Serious Question Regarding Ballard.

[aaron11]

as for ballard saying its not just about one guy

 

hes right, but luck is more important than he is too.  he better get this right and not waste lucks career.  if he does that he should go imo 

[King Colt]

There is no democracy in a GM job. He calls the shots. Ballard has stated publicly he wants a "locker room" not just the best players and there is something to be said for that as we all know. I like what Ballard is doing so for all those that want a SB this year go hibernate because the goal is to rebuild for the next 2-3 years. When you inherit a mess (several authorities have referred to this tem as a "mess") it does not get fixed overnight. Patience my children, patience.

[NewColtsFan]

4 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

its not just all about luck, we do need to put a team around him

 

we also need to not waste his career, if ballard blows that then he is not a good gm 

Your first sentence...    it's not all about Luck...

 

It's what Ballard said in the press conference he gave when he was hired.  He has said it numerous times since then.

 

Ballard wants a complete team that can win in any number of ways beyond just Luck throwing 40-50 passes.

 

As for Free Agency...   Ballard signed 10 guys last year, not including the Colts he brought back.    He's tried to sign guys this year and he will continue to sign guys.

 

They may not be the biggest, most glamorous names, but Ballard WILL sign players.   He said that in his interview yesterday.   He just hasn't liked the the prices they've gone for so far...

 

We will likely be signing guys for the next few weeks all the way up to the draft...   remember,  we didn't sign Hankins last year until mid-April...

[Mr.NotSoCreative]

Do you guys think we missed an opportunity on Mattheu? 1 yr 6.5, wouldve been a good pick up in my opinon. 

[bleevit]

Chris Ballard strikes me as the type that doesn't do much without a plan. Since we have no specific knowledge of that plan, it seems to me that rather than indicating that CB hasn't got the skills to do his job, we try to help with that plan by at least showing a little support. If he's another Grigson, we're up a creek anyway. Go Colts!

[aaron11]

57 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Your first sentence...    it's not all about Luck...

 

It's what Ballard said in the press conference he gave when he was hired.  He has said it numerous times since then.

 

Ballard wants a complete team that can win in any number of ways beyond just Luck throwing 40-50 passes.

 

As for Free Agency...   Ballard signed 10 guys last year, not including the Colts he brought back.    He's tried to sign guys this year and he will continue to sign guys.

 

They may not be the biggest, most glamorous names, but Ballard WILL sign players.   He said that in his interview yesterday.   He just hasn't liked the the prices they've gone for so far...

 

We will likely be signing guys for the next few weeks all the way up to the draft...   remember,  we didn't sign Hankins last year until mid-April...

 

its a bottom line business.   trying to sign guys and failing earns him no brownie points.  im upset we couldnt sign one of melvin, norwell or hitchens. none of them were over paid, and we certainly could have offered more than they got

 

we had one of the worst defenses in the league and just let two of our best players go.

 

 a good gm shouldnt waste lucks career and write it off as building through the draft for later.  

[NewColtsFan]

20 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

 

its a bottom line business.   trying to sign guys and failing earns him no brownie points.  im upset we couldnt sign one of melvin, norwell or hitchens. none of them were over paid, and we certainly could have offered more than they got

 

we had one of the worst defenses in the league and just let two of our best players go.

 

 a good gm shouldnt waste lucks career and write it off as building through the draft for later.  

 

Hitchens was overpaid.   

 

Norwell chose to go elsewhere where they are built to win NOW.   The Colts are not.  Melvin may have preferred a defense that plays Man and not Zone.   There are all sorts of reasons why deals don't work out. Nobody is asking for brownie points.   

 

But at at any point in this process,  Irsay, who used to be a GM and is a very involved owner, could have said...   "it's ok, spend more.   Buy these guys."    And he didn't.    So the owner is on board. 

 

Ballard doesn't like signing good  players for great-player money.   And the owner is ok with that.

 

As for Luck and his career....    nobody is more invested in the career of Andrew Luck than Chris Ballard.   The team will install an offense that gets the ball out of Luck's hand much faster.    That alone will help.

 

This was never going to be a fast fix... Ballard has been pretty candid about that.   Beyond that I hope you'll be patient while Ballard cleans up the mess he inherited.

[SolidGold]

Yall fake GM's are taking this stuff to far and being rude and disrespectful.  It's ok to disagree but to call some fans uneducated for thinking differently is crazy. It's a Colts forum not a Cult forum.

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

Let me roll my sleeves up for this one. I CLEARLY stated that the post was MY opinion just like your long response is YOURS!!!! I have NO personal agenda against Ballard. As a matter of fact I hope he can turn this thing around for the Colt's sake and especially for a talent like Luck. I didn't base my EARLY thoughts on the much "hyped" Ballard off his hiring alone. He now has a full season including a so so draft under his belt that garnered mixed reviews. As Ballard heads into his second season, I say let's pump the brakes a little. This is a forum right? A place to talk about Colt's football, the direction of the team etc.  To speak of someone's ignorance as it relates to football is amusing especially to me. Anyway let's break this down...

 

You said Ballard being hired as gm at 43 is a great accomplishment that I spun as a negative. I will tell you that getting any gm job in the NFL is a huge accomplishment in itself BUT Ballard is closer to 50. (born in 1969) So if you're preaching about FACTS, the minimum you can do is have yours correct!!! The point I was trying to make was that Ballard (who some think can do no wrong) has been around nearly 20 yrs and this was his first gm job. I ask again why? Does he rub some the wrong way? Maybe. I don't know and didn't state it as a fact because I DON'T KNOW HIM PERSONALLY just speculation. Same with McDaniels. Just my speculation on a message board but who cares because I LOVE that the Colts hired Frank Reich instead. Let's not forget it was reported that Irsay had to step in on that hire because Ballard wanted Dan Campbell. 

 

I saw and heard everything Bill Polian said. Beside what you stated Polian like Dungy did put most of the blame on McDaniels but Bill ALSO said assistants should not have been signed until your hc has signed his contract to avoid that type of situation. Josh bailing at the last second was dirty but it was Ballard who signed his staff AND announced the hiring BEFORE McDaniels even signed his contract. That is a fact. I didn't make it up.

 

Your point about the 2014 season and fans wanting the duo fired after IMPROVING from 2013. I remember that year also and what some were saying. Some looked at it as a mirage for a team that was in a woeful division and caught some breaks in the playoffs to make it to the AFCCG. A closer look revealed that against the top contenders that season they were blown out with lopsided losses a trend that I believe started the season before. So some could see the train starting to go off course as the division started showing life and as Luck started taking more big shots.

 

You can use the excuse all you want about what Ballard inherited but the fact remains the handful of its BEST players are Grigson holdovers. You can make the excuse about the o-line last season and even what Irsay said but from what some saw the year they were drafted it was clear that some looked suspect besides Kelly. We thought after last preseason that offense with Scott Tolzien and the woeful o-line would be terrible. They justified their play giving up a league high 56 sacks and forcing a last second trade for Brissett at qb. Ballard focused on the defense with marginal players that went out and finished NEAR the BOTTOM of the league in most of the major defensive categories. That's a FACT. Look up the numbers. Same for the offense but of course Luck was out and we all know that you can't POSSIBLY win any games with a backup qb.

 

So no I'm not that impressed with Ballard so far but that does not mean I won't change my mind. I look across the landscape at John Lynch for the Niners and Jon Robison for the Titans who both came in around the same time as first time gms and I see the needle moving. Even more amazing is how Lynch has flipped the Niners so quickly with no front office experience. 

 

 

Oh.....

 

One last thought....

 

You couldn't help yourself making yet one more anti-Ballard shot with the idea that Balard really wanted Matt Campbell...    because it was "reported"...

 

Hey,  if that's the standard,  then I guess Irsay has stepped down and tured the franchise over to his daughters,  becaues that was "reported"...

 

And I guess our new HC is actually Nick Saban,  because that's been reported.    No,  that can't be right,  our next HC is actually Jon Gruden because that's been reported.

 

And I guess Andrew Luck is no longer our QB, because he forced his way out of town.    We traded him because that's what he demanded because he was so unhappy.    Yes,  that was reported too.

 

When you start believing only the things you want to believe because they prove your point,  things can get pretty twisted up.....   and that's where you are right now.

 

[bluephantom87]

2 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I'm sorry but no...

 

The fact that you love the Cokts and want them to win doesn't mean you don't have an agenda. 

 

You shaped red all of your arguments against Ballard

 

The GM is a position of experience.   The fact that you wonder why Ballard didn't get the job until he was 47 (my bad) shows how little you understand.    It's SUPPOSED to take that long.   That's why 31 of the 32 GMs are in their 40's, 50's and 60's. 

 

The fact that you made Ballard the bad guy in the McDaniels deal shows your true intentions.   

 

Even in this response there is the so-so draft quip...   it's only been one year.  That's why people typically don't judge drafts until the third year or so.   It takes time to see what the kids turn into.

 

I don't mind people being unhappy and not understanding but your post was little more than a hit-piece designed to turn people here against Ballard.   Everything was slanted to the negative.   You even have a few of the most uneducated fans here buying what you were selling.

 

I'm not.   So I challanged it.   And I will always challange posts that I think are grossly unfair,  and that's what I thought your rant was.

 

Being angry and negative is one thing.... being unfair and distorting reality is quite another.

 

Ok I've been scanning across this forum on different topics since FA started and it seems to me that it's about a 50/50 split on Ballard so far BUT it's early and he has time to fix this team. The upcoming draft will determine a lot. So now if some are not sold on him yet they're UNEDUCATED? Wow! Explain to me how I made Ballard the BAD guy in the McDaniels deal? I even said it was dirty on Josh's part but NEVERMIND because you keep stepping over that line in which I haven't taken on your posts so...

 

I've lost RESPECT for you NCF. I see you in a totally different light with your unwarranted name calling that you can't back up and It's EASY to do so while HIDING behind something. In this case the keyboard but it speaks to who you are. To me football talk is just that amongst fellow fans who either agree on a topic or they don't. I'm out.

[horseshoecrabs]

Hey it boils down to either your a die hard Colts fan long term like a lot of people in this forum  or short term fans. We don't make the decisions. We have to have faith in the process. If down the road it doesn't pan out then Ballard and everyone else involved will be sent packing. If everyone else thinks they have a better plan, then I suggest that You seriously  consider taking your expertise and get into coaching. Maybe you then could be our next Gm or coach.

[Breeze]

FA sweepstakes is like a big garage sale.  Doesn’t matter what you bring home or that it’s somebody else’s cast-off.  You’re just happy to have a shiny new (sort of) toy, which is psychologically pleasing. The only difference is that instead of paying a nickel, you pay 10 times it’s original value.  On very rare occasions, you might find a gem hidden in the box. I don’t think Ballard likes garage sales much.

[Old Colt]

On 3/17/2018 at 6:09 AM, ColtsBlitz said:

To me, it’s very alarming he hasn’t been signing players, or at least one big one. It actually extremely frustrating to see the others in our division do it and we don’t considering we are now the worst team in the South. 

 

The only comfort I get is that Ballard MUST have some kind of plan. No way we don’t sign Tryann Mathieu for 7.5 mil unless Ballard has some plan for the long term future. 

 

Its just odd to see someone gamble so much on their draft picks. If he has a bad draft, or players don’t work out, he will be fired. I pray Ballard’s strategy works. 

Then he cuts the only name big name player HE signed and last year... blames scheme change..guess no one runs the  ball when they face a 4-3 defense.   Then again, maybe they won't run against the Colts, since we are letting our only corners walk... going to be a long 2 or 3 years.

[Peterk2011]

4 hours ago, bluephantom87 said:

You can use the excuse all you want about what Ballard inherited but the fact remains the handful of its BEST players are Grigson holdovers. You can make the excuse about the o-line last season and even what Irsay said but from what some saw the year they were drafted it was clear that some looked suspect besides Kelly. We thought after last preseason that offense with Scott Tolzien and the woeful o-line would be terrible. They justified their play giving up a league high 56 sacks and forcing a last second trade for Brissett at qb. Ballard focused on the defense with marginal players that went out and finished NEAR the BOTTOM of the league in most of the major defensive categories. That's a FACT. Look up the numbers. Same for the offense but of course Luck was out and we all know that you can't POSSIBLY win any games with a backup qb.

 

Are you arguing or just trolling? I mean, wow .... these "facts" are one of the most desperate attemps to prove a point I've read for a long time. You handpick fragments of truths and turn-and-twist to the exteme extent when capital A becomes capital Z and left becomes right.

 

What kind of fact is that "handful of it's best players are Grigsons holdovers". Who elses would they be? Best players don't fall off trees. Ballard had 1 FA and 1 draft so far. You can sign so many "best players" in one FA, and rookies won't typically become "best players" from day one, What did you expect?

 

The "56 sacks fact" is another handpicked fragment of truth. The Niners've given up the 5th most sacks last year in games 1 to 12. In these games Hoyer and Bethard were their starting QB. Then they've given up the 5th fewest sacks in game 13 to 17, when Garoppolo was their QB. Same oline and they jumped from being one of the worst to be one of the best from one week to the other. Wonder why?

 

Lets take a look at the next "fact". Indy's defense finished near the bottom of the league. Ok. Were do you think the Jaguars offense finished last year? Offense. Not defense. I tell you. They were the 5th best scoring offense in the league. Wonder why? Do you really think that they were the 5th best offense? Or even 15th? (Or even 20th?) 

 

These "facts" prove nothing. If you believe that Ballard sucks, that's fine. Just please bring some real facts that we can discuss. Thanks!

 

[Peterk2011]

5 hours ago, Mr.NotSoCreative said:

Do you guys think we missed an opportunity on Mattheu? 1 yr 6.5, wouldve been a good pick up in my opinon. 

 

He would've been, but here is the problem. The Colts have their young safety group in Hooker, Geathers and Fairley (and Green, though he'll be gone this offseason I think). And some young UDFAs. If they bring in a guy like Honey Badger, he will demand the starting job. Safeties do not rotate as much as dlinemen, the starters usually play 80-100% of the snaps. So Geathers/Fairley wouldn't see the field.

 

Btw, I believe this is one of the major reasons why Ballard has not been so agressive yet. I believe he want's to improve the team thru FA, but he is very cautiious of how and when. His focus is on to build the team through drafts. That's the way to keep a quality roster together for long term. We just saw how agressive he is when it's about stockpiling picks. He robbed the Jets. The Colts will now have 8 picks in the top 2 rounds in the next 2 years.

 

Now here is the problem. You expect your first and (most of your) second rounders to start from day one. Or at least get in rotation, get a heavy doze of snaps so they can develop, gain experience. Again, these are 1st and 2nd rounders not late round picks. The Colts will have 8 of them in the next 2 years. These guys should be starters.

 

And THEN there will be those 3rd, 4th, 5th rounders who the Colts plan to put on the roster and teach them. They will need roster spots as well as some snaps too. Not as much as 1st rounders, but some.

 

Now, if Ballard brings in a top free agent for 4-5 years for top dollars, that guy will be the starter there. He will be the starter for years, because top guys won't sing short contracts. Will you draft a 1st or 2nd rounder behind a 40 million starter, who you just signed? That makes no sense, because by the time you can cut the veteran without cap penalty, your rookie will almost run out of his rookie contract, and you have to pay him. You practically loose his rookie contract. You draft your 1st rounders to start, and 2nd rounders to be in rotation 1 years max, then expect them to start. (Or move on and draft the next guy.)

 

That's the dilemma. I know, the Colts have more holes than draft picks. They do. But if Ballard fills half of the holes with big free agents, he will practically tie his hands in the draft, because he will have to rule out their positions. I think this is why the longest deal he has given out so far was only 3 years long. And all can be voided after one year. He does not want to tie his own hands in the beginning of the process. I believe, as the young core of the roster will begin to form, he will change his approach. We will see long term contracts and top guys coming. Maybe as soon as next year. But this year he wants mostly short term (1-3) year free agents with year 2 step out. Which don't typically come in the first week of free agency.

 

(OL was an exception I think. He did seem to go for Norwell, Jensen and Pugh. Too bad, they were just either too expensive or they elected to go elsewhere. )

 

[bluephantom87]

1 hour ago, Peterk2011 said:

 

Are you arguing or just trolling? I mean, wow .... these "facts" are one of the most desperate attemps to prove a point I've read for a long time. You handpick fragments of truths and turn-and-twist to the exteme extent when capital A becomes capital Z and left becomes right.

 

What kind of fact is that "handful of it's best players are Grigsons holdovers". Who elses would they be? Best players don't fall off trees. Ballard had 1 FA and 1 draft so far. You can sign so many "best players" in one FA, and rookies won't typically become "best players" from day one, What did you expect?

 

The "56 sacks fact" is another handpicked fragment of truth. The Niners've given up the 5th most sacks last year in games 1 to 12. In these games Hoyer and Bethard were their starting QB. Then they've given up the 5th fewest sacks in game 13 to 17, when Garoppolo was their QB. Same oline and they jumped from being one of the worst to be one of the best from one week to the other. Wonder why?

 

Lets take a look at the next "fact". Indy's defense finished near the bottom of the league. Ok. Were do you think the Jaguars offense finished last year? Offense. Not defense. I tell you. They were the 5th best scoring offense in the league. Wonder why? Do you really think that they were the 5th best offense? Or even 15th? (Or even 20th?) 

 

These "facts" prove nothing. If you believe that Ballard sucks, that's fine. Just please bring some real facts that we can discuss. Thanks!

 

 

I'll make this short and sweet since you're basically piggy backing off what NCF said already.  It's not a desperate attempt at anything because it's not that deep to me. When I tore my knee playing that was. Ballard made a lot of changes with this roster and to act like he had absolutely nothing to do with last year's result is fine if that's what you believe. To each his own but teams do draft rookies that have Pro Bowl seasons. Teams do bring in guys that are difference makers. Here's a tip... most of the time that a new gm comes in the team stinks. Lynch took over a 2-14 team just like Grigson did also. Ballard's approach is not to my liking but I SAY AGAIN that doesn't mean he'll fail.

 

So you're saying if Luck had been in at qb that league high sack number from last season would've been SMALLER?! I guess you haven't been watching the Colt's that much since Luck's arrival. The only thing different would've been Luck getting hit instead of Brissett. As far as the Jags OVERALL number 6th ranked offense they were number ONE in rushing and middle of the pack in passing as a team but Blake was number 11 in yards behind Goff. So that's usually how it works. We all know being ranked 5th in scoring had a lot to do with their defense. So again your point?

[MacDee1975]

7 hours ago, aaron11 said:

texans are better at full health. that was in response to someone that said we would have made the playoffs if luck played

 

well if everyone is at full health the colts do have the worst roster

 

Says who?  I don’t agree with that assessment at all.  Texans had like 5 good players in their roster, and the rest was complete garbage.....one of the worst in the league.

 

By the end of the year, the Colts has like 16 starters/key reserves on IR, were being coached by a subpar mind who has since been fired and is currently not employed as a head coach......and still beat them.  

[Peterk2011]

29 minutes ago, bluephantom87 said:

We all know being ranked 5th in scoring had a lot to do with their defense.

So again your point?

 

You blaimed Ballard that he focused on the defense, and it's still finished near the bottom of the league.

 

My point was that you cited only one side of the truth. You just said it yourself up there. Being near the bottom in defense has a lot to do with the offense. And, by the way, other factors. Coaching, schemes, play calling, injuries, etc., etc.

 

And yes. If Luck had been in at QB, the sack number would've been smaller. Should I prove myself the way you did? (e.g. If you think it wouldn't have, then you haven't been watching Brissett?)

[bluephantom87]

4 minutes ago, Peterk2011 said:

 

You blaimed Ballard that he focused on the defense, which still finished near the bottom of the league.

 

My point was that you were telling only one side of the truth. You just said it yourselve there. Being near the bottom in defense has a lot to do with the offense. And, by the way, other factors. Coaching, schemes, play calling, injuries, etc., etc.

 

Huh? Our defense AND offense finished near the bottom of the league in all the major stats. I give the O a pass because Luck was out. Jacksonville had the number two ranked defense behind the Vikings. I thought you meant their defense helped their 5th ranked scoring offense by ADDING to it with defensive scoring. They had a well rounded team and hopefully we can get there.

[MacDee1975]

7 hours ago, aaron11 said:

the colts would have been better  with luck, but the texans would have been better still with watson and jj watt healthy

 

if every team is at full health the colts do have the worst roster and its not close.

 

I'm pretty sure you don't realize this isn't 2012 anymore.

 

At slots 6-53, the Texans roster was one of the worst in the NFL in 2017.  That's why they sucked, went 4-12, and are signing a number of free agents.

 

You have no clue how good their, or anyone else's, roster is for 2018 until the season actually plays out.

[aaron11]

1 hour ago, MacDee1975 said:

 

I'm pretty sure you don't realize this isn't 2012 anymore.

 

At slots 6-53, the Texans roster was one of the worst in the NFL in 2017.  That's why they sucked, went 4-12, and are signing a number of free agents.

 

 

 

they did not have a bad roster they had a lot of injuries!!

 

a healthy watson and jj watt make would make them better and its not  close.  if we assume that luck is ok then we can also assume that watt and watson are too

 

who do we have that makes up for them having jj watt???  

[OLD FAN MAN]

4 hours ago, Old Colt said:

Then he cuts the only name big name player HE signed and last year... blames scheme change..guess no one runs the  ball when they face a 4-3 defense.   Then again, maybe they won't run against the Colts, since we are letting our only corners walk... going to be a long 2 or 3 years.

i concur

[strt182]

8 hours ago, aaron11 said:

this is what we do on message boards. talk about gms when we know they dont give a flying #### about us

 

ballard needs to make something happen or he wont be around forever either!  its on him to not waste the rest of lucks career, and luck is the more important of the two by far  

LUCK is replaceable there WILL be somebody there after him. How they compare will have to be seen. 

[Peterk2011]

1 hour ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

Huh? Our defense AND offense finished near the bottom of the league in all the major stats. I give the O a pass because Luck was out. Jacksonville had the number two ranked defense behind the Vikings. I thought you meant their defense helped their 5th ranked scoring offense by ADDING to it with defensive scoring. They had a well rounded team and hopefully we can get there.

 

So if you give the offense a pass because Luck was out, why don't you give the defense a pass because the offense was out? The logic is similar.

 

Denver's defense was statistically way worse in 2017 than it was in 2016. If you watched their games (I watched all 16 of theirs), you knew, that the defense was actually still fine. But their offense was terrible. They could not score, and they were  the worst in loosing the ball in their own side of the field. Even the best defense looks bad in the stats, if opponent offenses start their drives in field goal range....

[aaron11]

5 minutes ago, strt182 said:

LUCK is replaceable there WILL be somebody there after him. How they compare will have to be seen. 

he is, but luck is more important than ballard to me

 

we can replace a gm, but we wont find another qb as good unless we are lucky again 

[krunk]

in the end this guy(Ballard) will show what hes done was the right thing to do. I follow and can agree with his approach.

[NewColtsFan]

9 hours ago, aaron11 said:

i dont like that we are only building through the draft now.  thats the point of my rant

 

we let two of our good players walk and brought in essentially no one, while the division got better around us

 

luck could be gone by the time ballards draft picks pan out if they ever do, and thats why i hate this strategy 

 

Ballard signed 10 players last year...   and he will sign more this year.

 

We are NOT building only through the draft.     This is not some shift in strategy. 

 

This is likely not what will happen year after year after year.   Ballard has said nothing to have anyone believe that.

 

You and others are just reasoning that what has happened this year will always happen every year.    Our new normal.

 

I don't think there's any reason to think that.     At least,  not yet.

 

 

[krunk]

Whenever Ballard wheels and deals on these trades he comes out looking nice. This is not a guy that is just sitting back guessing and taking shots in the dark. Its clear hes got an ABCD plan for each scenario and he's working it accordingly. And what I luv is he can care less about people whose opinions dont matter. Just when people thought he was incompetent he swung that Jets deal and fleeced them for 3 premium picks. Dont think he doesnt have a plan for all this cash we are sitting on. This guy makes detailed plans and moves accordingly. He isn't caught off guard by much. Just sit back and watch what he does between now all the way up until the start off the season.

[ColtsBlueFL]

21 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

As for Luck and his career....    nobody is more invested in the career of Andrew Luck than Chris Ballard.   The team will install an offense that gets the ball out of Luck's hand much faster.    That alone will help.

 

Yes, that is on Frank Reich.  There are two ways to teach a QB to run 'your' system.

 

First is a progression read.  At the snap, 'this guy' is #1 read, then 'that guy',, then the 'other guy', ... etc.  My feeling is too often the long developing plays made Luck 'lock on' to a target for too long before moving on to the next progression.  That and his desire to wait and hit the homerun in our vertical attack offense. Couple that with an often injured and shuffling O line spells disaster, as we saw.

 

Second way is a 'Pre-snap defense read'. Veteran QB's like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are two examples of the best at this.  Get the defense to 'show' itself in some subtle way.  Then call/change the play to Attack the weakness.  It takes a veteran QB with  'vision' and knowledge to 'see' how they are going to be defended, then exploit the weak spot.  Every defense alignment has a weakness, and the great QB's can detect it, and then make or change a play call to defeat it.  I feel Frank Reich will finally give Luck that autonomy and playbook tools to accomplish this.

 

 I also wish for the installment of some E-P 'concepts' approach, and some no huddle, and even some hurry up  at certain time.  I feel this is going to come to pass, but it will be a progression.  And Chris Ballard will draft or sign a set of players that are young and could develop in such a system.  And we sign back the best of the group as their contracts mature.  I'm excited to watch this unfold even as we 'build back up' the elevate stature of the Horseshoe. Even if it takes a couple years to establish and become the AFC South's top threat again.

 

22 hours ago, King Colt said:

There is no democracy in a GM job. He calls the shots. Ballard has stated publicly he wants a "locker room" not just the best players and there is something to be said for that as we all know. I like what Ballard is doing so for all those that want a SB this year go hibernate because the goal is to rebuild for the next 2-3 years. When you inherit a mess (several authorities have referred to this tem as a "mess") it does not get fixed overnight. Patience my children, patience.

 

Bingo.  Looking at our current locker room, what do we have?  Who is our veteran 'leader(s)? What is our 'culture'? A team needs guys to buy in together.  That all don't have to like each other, just have each others back while on the time clock at work.  Not disruptive inside or outside of the locker room.  A team with veteran leaders can handle a 'bad apple or two' in their locker room. The vocal vets can maintain a locker room culture.  Bring in too many of the disruptive FA's, too early, and they eventually establish and overtake a locker room.  CB will not allow this, especially with a...

 

... rookie head coach. Frank is a great guy, and I see a new direction coming from his guidance. However, Irsay and Ballard will not have him undermined early in the voyage by bad locker room chemistry or culture.  This is why Ballard seems to be so adamant about players that 'fit' as well as have special qualities physical about them. Not just scheme wise, but chemistry wise as well.

 

I'd like to point out Ballard was with KC, and they had a Head Coach that is well established , and a veteran locker room that can maintain it's culture, and chemistry.  They can endure some non conforming, bad influence types and survive.  Yet even Andy Reid essentially fired (arguably) one of the best cornerbacks in the league (Marcus Peters) after a couple years trying to keep him under reign at KC. (a 2018 4th round pick, along with a 2019 second rounder)

 

Our rookie HC and young locker room needs to develop, and establish an identity and culture before bringing in any old random high (over) priced free agents, IMO. A GM's job is to team build with long term vision, and the Head Coach job is to take what the GM has acquired each year and build that into a short term winner.  I hope time proves this CB / FR duo as the 'Real Deal'.

[Chrisaaron1023]

Lol no idea what's going on.. I'll just continue being naive and hoping Chris knows whats best. I'll be watching basketball and waiting for September! 

[Mel Kiper's Hair]

20 hours ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

So no I'm not that impressed with Ballard so far but that does not mean I won't change my mind. I look across the landscape at John Lynch for the Niners and Jon Robison for the Titans who both came in around the same time as first time gms and I see the needle moving. Even more amazing is how Lynch has flipped the Niners so quickly with no front office experience. 

 

 

Right now, I am a pro-Ballard guy. I think you have to give the guy time to rebuild this team. I understand the frustration though. I think all of us want and expect better than 4-12. I believe this year we will do better than 4-12. We will be better than 4-12 if Andrew Luck is on the field. You cite the 49ers as moving in the right direction. What moved them in the right direction? Jimmy Garoppolo! The 49ers were 1-10 with Hoyer and Beathard at QB. When Jimmy G got on the field they proceeded to go 5-0. A franchise QB elevates the whole team. While I think Jacoby Brissett did an admirable job last year given the circumstances I have no doubt that Andrew Luck would have done better.  Once #12 is back under center I believe you will see the whole team bring their level of play up. Again, I understand the frustration. I want the team to win as badly as the next fan. I enjoy coming to the forum and seeing the different points of view. Some I agree with, some I don't. It's fun for me to come here and chat with other fans who love the Colts just like I do. As far as I'm concerned as long as everyone remains respectful it's fun to have disagreements here. If we all agreed these threads would be so boring. I have to admit, in the 3 months I have been a member of the forum it has challenged me to increase my football knowledge. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I may not agree with you, I do enjoy reading your point of view.

 

[bluephantom87]

16 hours ago, Mel Kiper's Hair said:

 

Right now, I am a pro-Ballard guy. I think you have to give the guy time to rebuild this team. I understand the frustration though. I think all of us want and expect better than 4-12. I believe this year we will do better than 4-12. We will be better than 4-12 if Andrew Luck is on the field. You cite the 49ers as moving in the right direction. What moved them in the right direction? Jimmy Garoppolo! The 49ers were 1-10 with Hoyer and Beathard at QB. When Jimmy G got on the field they proceeded to go 5-0. A franchise QB elevates the whole team. While I think Jacoby Brissett did an admirable job last year given the circumstances I have no doubt that Andrew Luck would have done better.  Once #12 is back under center I believe you will see the whole team bring their level of play up. Again, I understand the frustration. I want the team to win as badly as the next fan. I enjoy coming to the forum and seeing the different points of view. Some I agree with, some I don't. It's fun for me to come here and chat with other fans who love the Colts just like I do. As far as I'm concerned as long as everyone remains respectful it's fun to have disagreements here. If we all agreed these threads would be so boring. I have to admit, in the 3 months I have been a member of the forum it has challenged me to increase my football knowledge. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I may not agree with you, I do enjoy reading your point of view.

 

 

Thanks and trust me I do understand WHY Ballard is doing what he's doing. As a matter of fact I wish Grigson would've taken this approach in Luck's rookie season and the team would be in a better place now. I just look at Luck heading into his seventh season with Reich onboard and want the Colts back on top quickly especially after these last few seasons. Anyway your post spoke volumes!!! Cheers....

[Dark Superman]

Well, failing to give Luck an offensive line will give Ballard a quick one-way ticket out of Indianapolis.

Jim Irsay isn't going to wait around like he did with Grigson and Pagano.

 

[esmort]

7 minutes ago, DarkSuperman said:

Well, failing to give Luck an offensive line will give Ballard a quick one-way ticket out of Indianapolis.

Jim Irsay isn't going to wait around like he did with Grigson and Pagano.

 

 

You don't think Irsay signed off on this approach?  Pretty sure Irsay is on board with the plan. If Irsay had wanted one of these OL regardless of price Ballard would have paid. Also think Reich is probably signed off on the plan, if Reich had been pounding the table for one of these guys I think Ballard would have made sure to get one. I think Colts organization is all on the same page. Fans are just over-reacting.

[LockeDown]

  Ballard realizes that we need to draft really well and build our whole team up to SUPPORT Luck and NOT waste his talent.   The 2nd half of his career, he's going to have a great team. The past is spilled milk and we can't do anything but clean it up and pour another glass.  This time its grade A whole milk and not that 2% stuff that tastes like water. Maybe some cookies to go with it too. 

[lollygagger8]

On 3/17/2018 at 2:14 AM, DarkSuperman said:

Hankins is a solid player but he wasn't anything to brag about.

 

[Old Colt]

1 minute ago, lollygagger8 said:

 

He was the closest thing the Colts Had to Brag about.....and he was Ballard's big signing last year, young, etc. and now he cuts him.... maybe we are tanking for the #1 pick in 2019..

[LJpalmbeacher2]

On 3/18/2018 at 2:22 PM, SolidGold said:

Yall fake GM's are taking this stuff to far and being rude and disrespectful.  It's ok to disagree but to call some fans uneducated for thinking differently is crazy. It's a Colts forum not a Cult forum.

 

I agree 100%.

Some posters like to be 'cyber bullies'. Cyber bullies are safe bullying behind a keyboard....its something they cant do in the real world.

[crazycolt1]

2 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

I agree 100%.

Some posters like to be 'cyber bullies'. Cyber bullies are safe bullying behind a keyboard....its something they cant do in the real world.

Cyber bullies??  Because they have different opinions or points of views? 

What is the term for never ending whiners?

[ColtsBlueFL]

On 3/19/2018 at 8:32 AM, Mel Kiper's Hair said:

 

{Snip}

 

Again, I understand the frustration. I want the team to win as badly as the next fan. I enjoy coming to the forum and seeing the different points of view. Some I agree with, some I don't. It's fun for me to come here and chat with other fans who love the Colts just like I do. As far as I'm concerned as long as everyone remains respectful it's fun to have disagreements here. If we all agreed these threads would be so boring. I have to admit, in the 3 months I have been a member of the forum it has challenged me to increase my football knowledge. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I may not agree with you, I do enjoy reading your point of view.

 

 

If I could like this bolded part twice, I would.

 

7 hours ago, DarkSuperman said:

Well, failing to give Luck an offensive line will give Ballard a quick one-way ticket out of Indianapolis.

Jim Irsay isn't going to wait around like he did with Grigson and Pagano.

 

 

I doubt Jim lets it ever get that far.  I'll bet CB reports to him very often, about the short and long term plan(s), direction, and success/failures encountered in the process. Irsay is already paying two GM's (Grigson and Ballard) and two Head Coaches (Pagano and Reich)right now. (Both Grigson and Pagano not employed in the NFL, but each gets salary from the Colts through 2019).  He will not be open to putting a 3rd GM on the books too early.  He was a GM for the Colts back in the day, knows whats involved.  He'll be knee deep in the process, but his nature won't let him control it. But he has influence and ultimate veto power.  But I bet CB already had his plan laid out and discussed it when Irsay was interviewing for GM's. 

 

I would wager motre than 1/2 the teams in this league need extensive offensive line help.  Competition for offensive Tackles and Guards (FA and draft) is stiff.