Boondoggle

I wanted Levis as well but that doesn't mean I am willing to root for the guy to do well. Being right when your team didn't take that player is an empty place to be.

Levis was excellent in that game. Command at the LOS and resilient. Made big throws all night. But that resilience in how he played after the pick six is annoying to me. I was expecting to enjoy a nice night of him misfiring.

I fear they are the final non-playoff team in the draft order.

Stroud deserves all the accolades he is getting. The kid is tough and makes throws that give his team a chance every game. But I'd slow that roll on fitting him for a Hall of Fame bust. First off Bobby Slowik was a fantastic hire. Kind of hire you can't hold on to in this league. So this offseason what is going to happen is he'll almost surely get a head coaching gig and Ryans will need to hire a replacement. And chances are the quality of the gameplanning is going to dip. This will put more pressure on Stroud to function with more chaos on gameday and overcoming it and his inexperience will show more. From there how does he handle it. Again he's a quality pick and they're being rewarded for taking him. But there's examples of QBs showing well early and tailing off. Being a starting QB in the NFL is a major grind. It requires resiliency that not all players have. Does Stroud have that, we'll see. Just like we'll see if AR has it. Even after next season the story still won't be written in ink either. You probably need to look at a QB after 3-5 years to really have a feel for who he is. So as impressed as I am with Stroud I don't think he's the guaranteed top guy from this draft let alone in the division.

I love Minshew's compete. Not gifted as a thrower but there's a lot of dog in him. Not sure if I'm imagining it but he feels to me like he's getting better.

Weird just mentioned him in the QB thread in the general section. But count me among those hoping they can ink Minshew for that backup role. And if not then maybe spend a mid to late pick on a guy who can grow into that backup role. Doing that has potential to save you some cash but again I'd rather not screw around and know if AR gets hurt again there's someone to take the reins.

Feeling right now like Minshew was a heck of a signing, given that the Colts are getting wins with him at QB on a 3.5M deal. Wondering if he'll be willing to back AR up next year. If not I think maybe I'd draft one mid to late round for that backup job, and hope I could grow a backup out of that pick. Hoping he signs on for another year or two though. And I think giving him a better contract with standard backup QB pay and security would be good for both parties. Given that you're cooked nowadays without a QB.

Pierce is a lot like Pittman. Ballard has a type. He values big target wideouts. But when you're stacking a wideout group the fact you have a younger guy who can slide into Pittman's role and realize that cap savings is something that needs to be considered. And when it pairs with a real need to upgrade the ability of that group to stretch the field for a QB who has an epic arm, that plays even more into that equation. I respect Pittman's game. He's a quality wideout. But it's not about retaining the guy you drafted, it is about cap efficiency vs your ability to use supply/demand to field the best team possible. If Pittman was a little more of a threat to beat teams deep then he'd be Evans and I'd pay him. But I think he's a cut below that. He is in that range where it's a tough decision but where the Colts will be drafting there are going to be some really nice offensive pieces in the pass game to choose from in round 1. Really good chance wideout is the best player on the board for them in round 1 and a young stud who can grow with AR is the better path I think. If they pay Pittman I will cross my fingers and hope they get their value out of him. But I don't think that will happen. I think paying him will be a mistake in terms of the return the team will get vs spending that FA money on a different position group.

If I were a betting man I'd take you up on that. Alas I must keep myself in accoutrements that enhance the potency of my loungewear. This is a fantastic wideout draft. MPJ is a good X but instead of paying him the smart call would be to slide Pierce into that role and draft a young stud with some juice to favorably alter the complexion of this pass game's ability to stretch the field. Consider how much that element would be magnified with the return of a QB who can spin it like AR can.

As big wideouts go in order to get paid you need to separate plus show the ability to body defenders, make contested catches, etc. Specifically you need to be able to stretch the field over the middle and be a threat for explosives on the perimeter. This is standard stuff in today's NFL as most explosive plays come from those areas. The example of that type of role for Pittman is Mike Evans. Pittman still isn't at that level, but he has improved. Also he's four years younger than Evans. But Evans was better than Pittman is now a few years ago, and he's still better. So not sure what Pittman's value will be on the market but I think he is likely to hit the market because he will want more than the Colts want to pay him. And he doesn't rate a tag. This is because you can find big body receivers who lack in the speed or separation departments into every draft. Using a similar offense as an example this year's RoY type wideout Nacua went round 5 and is already comparable to Pittman. Kupp went round 3 or 4 I forget which but from a supply and demand perspective it would be folly to pay Pittman.

Re: Browning there's a big difference in showing well for a small window vs sustaining a high level of play. I admit he's been way better than I expected. Colts don't have the best fun and games DC in terms of his ability to disguise things pre-snap and mess with a QB's mind, but they've been very good in passer rating against which is a nice cumulative look at effectiveness. So I think Browning is in for a rough(er) game. This should be a win.

Pickett is a poor QB. He doesn't have the ability to even get through his reads, because he's a guy who focuses on the rush. So if you can move him off his spot his game disintegrates. Trubitsky also struggles to read the field and makes bad decisions. But he's been waiting for this chance, so there's a chance we get the "bad QB playing with nothing to lose" thing, which can be very annoying. I'd rather see Pickett, personally. Though it's splitting hairs. Also and by the way how do they expect Pickett to return week 18 if he is going to get surgery. I'm no doctor but high ankle sprains are nasty and can dog a player a long time in a season, so I don't get how he can be operated on and return quickly. Sounds fishy

Yeah this division is going to be very interesting next season. Probably will be the best division in the NFL.

As annoyed as I am by AR's injury and that risk of him getting hurt running the ball in the future, all these young QBs do dumb things. Watching this game today and seeing Levis leap head first for a first down at midfield I had to laugh. These young guys don't realize how serious injury risk is at this level. You just never know when it comes to injury. Depends on whether AR is smart and disciplined enough to learn how to beat teams consistenly from the pocket.

Nice TD there kid.

Levis is a better matchup than Tannehill. If they were to start Tannehill we'd get the focused and angry version which would be far tougher than Levis who will make rookie mistakes. And they don't have any weapons that are too concerning. Also the Titans defense is not very good situationally. When teams need points vs that defense they seem to get them. This looks to me like a game the Colts should win.

That makes for a rather disgusting visual.

If CBS is right it'll be the Eagles most likely since Cunningham is injured. Not sure he could get on the field for the Cowboys.

Yeah that is beyond painful. Can you imagine sitting through that first round of the draft being them. What I don't get is how the GM kept his job. If Tepper had half a brain he would have cleaned house and let it be known he wants a top GM who can help him get that organization going in the right direction. The guy is completely clueless.

He will take his time and pick the best team he can who will give him a shot at playing time. If he's smart he'll sign for peanuts and play like he did when he was trying to make his name in this league. Then he might get a ring plus another deal when some team is stupid enough to pay him again in FA.

Young was riding that high of quarterbacking one of the best collections of talent in college ball, and the media being so in love with his personality. It was groupthink plain and simple. Just like it was groupthink that Levis fell. I guarantee you that if that draft was re-held Levis would go very high, it would be Stroud then Levis or Richardson. But that was not a new thing, it happens every once in a while in the NFL. Teams just get in that groupthink mentality with certain guys, we saw it with Rodgers and Marino, just using two of the most worthy examples. I do think Young has a chance to succeed because he's such a good kid and works very hard, plus he's smart. There is a chance he can be a Brees type but lots of risk in that and he has a lot to prove and he's going to be a game manager or system type QB. But Tepper right now is seeing the truth of his own ineptitude here. It was clear they were taking the wrong QB at 1 overall. You don't take a guy at the top of the draft who comes with a lot of questions based on size or arm strength or even who has red flags. You let someone else take him too high, and if he falls through then you take him where you should which is round two a la Brees. Either way the Colts did a good job. Richardson is no Stroud but clearly he worked hard to learn the system and from here on out they need to condition him to use the pocket protections more. I'm worried about him staying healthy basically, but that's a lot better than what Carolina fans are worrying about right now.

Players do emerge in year three. But Wayne emerging in his third season doesn't make me feel any better about Pierce. There's a much longer list of players who did not emerge in that third year, after all.

I'd like to see more from him so to me he feels a bit behind the curve. I like him though. Hoping he turns it on.

The worst place to be is that final draft pick prior to the playoff teams. Feels like the Colts are heading for it too. Hope they get in. But the Texans look like a much better team due to QB. That kid is killing it.

I think I could help him. I do make a mean pot of coffee.