gspdx

You guys are awesome. I have only seen one regular season game for the Colts because I happened to be back in Indy in September and got to go to a Curtis Painter game. I just won't spend the money. Way too expense to travel, get tickets, etc. Now that all of my family has left the Indy area I probably won't be there for a game ever.

And Big 10? Sorry, but Big 10 teams lose all the time.

Maybe they aren't complaining now, but they might if the clean up takes too long. If they can bounce back and be competitive again soon I bet they wouldn't complain. We will see.

I hope he doesn't have to run too often. Pick his spots, avoid big hits as much as possible, and use his legs as a game changer when necessary. Important to keep the defense guessing though; run enough to keep them looking for it. It will be a skill he needs to learn I think. Guys that want to win will do anything to help their team. They need to learn the best way to help the team is TO BE ON THE FIELD. But what I really want to see is how he develops as a passer. From the film I have seen he does have a knack for keeping his eyes down field when he starts to move out of the pocket. That is one of Mahomes best skills. He always looks like he is ready to make a pass. That and being able to deliver the ball from just about any angle while on the run. If AR can develop some of that he could be deadly. It will be exciting to see if he develops those skills.

Well - maybe the expectations will be really high, and not at least making the SB or AFC Championship game will be viewed as a major disappointment. I will living in Wichita, KS, when the Chiefs picked up an aging Joe Montana. Since Joe was my favorite player I was pretty excited. And although the Chiefs were competitive there was an expectation for more so many people were disappointed. I certainly wouldn't consider it a failure, but somewhat disappointing.

Josh who? Never heard of the guy.

I'm sure he's frantically, urgently, doing - uhhh - something.

So if we are comparing Ballard to Snead at the 5 year point you can't say Snead was better than Ballard. To win the Super Bowl it took him about a decade to build that roster. Guess we need to give Ballard a few more years to match Snead's performance.

In my opinion - and I think Ballard is a pretty good GM: I think Ballard needs to address the QB situation in the next 2-3 years to find a franchise guy. I throw out that number knowing that he hasn't addressed the QB position with a successful long term solution in several years knowing we need one. That is on him. But I also know finding a franchise QB is not easy. The Luck excuse has already run out. It is a fact but a fact in the past. I say this with the feeling that just getting rid of Ballard and bringing in some other guy as the GM is not necessarily a solution. Kind of like the QB situation - you can bring in another guy but will he really be better?

Until we find a franchise QB those things aren't happening. Ballard has made some mistakes. He does need to find a way to get that guy! I do like popcorn even if Ballard doesn't!

And we both know this isn't true. I heard Ballard hates popcorn. Saw it on Twitter...

I disagree that a plan that changes frequently is not a plan. Plans do change frequently. I see it where I work all of the time. In fact, in IT we now use - and it is used all over the place - a methodology called Agile that allows us to plan but also respond to changing requirements more quickly.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I think he needs to leave no stone unturned to find a QB. Difference in philosophy or approach.

It would make sense for Ballard and Mariota to both look at all options available to them. This is a business with millions of dollars changing hands, not a prom.

Not in this thread - but those kinds of statements happen. I should have referred to the silly comments about guys not really wanting to win, which was my etc. to the Ballard statement. Another statement I saw was something like Ballard never closes the deal. Never? That is just not true.

Agreed. I don't really care for the approach they have taken to replace the QB. I was OK with the Brissett attempt since I figured they saw something promising in him. It didn't work out. I wasn't a big Rivers fan since I felt like he was well past his prime. Wentz - I was OK with it but I really wanted Stafford. So now we are several years down the road with no real answer in sight. It's frustrating and to get a franchise guy is going to cost - either draft capital to move up, or draft capital and cash to trade. The reality is it will be expensive and there is no way around that. And as you said we still need a good LT, solid WR and TE. Maybe Granson makes a year 2 jump and maybe Pryor can be our LT at this point. I wouldn't even mind trying to swap Smith and Pryor to see what happens.

It's more than a two way street. There are plenty of us in the middle. I am not pleased. But I'm also not going to freak out and say absolutes about Ballard not knowing anything, etc.

Opinions are fine. But so many people make ridiculous statements like they are fact when none of us know squat really. People saying this guy or that guy don't want to win is just a silly statement and not even a good opinion. But we've got people here who know a certain team or certain person doesn't want to win. I appreciate a good debate and I am willing to accept that we all have opinions, but there is no debating with someone who already "knows".

Already improved our chances to win the SB. We are in a league with only 26 teams now! Just messing with you.

I want to exclude QBs. And I want to see where the high priced FAs landed in comparison to the team at least reaching the Super Bowl.

Does anyone actually have the data? Many see free agency as a way to waste money by overspending on the high profile FAs. Others see it as the path to build a Super Bowl contender. The truth lies somewhere in there. Looking at the last 10 Super Bowl winners - other than QB - how many of those teams made a high profile, expensive FA acquisition the year they won? Maybe look for FAs that were a top 10 contract for that year. Let's see where they land. Last 10 Super Bowl winners Rams - Stafford Buccaneers - Brady Chiefs Pats Eagles Pats Denver - Manning, the year before Pats Seahawks Ravens