ColtStrong2013

im not sure why McKenzie is still in a role here quite honestly. Needs to be accountable and benched going forward. It that’s the new model, it needs to be done.

Somebody make a play.

yes, I am aware. I was joking with you to at least give me credit in this thread for staying on topic versus Doug who somehow has the conversation on Matt hasselback and qb traits.

at least give me credit for staying on topic…

which is why I think he bailed… It was too good to be true. and he ended up being right in that regard, if that was his thinking. no way he lasted until bill retired. That’s assuming a) bill would retire (he’s not) b) they would hire him following bill’s retirement and c) McDaniels thought post Brady would be a disaster and to take the first opportunity out that he could.

no sorry needed. See my response following the one you quoted.

Isn’t it possible that he learned from his mistake as a super young coach to not rush into a gig without stability at qb, hence my opinion on Luck being a major factor? And I’m not sure he was going to get many opportunities following that decision. A lot changed with the Patriots over the years leading up to him taking the raiders job

my position won’t change. It’s not a debate. It never was. It was just an opinion that I offered response to when questioned. As Superman says, I’m not positioning on facts. It’s purely my opinion. You should know that if I was looking to debate about it, I’m not going to throw my opinion much into the mix. Just as Ballard took this job with the idea of Andrew Luck as his qb for a decade being (in my opinion) the main reason he took this job, I think the concerns of Luck’s health/future had a major impact on McDaniels decision to back out last minute. It might not have been the only reason, but it was the one that separated from other opportunities for Ballard, and could be the deciding factor for McDaniels. Ballard wasn’t walking into a clean slate. He had a coach he was paired with, that he didn’t want. Luck was the big factor. They can both say it’s not until their face is red, but Luck was always the elephant in the room. He was the difference between a playoff win and 4/7 win seasons before and after his final season.

again- I don’t buy that he was lured back for more responsibilities and a good situation as he was more convinced it was a bad idea… so much that he was willing to be a public enemy and fired by his agent. we may never know. There’s no way he stayed oc for bill bellichick over a head coach job with Andrew luck if he was confident Luck was a longterm solution. I never said it was a bad move by Ballard. It made a lot of sense at the time. It hurt Ballard, and so did luck’s departure.

I don’t believe there is such thing as silly rumors of a player potentially wanting out of what is clearly a mess. Pagano/Grigson end was a MESS. Also- it would be entirely wrong if he stayed, but guess what… he didn’t. He left the business, after playing one season after that article was written. We spoiled his career so badly he left the entire business. perhaps Ballard was the reason he remained committed for 2017 and 2018, because he had a clear vision for luck’s health and future. It’s not a silly rumor to me. That was smoke where everyone should have been paying more attention. I wasn’t paying attention at the time because I thought all of the rumors of his mental state and health concerns were overblown. I had a coworker that kept telling us colts fans that he was going to walk away. someone independently thinking and watching could see it coming while none of us could

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20692318/andrew-luck-committed-indianapolis-colts-agent-says Absolutely. There was plenty...

It's my conclusion based on the fact that Ballard declined interviews with many teams prior to 2017, including the Bears in 2015 and 49ers in 2017 before the Colts job opened. He preferred to stay in the midwest, but those teams didn't have a longterm franchise qb (or the ability to draft a legitimate option in the forseeable future). https://www.espn.co.uk/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/23134/new-colts-gm-chris-ballard-passed-on-49ers-to-stay-in-midwest Here's one article that states what Ballard states his reasoning being the location. But the article says that having Andrew Luck definitely didn't hurt with the 49ers nowhere near figuring their situation out. I can't find a link, and it might have been an interview that he said this, but Ballard once said that John Dorsey preached to him patience. Not only with roster building and player development, but especially with GM jobs. It has to be right, and that would definitely include having a franchise qb or the ability to draft one. It's the most important position in sports as we've all seen. It's ludicrous to think that Andrew Luck didn't have a major impact on Chris Ballard taking this job.

You should read the followups before posting...

We don't. Unlike Dougdew, I'll admit it's just my opinion and provide the links to the rumors going on at the time. There were question marks with Luck's health as well as his commitment to Indianapolis. See my above response to Doug regarding my call into Boston radio. I'm well aware of what happened. I just don't buy that there was anything the Patriots were going to offer as an OC to compare to HC for a team with Andrew Luck on roster... unless he was very uncertain on Luck's future. Just my two cents.

At least you put that it was your opinion after that first line... When did I criticize McDaniels for backing out? I've never criticized him one time for doing so. Matter of fact, I called into a radio show in Boston the day after it broke out and was on air for severl minutes with the hosts telling them I think it was the smartest thing that the Patriots did. They locked him in a room and made sure he was satisfied with staying as they were set to lose their Defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and offensive coordinator in one week. They loved the input they were getting from a Colts season ticket holder. Maybe practice your reading comprehension. I simply said that McDaniels backed out and it was likely due to uncertainty with Luck's health/commitment and then produced an article that discussed the rumors that were floating at the time. I only brought McDaniels situation up to highlight the difference in one year with Ballard's situation. Had those rumors been floating in 2017, Ballard never takes this job in my opinion. Yes he did, because he's smart. He knows the odds of a GM without a franchise qb, and he's damn near experienced it after Luck's departure. Again, comparing the two is laughable so well done in that regard... I'm laughing. Caserio might have gone into a dumpster fire, but he went into one that he dang well knew he would get to stack high draft picks for a few years while he focused in other areas until the right time came to bring a franchise qb in. He landed an mvp candidate in his rookie year at number 2. They took a chance at not getting Stroud, either because they weren't sold that he was better than Young or for whatever reason, by sitting at number 2 while the Panthers traded up past them. As Ballard has repeatedly said regarding drafting qbs, it's not an exact science. Caserio lucked into CJ Stroud, in my opinon and @OLD FAN MAN thinks he's better than Howie Roseman now... LOL

number 1, i wasn’t comparing the two. I think it is laughable to compare Caserio winning in his 3rd season with CJ Stroud compared to Ballard having the same record in his 7th with Gardner Minshew. Ballard did the same in year 2 and hasn’t had a franchise qb since. i didn’t say it was a plus nor compare their situation with that. I just simply said he doesn’t take this job, which is likely true. Irsay has repeatedly said that he was fortunate to land Ballard. Your post is confusing because it’s a rambling mess of nothing I was talking about. Number 2, McDaniels was hired a year later. When Ballard was hired, there weren’t the same injury concerns with Luck. So it was a totally different thing. And yes, Ballard only took the Indianapolis Colts job because he thought he had Andrew Luck, which he did. No one would have guessed in 2017 he would retired two seasons later. In Feb. 2018, the talk was different. If Luck was questionable like he was when Ballard took this job, he’s likely looking to land in a larger market with the ability to draft a qb soon. Instead he got one year of Andrew Luck and an owner and new coach that tied his hands for 3 more seasons at the qb position.

I think it's possibly the biggest game of the season. I can of course make that statement for every game going forward, but I like our odds better in the following 3 games than this one and the Houston game. It looks like 10 wins might get us in. I also know that a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, and we only have two games of Browning to know what we're going to see. It was a big game for sure. If he puts several in a row, they will be in decent shape. If our pass rush continues, he might find himself slipping with the pressure, literally and figuratively. I'm not surprised on the swing with the amount of bets coming in. Browning's performance and the win might be a small factor, but it's largely due to the amount of bets coming it at the initial spread. And the bets are flowing because of the MNF performance.

Maybe. I remember watching us blow the Raiders out and thinking, this season is going way better than I expected.

Just hedging what is on the books. I'll take the initial vegas spread over the majority of public opinion. Also- came here to post something similar. I saw you writing and waited for your post. lol

I don't see Sam as a backup. He's going to be our third option until his contract runs out. To me, its going to be Minshew unless he's just too expensive. I think they'll try to keep Minshew for another season, and then let Sam go in favor for a cheaper draft pick when he hits free agency. Sam could be a decent backup, and is probably the "backup option" at qb2 for if Minshew isn't able to be retained, which they would look to the draft for a replacement. There's really no way of knowing at this point. We'll hopefully not need to see Sam at qb this season, so our sample size is small and under different leadership.

grass is always greener on the other side…

Our odds inched a little higher tonight. keep this train rolling with a dub in Cincinnati. We’ve been due for a nice win against the Steelers for a while now. Let’s go!

Would we not franchise tag and continue discussions before letting him walk.?

this is important. With a backup qb. And backup quality all but 1 season of his career. Pittman has put up big time plays with mediocre qb play. I think he and Steichen are both doing quite a bit with what they are working with. Pittman has appeared to step his game up every season he’s been here. Even regressing with yards/touchdowns with last years fiasco season, he was 1 shy of 100 receptions. I don’t see how we can move on from him.