Superman

Right on. I just know I've been pretty open about not liking how they handle pressers -- especially for Ballard, who only does them a few times a year. So hopefully I'm not giving anyone the wrong idea.

Just speaking for myself, I think you get the wrong impression about the kind of questioning I'd like from these pressers. I'm not asking for anyone to try to nail Ballard to the wall. I don't think they need to be rude and aggressive. My criticism is that they don't ask insightful questions. You have Holder, who is the lead dog in the room, and when he asks a question it's obvious that he hasn't given it adequate thought because he doesn't even know how to frame the question.

Kevin sounds really smart when he steals my reasoning.

My questions, in no particular order: 1) What do you think about the locker room culture at this point? (Several suspensions, including two by the team, and a star level player was released suddenly.) Somewhat related to the above: Gus Bradley said Shaq Leonard was told he'd be benched, then he was released the next day. Why was the decision made to release him, rather than just make him inactive for the rest of the season? 2) Do you see yourself ever using more aggressive cap management strategies to try to make a short run at contention? 3) What were your expectations for the defense in 2023, and what will your expectations be going into next season? 4) Do you think you saw enough from Anthony Richardson to believe that he can be your franchise QB, and what are the most important parts of your plan to support his development in 2024?

I was interested in Chris Harris as a DC before we hired Gus. Also waiting to hear that Mike Mitchell and the Colts have agreed to part ways... fingers crossed.

I'm not sure McLaurin is the right complement to Pittman in our offense, I think they cover a lot of the same ground. McLaurin's 2024 cap hit for the Commanders is $24.1m. If they trade him before June 1, they would have a 2024 cap penalty of $16.8m. If they trade him after June 1, they would have a 2024 cap penalty of $11.2m, plus a 2025 cap penalty of $5.6m. If they did want to trade him, I think it would be after the draft, so the 15th pick wouldn't be available. I think a more realistic trade candidate is Brandon Aiyuk. The Niners have cap issues, and he's going to want $25m/year. But similar to McLaurin, I'm not sure he's the right complement to Pittman.

I mistyped, good catch. I meant Higgins is the #2.

For some, it's as simple as the fact that Ballard drafted said player.

I'm pretty sure that's the presser he did earlier today, which I did watch. It's where the "continuity" comment came from.

There are two differences between Higgins and Pittman. The first is named Joe Burrow, and the second is named Jamarr Chase. They have the same size profile, and Pittman's pre-draft workout numbers were more dynamic (Pittman worked the Combine; Chase Higgins worked pro day, which is usually more favorable than the Combine). Higgins might have a slightly faster top speed. Neither of these guys are taking the top off the defense. They're basically the same guy. The difference is that Pittman is the #1 guy on his team, and hasn't had good QBing, while Chase Higgins is the #2 guy, and plays with an All World QB. They'll probably command the same kind of contract.

Maybe when Steichen says that he values continuity, he means that he doesn't want to hire a really good, innovative DC because he knows he'll just get hired away as a head coach. So he'd rather keep stale old Bradley, since no one else would ever want him. I'm mostly joking...

True. I'm mostly being sarcastic, but I agree that Minshew has a level of comfort operating the offense. It's also really simple and RPO based, so it's not that hard to grasp, I don't think. I think our backup next year should be someone who better complements Richardson. That way we don't have to significantly adjust the offense if Richardson is out with an injury. Of course, if we need a backup for two or three weeks, I don't totally mind that being Minshew.

LOL Anything? Man, just imagine the possibilities. If they kept Taylor in and used play action, they might have been able to get the defense to bite, and then thrown to a wide open receiver! Of course, Minshew would have had to make a good throw, and the receiver would have had to catch the ball...

How well does he know the offense, when he never seems to be aware of receivers coming open down the field?

What's the difference between Higgins and Pittman?

Are you arguing that the Colts had Stroud ahead of Richardson on their draft board, and were hoping that Stroud dropped to #4?

Not meant to be personal, sorry to have offended you.

It's a good question. The most cynical response is that the Colts value continuity over improvement. I don't think I believe that, but that seems like the basis for Steichen's answer earlier today. I don't think it's a financial thing. Bradley and his staff can't be making much, and I'm sure they all have offsets. And I don't think that Steichen would want to be more involved in the defensive game planning, when he's already intimately involved in the offensive game planning. (By the way, I always talk about how I dislike my HC being a primary play caller; Steichen seemed absolutely locked in all season, one of the rare examples of how to handle the play calling and still nail all the game management decisions. And he was also engaged with defensive players and special teamers. If anyone can handle that responsibility, it's Steichen, IMO.) And I don't want a DC that has to be prodded to change his approach. If Steichen is having to plead with Bradley to make adjustments, then they aren't on the same page, and Steichen should hire someone that's a better fit. I guess they had low expectations for the defense, given the state of the roster and the developmental nature of this season. And maybe they hope that another offseason brings improvement, which will lead to better output from the defense. It would be nice to hear comprehensive thoughts from Steichen about the defense and future expectations, but today probably wasn't the time for that.

Do you think it's too difficult to teach young DBs how to play Cover 2 and Cover 6? These are basic NFL coverages, and Bradley's staff is supposed to be great at teaching fundamentals.

Did you listen to his presser? I think it was exactly a vote of confidence, and the only reason he didn't say it with 100% certainty is because there's a process at the end of the season, with exit interviews, meetings with the owner and GM, etc. It's also possible that Bradley signed a two year contract, and it will be partly up to him to decide if he wants to return. But if it's up to Steichen, it sounds like Bradley would be back. For sure. If anyone thinks Bradley will be more aggressive with different/better personnel, I think they're fooling themselves. Yeah that's another good point. If you only blitz on third down, it's much easier to gameplan against.

To each his own, for sure. I find the caps jarring and off-putting, and I doubt that's your intention. Not trying to change you, just offered my perspective for your consideration.

Maybe that's what they meant. I thought it was about clock management. I think Taylor wasn't fighting for extra yards because he was in pain.

LOL, not a hot take at all. I thought we were in trouble depth-wise before the season started, because we were relying on Leonard and didn't know if he was healthy. We let him go, and converted a safety to LB. It's one of the thinnest positions on the roster, and poor tackling was one of the biggest problems with the defense all season.

Not to pile on you, but the caps is a big turn off for me also. And while I might give your posts a quick skim, it's mostly just out of 'is this another random caps rant' curiosity. It's like you're channeling an edgy talk radio host, and I don't listen to those guys either. JMO -- the caps stuff detracts from your message, which I think is the opposite effect you're going for.

Could be either of those. But if Cross drops deep, we still give up a nice chunk to the TE. Schematically, don't stop good QBs, we just let them complete passes with little resistance.