Flash7
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Posts posted by Flash7
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4 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:
I only see one part that I dispute. Some here don't think he's doing a poor job because he is not utilizing FA. Some just think he hasn't hit like he should have on certain positions. I can understand that, and don't dispute it. But those that are angry and think he's a lousy GM because he won't utilize FA, have to understand he was hired with that principle and that it's not going to happen. He sparsely uses free agency. What leap does it take to go from good to great? Do all great teams make dramatic leaps in free agency? Is that what I'm understand you are saying?
I agree that there are numerous reasons why people are critical of Chris Ballard, including his lack of focus on specific critical positions. More recently in this thread, with FA ongoing, the focus has been a bit more on Ballard's lack of activity in FA. That's what I was addressing in my comment, but you're right. There are other camps as well.
Here are the tools that GMs have at their disposal:
1. Draft
2. Free Agency
3. Trades
4. GM's can also get creative with their financing to make more moves.
IMO, to go from good to great, Ballard should continue to focus on the draft, but look to make shrewd moves using the other tools at his disposal. When he traded for D. Buckner, the team improved. I don't think the fan base would be opposed if he made other such moves.
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There seems to be two sides on the Ballard issue.
1. The side that thinks Ballard is doing a great job given the situation he was left with after Luck's departure.
And
2. The side that thinks Ballard is doing a poor job because he will not utilize all of the tools (FA) to improve the team.
I think a true assessment involves both. Ballard has done a very good job given all of the circumstances. He also has shied away from utilizing Free Agency to find difference makers. He seems to always be looking for good backups and role players.
Overall, has fielded good teams. He will continue to field good teams, including this year. But, so far it appears that he will NEVER take the leap that it takes to go from good to great. He's too risk averse.
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Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:
The NFL will probably be cruel and make the colts play in Houston game one.😅
That would be better for the Colts. AR will not be on IR yet.
Joking....just joking!
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Just now, Bravo said:
Oh I’m excited for the season..
What has Ballard really done to build excitement for the Colts season? Running it back with a non playoff team while other division rivals have looked to improve even after making the playoffs.
Should all Colts fans blindly cheer for the Owner, GM, and players when it seems they aren’t giving their best effort and we haven’t made the playoffs since 2020 and haven’t won our division since 2014!?
Yes!!! All good fans must get in line and like whatever the Owner, GM, and players say or do.
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Honestly, all they needed was Nico Collins. We couldn't figure out how to guard that dude in two games last year.
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3 minutes ago, Mikemccoy84 said:
This roster is fine. It may not be what people want but if manning was the quarterback they would be division favorites. He won with several rosters that were worse than this.
This roster would get demolished by the Colts rosters from 2003-2007.
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Sounds like people are expecting another season where we are on the cusp of making the playoffs, but on the outside looking in.
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7 minutes ago, PRnum1 said:
It won't be Ballard. Ballard got a "get out jail free card" when AR hurt himself last season.
This will essentially be viewed as AR's rookie season by Irsay. Ballard must be the luckiest man alive. In fact Ballard should play the 800M powerball.
As far as scapegoats it will either be Gus or Jim Bob Cooter
Ballard drafted one of the riskiest players in last year’s draft in AR. He had a history of injuries in college and very little experience.
Ballard gambled and lost in year one.
Let’s hope AR can stay healthy, but no doubt last year was not a get out of jail free card.
Ballard finally drafted “his” QB and got only 4 games out of him.
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3 minutes ago, BlackTiger said:
A rough rookie year isnt proof of the future.
This guy posted this same stuff the very second we drafted him too and is just trying to gloat now when its far from over.
Hes trying too hard to gloat and be right rather than let it play out.
Agreed, a rough rookie year is not proof of the future.
But, we do have to evaluate based on the information that we have, and so far, it has not been positive results, unfortunately. Only 4 games played with a concussion and a season ending shoulder injury isn't what you'd hope for.
I'm not aware of the OP's posting history, but I can definitely see that if he's gloating now, it would be annoying.
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7 minutes ago, BlackTiger said:
It blows mine that you are trying so hard to be the very first to declare him a bust without giving him a chance.
You posted this the very minute we drafted him, and again when he got hurt and again now for some reason.
He could be good some day and you have nothing to prove other wise. Stop trying so darn hard to be the first to declare him a bust. Pointless negativity that could be 100% wrong. You've been wrong before.
We have to admit that year 1 has resulted in only 4 games played. During those 4 games, he's suffered a concussion and a season ending shoulder injury. That's not off to a good start.
Again, I hope he's not a bust. I hope he bounces back and has a great season and a great career. But if I'm keeping score right now, we're taking an L in year 1. You really can't make the claim that the OP has "nothing to prove otherwise."
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Just now, NewColtsFan said:
Thats your words, not mine. The team was trying to win every season. It was built to win each year if only they had gotten the QB right. And you’re operating with the benefit of hindsight.I'm giving Ballard a pass on the past QB situation. I agree, it's been a hindrance.
If you and I are to look forward, we have to agree that Ballard selected AR to be his franchise QB. He's hitched his horse to AR, who was, and still is a risky proposition, due to his injury history and lack of experience.
Do you agree that if AR does not pan out, then it would fall squarely on Ballard? I think we would judge every other GM in this manner. The results need to be better moving forward now that Ballard has made his decision on the QB.
I think that's a fair way of looking at it.
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Just now, NewColtsFan said:
The SLOW rebuild has NOT been deliberate. Ballard admits he didn’t get the quarterback right. If Wentz had worked out, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.I'm not sure that's a better argument.
"It's not deliberate, it's due to incompetence".
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Let's be honest. Ballard's been here a long time now. And this has been a very SLOW rebuild without great results. A lot of that has to do with his strategy on how to build a team, and a lot of it has to do with the QB position.
He's hitched his horse to AR, who has only 1 year of college experience, and a history of being injured.
Ballard took a chance on a QB with a high ceiling but also a very low floor. Year one is in the books and so far, Ballard's choice in QB1 has not netted positive results. Just 4 games played. If there is an issue with the QB position moving forward, that's now squarely on Ballard.
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We ARE talking about a QB who missed a majority of last season due to injury. The same QB who suffered numerous injuries in college, including a right knee injury from dancing. AR has already had numerous concussions, numerous shoulder injuries (including one currently), numerous hamstring strains, ankle injuries, and right knee surgery (all not good for a QB that runs as often as AR does).
It is incredible though, that even after these leg injuries, he ran as fast as he did in the combine.
After watching him play this season in just a few games, many fans walked away thinking that he needs to improve upon his passing accuracy. This is something that he needs to work on, not only to become a better passer, but to keep himself out of harms way. This will lessen the need for him to run in order to move the ball downfield and keep drives alive.
I'm not saying that AR will be a bust and certainly hope he will not be one. But the odds of him being our franchise QB are slim.
When you look at the best QBs of all time, Brady, Manning, Montana, etc. -- these guys were not athletic freaks. They had in incredible understanding of the game. They were accurate and had unbelievable timing. But of course, this is looking backwards. The game is changing. Let's see what AR writes in our history books.
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19 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:
Can’t tell anything with this defense until the secondary is fixed
The secondary was fine last year and we had the same defensive issues. The problem is that Gus's defense is too vanilla. There is no disguise to the defensive coverages and we are among the teams with the lowest blitz rates. He simply rushes 4 without many stunts, with zone coverage on the back end.
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3 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:
If he does stay at least there won’t be another evaluation year for a new DC.
If your corners can’t cover the pass rush can’t get there.
Agreed, to an extent. On the other hand, if your pass rush can't get to the QB it makes it much harder to cover. They both go hand-in-hand.
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1 minute ago, jemack said:
Even though I'm a little disappointed, both buy into the "keep the play in front of you" zone. I can't blame them, with the lack of experience there is in the secondary.
We'll see the same scheme next year which puts a stud DE either through the draft or FA a huge priority.
I don't think it has much to do with the lack of experience. Bradley ran the same defense last year with experienced DBs and Eberflus ran a similar style defense as well for many years before that. This is just what Ballard looks for when hiring defensive coordinators. He believes in this philosophy. The problem is that you need guys like Mathis and Freeney to have an excellent defense. We don't have those guys. No where close to it.
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This is the defense that Ballard wants:
"It's always about your fronts," Ballard said. "When you have a good quarterback and you can have a good offensive and defensive line, you've got a chance to win. If that defensive line can get after the quarterback, especially with four people -- I mean y'all lived it. Y'all lived it for a long time here in Indy when you had (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis coming off the edge when Tony was the head coach. That makes all the difference in the world and covers up for a lot of your mistakes in the back end."
Look, Chris, you can rush 4 people when you have Freeney and Mathis. When you don't, you need to mix it up.
Gus runs the defense that Ballard wants in Indy. Rush 4 people and cover on the back end. Bland. Vanilla. Opposing QBs love it.
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The Steelers will be playing their back up QB. They also have a low ranked pass blocking O-line. The defensive plan should be to use a lot of stunts and blitzes to pressure Trubisky, right?
WRONG!!!!
We gotta make sure he's as comfortable as possible. No pressure and soft zone coverage. That's how we'll win.
Signed - Defensive Coordinator Extraordinaire, Gus Bradley
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10 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:
If AR turns out to be a great QB, everything else will fall in place. It's a good roster, just need great qb play. Like every other team. How would you like to be a Bills fan, or a chargers fan. They are paying their qb huge dollars and what have they done?
Possibly. We had Manning and still needed players like Harrison, Wayne, Stokely, Addai, Edge, and D. Clark on offense. On defense we had Freeney, Mathis, B. Sanders, Bethea and a bunch of other really good players and only amassed 1 Super Bowl victory.
Some of those guys mentioned above were among the best in their positions.
Even if AR turns out to be good, we currently only have Q. Nelson (guard position is important but has limited affect on overall team wins or losses) and Jonathan Taylor who may be considered among the best at their respective positions on offense. Maybe Buckner and Z. Franklin on defense. That's about it.
If AR turns out to be good, we would still have a long ways to go.
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My view of Ballard has always been that he's a good GM, but not a great GM. I think under Ballard, he will field good teams, but his approach will not lead to fielding a great team. He is too afraid to make big moves.
I understand that big moves can backfire. However, they can also be what's needed to push the team over the top. My fear is that he'll continue to be good enough to keep his job for a long time and only field average to good teams, but will never excel beyond that.
I think that at best, the Colts will be a team that will continuously flirt with the playoffs year-in and year-out but that's about it.
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If we look at Ballard from a broader team building perspective, he may be below average. I actually think he does fairly well in the draft, but drafting players is only one way to acquire talent. Aside from the draft, Ballard hardly ever participates in free agent acquisitions or trades (with the rare exception of Buckner).
Ballard's philosophy basically means that he cannot miss on the draft because he will not participate in FA to make up for those misses. He will not trade to build the team, so we are heavily reliant on the draft.
Ballard is an average GM. He' may even be a good GM. But I've always said with Ballard, he's good and "good" is the enemy of greatness. Ballard will NEVER take this team to greatness because he's afraid to take the necessary chances at greatness.
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The Browns do what the Browns do. That's why they suck.
"Hey, you know what would be a good idea after moving on from Money Manziel and Baker Mayfield? Let's pay millions to a guy who has 20+ s3xual assault charges against him. That's the type of leadership and character we've been missing around here. What could go wrong?"
- Browns Management (not really, just sarcasm).
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On 9/10/2023 at 12:54 PM, Lucky Colts Fan said:
I just watched Anthony score his first NFL touchdown, celebrate with his guys, and head toward the sideline.
He was almost to the bench, gassed and ready to sit down, then you could tell he turned and went up and down the sideline thanking the guys that got him in the end zone.
That wasn’t coaching or a professional obligation. That was character.
Richardson is going to be our guy based on his performances and his progress at the Colts QB. Not because he's a good guy or just because he's someone with high character.
By all account, Jacoby Brissett was a great Colts teammate, earning the Colts Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination. But he was not our guy due to lack of performance as our QB.
I am happy that AR has great character. It's still yet to be determined if he's our guy or not, simply because he's a rookie and we haven't seen enough to evaluate him. Time will tell if he is our guy or not. Hopefully he is, but we can't make that determination based on his acts of kindness and high character, otherwise, Jacoby would have been our guy.
Colts offseason discussion / Ballard Grievances (merge)
in Colts Football
Posted
Yup, I can see that, but it's up for interpretation. Some claim Ballard is among the top GMs in the league. I would interpret that to mean that he's doing a great job, but good is fine.