Hoose

None of us know what has been said behind closed doors between the Colts and the Taylor camp. But the owner does no good by going public with his comments. That Irsay chose to do so appears to have set the entire process on tilt. It accomplished nothing and has now created a major distraction and perhaps an irreparable rift between mgmt. and it’s best player. To Jim Irsay: Please shut up and stay off Twitter. You’ve made a mess of things. To JT: You can’t win this fight. At least not this year. Climb out of your hole before it gets too deep and play your tail off. You’ll get paid if you play as well as I think you will.

Just give me a fun, entertaining, tough to the finish line team that shows serious growth through the season and I’ll be happy. I suspect the oddsmakers are right about the Colts having a losing record. But if the Offense under the new staff shows it has talent and imagination; if the D, especially the young backfield, shows by seasons end that it can compete with the best teams….then there is a bright future ahead for us Colts fans.

I agree. Being right doesn’t require announcing it to the world. Irsay should not have tweeted. I totally understand the frustration RBs must feel about their diminished value in the NFL. Their shelf life is far shorter than any other position. But that’s for the next CBA negotiations. Taylor’s agent is a stooge for going public and alienating the Colts’ brass. But Irsay is also guilty of running his mouth when the wiser path is silence. Let the negotiations take their course without creating any more hurdles. Meaning: let someone else take up the issue on behalf of the owners. Your team’s best player is in a holdout for goodness sake.

Regarding Richardson, I suspect they are waiting for CJ Stroud to sign his contract. Last I checked he was still unsigned. Young just signed his so Stroud should be next and then Richardson. No idea what is going on with Brents and Freeland.

Until the kids get some time under their belts, the CB position is full of promise with little to no experience. That’s a recipe for trouble; I’d be shocked if a vet wasn’t brought in to shore things up in the backfield.

Q: What player wants to commit to signing with the Colts at this point in the season? A: Maybe a guy who is currently unemployed and desperately looking for a job at this point. Which is basically any of the currently unsigned players still out there. Give any of them a reasonable one year prove it deal and they’ll sign. Now…. Whether the Colts feel the same anxiety that I do for the RG and CB slots is another thing altogether. We’ll soon see.

Two pretty glaring needs remain for the Colts: 1. Either starting or backup OG. 2. Another CB. Each needs to be a veteran. Each should have a shot to start. With regard to CB, the future is full of hope and promise but there is woefully little experience back there. Concerning the RG position, after the miserable experience the team went through last season, how can they roll the dice again with just Will Fries and no decent backup? I don’t see them doing that. Risner is still out there. He seems perfect given the Colts’ situation. Quite a few possibilities at CB. With camp just weeks away, something should happen soon.

I suspect it plays out exactly like you suggest. Assuming no holdout by Taylor. If he’d take 3 years $30m , with $17m guaranteed, that feels like a fair deal. But you have to assume he’ll want to max out his money early (4 years, $13m/yr, $26m guaranteed) given the reality of a RB’s shelf life. If no deal can be struck because of a demand like this, which feels likely, the Colts have to tag him, even if it risks a holdout.

Re: your Brady/Belichick thoughts: I think both men wanted to prove they could win without the other. One proved he could.

Agree. But if Woods develops as I think he will, this will be an above average group by season’s end. Also, if Leonard is 90%, the LB group is definitely above average.

Remember you said that. But I agree with you.

And there’s the reason why Rogers, if guilty of making multiple bets on other teams, will be made the poster child of deterrence by getting a long term ban. If he bet on the Colts, and especially if he bet on them to lose, I think he gets a lifetime ban. The League needs to stomp hard here; if they don’t, the credibility of their product could be damaged. This is, unfortunately, a very big deal.

RBs break down so much sooner than other positions…..understandably …..that it just makes no sense to negotiate another contract until using the tag at least once. Just look at Zeke Elliot, LaVeon Bell, or any other all everything RB we’ve seen come and go in the past few years. The position is just so punishing that the odds are your RB won’t last more than a couple of seasons. If JT balls out this year, I’d still tag him. It’s just the smart business decision, however harsh.

Amen. Best move: a great draft (minus a RG though) :-(

I think the answer to his fall is that he’s a tweener. As was said by McShay et al, he looks best as a 3 tech DT even though he played DE at Northwestern. We’ll see, but great value pick. However…….am waiting for the RG pick. Hard to believe they’ve waited this long but they must have a particular guy in mind for Round 5.

If they stay put at 35, Kelee Ringo. If they move back, perhaps mid second round, it’s Julius Brents. Either of these guys could be starting at CB next season. Besides QB, this position remains the Colts’ greatest need.

I think we should assume that this is the case. The Colts aren’t the only QB desperate team. You sit at 4, you’re praying that you don’t get jumped. No need for that. I can see the Colts moving up in a trade with Arizona after Houston and the Bears swap picks (the price for the Colts: #4 pick and next years’ first). A lot cheaper and they get the #2 QB. The Bears and Cards each pick up one of the top 2 defensive players that they were going to take anyway. Good deal for everyone.

In fairness, that second holding call was awful.

Maybe we could see how the rest of the game plays out before declaring this a total disaster. Bad start yes; game is not over by a long shot. One turnover by TN and things can change very quickly.

You know, to assume that Ballard isn’t working hard to address an obvious need at WR is silly. He’s admitted the team needs more firepower at receiver. He’s also admitted that without a QB in place it was next to impossible to attract a top talent. Now that Ryan is here, I have no doubt they are working the phones trying to improve the position. Let’s wait to see what happens. There are potential trades out there; a few decent FAs who can help assuming the price is right. Patience is a virtue in short supply during the FA period in the NFL. But patience is required right now. I suggest a few posters on here give it a try.

This needs to be reposted repeatedly. Ballard has turned the proverbial sow’s ear into a silk purse. Terrific job. He still has work to do on the receiving corps, LT and the secondary. I’m hoping for Landry at WR; the Badger at FS; and, if he can pull it off without killing the team’s future cap, Armstead at LT.