Dudley Smith
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Posts posted by Dudley Smith
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The NFL has done pretty well with an unhealthy Andrew Luck, but it would certainly make things more interesting, especially in the AFC. There is a clear hole right now up in the 1st tier that used to be occupied by Manning and is only shared by Tom Brady. Big Ben and Derek Carr are not quite at that level IMO -- but Luck could be. This isn't only about talent level either (Ben and Carr are both very talented) but also visibility/marketability. Luck has it or can get there, whereas no other AFC QB has it outside of Brady.
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1 hour ago, HOF19 said:
Just heard Dan Dakich say on air "Colts will win nine games " (And he was being absolutely serious !)....For whatever that is worth......GO COLTS !!!!!
Dakich might be one of the worst in the business. Now I am concerned the Colts may only win 5 games if Dakich has them pegged for nine.
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2 hours ago, NannyMcafee said:
The position is Morris' to win. Luck is out all preseason. Perfect opportunity to see him play vs at least 2nd stringers.
I guess I am not certain it is definitively Morris' to win. It seems like it is a foregone conclusion that Tolzien is clearly the backup given all of last season and this off-season with Tolzien taking all snaps with 1st team. It seems like Morris is essentially stuck in that 3rd spot, and I don't think he has mobility to move up from there even if he puts up huge numbers against second-string competition this preseason.
Tolzien by no means played horribly last season either when he was in for Luck. The difference is Morris was actually exciting to watch last preseason though. It felt like he had big play capability. Tolzien feels more like a game manager. Maybe Morris can't handle starting though -- but preseason seems like the perfect time to find that out.
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Wish Morris was the backup behind Luck so we got a better look at him against better competition. Hard to know for sure how good he really is when he generally will only play against 3rd or 4th stringers this preseason who won't even be on an NFL roster. Feel like he has a higher ceiling than Tolzien. Since Luck won't be available this preseason would be perfect for him to be playing with the starters and get a bit of an idea of what he can do. Not that it will happen (barring an injury to Tolzien).
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5 minutes ago, aaron11 said:
the two leagues are very different
first of all the colts have actually won a super bowl, and could get back there at some point
the pacers have never won an nba title, and only two small market teams have done it in the last 40 years.
only Cleveland has done it if you dont count SA as a small market, its kind of a grey area
And it took Cleveland being the beneficiary of a perfect storm with LeBron being from the area and returning home for it to happen for them.
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1 hour ago, tikyle said:
Honestly, no disrespect (this is where I am about to disrespect you) but that is one of the
dumbestmost naive statements I have read in a long time.1. The NFL can have super teams. It actually does have super teams. Denver was one, Seattle was one and New England is one right now. The difference is the window those teams have to dominate and the injury factor. In the NFL once you win a championship and guys who are on way below value contracts they want their money. NFL stands for Not For Long and their window to monetize their talents are so much shorter and non-guaranteed vs the NBA. If the NFL had guaranteed contracts you'd see many more "superteams" last longer than a year or two.
2. Culture difference? Cheap ring? First off define a 'cheap ring.' Becuase last I checked you have to actually play and beat everyone to win a ring. I know this is where you mention a LeBron or Durant but that is a foolish notion. And 2nd off if you made a great deal of money you would have more security in taking less in order to win. Just the utterance of cheap ring is an insult. Is Brady's ring cheap from this past year because he took less to have more talent around him? Was Revis ring cheap because he went to NE and won? Was Deion's ring cheap in SF? Was Manning's ring cheap hand picking a stacked DEN team? Man the notion of a 'cheap ring' is a slap in the face to any professional. Disgusting.
Overreact much? Good grief. There is a way to have a discussion and disagree without the level of antagonism that is in your post. And if my post is one of the "most naive statements" you have read in awhile you must live under a rock.
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2 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:
Wait, people still watch the NBA??
I do, although I have to admit when you know the two teams that will be in the finals barring major injuries before the season even starts it really starts to make it hard to stay interested.
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15 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:
Right up front, I should say that I generally am an admirer of Colin Cowherd, but I don't watch since he moved to Fox. Not a fan of that network.
That said, he's got things completely mixed up. The systems in place for players in the two leagues are completely different. The players hold all the cards in the NBA. They can move around freely.
But in the NFL, if Andrew Luck said he wanted out, the Colts wouldn't have to honor that. Why should they. He's got a big contract, and no one is promised anything, and football is a bigger team game than Basketball. If Luck's contract were up, the team could just slap a franchise tag on him for a year or two or three, just as Washington has with Kirk Cousins.
Owners and teams have the power and leverage in the NFL. This is not about Andrew Luck or Aaron Rodgers. This is about how the leagues and the respective players unions run things.
Completely different.
By the way, unless something has changed, Luck is Cowherd's favorite player. Loves the guy. If he's not 1st, then he's likely in the top-5.
Well said, NCF. And I agree that Cowherd is very high on Luck. I don't think he is necessarily high on the Colts as an organization, however. Some of that maybe fair in the wake of Grigson, but I do agree with others that he and other media members seem to really blow out of proportion how bad a place to live Indiana is. Especially a neat city like Indy. Free agents do seem to come to Indy pretty willingly in the NFL. Maybe not so much in the NBA with the Pacers, but that I think is due more to a franchise that has been a bit dysfunctional the last few seasons.
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Did anyone catch Colin Cowherd's show today? A big part of his show today was about NBA free agents needing to get out of bad situations with teams that weren't doing enough to help them win now. One of the players that was discussed as needing to get the hell out of dodge was Paul George. After discussing this, Cowherd segued into a discussion of the NFL. He asked the question to the audience of why NFL players (specifically QBs) aren't following suit with NBA stars in demanding trades and/or not showing blind loyalty to the franchise that drafted them.
The question posed was general, however, Cowherd quickly made this segment specifically about Andrew Luck and the Colts. He stated that as far as he could tell, Andrew Luck's situation was the same as Paul George on the Pacers. Both on teams that weren't doing anything to help their respective star and both stuck in Indianapolis -- a city that doesn't attract any free agents. He said that Luck (and Aaron Rodgers -- who was sort of looped into the discussion) should be on the phone with his agent and looking around at other teams to go to.
I actually generally like Cowherd, but I thought this comparison to Paul George and the Pacers was very apples to oranges. For one, in the NFL, you really can't form "Superteams" like you can in the NBA these days. For one, the biggest stars are the QBs, and Luck, Rogers, and Brady aren't going to all play for the Patriots to win a ring because there is only one of them that can be a starter. In the NBA the players are much more interchangeable. Sure, you have five different positions, but the line between each of these is becoming more and more blurred in today's NBA. This is a huge difference from the NFL where you have 11 guys on each side of the ball that all are specialists in what they do. It makes it really hard to have the "best" at each position on the same team because there is so much ground to cover.
I also think there is a clear "culture" difference between the NBA and the NFL. I don't think players are looking for a cheap ring in the NFL like they are in the NBA. I also think this is part of the reason why the NBA ratings are taking a hit -- people are somewhat turned off by this "if you can't beat em join em" mentality in the NBA right now.
Just my two cents.
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16 hours ago, bleevit said:
If Luck's rehab spills over into the regular season, so be it. If the defense pans out, they can beat LA and Cleveland without him. If Tolzien has a good game or two, they might win 3 or 4. He has, after all gotten most of the first team snaps so far and likely will get more in camp. To be competitive for the division title the Colts need a HEALTHY Luck back. Relax folks, IMO this team will be VERY good this year (remind me if I'm wrong).
If Tolzien is starting at the beginning of the season, I am not feeling good about any game he is in. At times he doesn't look half bad, but just like in college at Wisconsin, he plays way too erratically. I might give us CLE, but I doubt we win on the road in LA if he is the starter.
Our defense should be better, but that those are going to be some of the first few games of the year for essentially an entirely brand new defensive unit. They will need time to gel, and will need the offense to cover for them early on.
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This is more an indictment on the AFC South than anything else. I actually agree that Pagano is the best HC in the division, but that isn't saying too much. I think O'Brien is the only one you could make a case for being better, but quite honestly, QB or not, he has taken a very talented roster in Houston and has only managed to get blown out by 30 at home and then followed it up by beating a 3rd string QB in the playoffs. If the Colts defense was even average in either of the last two years he doesn't even make the playoffs -- and one of those years we didn't even really have Luck at all (I don't count the first few games in '15 where he was clearly playing injured). I think Pagano has clearly proven to be better in both the regular season and playoffs.
All that said, I think Pagano is fairly average as a HC. However, I am pulling for him to prove us all wrong and show he is better than that by making the playoffs this season and (hopefully) even winning a game or two once he is there.
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20 hours ago, Gabriel Alexander Morillo said:
Good thing this is a no expectations year for us considering our coach is a lameduck. Regardless of record Pagano will be let go. Let's just hope we see improvement from all our layers.
If Colts miss the playoffs again then yes, Pagano will be gone. If they make playoffs, I think it will be close call. If they make playoffs and win a game or two Pagano will definitely be back. JMO.
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Just now, DougDew said:
He's a d lineman. After the changes/additions made to the DL this offseason, it makes no sense to take a chance on a rookie DL when we still need to fill the holes we had after round 1.
Certainly not going to argue there are bigger "needs" on the defense. But if McDowell is sitting there when the Colts pick next, it would be hard not to see him as the BPA at that point. We will see the limits of that philosophy with Ballard if he is.
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4 minutes ago, DougDew said:
That's the problem that few see. Attitude draws down athleticism to the point of making him JAG.
Yes, he would definitely be a "high risk/high reward" type pick. Because the problem with a guy like that is he can affect the rest of your defense with his attitude. However, if Pagano and the leaders on defense can turn that around, you potentially have another game-changer on defense along with Hooker and Davis.
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4 hours ago, Finball said:
Really talented but some big questions when it comes to effort/character.
4 hours ago, ColtsBlitz said:Doesn't sound like a Ballard pick unless he gets some 1 on 1 time with him.
Being a MSU guy, I have watched a lot of McDowell the past couple of seasons. The dude has top 10 physical talent. Before this past season where MSU fell off a cliff, he was projected to be a possible top 3 draft pick. He really is that good.
The problem with him is that he takes plays off. He did routinely face double teams this past year, but all too often he would clearly take the play off and not put forth 100%. Now maybe a motivational coach like Pagano is exactly what he needs. I would honestly be ecstatic if the Colts could get him tonight, because talent wise it would be a huge steal.
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1. Bears - This move really doesn't make any sense on any level.
2. KC - This move makes sense as a high risk/high reward type move. It helps that there is good coaching there.
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We really need a CB, but I know next to nothing about who is left. McDowell from MSU is a top 10 talent on the dline that is still left due to personality/work ethic issues, but he could be an absolute steal. I also hope we get Mixon in Round 3.
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56 minutes ago, SkyBane said:
Actually an act of god basically describes exactly why teams passed on Hooker. There was this mad dash for mediocre offensive skill players that I still can't explain, by a bunch of panicked teams desperate for a quick fix. The Bears and Texans in particular made moves that leave them particularly vulnerable to their high risk gambles collapsing their franchises for a couple years if they don't pan out. Just some silly stuff went down yesterday.
I tend to agree on the Bears. That was a lot to give up to move up one spot to draft a guy who is being drafted almost purely on potential. On the other hand, I think the Texans made a very good move last night (hate to say it). Watson has a very high floor. Not as a high a ceiling as the other two guys selected or as Kizer, but he is going to be solid -- which with as good a roster as Houston has is enough. They got a lot better last night.
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I didn't watch it but saw a picture on FB. I would have asked what he was doing to stay in shape. Luck looked incredibly skinny. He looks like this forced rest is taking its toll on his muscle mass. Hopefully he is able to put that back on before the season starts -- especially given our OL play.
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I actually liked DQ when he first came on here. I thought he helped the D, specifically against the run. However, this move wasn't unexpected. DQ is probably pretty close to done at this point, and the PED suspension didn't help anything.
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I feel like Chud's offense was more diverse when he was with Carolina and Cleveland, and so I am not sure how much of it is Chud and how much of it is Pagano. A few on here have insinuated that it is Pagano who is encouraging the long route concepts for chunk plays, but regardless this is a problem when it is over utilized, and this is before you even factor in the Oline struggles with pass protection for long developing plays.
In sum, yes, there are concerns and hopefully the new GM, even if Pagano stays, can shift the offensive philosophy back to a more ball control/quick, short passing offense. (Not that large chunk plays can't be called here and there to keep the D honest)
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1 hour ago, Jason_S said:
my biggest issues are 1) abandoning the running game and 2) all the empty backfield formations on 3rd and 4th and short.
Or better yet, empty backfield on 3rd and 1 or 2.
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Also, piggybacking on the previous post, according to Colin Cowherd and numerous other talking heads, this is seen as a very desirable job for potential GMs around the league. The same would be the case for potential head coaches. Hiring Raye and keeping Pagano feels like "settling" when Irsay has such a wide selection available.
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I know Irsay is in a much better position than all of us to know whether Raye is a good choice, but I will still be very disappointed if he is the pick for new GM. I think there needs to be a full-fledged house cleaning that includes Raye and Pagano being shown the door. Honestly I feel that Pagano being replaced is actually more important. Luck's prime is limited and the Colts need to shake up the way things are run.
If Raye is promoted to GM and Pagano is kept as HC, really what has changed at that point outside of a guy who no one liked on a personal level being gone?
The NFL Needs a Healthy Andrew Luck *Article*
in Colts Football
Posted
I like Mariota and think he's a solid QB. I am not ready to put him even with the 2nd tier guys though. And I am not sure he has the potential to be "great," just very good. Admittedly, I only saw him play about 4 games last year (with 2 being against the Colts) so we are talking limited sample size on my part, but he seems to do well when his 1st read is open but struggles to go through progressions. He's still young so that can change, but I would need to see more before I said he has the potential for greatness. My opinion anyway.