DougDew

I've never been high on Ridder, but he's an NFL starting QB. I just have a broader lens about teams drafting QB talent than fans discarding them when they aren't top 15 superhero talent. ATL has not been considering a QB since they've drafted him, even though ATL keeps popping up on Colts fans' lists of teams possibly needing a QB. Knowing those fans are wrong doesn't mean I'm tremendously high on Ridder. He's a third round NFL starting QB, but not superhero talent. Pitts is more of a fast guy, IMO. Bowers is stronger and can break tackles as well as run away from them. I'd take Bowers college play over Pitts' college play. A QB certainly needs to get the receiver the ball. I would think AR should be able to get MJHj the ball deep outside.

I think the Jags game has exposed the team as being not much different from the Frank era. It has the same problems with a weak armed relatively immobile QB and JT in the back field, and no real receiving threat. I think defenses sit on JT and the short routes again. The oline is playing better and the play caller is better, but I think we are near our peak in terms of quality of offense. Hyperbole aside, I'm not going as harsh as 3-8, but 4-7 or 5-6 seems likely. Probably 7-10 for the season, with a weak schedule for tie breakers.

Yes, they understood that only because they were smart enough to not believe the words spoken by the Colts at the time. The Colts did not entertain the possibility of him being out for the season when they spoke about 4 weeks....at least it may have been a very remote possibility (like a fine-print disclosure) Speaking realistically often sounds like criticisms to others.

Based upon my limited college football watching this season (which includes a lot of UGA games and some OSU games) he looks like the one college player that is truly a generational talent at his position. And his position scores touchdowns and makes first downs, so its a great position to have a generational talent. MJHj looks great, but I don't know if he's that much greater than a typical NFL WR.

Yeah. I would think that the HC talks about player availability. He does from week to week, so I don't know why he would not be the one communicating all injuries of players to the media. Irsay doing it makes it sound like he decided it. Meddled. I'm not saying that he did meddle, but its a weird way to communicate to the media, IMO.

No. We think that Irsay knew there was a good possibility of AR being out for the season with surgery when they were saying 4 weeks (and not saying OR possibly a season ending injury) He could have said initially, "either 4 weeks OR season ending depending upon how our evaluation process goes". Pretty simple. But he left out the last part, initially, IIRC.

As he should, IMO. Long term health is more important than one season. It was going to be a yawner to begin with. But I like how Irsay played it out for two weeks like its a reasonable football decision and not about continuing a throw away season.

We will be staring JT, so our run game will go back to running into the pile for a 1 yard gain. Since JT will surpass Moss as the starter because of contract, we'll probably go 3 and 8. I think that TE Brock Bowers will get open more often in the NFL than MJH jr.

Yep. Some folks seem to be saying that the Number 1 is a Number 1 because they get the most targets. Well, the REASON they get the most targets is because they can do more things than other receivers...they can run every pattern successfully. The Number 2 gets fewer targets because he can't run every pattern successfully (consistently successful). The Colts do not have a Number 1. Defenses have been playing us that way for years. They have been playing us like we do not have a Number 1, and have succeeded. Our play callers have been calling plays like we do not have a Number 1. The NFL offensive and defensive staff know our personnel. Fans can't always admit it.

Sure, its only 5 games, and he can be fine in the end. Including the tweet that talks about the O being too complicated relative to the Os other rookies are running now, his struggles are seen as being caused by something other than the possibility he never deserved to be the number 1 pick in the first place.

So it turns out, Young isn't grasping the offense that well (you can kind of see that by how he has been playing). I get it, he's a rookie, and my standards aren't that high for a rook to grasp right away...so I wouldn't criticize that. But... If he's short, not particularly strong, not a rocket arm, not elite accuracy, not great speed, and takes a while to grasp the offense....what exactly were his qualifications to be rated the number 1 prospect? Production?...there are lots of QBs that have great college production who's size and physical traits don't project well into the NFL. Purdy, Minshew, Sam, Bennett, all come to mind, and I'm sure there are other QBs too that have gotten left behind. I never understood the Young love back then, and it becomes even a greater mystery to me.

Right. Ballard used them for something else. And Downs was a 3rd rounder. Not including trade out and trade backs that netted more 2nd and 3rd rounders....lets say that seven years of drafting produced 7 firsts, 7 seconds, and 7 thirds. Of those 21 picks, 4 of them have been for a WR. Downs, Pittman, Pierce, Campbell.....only 1 in the top Top 50. And no big FAs either. And 2 on OTs. Its not like a lot of picks have been used on positions that are more important than WR.

"that Tepper stepped over the coaches to select Young". @Moosejawcolt. There was more to it than just a feeling...looks like some actual tweets from sources (whoever they are). I thought it was pretty common thinking right after the trade up that CAR wanted Stroud.....In the UGA game he showed elusiveness and out of structure play and his stock rose quite a bit.

Its the lack of urgency that outweighs the evaluations, IMO.

He's okay. A 4th round pick is worth it. Folks seem to focus on production stats. Just watch him play. He gets open, which is good, but he never seems to elude or outrun anybody, and tackles easily. Adding him certainly shouldn't change any draft plans for WR, IMO....he's not the missing piece.

Looks and plays smaller.

Yes, he's a short and skinny speedster type, and not a lot of shake.

But he was a mid first round pick and AP was a trade down second round pick. Bust is relative to where they were each picked.

Yep.

No. I'm sure he got the full endorsement from the Colts. But that's not why he is seeking multiple opinions. He's doing it for himself, not because the Colts want him to. And he would do it if the Colts didn't endorse it.

Probably a net increase. The defense and running game is helping to win games quite bit. The passing game takes on a different look with either QB. I wouldn't count on winning a shoot out with either AR or GM. And its kind of hard to do a what if anyway, since AR hasn't finished games. I think if AR would have been able to play 9 games, his growth would give us the best shot to win the last 8.

No. I don't know about Colts Reddit.

But he would get better faster if he played. That was my point.

I was saying that from this point out, if we win the Division with Minshew at QB it would be kind of like kissing your sister...or brother in your case.

I agree. I was thinking you were saying that because Stroud's test didn't reflect his reality, that that kind of testing should not be part of the predraft process. I'd say to make the test better, or couch the results better, because measuring processing speed when under stress is a valuable test.