aReggie7
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Posts posted by aReggie7
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Pacers lose to the Bulls tonight. They are now 1-4 on the year.
Mathurin has had some strong performances so far. He has struggled the past 2 games but 22 points per game on 48% shooting is a nice start to his career.
Duarte has really struggled so far.
Despite the record i'm still excited to see how this team develops throughout this year and then what they can do in the offseason.
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Just now, coming on strong said:
at this point the colts would be dumb not to tank .
Do they need to tank or are they just this bad?
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Figured it was time for a 2022-2023 Pacers/NBA thread. Preseason starts October 5 for the Pacers. Regular season starts October 19 vs the Wizards.
I'm looking forward to this season for the Pacers as it appears they are committed (finally) to rebuilding this the right way. It's not going to be pretty but I think it's one step back in order to take two steps forward down the road.
Hoping the Lakers give in at some point on the 2 unprotected 1sts and Westbrook for Turner/Hield.
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What was that throw? At first I thought Ryan was just going to throw it out of bounds.
It is ok to punt sometimes...
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* Nevermind
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17 hours ago, Dark Superman said:
I was okay with the bargain-bin Ballard approach the first few seasons of having him as the Colts GM, but it's been six years with zero AFC South Championships and multiple years of not making the playoffs. Indy only made the playoffs in 2020 because the league added a 7th seed.
The Colts have a solid team but clearly need to add a few pieces in order to take this team to the next level. You traded for Matt Ryan, so why aren't you going out and surrounding him with weapons? You can't rely on a handful of rookies to take you where you need to go.
Chris Ballard being cheap when it comes to signing free agents does bother me to an extent. You have an owner who wants to win now and you're refusing to go out and get proven players who can help you win now. Your coaching staff doesn't have 10 years to develop players.
MPJ is the only proven wide receiver on the roster. Parris can't stay healthy. Dulin is a special team's ace but hasn't played much, same with Patmon. They need to get a difference-maker at TE. Cox has been here 4 years and only has 70 catches, 8 TDs, and 930 yards.
Yeah, I haven't been too upset about how Ballard has approached free agency in the past. The big name guys always get talked about and those are usually the guys that turn out to be bad signings. (Le'Veon Bell, Tyrell Williams, etc) I also felt that Ballard was more aggressive than he was given credit for his first few years. He didn't go all in on free agency but he signed a player or two each year that made an impact.
Last year the only way the Colts used free agency to improve the team was offensive line depth. Outside of that it was signing EF to replace AC. I was ok with it then because they had all these young players, particularly on defense, and you want to see what they can do.
This year the approach has bothered me. Individually not signing Fisher, Reed, or Glo doesn't bother me but losing all three and not doing any other signings is bothersome. 1 year after making a very concentrated effort to improve the o-line depth it is worse. Pinter can step up and I think the coaching staff does like Will Fries but even with those two I think o-line depth is a concern.
I think the way to acquire another high-end pass catcher (WR or TE) is early this draft so I hope that's the direction the Colts go there. I was expecting some sort of veteran WR to be brought in though. Regardless of the RBs there should be at least one more veteran pass catcher here.
CB and S was a concern going into this offseason. CB in terms of depth and S in terms of Blackmon's injury and overall depth. Perhaps they are no worse now than they were at the start of March but it certainly hasn't gotten better.
To me the disappointing thing is to see this free agency period go by and not be able to point to a single area where the Colts utilized it to get better.
The Colts absolutely improved at QB and DE with those trades so they are better at the two most important positions. Free agency is one of the tools teams have to improve and the Colts haven't utilized that tool this year.
The Colts are a young team but injuries can pile up quickly and the best years of guys careers can be behind them before you know it. JT was amazing last year but go look at RBs who had similar seasons...that's usually over by the time they turn 25.
I don't understand how the Colts let this free agency period go by and not utilize it in some capacity to improve the team. You don't have a bunch of draft capital nor a bunch of 1st and 2nd year players waiting. At this point I think we largely know what we have in the young guys.
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5 minutes ago, colts52761 said:
What LT options are even left?
Eric Fisher, Duane Brown, Terron Armstead, Nate Solder, Jason Peters.
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Just now, rayski said:
Unfortunately, history tells us Indianapolis with or without Ballard has never been a dream location for the higher talent of the nfl, it is what it is and Ballard has proved to be disciplined not throwing money after every chum and even when he would they CHOOSE to play elsewhere. It’s a two way street and the reason why Ballard is our gm in the first place is his skill set as a talent evaluator to draft because that’s what we do.
Looking back at our free agency through Manning and Luck we have never been an active free agency franchise even w a HoF at quarterback.
While i'm sure that the location has caused some free agents to not sign with the Colts I don't think that has as much of an impact in the NFL as the NBA. I think money is a bigger factor.
I think the main reason the Colts didn't use free agency as much during the Manning era was how well they drafted. They hit on a number of guys that they ended up giving second contracts to. IIRC they choose not to re-sign Edge so they could keep Reggie. Plus, the Colts were so good at premium positions in that era.
I think Luck landed the Colts some free agents. Frank Gore and Andre Johnson immediately come to mind. I think Gore was going to sign with the Eagles but he changed his mind. I'm pretty sure one of them said in an interview after they signed something along the lines of they were talking to each other about free agency and both agreed you can win a Super Bowl with Luck at QB. I believe it was last year that Justin Houston said he was upset about Luck's retirement because part of the reason he choose Indy was because of Luck.
I will stand by this: I'm not advocating for Ballard to use all of the cap space and sign huge deals. I do believe that the Colts should be more active in free agency this year than they were last. There are too many needs. While this team has talent and will be competing right in the thick of things they are not head and shoulders above everyone where they should gloss over free agency. I think it's important for Ballard to evaluate free agent talent (Autry, Sheard, etc) in addition to the draft.
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Some more thoughts on Ballard with regards to his free agent approach:
I've never been a fan of teams spending money just for the sake of spending money. History has shown that in a lot of cases the highest paid free agent signings are not viewed positively a couple years later. After all there is a reason teams let guys become free agents.
Having said that there are always some guys you can sign that will help your team that won't win the headlines or break the bank. Ballard has made some of them over the years:
Jabaal Sheard, Denico Autry, Eric Ebron (even if only for 2018 he was worth it), Xavier Rhodes, Justin Houston.
In 2021 free agency was used to replace Castanzo with Fisher and improve o-line depth. The rest was keeping our own and status quo. I didn't have a big issue with it last year.
After the way 2021 unfolded I don't think another year of status quo and relying on rookies is the correct approach. Too many needs to not use free agency a little more this year, IMO. I know Ballard's philosophy and not saying he needs to go in a totally different direction but the way things have unfolded warrants a little more activity in free agency, IMO.
The needs:
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Veteran Edge Rush(Yannick Ngakoue) - DT (based on attempted Justin Jones signing, probably need another big guy for Bradley's scheme)
- CB (signing Facyson isn't enough after trading Rock)
- S (Gus likely wants more of a FS, Blackmon coming off an injury, Odum leaves)
- QB (maybe comes via trade)
- Proven pass catcher (could be WR or TE, I also think drafting one early is needed)
- LT (unless they are content to roll with Matt Pryor and sacrifice o-line depth)
- RG (could just bring back Chris Reed and start him or Pinter and maintain some of that depth)
I can't look at this list and think it's ok to not use free agency to address some of this. Using free agency doesn't require you to make Christian Kirk $20+ million type of deals. I'm not expecting everything to get crossed off the list but I hope a few more do before the draft. (which there is still time)
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4 minutes ago, RollerColt said:Pretty much everyone has played a role in some shape. But Andrew retiring has had the most profound impact on this franchise. That moment alone has sent us spiraling for years and possibly even more years to come. That said I’m cooling off on Ballard. There’s been some chances to build for the future and we just haven’t taken them.
I think Luck's retirement absolutely had the most profound impact on 2019 but beyond that I think Ballard's decisions (can probably include Irsay and Reich in there too) have had the most profound impact.
I agree there have been chances that he hasn't taken advantage of.
The most desirable avenue for acquiring a QB is drafting one and you have to do so in the first round. Some years there are not true franchise QB but when there are ones you have to identify them and get him. That's the difference between where the Buffalo Bills are right now and the Colts.
In 2020 the Colts held the 13th overall pick. The Colts traded that pick for Buckner. Miami took Tua at 5 and the Chargers took Herbert at 6. The Colts would have had to trade up to 3 or 4 to get the right guy which turned out to be Herbert. Difficult? Yes. Possible? I think it's reasonable to say yes. You make the right move here and you likely set your franchise up for success for the next 10+ years. You don't and you remain in purgatory. For the record I like Buckner and think he has been a good addition but this was likely a missed opportunity.
In 2021 the Colts could have drafted Justin Fields. Over the last several months I have heard different people within Colts media (Kevin Bowen being one) who have said that if the Colts knew Fields would have fell to where he did they would not have traded for Wentz and instead have made a move up to get Fields. Is Fields going to turn out to be an elite QB? I have no idea but it seems the Colts thought highly of him. I would also add here that Ballard put the Colts on a path to be out of drafting a QB last year. After the season while he said they wanted Rivers back and he said he also told him he had to explore their options for the long-term. Perhaps a different message to Rivers and he would have returned. I'm speculating here but my point is i'm not convinced that the Colts couldn't have done something different to convince Rivers to play one more year. (thus potentially have Fields now)
These are not easy decisions to make in the moment but we have to acknowledge that getting some tough decisions right is necessary to win big. You either do or you don't.
I say this as someone who likes a lot of what Ballard has done and believes in him. He hasn't gotten some big decisions right though and the very top of the roster is not where it needs to be. Job security can change quickly in the NFL.
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Pederson is a great hire for Jacksonville, IMO. I can't argue against hiring him with his resume.
It still seems crazy to me that the Jaguars kept Baalke. I don't see the appeal and can't recall reading anything positive about him.
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What a game.
Heck of a season for the Raiders considering all they went through.
Haven't seen a Bengals game this year until today. They have plenty of good players but Burrow and Chase? Wow.
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4 minutes ago, Tsarquise said:
Imagine this team with a better QB.
The thing is Wentz has the talent but he just makes some really bad decisions particularly at key times. We've seen this against good teams before.
This game should be out of reach for the Pats.
And yes the Colts do need better options at receivers in the long-term but he misses open guys and throws into coverage. He just makes the game so much harder at critical moments.
He is excellent at QB sneaks. I'll give him that.
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Getting a lead, running the ball, and utilizing JT and Hines together. I love this start for the Colts.
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1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
I picked us to win 27-24, I knew this baby would be close because Watson is good. We got lucky today but I will take it.
Yeah I thought this would be close though I thought the Colts would have put this away a bit earlier. Despite the players the Texans had out, and not having as good of a roster overall, Watson is incredible and makes up for so much. His ability to escape and get it to guys downfield is as good as anyone in the league. Those big plays allow the Texans to be within striking distance.
But I was extremely disappointed with Reich's play calling. I'm not on the side of firing Reich but I thought his play calling today warrants criticism. They underutilized Taylor throughout the game. They also went away from TY in the second half. The only points the Colts score in the second half was on a safety.
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1 minute ago, GoColts8818 said:
Didn’t the Colts trade up to get Taylor because Frank and Ballard loved him? Please use him!
Wilkins now has more rush attempts than Taylor. Hines leads all rushers with 5 carries today.
Taylor still has the most rushing yards today.
I like Hines and Wilkins but I do not see the logic with the playcalling today.
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It's great to see TY having a big game.
The use of Taylor and the running game is puzzling.
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16 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
I think I would rather lose like this than lose 31-30 on a last second FG. That is just me. Losing on a last second FG would be a gut punch.
As much as I wanted to see the Colts win, or at least be competitive, I think getting your butt kicked like this can serve as a needed reality check for coaches and players.
The Colts had huge second half play to beat the Titans a couple weeks ago and the Packers last week. The best teams in the league are not always needing great second halves to win. When you win it's easy to become complacent. I just hope that internally the team doesn't use injuries/COVID as an excuse. The execution today has been an embarrassment.
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2 minutes ago, John Waylon said:
Nah. I’m done with this nonesense. It doesn’t matter who is playing or not. This is inexcusable.
As Tony Dungy was famous for saying:
"No Excuses. No Explanations"
No doubt that the Colts are missing some key players but so are the Titans. The Colts have given up some big plays and penalties. So far the Colts are showing that they not quite as good as we all hoped.
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14 hours ago, coltsfanatic24 said:
Brandon Aiyuk WR, Arizona State. He has great hands and speed. He’s also a good KR/PR. Good route runner and beats press coverage with ease. He’s a first round talent that will fall to the 2nd round because of how great this WR class is.
I think Aiyuk is one of the receivers who is getting overlooked but I like him as a potential pick for the Colts.
Overall, I think my favorite non 1st round prospect for the Colts is Neville Gallimore. I think he is a great fit for the Colts defense and would bring a lot of what this team needs. (interior pass rush)
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54 minutes ago, richard pallo said:
Poilan wanted to convert him to a LB. They tried it a few years with no success so they decided to trade him to Buffalo who put him back at DE. After that fiasco I have always been against taking great college players and creating a project by moving them to another position. Hate that strategy.
Are you sure it was Polian who wanted to convert him to LB? I thought that was Pagano when he was hired and switched defensive schemes.
Either way Hughes played 3 years in Indy in two different defensive schemes and didn't play that well. Failure on the Colts (really with both staffs) to not get the production out of him which sucks because this team was lacking what he brought to Buffalo.
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23 minutes ago, deedub75 said:
I don't understand him saying he regretted letting him go. Ballard has said when he has a price in mind for a player he won't deviate from it.
Ballard specifically mentioned Woods and Mike Mitchell regarding the leadership and veteran presence they were in the locker room last year. He said that veterans, such as those two, bring a calming influence to a team.
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The draft will be very interesting this year. (or the offseason in general) It's a very important one for the Colts.
I'm not convinced the Colts make a major move at QB this offseason. Mostly because 1) I have doubts about the options in the draft 2) This team can make the playoffs with Jacoby 3) With the Colts pick they can get great talent at another position.
Don't get me wrong...I want and think the Colts should upgrade the QB position. However, that doesn't mean the options available this offseason are upgrades. I think making the wrong move at QB would be far more harmful to this team than not making one this offseason.
Sometimes it's the things you decide NOT to do that end up being your best decisions. It makes far more sense to add talent in other areas IF you are not sold on these other QBs.
Don't get me wrong though. Jacoby should not be looked at as the long-term answer at QB. They might say otherwise publicly but I don't think Ballard and Reich really believe so either. So if there is a QB, whether in this draft or next, that they have full confidence in they will take him.
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Week 18: Texans @ Colts, Sun, 1/8/23, 1:00 PM ET
in Colts Game Day
Posted
Looks like Sam is modeling his game after Wentz.