EastStreet
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Posts posted by EastStreet
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7 minutes ago, JPFolks said:
Irish, since I consistently respect your posts, my question is this:
What is your theory then? Were Ballard and his team asleep at the wheel and missed not one or two but nearly an entire draft (7?????) worth of Safeties that were clearly better, OR is it possible they know something you don't about this player? Consider this: Historically, 50% of FIRST ROUNDERS turn out to be disappointing or complete busts. So consider ALL these prognosticators being completely wrong (horribly wrong in some cases) so often year after year. Then consider Ballard's success rate. Will he draft some busts? Sure. He already has. He's also got an impressive track record AND he's doing something completely different than all those folks you mentioned. they are doing LEAGUE WIDE evaluations of talent and abilities. Ballard is doing TEAM SPECIFIC evaluations for just our very specific needs and wants. This is why no "mock draft" is ever remotely close to predicting results. Some of us are actually good and evaluating overall rankings/talent, but we're really not able to find the minute tiny little intricacies of what a team needs. Ballard has that advantage over even the most qualified talent evaluators among us or the media. He may be wrong of course, but he's playing high stakes poker and we''re all playing fantasy level poker with pretend money. He's using live ammo while we use blanks. And he's on the ground in the battle while we are watching it at a safe distance using blanks. I don't always agree with him either. I had other Safeties I was hoping he would pick. But for all of us, myself included, we're just outsiders of a very inside game.
Like I said, Love what Ballard did last year. I love his background and respect his acumen. Like you said, all GMs hit, all miss. Ballard has a short track record as GM, and he's done far more good than bad thus far.
In terms of theory, that's a hard one. I'd love to know what goes on in his head lol. I do believe he's got a specific plan for everyone. It could be because he's plainly looking long term, could be reacting to last year's deficiencies in a certain area (like our woeful D vs TEs), or he might be prioritizing leadership/character over talent.
Who knows specifically for Willis. He is a high character guy. He can help us vs TEs. Could Ballard have passed over more talented guys with a little less character, sure. He's probably been listening to all the Indy radio talking about him being the point guy on the Tyreek Hill pick. Might that be impacting him a little? Maybe. We'll never know.
We're all Monday morning QBs and GMs. I'm just tossing out my opinion based on what I've read, and the tape I've watched. That's minuscule to what Ballard and team has done obviously, but I'd guess I watch more CFB and follow stats and film more than most fans. Like I've said countless times, I just want wins. My player or pick specific opinions doesn't keep me from cheering crazy hard for those same players come September.
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15 minutes ago, Colt Overseas said:
The only tape I've seen from him, he played a very solid game versus Michigan.
Looks like an ideal fit for our Cover -2 defense, runs a 4.52 which is plenty. Probably lacks some quickness in man coverage. I think we will like him. I saw alot of Amani Hooker before today so for Ballard to draft Willis before him must mean he is a good player too.
the criticism is that he's straight line fast enough, but not explosive, quick, or fluid.
definitely will do better in zone than coverage.
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22 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:
So Ballard took the 7th best safety still on this imaginary board. chuckle
silliness. And as the GM in your imaginary world, you can have any one of them.
Interesting that in Kiper's top available players to start the day Willis was #2.Seems like what you know about it is well, not much based on the info you gather from your chair.
Kiper's track record is pretty bad...
I'm not a GM, just a fan with an opinion (isn't this what a discussion board is about?). And I'll never be the guy who sunshine pumps every pick or every thing that comes out of Ballard's mouth. Love him because he's a Colt, but I don't worship him or believe he's incapable of being imperfect.
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29 minutes ago, ColtsBlueFL said:
Gil Brandt has said this for years on his shows, has told Pat Kirwan, recently told the same to Chris Ballard. Talented small school guys that move up to bigger schools-
Know they are good enough
Hungry to get even better and prove it.
Do well in the NFL
Polian says there is no such thing as reach in the industry. You want a guy, he is there, go get the guy. He says reach is a term fans and media use because they did not pick 'their guy'.
He says there is a missing out on your guy because you thought you ( or listened to the 'Noise') could delay the pick until your next slot. And he was taken just before your next pick.
I love Polian because he was a Colt for so long, but he's far from a sage. Brandt has his moments.
Keep in mind Polian is part of the "media" now lol, and was pretty bad on the D side of all things GM. Winning only one SB with Manning and our playoff record those years, is pretty meh. He was historically uneasy to deal with (his own FO) and hated criticism. So... I can understand his mentality about fans and media. He hated the media back then. Now he's media...
In terms of getting your guy regardless of what people think, or where their rated. I'm more than good with that. When a GM does it, and it works out, he's a genius. When he does, and it doesn't, well then he's the opposite of a genius :-). It's all about production, and you have to take the criticism with the kudos.
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2 minutes ago, JPFolks said:
7th best according to who? Obviously they were way off the mark. Kiper (for what it is worth) said he was #2 available on the board at the start of the 4th. He (contrary to any false belief) does not do all the research on his list of picks. He has a team working on it. And they thought highly of this guy. Frankly by the 4th round, there is little difference between the NFL quality players still remaining beyond their special individual characteristics. In that area, this guy is an A+ leader and team guy. THAT is why they went up and got him. We have a team FULL of character guys. That will allow us, at some point, to take a chance on a troubled player because a team full of true leaders and high character guys can keep someone like that in line while protecting the locker room from any possible contagion. Remember when Ballard said we weren't quite ready to take on someone like Bell or Brown? Well, with some of these picks so far this year, that small gap is being closed. By next year, if a massive FA of need come available (like a pass rusher etc.) we may be ready to handle any personality issues.
In terms of boards, I look at NFL.com's (which IIRC is a composite of all of their guys), CBS composite, and some of the others. I try as much as possible to use composites than the individual experts. I don't agree with all of them, but they're decent.
Kiper's mocks and big boards have been pretty off, so he's not someone historically I put a lot of stock in.
Specifically on Willis, NFL.com's had 7 or 8 guys ahead of him. CBS even more IIRC.
I agree he's a high character guy. Like I said above, I think he'll be limited to a back up box safety. I'd take a more well rounded and higher rated guy. I'll use NFL.com's ratings to keep it simple. Willis was rated 5.3 (which means NFL back up or ST's potential)
Still available was:
Hooker 5.8 (chance to become NFL starter) - good size and speed, great big nickel potential
Thompsom 5.78 (same as above) - good speed, violent hitter
Johnson 5.61 (same as above) - good hitter and cover, team captain
plus 2 more in that same tier, and 2 others still above Willis.
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8 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:
That’s your opinion. Kieper had him as the second best player still available today. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter where anyone had him but Ballard. Sounds like he was high on their board and he slipped to the point he was worth going to get.
Also, I didn’t say he couldn’t be a starter. I just said he’s probably not a day one starter as are most people from here on out. They probably need some development which is fine. I am also saying the Colts don’t need a day one starter at safety because of Geathers, Hooker, and Farley.
I like him. He was a team leader type at MSU, so he'll be good in the locker room. I just think he's limited as a back up box safety. He'll contribute on STs too, but even there his lack of speed might hold him back from what we'd typically expect from a S playing STs.
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21 minutes ago, Smonroe said:
I was listening to nfl channel o Sirius. They said he was the S that all the TEs had the hardest time against. They loved the pick and how Ballard is building the team.
they experts used the same reason (we need to improve vs TEs) for picking RYS
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Just now, GoColts8818 said:
At this point you aren’t getting Day one starters but you are getting guys who can become starters and that’s what the Colts need at safety with Geathers on a one year deal.
there were a few starter caliber Ss available.
surprised we moved up for Willis. He was like the 7th best S still on the board.
would have loved to have had Hooker or Thompson from Bama or even Johnson or Tell.
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head scrather again lol.
surprised we moved up for Willis. He was like the 7th best S still on the board.
would have loved to have had Thompson from Bama or even Johnson or Tell.
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7 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:
I don’t think he goes out of his way buck the consensus, or that he has “smartest guy in the room syndrome,” but he rarely views the needs on the roster the same way fans & analysts do, & it leads to drafting guys like Darius Leonard.
I don't think he purposefully tried to buck the system either. I like that he doesn't listen to the talking heads.
On Leonard though, he's not as big of a reach that most thought. The only true "reach" component of Leonard is that he was from a small school. He was first team conference at least 2 years, and defensive conference player of the year. if that's less impressive because it's from a small conference, you only have to look at his performance vs Clemson, or at the Senior Bowl. He has tremendous measureables, so it was really only a question of MEAC to the NFL translation. i expected him to be good. i think even Ballard was surprised how good, and how fast he was good.
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1 hour ago, Shive said:
I'm lukewarm with Rock, just because it remains to be seen how he'll adjust to our scheme and how he fits. No doubt a high character guy with solid tangibles. I'll trust Ballard on this one.
I was really dumbfounded (borderline *) with the Banogu pick last night, especially thinking of him as a pass rushing DE. After hearing Ballard explain where they see him fit in ar SAM and a pass rush chess piece, I'm WAY more excited. He'll have an adjustment, but I don't think it'll take as long as some may think.
I wasn't for Parris Campbell pre-draft, because I really wanted AJ Brown and didn't think Campbell brought what I thought we were missing at WR. Thinking more about it, I believe Funchess fills the role that I envisioned for AJ Brown and a guy like Campbell could really help on the short to intermediate routes. I'm excited to see what he can do. Imagine him, TY, Cain, and Hines on the field at the same time. That speed!!!
Okereke is an intriguing pick, but one that I think allows us to have another athletic LB, who I think may also be able to play some of what Geathers has been asked to do in certain sub-packages.
Given a night to sleep on day 2, I'm way more optimistic with the guys we drafted and think there's still a lot of talent left on the board going into the 4th round.
I'm warming up to RYS for different reasons. I think he will make us better this year vs a much better schedule of good passers. I still think we could have picked a less raw, or more polished fit for our D. He's got a very high ceiling though.
I think Banogu is still a reach. Seems more gadgety than I'd like, and think it only fills a very specific, and limited snap count need.
Parris is interesting. OSU puts all of their weapons in a pretty confined box of uses. I would have liked to got someone more polished, from a school that doesn't pigeon hole their WRs, but there's no doubt he has the raw tools to be very good in time. IMO we already have too many raw projects on the roster. We really could have used a guy that was more well rounded and ready.
Still haven't thought too much on Okereke. Followed him the last 4 years, and very familiar with him since I'm an ND fan. He led the Tree last year in Ts, and is athletic. He's just undersized and far off the prototypical prospect. I think he'll be a STs monster early though.
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1 hour ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:
1 thing I’ve noticed after 3 Ballard drafts is that whoever’s mocked to the Colts the most is usually the least likely to be drafted by them. Back in January after seeing the first 500 or so mock drafts projecting either Wilkins or Tillery at 26, I felt 100% confident we wouldn’t draft either guy. I had no idea who we’d actually take, I just knew it wouldn’t be 1 of those 2.
I like that Ballard does what he wants. Let's just hope that his bucking the consensus is successful again this year.
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1 hour ago, ColtsBlueFL said:
No question Ballard completely disagrees here. They got who they wanted, and they have a blueprint/plans for them.
That is what the coaching plans o do. I wish them well.
It's perfectly fine that he disagrees lol. I'm sure they have plans for all of them. Doesn't mean they are wrong, or we're wrong. Only time will tell. As Colts fans, they are ours now, and we'll all cheer for them to succeed.
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3 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:
Yep......
I think that Simmons coming off the board early messed up MANY of our expectations
(As well as the "experts")
I expected a WR in rounds 2-3.
Surprised by a CB in round 2, I saw value in round 3-4
Expected at least 1 DL in rounds 1-2
Expected a SS in round 2
Oh well....... hit some.... missed some.......
Happy with the draft so far........ I hope one of the SS left on the board, slides to us
rarely works out that we're all in sync lol. i'm still pretty meh about the draft, but trying to let things grow on me. RYS is growing on me a bit. Not because I think he was the best pick, but because he will help specifically vs out 2019 schedule of improved passers.
hope we get decent SS too!
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12 hours ago, Luck 4 president said:
Not sure what Reich’s plan is for him. He is not a deep threat and doesn’t have great ball skills so don’t expect him to be another TY. He was mostly used on screens. More than 50% of his receptions were within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage and he only had 2 receptions 20+ yards down the field according to PFF.
I wouldn't rule him out on vertical routes. I see him more Z/Slot, but interesting takes from NFL.com below, and the same was echoed by the talking heads for the last couple months.
Urbs had a zillion weapons, and like many of them, limited him to the same stuff over and over again. He's raw, but has all the tools. Vert routes are the easiest thing to add to a WR, especially if their not starting on the line.
QuoteOverview
Blue-chip athlete with elite package of size, speed and fluidity as a big slot receiver. Campbell's athletic attributes could create a coverage conundrum if his offensive coordinator puts him in a diversified role that allows him to attack vertically more often. Teams know he's a gifted athlete, but he needs to add more polish as a route-runner to become a well-rounded target instead of a gadget slot. His upside is bolstered by his traits while his special teams ability and talent with the ball in his hands should level out any bust concerns.
QuoteSources Tell Us
"Urban (Meyer) has a system and it works, but it makes it harder to evaluate his receivers. Mike Thomas was just okay in their offense and then he gets to the pros and he's great. Campbell is kind of raw, but that same thing could happen with him." -- Personnel executive for AFC team -
8 hours ago, CR91 said:
We're not doing the k-gun or peyton's version of that offense. Its a RPO, quick throw driven offense that will attack deep on occasion
I'm not saying we're going to become Long Ball Indy by any means. And I know we're heavy RPO. That does not mean an RPO can't be vertical, or more vertical. What I'm saying is that Reich's history (and plenty of articles) suggest he wants to be more vertical. Many where he discusses doing things PM did. I believe his words were, if it aint broke, don't fix it.
I'd say his actions (drafting 3 vertical threat speedy WRs in 2 years) would suggest the same.
I think we'd all agree that coaches are a product of their history.
-As a player in college he was one of the ten most vertical QBs the one year he played, with a top 10 ypp in what was a very balanced O
-As a player in the NFL on the Bills, who ran the best example of K gun / 4vert
-His first stop in coaching was Indy for 4 years, 2 as Manning's QB coach (4500+ both years, and very vertical)
-Then to AZ for one year which was a horrible team with no QB
-His 3 years as SDC's as QBC and OC (his only true play calling years prior to joining the Colts) were top 10 in passing (horrible running), very vertical, and top 10 in passing yards per attempt
-His 2 years in Phil, he did not call plays. He relayed plays from HC Pederson.
At the end of the day, we didn't have the personnel to run a strong vert attack last year, so why would we? We simply did what was best suited to the players we had. There's a reason why we drafted speed guys like Cain and Fountain last year. There's a reason why we drafted Campbell this year. Heck, the thought of a WR taken in the early rounds was laughed at by many on here.
We can disagree, and that's fine. I'd bet though, if Cain and Campbell (or Fountain) get the snaps this year, I think you'll see more vertical attacking, and I think you'll see Luck's ypa take a nice tick up. Is that fair?
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I think it's fair to say, you're not the only one that was wrong. All the experts were wrong. Most fans were wrong.
I'll never be a guy who thinks a GM is omnipotent until he has a solid track record of 5+ years........, so I have no problem saying this draft was pretty meh. It had many chances to be much better.
I'll just be happy with what I can be happy with, be optimistic that the picks that I like will do well, and hope the picks that I don't like will prove me wrong.
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2 hours ago, CR91 said:
We dont even throw deep often. Most of our offense are quick throws and screens
we didn't throw deep often because we didn't have skilled vertical threat WRs beyond TY.
google 4 vert and reich or k-gun and reich
if reich is as advertised (his own and other articles/interviews), he absolutely has a vertical/deep element to his scheme that we just didn't see last year.
we took two late round speed guys (cain and fountain) last year, that for whatever reason didn't produce last year, but there's a reason why we took them.
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11 minutes ago, chad72 said:
WR is addressed now. It very well could be that with the re-signing of Geathers, Ballard did not feel the need for a starting safety as much as he felt the need for a starting CB. Plus, with DT value probably shot after middle of Round 1 when Simmons and Lawrence went, Ballard focused on edge rusher, which means Tyquan Lewis is moving inside. It all makes sense now.
Right now, we will get passing down DTs or run down DTs, whose value will be in Round 3, not 3 down DTs.
I'm just a little worried about S health. I think CB is in better shape than S. And I think RYS needs a lot of polish.
I'm just happy we have a legit speed WR. just wish it was an X/Slot combo instead of a Z/slot combo.
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Just now, RNGDShobby said:
still plenty of S and WR left. agree with DT but other than Tillery there wasn't a lot there at 26 either.
Just not sure the second next year, and the extra 5th is worth what we could have easily had.
I do like RYS a lot, but not at 34. I think Love would have been more than fine later, and perhaps a better fit to our system. Love is proven while RYS is raw and needs a lot of polish. I would have preferred several Ss over RYS at CB
I like Campbell too, but not near as much as AJB. He needs a ton of polish on his route tree, and is a Z/slot combo. I would have taken AJB (polished and could play any WR potion), DK (X/Slot), or Isabella (Z/slot) before him. BUT, I'm super stoked and just thankful we took a WR with legit speed to go vertical. happy happy happy happy
And Banogu..... sorry, he's not going to be the next sleeper like Leonard. Feel free to write it down and remind me. Truly hope he proves me wrong, but I think this is a major reach. I don't see him translating to the NFL well.
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not a big fan so far. it's not like last year.
last year, i was happy with Q, happy with Smith, didn't know a lot about Leonard, but read up on him quickly and was impressed.
this year, i know both players well, and seems like there are better options.
biggest beef so far is we haven't addressed what most think are our 3 biggest needs (DT, S, and WR) and the talent left at those positions are dropping off fast.
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not a big fan so far. it's not like last year.
last year, i was happy with Q, happy with Smith, didn't know a lot about Leonard, but read up on him quickly and was impressed.
this year, i know both players well, and seems like there are better options.
biggest beef so far is we haven't addressed what most think are our 3 biggest needs (DT, S, and WR)
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seems like high ceiling raw project
still think love would have fit better into our scheme, and had more proven production
QuoteOverview
Body-beautiful cornerback with good size and potential, but just one year of FBS football experience. Ya-Sin needs technique work across the board, but the ability to handle the duties of the position are all in place and waiting to be unlocked. He has the strength, toughness and feet to go from shadowing presence to a more disruptive one as a press-man corner. His lack of technique allows for some pitch-and-catch moments in coverage, but he has moldable traits to become a future starter with more experience and coaching.
Strengths
Really long with carved up physique
Coaches loved him after just a couple months in program
Given single-digit number representing nine toughest players
Light in his backpedal
Possesses foot quickness for extended mirroring of release
Has potential for extended mirroring
Upper body strength to improve pop in his jam
Has traits for press-man or off-man
Decent closing burst to attack throws
Plays into catch-point with aggressive hands
Has ability to stick and drive from bail coverage
Willing in run support
Impressive upside with more technique work
Weaknesses
Not as disruptive from press as he could be
Needs more technique work
Turned around due to early hip declarations from press
Struggles to maintain proper leverage
False steps at top of his drop
Slight delay in transitions from off-man
Long speed is just average
Gets climbed and stacked at times
Inconsistent to stay in phase against verticals
Tendency to grab and face-guard rather than turn and locate
Average field awareness
Requires additional tackling technique
Sources Tell Us
"Once he adds some coaching and technique to his physical tools, he's got a chance to take a big leap. We love guys that look like him. That's what you want your GM to draft." -- Secondary coach with AFC team -
Just now, SouthernIndianaNDFan said:
Meh.
same here.
would have rather had Love later.
Dining on Crow and Humble Pie this Weekend....
in Colts Football
Posted
Yes they are.
nobody is saying he was a bad at talent evaluation. he had some great hits in his 14 years, and some busts. some of his bust in early round draft picks. ugoh, tripplett, burns, bashir, doss, pathon, and others.
It was more about our up and down inconsistency on D from year to year, than any of the reasons above. Losing 2 first round home games vs the Jets, and IIRC the Dophins and Titans, were just plain bad. Sure the Pats, Steelers, and Chargers were tough. There's always other tough teams. I'm fine with road losses to the Pats, etc., but home losses to Pit and SD aren't OK.
He provides plenty of opinions on players, which is part of the noise. He's having his cake and eating it too.
Hoping CB hits a home run on every pick!
Hoping