EastStreet
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Posts posted by EastStreet
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46 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:
All fair points. Good points. I just think there’s more. I think we were somewhat limited offensively... Luck only had a brief training camp and was only able to do so much. As the season progressed, so did Luck. I don’t think our viewpoints are far off.
we were very limited offensively. IIRC, AC was out early, Mack was out early, we were playing musical chairs on the OL early (Smith was still #2 RG), WR corp was a mess (I think Grant was hurt early), Doyle, etc..
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7 hours ago, shastamasta said:
Haha...I wonder what that word was.
The LAR have drafted 27 players the last three years...the Colts have drafted 29. So it's not like they just stopped building through the draft...they just more creative in how they allocated those resources. And let's not forget...they basically had to trade the 2016 draft for Goff.
not sure why it was deleted lol. it was't a cuss word. it was a round object jerk ....
yup, Rams are still building, but they haven't had a 1st round pick in 3 years, and only 2 second rounders in those 3 as well. they did take a RB with their 2nd pick this year though to help keep Gurley healthy.
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20 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:
Of course. No question. Remember, I'm here because I'm a Stanford fan. An Andrew Luck fan.
But I view football as the ultimate team game, and you can't win like that simply because you have a great QB. Especially since Luck was clearly not 100% at the start of the season when we struggled. Honestly, as good as he was for the 10 game stretch, plus the first game of the playoffs, I'm not sure he was ever 100% in 2018. I'm expecting a much better Andrew Luck this year. He should be healthier. He's clearly got a better team surrounding him. A better coaching staff. In theory, things should be much better all the way around this year.
That's my hope at least....
I'd say our OL struggled early, and is a big cause for the bad start. 10 of Luck's 18 sacks were in the first 5 games. Our D struggled early as well given the base and scheme switch.
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Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:
Ballard has done a good job but it is obvious if we didn't have Luck we wouldn't win 10 or 11 games. At least it is to me. Brissett might win 7 or 8 games. He isn't winning 11 though with who we have.
I do agree, but I think JB would have done much better with Q and the upgraded OL. What JB would have struggled with, is our WR corp last year. Luck made lemonade out of lemons.
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18 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
It wouldn't of happened in SB IMO. Rams looked out of gas against the Pats and Gurley was playing injured. Mahomes would've put 30 on them.
I don't know. In the Ram's win, they only rushed for 76 yards, and no RB had a TD. Goff ran for a TD and threw for 4 more IIRC.
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24 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
He did but the AFC is better. Pats or Chiefs win the SB no matter who they play. Chiefs would of beat the Rams. What I hate is when people point out when Peyton won his SB that he beat Rex Grossman and the Bears. If people would care to look we also beat a tough AFC in the Ravens and beat Tom Brady and the Pats. It's the whole pic, not just one game.
The Rams beat KC in the reg season..
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On 6/25/2019 at 4:04 AM, NewColtsFan said:
To your last paragraph.... yes, I agree that if a GM, any GM, inherits a bad roster, then no matter how OK his draft picks may be, they will likely stick on the roster.
But if you're a GM inheriting a poor team, and you draft players that are only somewhat better than what you originally had, then the improvement in the team will only be so good. Again, from 4 wis, to perhaps 6-7. That wouldn't be bad. That would be reasonable.
But when you suddenly pop to 10 wins, including 9 of the last 10 in the regular season, and you win on the road in the playoffs, then there's got to be something more there than just the GM's new guys. Those guys have got to be good. You can't do that well simply because they're better than the previous guys. They're much better. Yes, the coaching staff is better and the systems the team is running are better, but so are the players. They have to execute. And we did.
Better than we thought possible. Certainly better than when we were 1-5 and looked like a candidate for a top-10 or even a top-5 draft pick. The players are good. They may not be great yet, but they're really good and much better than what we had. The results are all the proof you need.
Again, thanks for the exchange....
might have something to do with our QB returning too....
the last year we had a fully healthy Luck (2014), we won 11 games and lost in the Conf Champ...
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The Rams also held NE to 13 pts in the SB... Gurley was not the same late in the year.
In short, the lesson to learn from the Rams is not to overwork your superstar. Defensively they were much more than adequate. I love Ballard, but not sure we need what is basically another * for Ballard thread.
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He was a freak at ND, and will be with the Colts for a long long time.
Has the attitude and toughness that you want leading the OL unit.
In 99% of drafts, 6 is way too early for a G. This was an absolute exception.
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23 minutes ago, superrep1967 said:
Yes, I totally agree on Reich the jury is still out on him I didn't like his play calling at all in the KC game. I also agree on Grant and don't think Funchess will be much better I hope I'm wrong he just drops to many for me. But I am a big fan of Ballard though and like the direction.
Yup, on Reich, he had ups and downs before the Colts. He's got a lot of weapons this coming season, so let's see if he out coach the competition. He'll have to go up against some good ones. He's got more talent on the O side of things, so we should all expect more.
Grant was a bad call. I like Funchess as a "package" WR, but he is not a well rounded guy. He'll be deadly in certain scenarios, but he's got limitations.
I really hope Campbell is more than just a gimmick guy. From all reports, he's picking up the route tree, which was not an emphasis at OSU. He's the best shot IMO of keeping double teams off TY and making the O "well rounded". If Cain can come back (and Campbell is as advertised) and be a well rounded X, they we will have one of the most deadly WR and TE corps in the league. We just need at least one of those guys (PC or DC) to demand attention.
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The good far outweighs the bad so far, but it's still early.
Best
5. Houston (older, but proven, and much needed rush injection to the DL)
4. Drafting Campbell which might have went against his grain
3. Nelson (he's the best draft pick, but he was a no brainer can't miss prospect)
2. Eberflus (best coaching hire by far thus far)
1. Leonard (Ballzy call at 36 and it was a home run)
Worst
5. McDaniels
4. Basham/Banner
3. Sitting on too much cap
2. 2018 WR situation. Grant was low end addition. Should have done more after Cain injury.
1. Neglecting iDL in the draft and FA for 3 years
People who say the draft doesn't count.... Sure it does. A GM should be expected to hit on early picks. He gets extra credit for finding jewels later.
As far as Reich goes, still undecided on him. Play calling was pretty meh on O last year. This year with upgrades at WR, another year in the system, expectations are higher.
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24 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:
Deja Vu
sounds like the scoop on Ebron when we picked him up.
if he works out half as well as Ebron, Ballard is a genius.
IMO, not really. Stafford throws a decent ball. He's 66% witch is just a tick behind Luck. Stafford had multiple WRs with 1000+ with a healthy Tate. Ebron had a drop problem there, and he dropped plenty with Indy last year.
The difference is, the Colts increased Ebron's RZ targets big time, and it paid off with TDs. Ebron wasn't a well rounded TE, or asked to be, in Indy. He was asked mostly to be a flex and not block a whole lot. And, he wouldn't have gotten near the targets he did last year had we had a decent WR group beyond TY.
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1 hour ago, WoolMagnet said:
Funchess is getting no love what so ever from the sports media.
I'm not expecting a surprise like Ebron, but I also find it hard to believe Reich can't find ways to utilize him (and his size) , and get some production from him situationally at the very least.
I look at it as , at the very least, we over-oaid a little (wont hurt us) for a stop-gap , and we're only in it for a year. If he produces, I dont see him getting huge numbers with all the other weapons on offense. This could help us re-sign him if Ballard so chooses. I dont think Ballard sees him necessarily as a long-term solution. Time will tell. I hope he proves the nay-sayers wrong.
We also have some interesting young guys, besides Cain and Fountain , who could impress if given snaps. We may have more potential talent here than we realize. Camp and pre-season will be very fun this year.... at many positions...: most in fact.
Reich should absolutely find great ways to utilize him. That said, it's going to be up to him embrace a new start, and rise to the challenge. In college, he showed great flashes but was also very inconsistent. The Panthers drafted him to become WR1, but he struggled, and ultimately was surpassed by a rookie in his 4th year.
I'm not saying he had a good QB, was in a good system, or Carolina used him correctly. What I am saying is that he was inconsistent, limited, and never quite lived up to his billing.
The Colts published some stats on him that showed he was very good in some routes. But it also showed he was very bad in others, and in short, not a complete WR. His drop issues go back to college, and aren't just a "one game issue" others would like you to believe. In his defense, he never had a QB like Luck, going back to his college days.
At the end of the day, it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out. I'd love to see him kill it. Getting more than 500 or 600 yards though will be tough this year if Cain comes back healthy, Campbell is the real deal, Ebron is still one of Luck's favs, and TY is healthy. If he's a vacuum and catches everything Luck tosses at him, Luck will remember. If he's inconsistent, Luck will remember that too. At minimum, he's going to be a mismatch nightmare in short yardage and RZ situations going across the middle. Having TY, Funch, Ebron, and Campbell on the same time is legit scary.
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10 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:
Last year not a single back rushed for 100 yards against our D, & that included Saquon Barkley & Ezekiel Elliot. I actually think we're on the right track as far as the DL goes, sure, adding some depth there would've been nice, but I don't necessarily view it as a weakness.
I'm not worried about our run D. It's more about the pass rush, and the fact we're playing 7 of the 11 best passing Os this season.
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19 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:
Yep. All the pass rushers were taken in round 1. If Ballard didn't like Sweat, then he had to trade down and take Banogu and a 2020 2nd. Time will tell if it's the right move.
Honestly I would have taken Sweat. All reports on him have been very complimentary thus far. Banogu ours though, so hoping it works out. And like you said, time will tell.
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11 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:
Basically this. Exactly the high risk/high reward type of guy a team should use an extra 2nd round pick on.
it's a crap shoot. NFL.com had him at 166, PFF had him at 102.
We took him at 49. He's Ballard's high dollar bet.
I love the upside, hate the lowside.
Pure wildcard.
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21 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:
This also goes back to the point ballard made on how he doesn’t want a team that matches up against any one team. He wants one where the opposing team has to try and match up with the colts.
all coaches/GMs say that kind of stuff. proof is in the pudding.... the draft pudding, the FA pudding, the coaching/play-calling pudding. we'll see.
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14 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:
I put it on my list mid-blackout. It just has to be able to run a small tv, small fridge, and charge the necessities. I could survive a year like that.
UPDATE: Power is back on and its so cold in here i can see my breath!
the one i bought was for the ND/Clemson game at Clemson in 2015. camped during the monsoon. i didn't stress it camping or at the game, but since then.... i've had it running a 75in TV, fans, a full size fridge, plus lights and a lot of "charging" things. it was well worth it.
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53 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:
I'm still waiting too.... for about 4 hours.... for electric service.
no idea what the problem is... the whole area is out..... but if i wanted to go camping, i'd head for the woods. You ever make peanut butter n jelly sandwiches by candle light? Let me tell you, its not fun. And did i mention its HOT and HUMID here in Pa.
while typing this, my ipad died, do do i run phone battery down? Do i move the party to my car in the garage? Do i drive to Walmart and creep around like a homeless person?
The problems we face in this whacky world.
by a small generator and you'll never have to worry. bought a small/quiet/cheap Ryobi several years ago for camping and tailgating. it's saved me several times and has also been a huge source of fun.
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I've had the same conversation with several buds that are huge fans. We all agree that we like versatility, but we're all afraid of that we might be getting away from bread and butter things. In short we like to be able to run ten different Ds, but we all question for instance if we would have been better served by going after an early iDL to shore up bread and butter. Some times you just need to keep it simple. I don't know the answer, but we'll start knowing in a few months :-)
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14 minutes ago, Smonroe said:
I watched his plays against Texas, IMO he wasn’t impressive. He did have a sack but it looked like he was losing most of his matchups. I’m no expert, so judge for yourself.
Then I watched his highlights. It showed the traits the Colts are looking for, speed, pursuit, good tackling.
Bottom line, he’s raw with a lot of potential.
TCU scheme was no help to him. And more importantly.... He got very very little rush technique coaching. He's a true wild card. I could see him not doing anything, or learning technique and being a freak.
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5 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:
Walker slimmed back down to his Junior year weight and both Quincy and Grover put in some work reshaping their bodies it looks like.
I like it!
Wonder where he lost it from. Saw him in a recent camp pic and he still looked like a thick * freight train.
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Really hope he works out. He's got nice athleticism but is very raw. Let's hope now that he's finally getting rush technique coaching, he can take it to the next level.
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13 minutes ago, rock8591 said:
He does not have small legs at all, just high calves that give that impression. His quads are also big.
Google photos has enough photos, I don't need to post any.
One of the digs on him from many of the "experts" including NFL.com was that his base was to slight and he lacked the necessary strength for the NFL.
Here's his combine profile....
QuoteUndersized but instinctive and rangy, Okerke plays fast and is generally on the right track with his initial reads and response to play development. While he's fairly sound from a technical standpoint, his lack of size and strength shows up in both tackling and downhill duties against blockers. He has adequate talent to drop and cover in space and his experience on special teams gives him a shot to become a quality NFL backup.
Weaknesses
-Undersized as inside linebacker
-Absorbs majority of force when meeting lead blocks in hole
-Below-average base to maintain contact balance
His legs may not be "small", but comparative to Walker and other Mikes, they are. Take a look at the tree trunks on Walker compared to Okereke. As I've said before, I think he'd be better suited for WILL or SAM.
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Could Chris Ballard Have a Legacy Close to Bill Polian
in Colts Football
Posted
yup, yup, and yup.
And with all that, many of those losses we racked up early were very very close.
I wish the schedule would have been reversed lol. I think we could have easily taken some of those teams later in the year.
I really think we will hit the ground running if we are healthy. Luck will be in year #2 of Reich's O, with a gelled OL, a much upgraded WR unit, upgraded short yardage rushing attack (Ware), a healthy Mack, and a healthy Doyle. The D will be in year 2 of Eberflus with a Houston, and a few nice draft pieces.
Gotta stay away from the injury bug and we should be gold.