 said:

Yes but the guys he is passing on would help this team I think he is being just a little bit stupid.

You can't be serious.  Just because your a pessimistic and can't bring yourself to find anything positive does not make Ballard stupid.

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2 hours ago, shastamasta said:

I have had this thought that Ballard's activity in FA (or lack there of) could serve as an indicator of Luck's health. With Luck healthy and a good draft haul upcoming, a few key FAs could put this team firmly back in playoff contention. But without Luck, this becomes a full-on rebuild and spending on big-time FAs already in their prime wouldn't be prudent.

 


I get that this is a hot take...and I am not trying to derail this thread into a discussion about Luck...it's just a feeling I have had. 

Very very possible. In the cold light of calculations, it may even be the most likely guess. No one knows where Luck stands, not Luck, not the Colts. No one knows until he goes thru lengthy work. Makes total sense to sit on $$$ until that becomes clearer. 

You think like a GM.

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I'm all for building through the draft.  We can add one difference maker with a top ten pick and we can still add a difference maker or two in FA with some of the talent still available.  But IMO we are not picking a player at 3.  I think we can forget about Chubb, Barkley and Nelson.  We are trading back for as many picks as we can garner.  Hopefully we can pick up a few OL in FA to help Luck and a few quality defensive players as well.  With Luck back and plenty of new players added from the draft and a few quality adds in FA we should be a much better team overall next year.  If we are going to build through the draft we need more than seven picks a year. Having a top five pick this year really gives us a chance to load up on a number of quality players by trading back.  I think he's going to do it and I think it's the right path to take. JMO. 

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3 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

You can't be serious.  Just because your a pessimistic and can't bring yourself to find anything positive does not make Ballard stupid.

No what makes ballard stupid is he has 72 million to spend  and all these guys that could be big time players on this team are going off the board and he's not even trying to get any of them and I get he want to build through the draft but you could sign one or two big time free agent fill a need or two then do the rest through the draft. Just picking up bum free agents like he did last season the only two he did pick up that did worth a crap were Hankins and Sheard oh and Mingo was decent the rest were awful don't count on this team being any better any time soon.

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1 minute ago, jameszeigler834 said:

No what makes ballard stupid is he has 72 million to spend  and all these guys that could be big time players on this team are going off the board and he's not even trying to get any of them and I get he want to build through the draft but you could sign one or two big time free agent fill a need or two then do the rest through the draft. Just picking up bum free agents like he did last season the only two he did pick up that did worth a crap were Hankins and Sheard oh and Mingo was decent the rest were awful don't count on this team being any better any time soon.

You don't seem to have a clue on what Ballard's plans are but yet you call him stupid?

Your assumption has no credibility.

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5 minutes ago, jameszeigler834 said:

No what makes ballard stupid is he has 72 million to spend  and all these guys that could be big time players on this team are going off the board and he's not even trying to get any of them and I get he want to build through the draft but you could sign one or two big time free agent fill a need or two then do the rest through the draft. Just picking up bum free agents like he did last season the only two he did pick up that did worth a crap were Hankins and Sheard oh and Mingo was decent the rest were awful don't count on this team being any better any time soon.

 

How do you know he hasn't tried to get any of them. Maybe he got outbid, or the player wanted another team. I wouldn't want him to overpay on top of the normal FA overpayment to outbid a more appealing destination. 

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I'm not panicking, but because of the latest experience with Grigson, I proceed with cautious optimism with what Ballard is doing.

 

I'm done with the "In (Insert GM here) We Trust" days. I'm still applying aloe to my burns from that experience.

 

I'll just stick with, again, cautious optimism that Ballard has a plan.

 

I hope that he does trade back in the draft and we acquire more picks and somehow still nab someone like Nelson. If we get another second rounder I'd really like to see the Colts also get WR Anthony Miller (should he somehow escape out of the first round). But if he doesn't, oh well, it's just my hopes on the matter that get paid no attention to anyway, so there is no reason to get upset about things I have zero influence over.

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21 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

You don't seem to have a clue on what Ballard's plans are but yet you call him stupid?

Your assumption has no credibility.

Well, I'm going to put it to you this way. No plans in the draft are guaranteed. If Ballard wanted Nelson instead of Norwell, he has to worry about the Giants taking him. If he wants Chubb, the Giants could take him, if he wants Barkley, the Browns or Giants could take him. If he wants to trade down, he has to have an offer from someone and that's not guaranteed. If he wants a player later, he has to hope they reach him. Nothing is guaranteed. This was the one way we had leverage over most teams, and could buy some mid-20s players at the top of their games, and Ballard crippled the team in that regard as well and didn't get Norwell where we can't afford not to protect Luck. Right now, it's inexcusable, and even if Ballard gets his guys in the draft, he was relying on some form of Luck that we didn't need to back ourselves into. Bad day for the franchise, and especially Andrew Luck.

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1 minute ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Well, I'm going to put it to you this way. No plans in the draft are guaranteed. If Ballard wanted Nelson instead of Norwell, he has to worry about the Giants taking him. If he wants Chubb, the Giants could take him, if he wants Barkley, the Browns or Giants could take him. If he wants to trade down, he has to have an offer from someone and that's not guaranteed. If he wants a player later, he has to hope they reach him. Nothing is guaranteed. This was the one way we had leverage over most teams, and could buy some mid-20s players at the top of their games, and Ballard crippled the team in that regard as well as didn't get Norwell where we can't afford not to protect Luck. Right now, it's inexcusable, and even if Ballard gets his guys in the draft, he was relying on some form of Luck that we didn't need to back ourselves into. Bad day for the franchise, and especially Andrew Luck.

IMO you are completely over reacting.

Ballard is a pretty smart dude as his past history has shown he is fully capable of building a winning franchise. To call him stupid when it has yet to be determined of what his plans are is way too pre mature.

He said before that he wasn't going to over spend in free agency. Well. he hasn't. Let him do his job.

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8 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

IMO you are completely over reacting.

Ballard is a pretty smart dude as his past history has shown he is fully capable of building a winning franchise. To call him stupid when it has yet to be determined of what his plans are is way too pre mature.

He said before that he wasn't going to over spend in free agency. Well. he hasn't. Let him do his job.

Ballard is smart, but the draft is a lot of luck, and we are almost going to fully rely on that now. Even with the no3 pick it isn't a good thing. We should of backed it up with a high profile FA or two in case of worst case scenario. I'm tired of seeing Luck hurt, and there's no guarantee we get Nelson with the Giants missing out on Norwell as well.

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2 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Ballard is smart, but the draft is a lot of luck, and we are almost going to fully rely on that now. Even with the no3 pick it isn't a good thing. We should of backed it up with a high profile FA or two in case of worst case scenario. I'm tired of seeing Luck hurt, and there's no guarantee we get Nelson with the Giants missing out on Norwell as well.

Free agency hasn't started yet. Calm down. The sky is not falling. :coltshelmet:

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1 hour ago, Colt.45 said:

Chris Ballard did well in free agency last year. Anyone care to remind the OP how fast he was diving in? When did Hankins sign? What about Al Woods? Margus Hunt? Mingo?

Very true, he was very active indeed.  That being said the defense was one of the worst in recent memory.  

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Having a new coaching staff and philosophy, will help some of the players develop better. Who's  to say that Basham, Clark, haeg, etc don't perform better with a different system and coaching. I think we can all agree that over the past few years, some players haven't been put in position to succeed. This is apparent in all levels of the game. We drafted 3 offensive lineman with our first four picks a couple years ago. That's a lot of investment for one draft. I'm sure Ballard wants to see what the new staff can make of it, before going all in again.  

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28 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Free agency hasn't started yet. Calm down. The sky is not falling. :coltshelmet:

CC FA has started. They might not have officially signed their contracts but they are agreeing to them and are making plane reservations to go and get them signed tomorrow.  Players are coming off the board as fast as heck.  It's been something like 27 hours since the tampering started and I bet there has to be at least 50 agreeing to terms.  That's like an average of two an hour.  I think it's started alright. 

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57 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Ballard is smart, but the draft is a lot of luck, and we are almost going to fully rely on that now. Even with the no3 pick it isn't a good thing. We should of backed it up with a high profile FA or two in case of worst case scenario. I'm tired of seeing Luck hurt, and there's no guarantee we get Nelson with the Giants missing out on Norwell as well.

I agree with you on 2 points JC: I'm tired of seeing Luck on IR as well & there is a ton of pressure on Ballard to make sure our #3 pick isn't an overreach & that he can be a game changer on day one. 

 

I just wish I knew Big Blue was taking a QB. That would make our GMs job so much easier. Usually, the first 5 picks are locked in stone by now & I don't like guessing what the Giants are doing. I hate uncertainty that early in the draft man. It drives me nuts. Grrr! 

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53 minutes ago, boo2202 said:

We drafted 3 offensive lineman with our first four picks a couple years ago. That's a lot of investment for one draft.

You do make a good point B02. It's kinda funny how we gotta draft a better OL is a recurring chant we hear every single off season rain or shine. It never stops. I'm not saying improvement isn't warranted there. Just that next yr the echo chamber will be the same. LOL! 

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4 hours ago, Flash7 said:

Here is what I wrote in another thread and it would apply here as well:

 

I understand your point, but let's look at this with the small sample we have. Here is Ballard's first draft:

 

Round 1 - Malik Hooker. A good guy to build around. Can be here for the long term.

Round 2 - Quincy Wilson - Looks promising but not sure yet. We'll have to wait and see.

Round 3 - Basham - I don't see him sticking past his rookie contract.

Round 4 - Banner - Gone.

Round 4 - Mack - I see a future in Indy, but here we are still looking for a RB to pair with him.

Round 5 - G. Steward - I don't see him lasting past his rookie contract.

Round 5 - N. Hairston - Good rookie. Someone to help with the rebuild.

Round 6 - Walker Jr. - has potential, but currently a back up and here we are looking for a off-ball LB. Need has not been met.

 

We can only build through the draft if we pick guys that we can build around. Looking at Ballard's first draft, taking this approach will take far too long. Of course, this is just a current assessment and is subject to change.

Grover Stewart will be a factor. He needs to develop techniques that’ll shed blocks more effectively but he has great potential. Basham was a disappointment but the dude also has major upside with a nice burst, he needs to find those techniques he used in college and be confident enough to use them in game

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4 hours ago, buccolts said:

 

Actually, I was a bit discouraged by Hooker. His injury bothers me.

 

Wilson: Worried he's a malcontent, but hoping he was just misused by the old staff.

 

Stewart: No thoughts. Didn't see enough.

 

Basham? I'm certain he's one of a few guys Superman scratched his head over, a bit, wondering how he fit the system. Now we know it wasn't for the old system, but for the future system......now. No judgement. Looking forward to how he fits the new system.

 

Mack? I like him. He does need a partner, and it's his second year. RBBC backs should be fairly easy to find. Not worried.

 

I don't worry about 6th rounders, at all, but must say I was pleasantly surprised by Hairston. He was the best performing rookie of the bunch.

You can be disappointed by an injury but how does it discourage you? The man was tied for 1st in the league when he tore his ACL in the running for DROY even tho it was early. Improved his tackling and showed that beautiful range. Everything else is good but I gotta disagree with Hooker he showed future pro bowler

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11 minutes ago, Tmoney said:

You can be disappointed by an injury but how does it discourage you? The man was tied for 1st in the league when he tore his ACL in the running for DROY even tho it was early. Improved his tackling and showed that beautiful range. Everything else is good but I gotta disagree with Hooker he showed future pro bowler

 

I like Hooker. I thought he was progressing nicely.

I'm just a bit worried the injury could hamper his career.

I'm not morose. I just have a concern. I suppose 'discouraged' was misleading.

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5 hours ago, Flash7 said:

Here is what I wrote in another thread and it would apply here as well:

 

I understand your point, but let's look at this with the small sample we have. Here is Ballard's first draft:

 

Round 1 - Malik Hooker. A good guy to build around. Can be here for the long term.

Round 2 - Quincy Wilson - Looks promising but not sure yet. We'll have to wait and see.

Round 3 - Basham - I don't see him sticking past his rookie contract.

Round 4 - Banner - Gone.

Round 4 - Mack - I see a future in Indy, but here we are still looking for a RB to pair with him.

Round 5 - G. Steward - I don't see him lasting past his rookie contract.

Round 5 - N. Hairston - Good rookie. Someone to help with the rebuild.

Round 6 - Walker Jr. - has potential, but currently a back up and here we are looking for a off-ball LB. Need has not been met.

 

We can only build through the draft if we pick guys that we can build around. Looking at Ballard's first draft, taking this approach will take far too long. Of course, this is just a current assessment and is subject to change.

Yes, subject to change and hopefully for the good. 

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2 hours ago, richard pallo said:

CC FA has started. They might not have officially signed their contracts but they are agreeing to them and are making plane reservations to go and get them signed tomorrow.  Players are coming off the board as fast as heck.  It's been something like 27 hours since the tampering started and I bet there has to be at least 50 agreeing to terms.  That's like an average of two an hour.  I think it's started alright. 

 

We all know very well that nothing is done until there's a signature

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6 hours ago, Aluckiswolverine said:

The reactions on this forum are pretty much what I expected. I guess no one is actually listening to Ballard when he speaks. 

 

We we will sign some guys but not the big names people want. Build through the draft. Sucks for Luck if he comes back but it is what it is. 

 

We we are in rebuild mode. The ghost of Grigson and Pagano set this team back for years. Hope I’m wrong. 

It’s not that no one listens, it’s just that people continue to make their own interpretation of things instead of taking it how it’s meant to be received. It’s the impatience of the “soft” fans. They want everything now. 

 

Ballard laid out his intentions when he first took the job and made them clearer during the town hall. The fact that people were shocked we didn’t get Norwell, Robinson, etc...is baffling to me. 

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4 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Well, I'm going to put it to you this way. No plans in the draft are guaranteed. If Ballard wanted Nelson instead of Norwell, he has to worry about the Giants taking him. If he wants Chubb, the Giants could take him, if he wants Barkley, the Browns or Giants could take him. If he wants to trade down, he has to have an offer from someone and that's not guaranteed. If he wants a player later, he has to hope they reach him. Nothing is guaranteed. This was the one way we had leverage over most teams, and could buy some mid-20s players at the top of their games, and Ballard crippled the team in that regard as well and didn't get Norwell where we can't afford not to protect Luck. Right now, it's inexcusable, and even if Ballard gets his guys in the draft, he was relying on some form of Luck that we didn't need to back ourselves into. Bad day for the franchise, and especially Andrew Luck.

 

Colts were reported to be heavily involved for Norwell. He just chose the Jags, and I can’t blame him (no tax, championship team). Ballard can’t help that.

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52 minutes ago, FalseStart said:

I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another the colts ain't messing around...Turning a team around is a long arduous journey...

Nice timing....we just added Rolling with the Changes to our set list last night. 

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