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You're not the only poster to say this. And for the life of me, I don't understand why anyone here is holding the McDaniels fiasco against anyone other than Josh McDaniels. He is the only person who did anything wrong. Not Chris Ballard. McDaniels was the number one HC candidate this off-season. Thought to be the next Sean McVey or Kyle Shannahan. JM could've gone to any team he wanted and Ballard went after him and got him to agree to terms. No one in football thinks Ballard did anything wrong. They think McDaneis did. Almost hiring McDaneils should be viewed as a good thing on Ballard's resume, not a bad thing. Yes, it sucks the way things went down, but none of that is Ballard's fault. It's all on McDaneils.

Ballard is impressing me far more than this thread is...

He should be cut. I feel like I haven't even seen Old Mike on the field. Also has no stats to show for it. And if he gets cut, that opens a window for John Simon to have a real role in this defense.

Lying in bed and I was looking at the ceiling, thinking I really liked it. It's perhaps not my favourite part of the house, but it's up there. Sorry, not sure what else to say about this thread.....

I'll wait to see what our rookie 4th round pick does as the season progresses. Not sure that 3 preseason games are a fair barometer.

No, we should not pursue Mack at this time. He will cost the Colts high draft picks that Ballard is not prepared to trade yet. The Colts are NOT one great player away from being a contender. We are a number of great players away. Right guy, wrong time.

Even tho we lost, I feel like there were a bunch of positives and overall outperformed my expectations. - Luck looked fantastic minus that first throw -Ryan Grant did a good job as the #2 -Ebron is going to be the guy between him and Doyle -Leonard was all over the place. Very impressive -Same with Hooker. Couldn't tell he had that nasty injury -O-line looked solid. Even without Castanzo -3rd down conversion was great. Don't know the exact numbers but had to be around 10-15 -Defense was really not as bad as expected. Besides letting Mixon run all over us. -Rookie RBs flashed great potential. I thought Hines looked better even tho ball security scares me. Anybody else impressed with something?

Wait...but does this mean....it’s really Andrew? I don’t believe it.

So we’re judging a draft class before it’s even played a NFL down now? Amazingly sound thinking, let’s fire Ballard now.

I've been kicking this around for some time and now is the time to talk about it.... First, I'm happy to say that the website has benefited tremendously from a large number of new posters the last few years. Posters who not only know Colts football, but football in general and they read as much as they can and contribute. They join a strong group and I think the website has never been stronger. So..... One of the casualties of the new CBA which went into effect in 2011 is that so much practice and contact have been eliminated, that teams simply don't feel ready for the start of the season. I'm talking practice in March, April, May and June. I'm talking camp in July and August. There just isn't much practice time and hitting allowed. Coaches and GM's are hugely frustrated by this. Hoping this will change in the next CBA. And in stories I've read over the past few years, their view is this.... that teams are simply not ready for the start of the season. That teams play their way into form in September. That teams need 2-4 games to really get sharp and ready to compete at the highest level. That's why there's so much sloppy play in September. Teams aren't sharp. Bottom line for me.... with a team like the Colts... so many new, young players, and a new coaching staff with first time HC, OC, DC and ST, we might look especially bad in September. Things could get dicey in weeks 3-6. The schedule gets dramatically harder. We might struggle a bit. Heck, we might get our butts kicked once or twice. Here's what I'm lookig for..... Do the Colts get better in October? And even better in November and December. I sure hope so. That's what I want to see. Does Andrew look sharper as he plays his way back into form and the rust shakes off. I sure hope so. Like all of you, I'm much more excited about this year than last. Win or lose, I expect us to be a better team this year when all is said and done. Looking forward to 2018! I'm also looking forward to your thoughts in this thread..... NCF

Can you imagine getting updates on when Denzelle Good was actually available? Your phone might buzz once a year.

Anyone that expected this team to be without major flaws was kidding themselves. Lots of young players. Plenty to be happy about on this game. And plenty to worry about as well. Just enjoy watching the young guys develop.

I have to say this. The whole McDaniels thing earned Ballard a ton of respect from me. I fully expected that press conference to hear the blame game, a bunch of whining etc. No, Ballard came out, took the heat, said it was his fault and that was that, moving on. The way he handled that conference and subsequent media attention was great. I've learned one thing in my almost 20 years in the military, a leader's true colors will be shown in times of test/crisis. He aced it. Now his football knowledge and skills, I don't know if we've seen it all just yet, so the jury is still out on that one.

The one thing Ballard has been is transparent. He says what he does, and does what he says. Then, if he does something that makes the general population go "WTH", he steps up to the plate and explains it...whether you like it or not,...I give him major props for this. In a world where front offices cover things up, or says one thing and does another,...He has been straight with media and the fans. At least I feel this is a breath of fresh air. (he's that guy who'll let you know you have a boogie sticking out on national television) Like it or leave it.

I'm going by what i've seen from individual play in the preseason. Not what others say,..Not Colts brass/coaches, not media, just what the tape has shown me. #1 : Most people think Leonards #1 quality is speed,...and though he has this in abundance, and is a favorable trait that cannot be coached, it is not always something to go by when drafting. Speed can get you nowhere fast. But Leonard has shown the ability to see a play as it is happening and use his speed to make plays. So he goes somewhere fast. #2 : Once he gets to the ball, he tackles with his speed. This is a plus and a minus. If his contact is good, he can blow a play up, jar footballs loose, ect. But if he misses, he's out of the rest of the play do to overshooting. He also needs to be slightly better at being more disciplined in run gaps though. A few big runs were due to him hitting the line too fast. Coachable. #3 : He has the best coverage skills i've seen in a Colts uniform at LB'er since Cato June (maybe better). His size and speed allows him to shadow TE's and RB's step for step. And his athleticism makes it really tough for a QB to feel comfortable throwing in his direction. #4 : As stated at #3, He has serious athleticism. In Zone (something i am not a fan of btw) his athleticism allows him to make plays on the ball while it is mid air. He has such a wide reach he can make a play on a ball where an opposing QB actually feels safe. #5 : He takes decent angles...not great though. His diagnosis of play seem to be where the play is now, not where it 'could' be when he gets there. Coachable. #6 : Full steam ahead...24/7. This guy never takes a break. He is always moving, always surveying. Even if a play happens 1/2 way across the field, it seems he thinks he can get there to make a play. Love this. In retrospect, this could actually be as big of a draft pick as Quinton Nelson. With a few coachable flaws, and natural talent, and a motor that don't stop, I honestly think he is our best chance at a pro bowler on defense. Yes, even over Hooker. If the coaches put a little 'stick-um' on his gloves, he could be right there with Hooker in Int's with as many plays on a pass i believe he'll make. (sadly, preseason showed me that yes he can makes plays on the pass by knocking them down,...he doesn't seem to be the best pass catcher). Remember, this is my opinion on what i've seen in preseason. He is the most exciting player i've seen at linebacker in a loooong time. (Definitely a great pick by Ballard so far)

I'm married, I'm never right

The conversation starts with two first rounders. It ends with a new contract for more than $20m/year. Like NCF said, right guy, wrong time. Hard pass.

Btw, Nick Foles numbers in the NFC Championship game 26-33 78.79% 352yards 3 TDs 0 Interceptions 141.4 qb rating. And in the SuperBowl against Bill Bellichick... 28-43. 65.12% 373 yards 3 touch downs 1 interception 106.1 qb rating AND the philly special touchdown reception to boot. Not bad for someone who isn't Wentz.

I think we should stay neutral on this. If we can’t say that Ballard is a BUST, then we certainly cannot say he’s a genius. Let’s be neutral. Let’s wait to see how this plays out.

sooooo, with no Morrison, no Green, and if Vuj gets cut, then there's a FAR better chance of Colts players not getting hurt by Colts players.

My grade for Nelson against the Seahawks: https://forums.colts.com/topic/58774-schwartz-on-nelson-mostly-real-good/?do=findComment&comment=1744466 Figured I'd do the same for the Ravens game. Much more consistent performance for Nelson in this game, especially pass blocking. I want to see him again against a more penetrating defensive interior, but he was right at home in this one, against a group of bigger, more 2-gapping group of DL. Nelson played 7 series, 35 plays (too many short drives due to sloppy offense), 22 passes, 13 runs. I had him at 0.38 on 13 run plays. He didn't really have any dominant plays like he did last week, when he crushed guys and buried them under the turf. But he was smooth, in control, played with a great pad level, used his hands and feet together, did a good job on combo blocks -- and his trademark is finishing, which he did well on Monday. He had a couple losses in the run game. The first, he got beat on a club/rip move and let his man get inside of him, winding up on the ground, because he leaned over his feet and lost his leverage. On the second it looked like it was supposed to be a combo block, and he was on the move and didn't get much help before initiating, but he got pushed into the backfield before recovering somewhat; he didn't see his assigned man soon enough. I had him at 0.59 on 22 pass plays (up from 0.1 last week). Really good technique throughout, he looked smooth, patient, handled his assignments, gave up some push but used his power to re-anchor, did a good job on combo blocks, stayed aware and picked up stunts, etc. I gave him one dominant win in protection, and it was because he mirrored his initial punch with his feet, stayed low and maintained leverage, and controlled his man on a long developing pass play. Great win there, IMO (first play of Brissett's first drive, if you want to check it out). I almost gave him another dominant win two plays later, because the rusher tried to get him with an inside/out two step, but Nelson used his feet almost like a LT to stay in front of his man (don't get carried away, it was a second team DT, not an elite edge rusher). I only gave him a win on that play because there was no physical domination, but Nelson handled that rep about as well as you could ask for. I gave him two losses in the pass game. One, he picked up a stunt well, but his head was down and his hands were too low, and he got pushed 4-5 yards into the backfield and affected the passer. The second, his hands again weren't in sync, he got beat again on a club/rip to the inside. It was a quick pass so it didn't affect the QB, but it was still a problematic rep. And those are the kind of losses he took last week. He'll have to keep working on his hand placement and initial punch in pass protection, and I think he'll have trouble with skilled 3 techs. Total grade, 0.57 on 35 plays (up from 0.3 on 33 plays against Seattle). One dominant win, no dominant losses, much more consistent performance than last week. I intend to grade him in the next game also.

Look, I know I'm getting old, but why do people think I need these periodic reminders......

First of all, lets take Lamey's statement at face value and that what he said is true. As a non-american I am having hard time understanding how this is even a story, let alone one that lead to his firing/retirement. To me context is everything, there are no magical words that automatically make you a racist independent of context. How is quoting someone using the n-word held against you, unless you support the message of the person using the n-word and the message itself is meant as a derogatory slur? Would me quoting Martin Luther King using the N-word be considered racist? Would me quoting an obvious racist using the N-word be considered racist if I didn't support the message but was quoting simply to relay information?