WarGhost21

That’s what I love an hate about this team: It’s extremely balanced. We have no one great aspect, but rather everything is in line with everything else and defenses can’t gameplan for just one aspect. The only downside is that we have no set part of our offense to lean on when necessary, they all need to be functioning to help the others work well. If one thing goes wrong, the whole team crumbles, but as it stands, the offense is dangerous!

I was so disappointed with the fan base last week, with everyone being so gloomy and such. However, sifting through this thread and seeing how everyone is agreeing and looking up, without a naysayer in sight, I am reminded of how amazing this group of people that make up our forum really is. I love you all, and like everyone else here, I will follow these Colts until the end of time! Go Blue!!

So much hate for Ballard out of the blue. Seriously, people, what is going on??? Would you rather we go back to Grigson??

I couldn't agree more, TW. Losing 2 of our top 3 defenders and our best offensive piece leading up to a loss doesn't mean that this roster is talent-poor as some are insinuating. Sure, there is a drop off from Luck to Brissett. It isn't a massive drop, but Luck was a top 3 QB, Brissett is only top 15. The defense is extremely young and need time to develop, which some people are upset about. Ballard has had three drafts, one of which was focused on the O-line. This past draft was the first one in which Ballard was able to focus strictly on defense because the offense is so much better, and having 5 rookies playing significant time is amazing, but they will see their lumps here and there. Quit complaining, Ballard hit on a stud defender in each of his first two drafts (Hooker, Leonard). Give this class time to develop, I'm sure there will be another one or two great players from 2019. We need to stop being so quick to judge!

Sure, the drops hurt, and I won't say otherwise. He played poorly yesterday when we needed someone to step up to take on a big role with TY out, and he didn't deliver. However, he did look good still at getting open, and his YAC on the late touchdown was amazing. He's not a bad player just because of one game. If you would have asked this last week, the majority of people would be saying that yes, we should give him another contract. It's amazing how many of those people flipped that script after on poor performance, and makes me terrified for any players who might come here in the future, because with how it looks now they will be run out of town after the slightest miscue.

In his first couple of seasons, Ballard was forced to focus on the O-line and the rest of the offense, he wasn't able to heavily invest in the defense. This year, he finally got around to that, and we have seen some quality play from a bunch of defensive rookies, namely Ya-Sin, Willis, and Okereke. Give it time, he'll start getting us more defensive pieces, he can't fix it all in one year of defense-based drafting.

To give you an answer short and to the point.... No

Getting two Good-to-Elite defenders and another quality defender in the span of two drafts, one of which went very offensive line heavy, is an amazing hit rate. Not to mention that so far, we have received a ton of production from our 2019 rookies, with Ya-Sin looking like he could develop into a lockdown corner potentially and Okereke and Willis also playing very well. I would say Ballard has done a great job, and with the offense finally having a good line and some good weapons, we should start investing more on that side of the ball. I think he has done an amazing job bringing us from where we were just a few years ago under Grigson.

Some names for you to check out: Raekwon Davis, Alabama Derrick Brown, Auburn There are also some elite DE's: Chase Young, Ohio State AJ Epenesa, Iowa Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State Each of these names would really upgrade the Defensive Line

If we were to sent it back, I would look to make a deal for one of Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, or Matt Ioannidis. All three are talented young defensive lineman who could be our 3 tech and can move around the front when needed

I’m not low on Kelly, I think he has potential for sure, but do we honestly want a QB who might not play all 16 because he got suspended for something else? He has a lot of red flags, I’d rather have a mediocre QB who I know will play each week over a decent QB who might or might not be there. The NFL is all about continuity, having a risk along the lines of CK is a very ballsy decision

IMO, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think any of them are in line to be a long term starter, so holding all three of them is pointless when we could search for depth elsewhere. We need a more talented QB to get deep in the playoffs, maybe not Luck’s level but even a top 10 QB with this team is a contender. None of those 3 are close IMO, so move on from CK and draft a new QB next year, releasing Hoyer and letting JB be the mentor to the young buck and even be the starter while he takes a season to develop if necessary

Lol, I could see there being a few other ways it pans out, but I think these are the two most likely.

This means one of two things IMO: A) The Front Office is confident that Brissett is the QB of the future for the team, and grabbed a quality vet QB to back him after he gets re-signed. OR... B) They plan to let Brissett walk after the season. Hoyer starts for us in 2020. We either grab Tua or Herbert in 2020 or Lawrence in 2021, and Hoyer is their mentor while they develop, giving them a smart game manager to teach them the ropes. One of these two options is what I think ends up happening, and honestly I wouldn’t be too upset about either scenario, because it either means that Brissett is the answer or we get a quality Mentor-Protoge relationship with a rookie similar to the Smith-Mahomes bridge. Thoughts?

Hey everyone, sorry for missing the draft. I finally got a small signal and was able to send out a few trades, and as soon as I get some more time and signal I’ll be sending out more in order to shape this team how I want it. Thanks!