EastStreet
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Posts posted by EastStreet
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11 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:
It is going to be almost impossible for him to make it. There is really only one spot maybe two left at WR. Unless Cain starts out on PUP. Reich did say he likes him but he must be able to play ST. I think Rogers takes that 5th spot and I doubt we will carry 6.
My bet....
53 man roster
TY - Z
Rogers - Slot, return, and Z back-up
Campbell - Return and Slot (by most reports he's lining up all over the place)
Funch - Possession X or Big slot
Cain - Prototype X (or PUP with Pascal taking the X spot)
Fountain - Prototype X
Practice Squad / Futures
Dulin
20 minutes ago, MFT5 said:it just makes sense to choose fountain over rodgers at this point. potential over marginal talent
As I've said before, Rogers 1) took a big step forward last year at slot, 2) was TY's only back up, and 3) was very reliable in returns.
While I think Campbell will take over slot eventually, I doubt they will get rid of a guy (Rogers) who did so much last year, and was the only one that could sub for TY. I doubt they'd ask Campbell to do that year one. Now next year, I can absolutely see Rogers not making the cut. But that's after we have confidence in a rookie slot, a new return guy, and a capable Z sub or understudy.
And, I think this is a year you keep 6 WRs on the 53 man roster. With Cain coming back, TY's injury history last year, a rookie drafted early, and a first year guy (Funch) learning the O.
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7 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:
I'm calling my shot right here, Fountain is making the 53 man roster this year.
It was said multiple times last year by Ballard that he would need some time to tap into his raw ability.....listed below are his explosive traits:
4.46 40 yard dash at 6'2" and 210
42.5" Verticle - would have been #1 at combine
134" Broad jump - would have been #1 at combine
It's been mentioned multiple times by Reich and Sirianni how much Fountains routes have been improved and he's playing with his explosive - aka playing with confidence and trusting his technique.
Additionally, it has been covered that each skill position requires certain size, speed, length traits to be draftable - which makes sense based off of who he's drafted/signed/traded for versus who he has signed as UDFA's.
Pre-Ballard:
Hilton 4.34 at 5'10" & 183
Rogers 4.46 at 6'0" & 184
Ballards Prototype:
Campbell 4.31 at 6'0" & 205 (drafted)
Funchess 4.50 at 6'4" & 224 (free agency)
Cain 4.43 at 6'2" & 202 (drafted)
Fountain 4.46 at 6'2" & 210 (drafted)
Johnson 4.39 at 6'1" & 204 (traded for)
Dulin 4.43 at 6'1" & 215 (udfa - but draftable)
UDFA's:
Ishmael, good size, slow 4.5+ 40
Pascal, good size, slow 4.5+ 40
Hogan, good size, slow 4.5+ 40
Hart, too small and slow 4.5+ 40
Veasy, good size, slow 4.5+ 40
I like Ishmael and Pascal but I think we'll start to see the cream rise to the top this year!
Regarding Fountain, I agree he'll stick. Read a couple reports about his off season commitment with trainers to improve his routes. He was a one hit/year wonder at N Iowa, and ended up the Offensive MVP at the E-W Shriner Game. Still a head scratcher why he didn't get invited to the combine. He's just got so much athleticism, it's hard to see him not sticking if he 1) has improved his route running, and 2) catches the ball.
On Dulin, I can see him being last year's Fountain (PS guy focusing on refinement and the step up in competition). Dulin was an D1 type talent at Malone. A little surprised he didn't transfer to a bigger school after his Soph or Junior seasons. He had 3 years of great production, but unfortunately did it against very bad competition. Not sure if it will translate, but he's got the athleticism and raw tools. I love the thought of Dulin and Campbell returning balls.
While I'm a fan of both Dulin and Fountain, both will need to prove they can make the step up in competition, combat the improved physicality, and beat the press / get off the line.
I'd be careful trying to define a prototype for a "Ballard WR"... Keep in mind the majority of the guys you list were attempts to solve for a huge whole at "X". TY is an almost perfect Z. Campbell a great prototypical slot. Funch a prototypical big or bully slot or possession X. Takes all shapes and sizes depending on down, distance, and field position.
One last note. 4.5 is little generous for Funch. He ran 4.7ish at the combine, and pulled better times at Michigan's pro day. We all no Pro Days are very generous and subject to home cooking. Realistically I'd put him in the 4.55-4.65 range.
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people are capable of bad things. and people are capable of lying.
not passing judgement on either. but not going to the police creates a whole different set of questions/issues.
innocent until proven guilty. and if someone gets away with something, karma typically catches up.
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He was top 10 in targets (had as many as Gurley) for a RB. That's a lot to put on a rookie. We didn't have much of choice early with Mack out, and the mediocre WR group in general. He wasn't given a lot of great routes most of the year for the purposes of YAC, so not even worried about that. Game 4 was terrific for him in terms of routes allowed to run and receptions. Much better YAC and 2 TDs. Given he was rookie, and it was a first year offense, it's pretty obvious he has skill.
This year, he's not part of a first year offense, and not a safety blanket for a sub par receiving group. I'm going to guess his targets will decrease a little, but 1) he'll be given more thoughtful and designed routes, and 2) he'll be more open as the Ds will be stretched.
So many weapons.
And I don't think Campbell will steal too many targets and/or carries from him. That is unless Cain comes back strong and dominates early on the outside. If not, I suspect Campbell to be moved around a lot, and Hines to be status quo.
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9 hours ago, CR91 said:
I hope they have thought it over and want him to focus on DE....
Too much going on with learning 2 positions for a rookie who is in desperate need of basic technique coaching.
9 hours ago, CR91 said:surprised by some of the names. Glow, Hines, Slauson, and even a little with Smith.
nice to see Houston on there.
7 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:I think pascal and Rogers are going to make the roster. It’s going to be hard for Johnson, fountain, Hart to make the roster. I bet we keep six WR.
Rogers should with ease.
Agree on 6
7 hours ago, Smonroe said:I'm guessing we keep 4 RBs, 5 WRs. Hines is basically a hybrid RB/WR.
From what I understand, Wilkins has bulked up. He may end up being a short yardage guy. I like the way he ran last season (except when he gave up the ball). I know Ballard was high on Williams, but I've yet to see him play.
Wilkins was said to have more "flight" than "fight", so I think it's likely more than weight he needs. I think it was more his style than anything else. Maybe it will translate, but I'd bank on Ware being the short yardage guy. I'll be Williams is the odd man out.
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18 hours ago, jshipp23 said:
This my main concern..If we don't spend it we have no chance of possibly improving by bringing a guy like McCoy in...We have plenty of cap so why not bring some guys in that could make the difference in the playoffs or be insurance if the young guys don't develop or get hurt...I can understand the philosophy when rebuilding or if we were against the cap, but we are favorites to contend..It seems like now would be the time you spend to add pieces that could make the difference...By not spending there is a guarantee you won't improve by bringing in talent, if you spend and they don't work out you can always cut or trade them...By not trying you will never know...Also, injuries WILL happen so why not spend to the cap at least with 1 or 2 yr deals that won't effect future? I'd rather have a backup option then not do nothing and when someone gets hurt or has a had year not have an option behind them...Even if we overpay for 2 years for McCoy why not do it???? It is always better too have extra tools, than not enough, especially if you have the means to get them...
I agree. Looking at potential early extensions this year, potential rollover, and % of cap, seems like we're running well under the 89% (rolling). I guess we'll see in the next couple years to come, but right now, there looks to be a lot unspent dollars.
I know they are looking at moving one or two guys inside, but honestly I don't feel like that's going to transform the iDL. I think getting Houston will raise the play of the line all around, but I think we still need a difference maker on the interior.
We ranked 19th last year in sacks. I think adding Houston will get us in the top 10-15, but not top 7ish. And that's where I think we'll need to be going up against the improved QB talent this year. If Turray takes a big step forward, or Banogu sticks at DE and surpasses expectation, maybe, but that's all exterior. Just not sure if moving Lewis inside is going to matter much.
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13 hours ago, ColtsBlueFL said:
Of course Irsay is not 100% hands off. Never said he was. OTOH, (as I have said ealier before) he would ask Chris what our pro personnel department values him at, and does Chris agree? And how Eberflus feels about fit? Etc. But he (and other really good owners) tries not to meddle in the experts jobs he hand picked to perform them. Unless... it is a high character issue/red flag guy with baggage. Irsay would listen to every side and story. But that final decision would indeed be his... and most other owners as well.
Agree. Team effort. IMO, Ballard like anyone interviewing for position leading a team (or corp) was asked to provide a plan based on ownership needs. That plan got him hired. Once hired, I'm sure CB and JI sat down and peeled back the onion. And I think Ballard has Irsay's full confidence.
I do think Ballard keeps his door open to all (specifically HC, OC, DC, and likely Luck). I don't think Irsay is heavy handed. I think he lays it out to Chris pre and post season, they talk, and carry on. Chris knows he has a boss, and Irsay knows he has an understanding with Chris, who he trusts to execute. Anything having to do with expenditures over XX dollars I'm sure is understood to generate a conversation. Just like any other business.
I'm still a little surprised we didn't go iDL early or FA. I think others were surprised we went WR early. Would love to be a fly on the wall for some of the conversations.
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Way too early.
One great draft, and one decent season so far.
Good start, but need a few more years of progression before I can even ponder the question.
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19 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:
Where do I get this stuff? I think, that's where.
If you think GMs never get a budget, and a GM that doesn't get the budget he wants just leaks, then, yes, pretty silly. Some of the assertions below, also silly....
QuoteI appreciate that we live in a time where opinions are more highly prized than facts, but that's the current world we're stuck in.
Fact: When we signed Ballard in 2017, he was viewed as the number one GM prospect. You think he had no leverage and yet he was able to get Irsay to spend millions on re-doing the team's facility right out of the gate. Not bad for a guy with no leverage. And he's earned more credit by re-building this team almost over night while spending next to nothing. And he's publicly said he's not about spending a lot of money. That teams that often are viewed as winning Free Agency or winning the off-season often don't do very well in the next regular season. The one exception to the rule is the draft. Guess where Ballard has excelled? He's earned standing throughout the NFL and clearly with Irsay for spending his money wisely.
You like facts. Let's stick to them...
Ballard had never been a GM, but was seen as a fast riser. He had interviewed for other GM jobs prior to Indy, and not gotten the position. So let's not act like he was no brainer number one prospect in everyone's mind. The Titans passed on Ballard, and other GMs were hired around the league prior to him coming to the Colts.
As far as the facility upgrade goes, I realize you might be a new fan, but Irsay has a long history of facility upgrades. We had one in 2015 too. Does that make Grigson an all star heavy leverage GM?
QuoteSure, all teams have a budget, but you conveniently ignore the fact that, again, we still have the most money to spend in the entire league. Now some of that is likely to go to any contract extensions this off-season. But the rest is going to stay in the bank earning interest. But that's Ballard's call, not Irsay's. Why would Ballard come here to a place where you think we have severe financial restrictions so bad that the GM can't run the day to day operations the way he sees fit? The man could've picked his team. He picked Indy. And yet you think he's being handcuffed.
The fact we have the most money, would lead most logical thinkers to believe we have a budget... If you think Irsay didn't approve the budget, and it's only Ballard's decision, not sure what to tell you.
Nobody is saying the budget is "severe", or Irsay is cheap. Given Ballard's boss (Dorsey) in KC was fired for being a poor money manager and bad people person, it's a given there was a lot of talk about fiscal management during the hiring process. If anything, one of the things Ballard is probably trying to prove, is that he's not a mis-manger like his old mentor.
QuoteI just love when you call my views silly. Do you know what's wrong with MY views? They're not YOUR views! You've got nothing more on your side of the ledger than I do. Just your opinion. Yet you think your views are just fine, and mine are silly. This is your arguing style. My facts are cherry picked, while your's are great. Over and over. I've grown tired of your tactics here. In case you haven't noticed, I've barely responded to most of your last dozen or so posts. Not because I can't. But because I find you irritating and exhausting. You recently called me "passive/aggressive". Hey, we can fix that. We can drop the whole passive thing and just stay with aggressive. I can crush your arguments all day long. It's not hard. It's sometimes annoying as heck, but it's not hard. I was hoping for a nice quiet off-season. A peaceful summer. Oh well... I'm tired of turning the other cheek.
It's this simple.... you jumped into a conversation (a comment I made to another poster). You don't have to read my post or comment on them at all. Why not just ignore them........
But... Please feel free to crush me lol.. I've already crushed your weak attempt at a "WR study" where you cherry picked stats, did not define criteria, and offered pretty much zero numerical/stat interpretation. I actually provided more stats and meaningful comparison in much less time on the topic.
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1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:
Do we literally know? No.
But common sense can fill in a good chunk of the blanks.
As part of taking the job, Ballard asked Irsay to spend 8 figures, 10 Mill plus on upgrading the Colts facilities. Boom! Done.
Ballard knows what it takes to properly run an NFL team. Do you think there's even a remote chance that Irsay is imposing some arbitrary limit on what Ballard can spend? If Ballard isn't spending the money, it's because he believes that throwing money at veterans often means you're paying for PAST performance and not FUTURE performance. I'm sure Irsay is thrilled to agree with that. A GM who doesn't want to spend the owner's money? I'm sure Irsay loves that!
But it's not due to some number that Irsay has thrown at Ballard. If Ballard thought for one instant that Irsay was preventing him from doing the business he wants to do, I think Chris Ballard would leave the Colts the first opportunity he gets. If Ballard leaked out that Irsay was preventing him from spending appropriate money, Irsay and the Colts would be dead in the water. It would be the biggest story in the NFL. The lead story in sports for all the wrong reasons. The biggest disaster in Colts history.
There's a near zero chance that Irsay is preventing Ballard from doing business. You can hide behind "none of us actually knows" all you want.... but a little common sense can go a long way.
Ballard has been a GM for 2 seasons, and the Colts are his first gig at that level. If you think Irsay hired him and said "I don't care what you do, spend all you want", you're pretty naive. He had to sell his resume like anyone else. And he had to sell his plan for the team.
Some of the crap above is simply silly. If Ballard leaked anything, it would put a black mark by his name and would follow him every where he went. He would never be trusted again... Where do you get this crap.
Indy is a small market team. Even large market teams have "budgets". Every owner has a different opinion on how money should or should not be spent. Leaving money unspent is unspent for what reason? A 1 year deal has no real impact to next year. A 2 year deal doesn't have much of an impact either given our project cap situation in 2020.
And yes, we don't know. The fact that you act like you know more than the rest of us is pretty funny. But it wouldn't be the first for you either.
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9 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:
Of course Irsay is in the loop. He's not finding out what we're doing by looking on Colts.com or NFL.com or ESPN.com.
He talks directly with Chris Ballard.
But if we're not signing Gerald McCoy, it is NOT because Ballard wants to, but Irsay is denying him because GM is too expensive. We have the most available cap space. Even if Irsay has a lower ceiling below the cap ceiling, it's not so low as to prevent us from doing business the way Chris Ballard wants to do business. We've got the money to spend IF we want to. The person who is likely most reluctant to spend it isn't Irsay.... it's Ballard.
Just trying to make sure we're all on the same page here.....
You, me, and the rest on the board have literally no clue as to what Ballard is working with from a budget perspective. We only know the cap numbers. We don't know the one year plan, two year, plan, or xx plan to spend the 89%. We have no idea what limitations Irsay has imposed, etc..
We all know obvious things, like that Irsay is in the loop, and they talk... Not sure what your point is.
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19 minutes ago, ColtsBlueFL said:
Ahh... no. If Irsay were to insert himself, he'd ask what does the pro scouting department says about him and what $$ value is attached? However, he doesn't have to... Ballard has already consulted them and added the data into his mindset/negotiations. The people Irsay hired and pay to do jobs are all doing them.
If you think Irsay, or owners in general are 100% hands off, not sure what to tell you. The budget in general was likely set (a range) soon after last season ended. And any major FA acquisition I'm sure gets a nod.
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15 hours ago, CR91 said:
Rock Ya-Sin
I don't see Rock starting right away. Our base defense is Moore and Desir on the outside and Wilson coming in on Nickel packages with Moore moving to the slot. As the season goes on and Rock getting better at zone concepts, he will get on the field, but I do see us doing more man coverages against certain QBs that can exploit zone defenses which would allow us to get Rock on the field. Rock for now I see playing a lot of ST until he works his way into the lineup.
Part of me agrees with you, the other part still has doubts about Moore and Desir. While I think they have played well, I think their performance may be perhaps a product of scheme. I like both, but I also remember that Desir was a 4th rounder for the Browns, who was eventually waived after ups and downs. Then waived by the Chargers and Seahawks prior to being picked up by the Colts. Moore was an UDFA who was waived during final roster cuts by the Pats.
Not saying they are bad, but them starting may speak more about the overall talent level of our CBs, than them.
Regarding RYS, I think he is absolutely raw, but has a much, much higher ceiling than any CB we have on the roster. If he gets good technique coaching and things click, he could be a monster. He's a wildcard and a project like Banogu, but he should translate easier/quicker than Banogu IMO. In short, I would not be surprised to see him starting by mid to late season. Again, not because I think he's NFL ready, I'm just not totally sold on the CB unit's overall talent level... Given the opposition QBs (our schedule) improving big time this year, he could find his groove sooner than later.
QuoteBen Banogu
Banogu I can see starting right away at SAM as his only competition is Matthew Adams, however our defense is mostly in Nickel 80 percent of the time which is why he is getting a lot more reps at DE instead of LB. Banogu IMO is gonna be used as a coverage/pressure defender depending on what Flus wants to call in certain situations. I can see certain defenses where Banogu is a stand up rusher or drop coverage with Turay Autry Lewis Houston on the Dline especially on third down. I would actually love to see this with a inside stunt with a slot blitz with Leonard spying in case the QB escapes.
I have mixed feelings about trying to play Banogu at SAM. He's so raw from a technique perspective, I think they should leave him at DE and let the technique coaching be his focus. If they do play him at SAM, I hope they keep it simple for him and very scheme specific. Adams shouldn't be much comp, but honestly I'd rather see Okereke at SAM than Banogu.
In short, I just think mixing SAM and DE may be counterproductive for a raw guy like Banogu. Keep it simple and develop is what I'd prefer.
QuoteParris Campbell
This is a fun player because you can use him in a lot of different ways. Obviously we can do jet sweeps, WR screens, and other quick plays to get the ball in his hand, but imo the best way to use him is in the PA game where he would get enough time to press the defense and get deep especially with Hilton taking so much attention away from the coverage. An idea I would I like see the colts do is Ebron and Campbell on the outside with Hilton in the slot with Mack and Hines in the backfield with Luck in shotgun. That is a lot of speed for a defense to cover.
If Parris can quickly learn routes (which reports have been very complimentary), he'll be a monster. If he can get through the press, I'd love to see him on the outside if Cain isn't ready. Regardless, lining him up anywhere will force teams to pay attention, and not double TY. In that alone, I'm very, very happy.
I think he'll have the most snaps than any rookie the first half of the season, and then compete with RYS the second half for most snaps. Adding him to the mix puts Luck in a great spot.
I'm with you on a speed line up. I just hope Cain recovers and is part of it. TY/Cain/Parris/Hines+ either Mack, Ebron, or Funch is just silly with possibilities.
QuoteBobby Okereke
Okereke is an interesting player. Ballard seems to really like him and watching his tape, he reminds me of Gary Brackett. A very smart player that will make the play he needs to make, but nothing that wows you about his game. I still see Walker as our starting MIKE for the foreseeable future, but I can also see us matching him against TEs and RBs on third down.
Followed Okereke somewhat at Stanford being a big ND fan. He was a very smart kid coming out of HS with offers from the Ivy League schools (no ND offer). That said, smart kid, but underwhelmed by his career at Stanford.
Walker was pretty good from a tackle/snap perspective, and has the better base/build IMO. I just don't see Okereke being more than a backup. I could see him however moving to SAM.
QuoteKhari Willis
Willis seems to be more of depth move at least for this year as we have had a history of our safeties getting hurt. I also think this is a move especially done to possibly push Geathers at the door especially if he has another injury plague season. The colts did not jump 20 spots unless they really have plans as Willis to be a starter. Also the colts do a lot of three safety defenses with Geathers playing a lot in the box so we can see Willis early playing the mid-range defense with Hooker roaming in the backend.
Willis is a good guy, but I don't ever see him a starter in a two safety scheme. I agree he's a depth move, and possibly a fit in a three safety scheme although I don't see him jumping some of the other guys.
QuoteMarvell Tell
Tell is a project imo. I can see the colts using him mostly as a space CB/S by that I mean covering certain areas and just letting him play the ball. Unfortunately with so much depth at CB, I can't see Tell doing much other then ST for his rookie year.
My digs on Tell are tackling, effort, and strength. He can cover really well though. I'd stick him in the weight room and lock the door. When he came out stronger, I'd have him in tackle drills for a month.
From an abilities standpoint, I think his ceiling is higher than Willis. I can definitely see him getting time as a 5th or 6th DB in certain schemes on the back end.
QuoteE.J Speed
E.J is a tough one to analysis, but as the little tape I've watched (very little) he definitely has speed, length, and a good pursuit of the ball. At the end of the day, this is just a depth move in case god forbid Leonard gets hurt. Speed can be a monster on ST though.
Agree. Project/STs in 2019. It'll be a big win for him if he makes the final 53. I'm thinking a big win for the PS actually.
QuoteGerri Green
Im not a fan of Green. I've not been impressed with his tape. He gets man-handled a lot. IMO his best assist is his motor and above average speed, but he has a lot of work to become a good pass rusher. I can't see Green doing much other then ST this year and I wouldn't be surprised if he spent the bulk of his rookie year on the PS.
It will be a win to make the PS. He played better in college as a OLB than DE in 2018. Just doesn't have the needed strength. He's another guy I could see getting a shot at SAM.
QuoteJackson Barton
Barton has very good size as I really like him in the running game. Unfortunately his pass blocking needs a lot of work. He is not strong on the point of attack and his footwork is spotty at best. Barton can push to get Clark out the door, but he'll most likely go to the PS.
He's another one I'd lock in the weight room. PS will be a win.
QuoteJavon Patterson
Versatility is Patterson best assist as he can play anywhere in the interior of the line, however he doesn't really excel in any certain area. He can be good depth and perhaps push Josh Andrews, but Patterson will either be part of final cuts or PS
Agree on the versatility. I think his best position is C, and we already have a very good one.
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8 hours ago, shastamasta said:
I doubt Okereke ever plays SAM. That’s where Banogu will get snaps. And with so many DBs on the roster, I imagine they won’t use a SAM too often.
We didn't use SAM all that much last year either. I doubt Banogu ends up at SAM, except for maybe some very specific scheme downs. The reports I've seen had Banogu running with the DEs, which IMO is where he belongs.
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I agree Suh is about Suh....
That said, he's got a short clock on him. He's at a stage where he'll need to put the work in if he wants to keep getting paid.
It's all about the contract.
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Not worried. It'll get worked out. Even if it didn't, unless Walker is hurt again, not a huge need. He's more of a speed downs need regardless.
I predict he ends up at SAM before it's all said and done anyway.
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39 minutes ago, DerekDiggler said:
I’m not sure how many of us understand how hard these guys really work. Pretty awesome to see this kid putting in the effort
I know a lot work hard, but it's also a well paid job :-)
But I agree, love seeing him fight to get back.
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1 hour ago, JPFolks said:
If that were true, the team would see through that nonsense and blatant favoritism would be divisive to the team as well as some fans. He's the only draft pick who got injured and is trying to overcome his injury. It is not a "hype" video which we'd expect from a low rent operation (you can all name them in your head). It is a sincere human interest story done by a brilliant video production operation who is nailing it every time out. Some guys would not be comfortable opening up on a private health situation. Cain obviously is okay with it and we got a tiny sampling of the mind numbing process of overcoming a devastating health and career crises. In reality, it is countless hours of determination and hard work and sometimes even when someone does everything right, the results still aren't good enough. I don't think this has anything to do with favoritism and the idea diminishes everyone involved. They would work just as hard with the lowest guy on the totem pole. He's a 6th round draft pick right? It doesn't get much lower than that. Just because some fanatics on a message board follow every twitch from this organization doesn't reflect the overwhelming number of people who don't even know who he is.
I was curious so I just called 2 people who love football, played it in high school, but who have normal day jobs and no time for message boards after dealing with their family and obligations and real life. I asked both if they knew anything about a receiver who was injured during training camp last year and neither could think of anything. I asked who the Colts drafted in 2018 (after both started guessing this year's draft picks, I had to remind them of last year). Neither had any idea. Then I gave them the name of the player and one asked if he was the guy who played at Clemson, and I said yes, and he was drafted by the Colts but got hurt in training camp. He said, man that sucks, is he still on the team? He didn't remember seeing him play in a game. This went on until I told him why I asked in the first place. The other guy had no idea who he was period. I went to games with both of them in the past, and I know they both watched nearly every game the past few years. One plays fantasy football even.
All that to demonstrate that featuring him to "promote and hype" him would at best be ineffective.
Have you seen the YouTube numbers for the entire Indianapolis Colts Channel? The number of Subscribers is shockingly small. (Under 20K I think). Only 10K have seen the video. This effort is to build something to show inside of the Colts and how open they are. It is to build up the connective tissue to the fan base, including those of us obsessed (which you have to be to even spend time discussing the team daily in the deadtime of the offseason) who are seen as apostles of the brand. If this was truly an effort to "promote" an injured 6th rounder, (which would be insane in my opinion, but I digress) it would be a foolish effort. This entire effort by the Colts management is a good faith effort to give uber fans with luxury time on their hands an honest look inside. All of us already know who Cain is so where is the payoff potential of this "promotion?"
Ironically, shows like HBO's Hard Knocks typically show 2 sets of people: Established Stars and those struggling to make the team at all. The middle round meat and potatoes guys rarely get noticed unless they have a huge personality and I wouldn't call Cain's personality anything but metered and down the middle.
We usually agree on stuff, but I think you're reading this wrong. It doesn't mean they aren't hopeful he'll make the team and be great, just as they hope in ALL the players they sign, but who else would they even feature on a segment showing rehab from a season ending (before it started) injury?
I have plenty of friends and family,,,, with family, responsibilities, etc. who are Colts fans. All of them know who Cain is. Honestly I don't see this as just fan service. Sure a little of it is. Everything is. But I think this is more than a look "inside". There have been lots of injuries.. Luck two years ago. Doyle last year (who has been with the team 5 years now). I don't recall any fan service (or as much specific) for either.
Cain is more than a 6th round guy. He was top 100 on a lot of boards, but fell to the 6th. It was reported last year he was a great team guy, and was looking very good. Regardless of the poor competition last year, he was said to have lock down the starting X by a country mile.
Nobody is saying this is favoritism. But I guarantee they wouldn't do this for other 6 rounders with lower ceilings (again, Cain is more than a usual 6th). Cain was poised to be a big contributor. They would not being doing this for EJ Speed (5th) or Green (6th), unless they made a huge splash in preseason like Cain did.
On the vid itself. I don't see it as a work of art. The first few minutes seemed very contrived. But I like it nonetheless for the message it sends.
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2 hours ago, Fluke_33 said:
I’ll have to look back for post draft stuff. I am going off of memory but he was mentioned in a podcast someone posted from Lance Zierlein and some other guy interviewing Ballard. Ballard defended the selection in a cavalier way saying Zierlein and the other guy didn’t know.
I would also have to look up the predraft rankings but I thought he was ranked as a priority free agent in most. Again going from memory and I could be wrong.
Bottom line though, the discussion is on who do we think will be cut. It’s all pure supposition. My opinion is his transition to cb is too much for him to beat out others this year. I do hope if he is beaten out that he clears waivers and is on ps.
Time will....tell. (Sorry. So bad.)
I'll agree with Ballard on Zierlein. Like his personality, but his mocks have sucked, and he's had a plethora of whiffs.
I suspect Tell was picked up to fit in nickel or dime schemes to start. There's plenty of room for tweeners in that space.
As far as grades go, Tell graded out higher than all Colts draftees non named Campbell and Ya-Sin on NFL.com (and several of the other stacks).
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1 hour ago, aavmarine said:
Found this interesting:
"McCoy opted to visit the Panthers when the numbers from the Ravens and Browns didn’t come in at the $10 million a year Ndamukong Suh got to replace him in Tampa, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported. The Bengals have also been interested, a league source told cleveland.com, but McCoy wants to play for a contender. It’s why he’s already turned down $11 million a year from a non-contender, the source said."
So he doesn't like under 10 from "contenders", and doesn't like 11 from a non-contender...
Perhaps he's already got a team/favorite in mind, that has offered, that are contenders, and he's simply exploring other things.
guessing it will all shake out in a week.
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Several reports have said he's picking up the route tree very well. If that's accurate, he should do very well as a rookie.
Honestly I think his production will be tied somewhat to Cain's recovery. If Cain is slow to come back (or X is limited in general), I think Campbell hits 750+. If Cain comes back strong, I think Paris will be in the 500-600 range.
Regardless, anything over 500 in a rookie year is good.
The biggest benefit Paris and/or a healthy Cain provides, is a deterrent from doubling TY. I'm very excited to see what Campbell can do in the PR too.
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1 hour ago, CurBeatElite said:
Yes, our WRs outside of TY were not very good last year -- we signed a guy off the street mid-season (Inman) and Luck built fast chemistry with him. Luck makes the players around him better, and he seems to have chemistry with all his receiving options. There were probably a lot of #3/4 WRs on other teams last year who could have been our #2 WR, so I'm not totally sold on Cain just because we were expected to slot him in there.
He seems (from the video) like a humble guy who is working very hard. I hope this series and hype around him don't get to his head too much. I think he can definitely play WR in this league if he's healthy based on the small sample size we saw last year... but until I see him do it consistently in the regular season, I'm not going to get my hopes up too much.
Ballard mentioned something about next year's draft class being stacked with WR talent, which may be why he only gave Funchess a 1 year deal.
I'm high on Cain 1) because of his flashes in college on a big time team, 2) reports out of camp last year, and 3) because the Colts chose to do a hype vid this year.
I agree being the top X last year was no major feat, but by all reports it wasn't even close. And bigger than that, I don't see Ballard or Reich doing a hype video for someone they weren't all that high on.
I doubt it goes to his head. If anything, it should show support from the organization. Given the upgrades to WR, pretty sure he knows he's got a lot of work cut out for him, and reps aren't guaranteed.
As far as next year's WR class is concerned, I wouldn't over think it. Many on the board translated those comments to mean we wouldn't take a WR early this year, or at all this year. I do agree that someone needs to step up and be a well rounded X, or we'll likely draft another next year though. I think Funch is a possession guy more than a well rounded guy, and Cain (or one of the projects) are likely to be the best shot at a well rounded X.
Going to be an interesting year at WR to say the least.
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10 hours ago, Cynjin said:
If you're talking about the comments near the beginning of the video, I don't believe that was Dakich, I think it was JMV.
DD saying something stupid is a pretty frequent occurrence lol...
I don't know if that's him on the vid or not, but my buddy back in Indy said DD is pretty meh on Cain.
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15 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:
I wrote what I wrote because you’re the one who is insistent that not only do we need to address this position but that every expert has agreed with that viewpoint. True or not, Ballard has been here nearly 30 months and it should be obvious by now that he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
Ballard’s got three promising young players at that position... perhaps he likes them more than anyone here fully realizes. Perhaps he’s willing to give those snaps to Autry and Lewis and Ward and feel good about it.
I think Ballard likes McCoy and wants him for all the same reasons you and I and most everyone else here wants him. But only up to a point. Past that point CB moves on without regret.
When you insist that something is 100 percent obviously so, you set yourself up for disappointment with Ballard.
The need is 100% obvious. Saying that, is not setting myself up for disappointment. It's why it was reported that the Colts will kick the tires in the first place.
As always, it's a need vs $ decision. There's no question that we have the cap space this year and next. Just because Ballard may not pull the trigger, doesn't mean the need is not obvious. It simply could mean he's working on a budget (Irsay imposed, not necessarily a cap limit).
Daurice Fountain
in Colts Football
Posted
Too early to think of TY's replacement IMO. You have to have a back up though, and Rogers is the only guy with any experience doing it.
The only guy I could see taking over the Z (full time) is Campbell down the line. I don't want to think about not having TY lol at this point. TY could easily extend his career by moving to slot once he loses a step. He could swap with Campbell in 2-4 years and we'd still have a great tandem.
Funch is a long strider. He's got better build up speed than burst off the line. With his size though, doesn't matter as he's a mismatch. As long as he's 4.55-4.6ish he'll be more than fine as a big-slot/possession-X/TE-lite. I think his sweet spot will be challenging LBs and strong Ss over the middle. With his size and PC's speed, we should scare the hell out of LB units this year.