shasta519

March 25

22 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

I’ll give Destin credit for apologizing and not just pretending like it didn’t happen.

I don’t know.

I’ve tried the “sorry I told you something would happen but it didn’t and sorry you’re upset because of that” apology before with my wife. It did not go over well. And there is a similar amount of accountability in this carefully-worded tweet from Destin.

Either his source was wrong or he was wrong for jumping the gun to be first. Neither are addressed in this tweet.

March 25

On 3/21/2024 at 3:54 PM, dw49 said:

I must have read this over 100 times in the last few years. It is posted over and over during the FA signing period . The post usually read something like this... " we didn't pursue those top tier CBs as Ballard prefers to build through the draft." It just occurred to me that that makes no sense. What does how you spend your cap money , have to do with "building through the draft. " Yeah .. now and then a team trades picks to acquire an elite player.The Rams did so previous their last SB . But for the most part , every team values their draft picks. I don't see how Ballard's free agent approach has much to do at all with how he values his draft picks.

Other teams do value their picks. But often they are also more selective on who they retain and typically more aggressive in bringing in outside talent.

For me, Ballard’s “building through the draft” philosophy sort of breaks down into a few key components:

1. Draft, develop and retain your own players, even to 3rd contracts. This build a strong culture and locker room…and fosters a sense of loyalty to the org.

The issue here is that you can end up paying more money for the same foundation of players. If you are a SB team (like Polian-era Colts), this might make sense, as you would want to extend the window as much as possible. But when you’re an average team, it’s hard to get your team to the next level doing this. Plus, eventually those drafted and developed players get old, as we even saw with those Polian teams.

2. Use draft to plug existing holes on roster. This often results in Day 3 picks starting/playing as rookies (as opposed to a vet FA), unless an established player has already been retained at that position.

The issue here is that while they gain valuable experience and it’s more cost-effective, it can also be to the detriment of team performance, as we saw last season in the secondary.

3. Draft and develop better than everybody else. This is meant to give them a competitive advantage and help them win on the margins.

The issue with this is it’s hard to draft better than everybody else. But also, in the NFL, you can’t really win on the margins. It’s only a 17-game season…there is just too much variance to gain a true competitive advantage like having a higher floor. Games are typically won by high-impact talent and playmakers, not having more above-average players.

Ballard’s approach isn’t revolutionary. And it has proven to be successful for some teams. But for whatever reason, he hasn’t been able to replicate that success. And he doesn’t really seem to be open to adapting. So my biggest issue is that the process has seemed to become more important than the results.

March 15

45 minutes ago, C_Lew said:

They traded Allen last night to Chicago for a 4th round pick, which only strengthens your point.

Thanks. I missed that somehow.

March 15

26 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Every player brought to the Colts were Ballard types. Both Parris and Ebron were brought here post Reich hiring and don't fit the description of what frank supposedly wants. As well as the Cain's and Fountain's. Really, only pre-Pittman Funchess, Pittman, and now AP fit that narrative in 6 offseasons. The TE's don't fit the physical TE narrative either.

Agreed, SS will have some different bent towards personnel. But I look at it as him teaching Ballard what's important, rather than telling him who to pick.

And PC was here from 2019-2022 and had R2 draft capital. Would it have made sense to draft a similar WR type early or sign one in FA?

And before PC, they brought in Grant, who was more a slot WR.

Funchess was an attempt to get an X WR, which they found in MPJ a year later.

The rest are a mix of traitsy, athletic pass catchers like Cain, Fountain and AP, Woods, Ogletree, etc. This has become Ballard's calling card recently for all players he drafts.

Granson was def a Reich pick though. He was meant to be a Trey Burton type I think.

March 15

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Who wouldn’t do fine with Luck, TY and Ebron (catching 13 tuddys) ?

my comment wasn’t about having proper players, it was about Ballard drafting and bringing receivers in that Frank preferred. Which was blatantly obvious last year when our new coach gets Josh Downs. Those types weren’t Ballard types, they were brought here for Frank…

But PC was the first early draft pick investment they made at WR though. And he was on the roster through 2022. And then they drafted Downs to replace him last year.

Outside of that, they were looking for an X WR until they found MPJ.

March 15

1 minute ago, chad72 said:

Drake Maye, why doesn't he get as much hype as Caleb or Jayden? Could he be the #3 QB taken and Jayden the 2nd one by the Commanders?

It is too risky to get to #3 assuming Jayden will be there. I would honestly trade to #5 with the Chargers and not give up a future No.1 pick, if I were the Vikings, #11 and #23 should get you to No.5 easily. Chargers need multiple stabs in Round 1 to replenish their roster.

In this case, I guess they would have like Daniels and Maye...much more than the next tier. Prob would be happy with both.

I think LAC is going to draft Nabers, unless ARI does something silly and past on MHJ. I just don't see them moving off that pick. Some have Nabers over MHJ.

Mike Will is gone and Allen is getting near the end of his career. Herbert is the franchise, so he's a young franchise WR. And Nabers is insta-offense. They have a new GM, so he probably doesn't care that they drafted Johnston.

March 15

2 minutes ago, holeymoley99 said:

2 wide open starting QB gigs in Denver (Stidham) and Minnesota (Darnold), would guess one may go after J.J. and the other Bo Nix

MIN could have gotten JJ, Nix or Penix from #11. They are shooting higher.

This move to get #23 feels like they are eyeing #3 (assuming CHI and WAS aren't open for business). Might even have the framework in place.

March 15

26 minutes ago, adubb84 said:

Thought this was interesting….Keeps Houston out of the first round

MIN going to trade up to #3 for Daniels?

The next move will be #11, #23 and next year's 1 for #3.

That MIN offense is loaded...Jefferson, Addison and Hock. Good OL. Good coaching.

This is a huge gamble, but I love it. Great example of building the roster and then going all out to get the franchise QB. And that rookie QB deal should give them some flexibility in FA.

Makes sense for NE. They are so bad, so why not just rebuild the roster.

March 15

4 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Yep. Now, the media doesn't have to be like Philly's media (reputation) and forage for things to bag on all of the time, but if the fans are starting to look like this is a perennial .500 team, why can't the media acknowledge the fans' opinion and press Ballard a little more on it.

He'll talk about the QB situation, and sure, that's a big part, but why can't the media ask him why we have never replaced Robert Mathis in the past 7 years or never got another TY or Marvin type of WR. No, Pittman doesn't count...and "trying to" doesn't count either after 7 years.

Agree. Don't have to be like some of the east coast media, but there's almost no balance.

And it's not like they only do this because that's what Colts fans want to read/listen. They went hard after Wentz, Reich and then Saturday. They will be negative when there's other scapegoats.

And in the past, the local media went really hard after Grigson. They won't even mention him, but the podcasters and bloggers still vilify him. There was even criticism of Polian (and his son Chris) near the end of that era. If pods and social media were around then, I am sure there would have been a lot more criticism.

This does seem to very much be a Ballard thing. Since he got here, he has repeatedly talked about his process/the culture. And because the media, pods, Colts Twitter mostly love him, they have evangelized Ballard's way to the fanbase. And the result is that process has become as important, if not more important than the results.

March 15

5 hours ago, stitches said:

It just means the Chargers are almost for certain picking a WR, because they lost both their best receivers this off-season. And the Cardinals losing Hollywood Brown almost certainly means they will be picking WR too. So... 4 and 5 will be WRs. And if the Pats decide to go with WR over QB then this means all top 3 WRs will be gone by 5. And if not... the Giants at 6 have severe lack of receivers ... Titans... Jets... Broncos...

It's going to be WR going 4-6, unless LAC talks themselves into Bowers.

I don't think we have ever seen this before either.

This might actually be one of the more predictable top 10s that we have seen in a long time. Praying that Verse or Turner falls to #15.

March 15

Just now, ColtStrong2013 said:

I disagree. Winning the right way and having a pool of star players that have integrity matter more… Would rather cheer for good guys that might not be as successful as we’d like than to have a roster full a character issues that win more…

I wasn't suggesting do whatever it takes to be successful. But winning the right way is still winning. And until the winning happens, there should be some pushback, not just positive spin. But there isn't really a voice like that among the Colts "media" for whatever reason.

March 15

2 hours ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

So, you think in an internet forum, if two persons are replying each other, others shouldn't interfere in their discussion? You don't even know how discussions work in internet?

I hope that's not the case. That's what makes internet forums great...you can enter a conversation/debate without interrupting or talking over people.

March 15

17 minutes ago, chad72 said:

They did have McKenzie spelling Downs and Moore ran a lot of swing routes and wheel routes too in college. I saw McKenzie run those with Josh Allen in Buffalo, now Shakir plays that role, so that can be a chess piece for Steichen. It took a lot to get Rice on the same page as Mahomes, he put in the work and picked Kelce and Mahomes' brains constantly as to what they expect when they see certain formations and how he can get the ball by sometimes breaking off routes like Kelce. Otherwise, Andy Reid's offenses are notorious for not being friendly to rookie wideouts.

It could be like Elijah Moore traded from Jets to Browns. Might not be a huge upgrade but useful chess piece.

I am all for it if they would trade him cheap. He certainly has all the makings of a change of scenery type. And even beyond being a chess piece, having someone that can push Downs or just having two good slot WRs out there (instead of AP) wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

March 15

2 minutes ago, AwesomeAustin said:

I kind of feel that’s par for the course to support the team. Colts fans are the ones reading and listening to these people. If they are too critical I feel they would lose their reader base quickly. I’m sure there is a fine line where you can be critical and support the team. I feel most fans just want to read and listen to someone cheerleading the team. I know for myself after a few negative episodes or articles I’m going to lose interest just for the fact negativity weighs really heavy. I can acknowledge they are right but still wouldn’t want to keep visiting that well.

That's true. And I don't think a totally negative slant would work at all. But I don't think trying to spin a positive narrative out of everything or hyping up every player is it either. There should be some type of balance.

You are probably right though...most of the readers/listeners want that positive spin. And that's a bit of a problem on its own because while we want to cheer on our team, winning should always be the thing that matters most.

March 15

5 minutes ago, chad72 said:

OK @Shive @Superman @shasta519 @OhioColt what were your evaluations of Skyy Moore when he was in the draft?

Do you think he’s a good buy low candidate for a 6th or 7th rounder? Not sure if he’s available but just wanted to hear your thoughts.

I loved him. Wrote essays here about how he was much more likely to be a good WR in the NFL than Pierce.

Moore had great tape and route running. He was an early declare from a non Power 5 school. Only other guys to do that are Davante Adams and Courtland Sutton. And his analytics were great as well, with a 45% dominator ranking and breaking out at age 20.

So far, I was incredibly wrong about this, well about Moore anyways. AP is not a good WR either. Given they both aren't good, those posts are wasted minutes of my life I will never get back haha

No idea what has happnened in KC, but he's not been able to make the leap. And it can't be because Reid doesn't like young WRs, we saw Rice force Reid's hand as a rookie. It's especially concerning too, given his draft capital, KC's WR room AND that he's been playing with Mahomes.

On the bright side, I guess you could look at Davante's first two seasons in GB and have some hope that Moore can break out at some point, given their similar college profiles. But Adams is a very different WR.

For a late-round pick, sure...cause it's a late-round pick. But with Downs already in the slot, it's hard to see where he would get targets.

March 15

16 hours ago, DougDew said:

My comment saw that the pro-colt podcast guy was framing the signings like Ballard intentionally stayed status quo while the other teams were too hapless and ignorant to retain their own good players and then had to scramble to find lesser replacements at a greater cost. LOL.

Why not simply assume that all three teams made moves because they thought it was in the best interests of their teams? Assume that when our Division rivals let one player go, they did so with the intent of upgrading the position....not just REPLACING what they lost. Blatant bias in the framing of the issue, IMO.

Yep. Maybe Joel and Holder are just being contrarians because the more vocal sentiment is dissatisfaction among the fanbase.

But I have long held that the local "media" in Indy is incredibly Ballard-friendly, to the point that they will often carry his water. Doyel and Bowen (sorta) can be critical, but that's really it. Dakich doesn't count lol

But guys like Keefer (when he was still here), Holder, the Indy Star guys, Chappy, all of the podcasters, bloggers...they all tend to operate like some extension of Colts PR with how they hype up players/moves and how they spin narratives. The bias is blatant.

March 14

Just now, 1959Colts said:

Another signing by Houston nobody is talking about is defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi. He was outstanding last year

Yep. They revamped their entire DL around Anderson, who could be an AP ER.

They have elite DL potential. Hunter and Autry had 28 sacks last year alone.

They are trying to be contenders.

March 14

1 minute ago, AKB said:

so here's my question, if we were almost last in points allowed last season... and our defense is staying pretty much the same... and we have the same defensive coach.. what's gonna be the changing factor to take us from almost last to at least improved?

You’re not to supposed to ask questions. Or at least wait until the end of the presentation.

March 14

16 minutes ago, AKB said:

DTs have been providing good value into their 30s. Hargrave and Cox come to mind most recent

They do, but PHI had to let Hargrave walk last year. And now SF (who signed Hargrave) is letting Armstead walk.

It’s tough to pay $40M to your interior DL, let alone when they are 30+. But we will see…DeFo should retire a Colt.

March 14

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I don't about the Jags, they lost Ridley, Ridley was their best WR they had last year. Trevor can't be happy about that.

They have been in talks about Aiyuk. Let’s hope it just remains flirting

March 14

41 minutes ago, DougDew said:

That sounds like spin. There is a good chance that those teams let their players go to specifically upgrade the position...Hunter for Grenard for example. Is he saying that Grover, Franklin, and Moore were some of the best free agents at their positions? I wouldn't know, but it I'll bet many here would not see that. It might also mean it was simply a poor FA year.

Holder is on Twitter talking about how great this team has drafted to be keeping guys they drafted 6-7 year ago. It’s always spin.

HOU swapped out Greenard (coming off his first great season) for an AP ER in Hunter. Also brought in Autry as well. Upgraded at LB and added some DB help. Can’t take anyone seriously who say they haven’t improved.

Grover would have gotten a good deal from someone. And Moore too. But that’s a lame reason to re-sign a player.

March 14

1 hour ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

We were talking about this. Looks like Buckner is headed for a extension which will add to some cap space.

I still don’t believe that Ballard will pay both Grove and DeFo into their 30s. But hope I am wrong.

March 14

4 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

The idea of this signing is hoping AR plays all 17 games but if he doesn't, we know we have a guy that can win a game or 2 in a pinch. Flacco is old but he is equateable to Minshew at this point. Sam isn't even close to either of those guys.

Depends on which Flacco you get. The CLE version was probably similar (though Minshew already knew the scheme), but Flacco was pretty bad with the NYJ the year before.

March 14

Love it. But Flacco should know that this is where aging vet QBs go to end their careers. So maybe he just knows it time.

It also allows me to post the dancing Flacco raven, which is one of the best ESPN graphics of all time:

March 14

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

No big deal. I just see it the right way and the person who wrote the obvious Moore support pieces is peddling pro-colts player dogma.

This is the time of year when we think of market value. I would see it as any player who is a fit for a certain scheme....that by our understanding is a unique "Gus-scheme" would have less value on the open market because he is less of a good fit for every other non Gus scheme. (To the writer, apparently...Moore is specialized to only one team...so he turns it around like we are suppose to think it makes Moore MORE valuable (from a price perspective).

But to simply say that because Moore is so good in one unique Gus' scheme, it makes him more valuable as a slot corner...that flies in the face of how the concept of MARKET VALUE actually works in business.

Having said that, I don't have a problem with the Moore contract, or any contract. Its weird that people do, because with all of the shuffling of contracts, salary cap increases, restructures, push backs etc, nobody really understands the consequences of most contracts, so they really don't have a basis for praising it or criticizing it...but yet many here do any way.

It's not just Gus' scheme. He was really bad in the same scheme in 2022, so teams likely factor that in. It's that he's a limited player, who can only play inside.

I also don't think other teams (like Colts fans) forgot how bad he was in 2022, or near the end of 2021. It's on the tape. And even last season, many of his stats did not rank well: https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/kenny-moore/

CBs stat-tracking and grading can be tough, given it's hard to definitively know coverage assignments, so always have to take with a grain of salt. But his stats do not match up with his PFF grade (who places huge emphasis on big plays).

And on that note, he had two pick 6s in the same game. But outside of that game, and even with the second-lowest aDOT of any CB, his stats were much more like 2022 than "the best slot CB in the NFL." You can see from the link above, and PFR has his passer rating in those other 16 games as 113 (vs. 117 in 2022).

The Colts also played a bottom 5 strength of schedule on defense and a slew of bad QBs last year (like a rookie Bryce Young).

Down the stretch, we started to see late 2021 and 2022 Kenny. 4 TDs allowed in 3 games, a 140+ passer rating allowed. Plays like:

Kyle Pitts TD where Kenny isn't even close
Diontae Johnson TD where he's 4 steps too late
Tanner Hudson TD where he just lets Hudson catch it and then gets dragged into the EZ
Chase Brown TD where he's slow to come over, takes a bad angle, gets tossed out of the play and Brown takes it all the way for a TD

Now he's going to be a year older, at a position where guys lose it fast. And he already can't cover downfield.

I am sure people think I am a Kenny Moore hater...and that's perfectly fine. Because after watching this guy for the past 3 years (two of them in the current system), I feel like I am taking crazy pills with how he's perceived. The comeback narrative was so predictable too...the media was even writing about it BEFORE this past season. Even before the CAR game too.

I don't care about the contract so much, it's the idea of committing to an aging CB (for more money) who can only play inside (with questionable coverage). It's a position they should be able to fill with a draft pick or should have somebody ready to take over.

Assuming the Colts SoS gets tougher (as it should), by mid season, I predict people will be saying "what happened to last year's Kenny Moore?" with the more negative people claiming that "Moore is washed."

Which is actually what people were saying BEFORE last season's "comeback" when he was discussed as a potential cut candidate.

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