richard pallo

I think Ballard and Shane are in lock step as well. I think Shane came here because Of Ballard and the opportunity to start with the quarterback he wanted. Considering what happened last year so far so good. Shane was totally on board with running it back with our starting 25. I think he likes his team and he’s looking forward to getting some good players from the draft. I think our playoff chances are looking very good actually.

It’s always has been about the quarterback. You have a good one and a lot of jobs are saved. That’s just the way it is.

Interesting. No 1st rd pick at all.

Here’s a question. What are the odds that the Colts first pick will have played in the Senior Bowl?

One thing we know injury concerns is not a deal breaker for Ballard.

I think I saw a holding flag thrown on him in one of those clips. He has great size but his footwork seems a little slow to me. Like his feet are stuck in mud a little. I can see why we have interest though.

We have our DT’s. We have a highly drafted ER that is eligible for a 5th year option yet Ballard was going all in on a ER in FA. That tells me Ballard still sees ER as a hole and a major need. More heat on the quarterback. That’s the goal.

Obviously Ballard, Shane, Gus, and the rest of the decision makers feel differently. That’s not to say they are not going to continue to try and improve the roster but they appear willing to let the remaining upgrades take place through the draft or subsequent FA additions. ER is the remaining hole imo. Ballard’s willingness to spend a huge contract on Hunter really says all we need to know. The fit is also important. Just because you’re a ER doesn’t mean you fit our defense. That’s where the major hole is. Who knows Ballard still might surprise us by acquiring a veteran for that hole. Still plenty of time.

I couldn’t agree more. You don’t go from good to great by relying on FA. You do it through the draft. You supplement through FA. The teams in our division that went crazy in FA also lost starting players. The Colts did not. They are also falling prey to the popular theory that your only chance of winning a SB is during the rookie year of your franchise quarterback’s career. That short window argument. I don’t believe that either. If you are successful at drafting you are building a long term core for your team and subsequent drafts build behind them. For me the big three positions you have to hit on are quarterback, LT, and ER. Ballard has done that with the exception of ER. He tried to fill that one and only major hole by trying to sign Hunter. Unfortunately he lost him. ER is our only major hole imo. I think he likes the players we have and the progress and upside still being there especially with AR returning on offense. I believe you use FA and trades to supplement your team not revamp it. Our division foes are taking a different approach the popular approach. I think Ballard is taking the long view. He thinks he has his quarterback. Now if he can find that premier ER we will be in great shape. So he still might be making calls for all we know and look for a Buckner opportunity. Or he might think he has a chance at one in the draft I don’t know. But unlike our competitors we don’t have major holes any longer. Just a very young team still growing. I think he’s the turtle in the race. And I think he’s closer to the finish line while most people think otherwise. I think I’m right. This year should tell us a lot.

That’s right. You play to win the game. If your starting WR or CB is also your best kick returner so be it.

I read where he excels in zone coverage and that is part of the reason he is being mocked to the Colts. Seems like a good fit to me. His pro day is Monday. He will run through the drills he couldn’t do at the combine. It will be interesting to see who will be there from the Colts.

But it doesn’t.

That doesn't bother me actually.

The new rule change effecting kick returns should not be underestimated. There will be many more returns this year. The Colts could really upgrade that position by drafting Cooper Dejean at 15. They would get an outstanding corner in zone coverage that would start opposite Brents and one of the top kick returners in college last year. Dejean is a first round talent and has been mocked to the Colts at 15. So Dejean seems like a great pick at 15 for me. I think he has to be in the mix.

I’m glad we brought all of our guys back. I’m glad we are returning all 25 starters. We are now going to find out this year if AR is our franchise quarterback. We have a solid roster with no major holes that need to be filled. And the draft is still in front of us. Ballard’s main objective was resigning our own but we shouldn’t lose sight of where he took swings to upgrade the roster with outside FA. Hunter was an ER who would have been an expensive upgrade. That’s with Paye and the other ER on the roster. The second was corner with our interest in Sneed. So for me I would not rule out Ballard adding a veteran upgrade at either of those two positions. It doesn’t have to be just FA. He still could pull off a surprise trade like he did with the Buckner acquisition. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with our first pick either. It could be a second or third or future pick. The fact he saw those two positions as major needs he was willing to consider paying for should not be forgotten. There is still plenty of time and teams circumstances are constantly changing. Brandon Beane said the Bills received the call from the Texans on Monday. Anything can happen. Especially this time of year. So I think Ballard is still open for business. We have our core back. Now we will see if he can still find a way to improve the roster. And hopefully add another veteran or two.

Talk about overreacting.

They turned it around last year with Stroud. This year has yet to play out.

I could see the Bills winning this trade. They have an extra 2nd in 2025. They could trade up this year with a 1st from 2025 and go and get a receiver. They might try to trade for Higgins or Aiyuk. They now have some interesting possibilities.

We are now the only team returning 25 starters from a year ago. Minschew was a backup who had to become the starter for the vast majority of the season. With Minshew that team won 9 games and just missed the playoffs. This year AR and JT return to start the season. All the teams in the playoffs lost starters and teams with losing records lost starters. The Colts lost no starters from a 9-8 team. I think that leaves Ballard in a very good position entering the draft. In the draft could he draft someone to replace Pierce, Jones, Paye, Woods? Maybe. But he isn’t forced too. We will see how it works out. For me returning all 25 starters is a very positive sign for the future.

That’s what I said. You wouldn’t do it otherwise.

Diggs is now four years older from when he went there for a 1st rd pick. His average years per catch has dropped with Allen as his quarterback. And he now has become a distraction and headache for the team with his behavior. They traded him and incurred a big dead cap hit for a reason. They decided to cut ties anyway. That says a lot.

Except now he has a coach and hopefully a franchise quarterback.

He tried to sign Danielle Hunter but lost him. Looked into Sneed as well. I think he was trying. There is a long way to go until the season starts. Bills just pulled off this trade today. He could pull off a trade anytime. The off season is a moving target. No need to panic this early. I’m not conceding anything to the Texans this early.

He’s been a distraction and a problem for the Bills since the end of the 2022 season. He blamed their playoff exit on Allen not getting him the ball. It carried over into last year and didn’t improve. He and Allen barely speak and everyone who lives in western New York knew this was just a matter of time. The Bills are Allen’s team. A prima donna receiver does not have a place there.

No choice really. Run it back with your good players and hope your young players make a jump. Hit on a few draft picks and hope AR is the real deal. He’s the big unknown.