BluHorzhu
-
Posts
260 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Blogs
Posts posted by BluHorzhu
-
-
20 minutes ago, chad hugo said:
Our redzone offense is just...ugly
The beauty of this statement is in it's concise simplicity.
-
The Colts just made a 3rd down stop on what should have been an obligatory 99-yard soul-crushing drive by TEN.
I just looked out my window and saw a cat chasing a dog. Seemed appropriate.
-
1
-
-
Plenty of opportunity to win this game. The defense has held the run mostly in check and the offense is moving the ball.
Rivers simply has to start completing some passes. Nobody's asking him to air it out running to the sideline. Just make some 7-on-7 chucks and get it done in the red zone.
-
Time to call 'em as we see 'em. That 3rd down play at the 11 was just terrible. Rivers was way off on a throw to Wilkins, who clearly heard footsteps on Philip's de-cleater in front of the defender.
Rivers hasn't developed chemistry with a single player this season. That play was a poor call to the wrong player and that's exactly the way it turned out. Can't pretend I have all the answers but that play was ugly and field goals on the road will not do it.
-
The 2020 draft class just smoked the combine with record-breaking performances.
At this point Indy will have a terrific chance at 3 franchise players, so there should be even less motivation to move up unless Ballard wants to risk it all on one guy. Doubtful. Not Ballard's style. A move up would likely be #34 and a late rounder just to beat someone out for a QB prospect in that "Teddy Bridgewater" range.
The Giants are taking a tackle and at this point they can't miss. I wouldn't be surprised to see them move down more than once if they still thought they could get a Top-3 OT.
Herbert to the Chargers looks like it fits. Definitely a tackle headed to the Browns. If they let Joe Schobert walk, they must be pretty serious about either a FA stud or 1st rounder.
The trades are going to make it impossible to get half the top-10 correct, but I'd better get started because the draft is in my city and every year the guys do a winner-take-all draft pool. This year we'll be on site. Time to get to work...
-
1
-
-
18 hours ago, Breeze said:
I like the idea of getting one of the OT’s at 13. Start him at right tackle, move Smith to his natural position at right guard. That’s a pretty good offensive line and you’ll have AC’s replacement already primed and ready in a couple years if not sooner.
This is a spirited thread here fellas. Like it. A couple viewpoints:
It has been said by many that if you have the opportunity to land a blue chip player in the draft, you take it regardless of positional need. As it relates to LT, Castonzo has yet to re-sign and at this point I doubt it happens until after the draft by the mere fact that a great OT prospect may indeed fall to #13. In that case, it would be hard to pass on a guy like that.
One of the ways to mitigate QB woes is to strengthen your line and buy him more time. Drafting OT and kicking Braden Smith inside would make Indy's line the best in the NFL. Not sure how complicated that would make re-signs in the future, but it would go a long way toward
a) attracting QBs to Indy AND
b) buying yourself more time to make a wise move in the future
You can always move some parts around via trades, so I don't see any major issues with drafting BPA instead of pure need.
-
1
-
-
3 hours ago, ztboiler said:
We all know what happened the second half of the season...but once the dust settles, objectivity returns, and options are weighed...Ballard and Reich will believe (maybe rightly so) that Brisset of games 1-8 is as good or better of an option at QB1 than any of Rivers, Bridgewater, Dalton etc. for winning now, and developing a young drafted QB for the future.
Good points and thanks for the stats on Brissett. The mediocrity of FA QBs really doesn't leave many options other than to draft a rookie project and at least buy some time until the right situation presents itself. While I don't think Brissett is a franchise QB, he is certainly serviceable.
With all the moving parts in the league right now, it's hard to tell how things will play out other than in the moment. Everything could be going swimmingly in the top end of the draft, then Bruce Arians comes out of nowhere to scoop up a guy Ballard had planned to take.
I've heard more than one of my bosses use the quote "It's a fluid process." While I sometimes feel that's a nonsense answer that doesn't really tell you anything... it doesn't make it any less true here in the NFL where your options change daily based on the interdependent variables at play.
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, AZColt11 said:
if Ballard truly believes it then I'm on board that train and will hope like hell he is STILL the smartest guy in the room.
Your well-articulated response is appreciated. I quoted this section to emphasize some variables concerning GM decision-making process. The word "still" in full caps reminds us that in the NFL, you're only as good as your next move. That notion, coupled with the challenge of mediating pressure from team owners, can undoubtedly affect a GM's personnel decisions in the name of self-preservation.
Every night Dan Snyder dreams of meddling with front office affairs so he can get a head start on doing it when he wakes up. Colin Cowherd, in speaking of Peyton Manning as a head coach prospect said, "Peyton doesn't see all the people below him. He sees the 2 people above him."
All that being said, I don't believe that Ballard is in that type of situation and has earned enough street cred to do things his way without the guy writing the checks trying to interfere with the process. Irsay, like all owners, is used to having power and influence. In this particular case, he can relax and let the professionals do their work.
We'll never know the depth of that dynamic in Indy, but it's a true luxury to have a guy we can all put a little faith in for the future of the franchise.
-
1
-
-
No position in football is more important than QB. Fact. There are exactly 3 QB draft prospects (Burrow, Tua, Herbert) who teams would splash out for as franchise signal-callers. Indy would have to move up in front of teams with bigger QB woes than ours to get one of them and you can safely assume it would be costly.
Perspectives:
Indy has some draft capital to go with massive cap space, which allows some wiggle room in terms of draft strategy and trade potential.
Brissett is under contract through 2020, but is too young to be a true mentor for a young project. If he was the face of the franchise, we'd know it by now. That leaves us in an awkward spot.
There is no FA QB not named Brees (who will re-sign with New Orleans) who will be a franchise QB and even Pollyanna concedes that the Colts are not "one player away" from contending for a title. We never truly contended for one when we DID have Andrew Luck.
Say the names of the potential FA QBs out loud and tell me in your heart of hearts that one of them conjures visions of banners in the rafters.
The million-dollar question then is "what to do?"
As someone fascinated by strategy I find the situation to be exciting, not stressful. Ballard has long-term vision and will not "Trubisky" us unless he's certain he's got the right rookie. As fans at least we can have a little faith in that. Given the variables at play here I'd say:
This is a great time to play "wait and see" with your host Chris Ballard. He makes heady decisions both short and long term without getting overextended. At #13, the team is close enough to move up for someone if they really want him. I can't say with confidence that we'll have a measurably higher slot than that in the next few years unless, of course, we trade out of the 1st again to load up for 2021. If Ballard/Reich are that sold on a FA QB they have plenty of resources to land him. That being the case, you'd expect to see that move early in FA because at the end of the day nobody can outbid us. If not the case, we're back to "wait-and-see" on draft day... Ballard's strength as a flexible and patient GM.
I've made some reasonable assumptions that may or may not be accurate. This is an open-ended post with no solution required. I'd just like to hear some thoughts from fellow armchair warriors with a penchant for strategy and analysis.
-
1
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, danlhart87 said:
https://heavy.com/sports/2020/02/raiders-jerry-jeudy-jalen-reagor-combine/
I'm betting they are doing this to attract Brady
The notion that the Raiders would draft WRs with their 1st two picks just to attract a 67-year old QB is some pretty good satire.
The Raiders will be playing wait-and-see just like half the teams in the league. I see the Derek Carr trade rumors and am hoping they don't include Indy. Carr is physically limited. You can only coach up a player so much, so why not go for bigger upside?
'
Back to WRs, there were many who balled out at the combine and there will be plenty big-bodied prospects to go around on day 2 and even 3.
-
On 2/27/2020 at 5:55 PM, TimetobringDfence! said:
Fair points, I guess Im off. But we never seem to have a bigger possession type that stays healthy. Wayne was our last good possession WR. But I want a bigger guy is all. We just seemed to have relatively small wideouts starting last year. I know injuries were a factor.
To be fair, a classic Grigson Gaffe was Philip Dorsett (5'10, 185) in 2015. A reach at #29 and at that time not a position of need, Dorsett was a bust until, of course, he went to New England and became relevant. Dorsett had a stellar combine that year and I secretly wanted him, but not at 29. Grigson was like a kid that "saw something shiny" and forgot about conventional wisdom. Brutal.
-
Well, we do know that Wirfs will never make it to #13 after tilting the combine machine. That being said, there were several stellar OT performances and some of them can be had in the 2nd round. Ditto WRs. This plays right into Ballard's hands, as there won't be a sense of urgency to get Jeudy or Lamb in the 1st round. Take what the defense gives you.
If somehow Wirfs did slip that far it would be hard to say no to a 10-year starter at an increasingly important position. Ballard would have to feel like he got away with one if it went down that way. I feel like this year will be reminiscent of 2017, when Malik Hooker slipped all the way to Indy at #15 due to injury concerns. Thoughts?
-
I don't watch college football, so I don't have the game film perspective to go on. As more of a number-cruncher/strategist, I'd say this is a terrific year to use max gamesmanship leading up to the draft. As it relates to Jordan Love, he's simply not going to be BPA at #13. I could see Indy trade up 2 spots to the bottom of round 1 if they have that much love for Love.
Ballard & co are in a great position thanks to massive cap space and Washington's #34 pick. The FA QB market is deep and Brisset is still under contract with a $12.5 mil dead cap hit. Basically, Ballard can let the draft come to him, so any QB chatter at this point is wildly speculative.
If Indy brass has a rookie in mind, they're high enough in the order to pretty much move up as far as deemed necessary without giving up too much for the opportunity.
This class is loaded with OT and WR talent, so BPA/fill need will certainly apply. Every QB someone trades up for pushes one more blue chip player down to #13.
It will be interesting to see what was smokescreen and what was silent intent when the cards start being read on Draft Day. Indy would be wise to manipulate perception, especially with the Raiders and their similar needs at #12. Given Mayock's round 1 disaster (Clelin Ferrell) last year I like our chances.
-
While I'm excited about Campbell and the linebacking corps, I'm most interested to see this offensive line push people around six ways from Sunday. Nelson and Smith are in year 2, we picked up a couple new rookies, and got some new line coaching with Chris Strausser and Jason Michael.
We have a reasonable expectation of improvement by Luck and the receivers, but add in a punishing run game with Reich's offensive wizardry and there will simply be no answer for them. That balance is what I'm excited to see more than anything. They were talking about having a Top-5 run game, so you know it's a priority.
-
McCaffrey would look great in a Colts uniform. Imagine the miles Reich would get out of that connection?
-
On 5/6/2019 at 2:08 PM, chad72 said:
He reminds me of Dez Bryant, to be honest.
Definitely reminds me of Dez in that regard. Dez fizzled quick too.
-
Thanks for posting Scott. This was gold for us fans. We got a rare look at some of the war room process. We can feel as invested in the new players as the staff themselves. This is groundbreaking material and we're doing it first. This is a great day to be a Colts fan.
-
It's great to get praise from an analyst, but if 2019 Mel Kiper was a baseball player, he's clearly lost his fastball.
-
Chad Kelly is a high risk/high reward prospect who can drink like his Irish surname would suggest.
He flashed for Denver in the preseason and almost got a shot when Keenum was playing his way out of a job... then got cuffed after a collegesque bender and promptly released.
This is a guy you could develop and flip for a pretty good turnaround down the road. I like it.
-
The Titans had a good, albeit top-heavy draft class in terms of quality/potential.
The Texans want a Mulligan.
The Jags had swag and I thought their best pick was Jawaan Taylor at the top of the 2nd to keep Foles upright after what they invested in him.
No comment on the rest of the league. I'm dialed in to our division right now. There's a lot of new blood from this 2019 draft class that will make the division intensely competitive in the years to come. The South will rise again!
-
This article was weak but I understand you need filler on a slow news day.
How about a REAL nightmare scenario:
On April 24, Chris Ballard contracts the 72-hour strain of the Ebola virus after passing through O'Hare airport. Ryan Grigson talks his way into the Colts war room and chooses the pick at 26:
D.K. Metcalf
-
23 minutes ago, CR91 said:
People thought Leonard was a reach. Ballard will take any player he wants regardless if the consensus thinks its a reach
Boom goes the dynamite
-
Still waters run deep. I feel most confident in the long-term prosperity of this organization as long as Reich and especially Ballard are in the control tower. Neither one is a shock jock, preferring to let the team's play do the talking. Don't get too high, don't get too low. Build through the draft until the rules change and then evolve with that change. The intangibles are there for... I won't use the "D" word... but the nucleus is in place for a sustainable high standard of excellence whether or not we win 3 titles in a row. Enjoy the quiet confidence they have created for us fans at such a dizzying speed of evolution.
-
Return of the "Mc"
Love and miss this guy.
-
1
-
The beauty of this statement is in it's concise simplicity.
It's great to get praise from an analyst, but if 2019 Mel Kiper was a baseball player, he's clearly lost his fastball. 
Colts @ Titans, Nov. 12, 2020, 8:20pm EST
in Colts Game Day
Posted
The odds are now stacked against Rivers' ability to give this game away. Doesn't a double negative equal a positive?