Moves that set us back

[jbaron04]

I want y'all opinions on what is the move of thing that was the biggest set back to franchise?

[jbaron04]

I think t.glenn retiring early at only 31 which cause us to draft ugho an we never bin the same since

[21isSuperman]

I think t.glenn retiring early at only 31 which cause us to draft ugho an we never bin the same since

Well said. The poor drafts of Chris Polian were also things that set us back a few years, as did the poor choice of having Caldwell as a head coach. We let Jake Scott go and he signed with Tennessee where he helped CJ2K reach his 2K. We let Ryan Lilja go and he went to Kansas City where he helped Jamaal Charles have one of the better RB performances that year.

[ar1888]

Drafting Donald Brown instead of Hakeem Nicks.

[Gavin]

set us back now? not taking an O Lineman earlier in the draft such as RG and RT while thinking that Mcglynn and Justice were good enough to start for one year (yes I know it was a low level move thats a stop gap but there were better stop gap O Linemen out there and still is)

[MTC]

Drafting Jerry Hughes over Rodger Saffold (OT for Rams)

[Moncrief]

Focusing on offensive weapons rather then building a solid o-line

[pacolts56]

I think t.glenn retiring early at only 31 which cause us to draft ugho an we never bin the same since

I agree 100%. Add our decision to let LG Jake Scott walk in free agency and it pinpoints a glaring weakness that was never effectively addressed and contributed to early playoff exits.

[Mr.Debonair]

Focusing on offensive weapons rather then building a solid o-line

B I N G O

[pacolts56]

To be fair....in a total rebuild such as ours, we weren't gonna fix everything in one off-season.

Having said that, and I'll probably take a shot for saying this...I wouldn't have been terribly upset had we drafted an OG such as Cordy Glenn or Keleche Osemele rather than Coby Fleener.

Hopefully Trai Essex helps shore things up and our rushing attack improves, and Luck doesn't see the ridiculous level of interior pass pressure he saw against the Bears.

[GoColts8818]

Drafting Tony Ugoh it cost us three draft picks, the pick we traded to get him, the pick we used to take him and the pick we had to use to replace him. Without a doubt the single biggest mistake of the Polian era.

[ruksak]

Because of all the issues that spilled out of it, I'll just call the whole transition from Dungy to Caldwell an exercise in passive regression. .....This transition was so horribly flawed and witnessed so much inaction, that it literally caused our city, our team, to lose the greatest QB to ever play the game, a 2-14 season and an 'X' number of years rebuilding mode.

I wanted to include in this; The loss against the NYJ in the 2010 playoffs signaled the end of one of the winning-est decades posted by any professional team in sports history, and none of us ever saw it coming.

"We'll get 'em next year, Peyton"...........there was no "next year".

[Jon Daily]

Polian choosing to sit our starters the year we almost went 16-0. It totally split the relationship between the players and the organization.

Plus the busted o-line picks.

[indy1888]

I want y'all opinions on what is the move of thing that was the biggest set back to franchise?

It was a combination of moves. The drafting of Ugoh was a major mistake. It cost us draft picks and set us back in adressing other areas of needs as we had to use another pick on an O lineman. Letting Lilja go still makes absolutely no sense to me. I'm fine with releasing a guy like that if you have someone better to replace him. We had nobody. Next year Lilja make the probowl. I still think Polian had some sort of a problem with Lilja, as his release was shortly after he blamed the O line for losing the superbowl. Hughes and Brown really have not lived up to their draft position either. There were bad contracts handed out as well but most of the problem was the bad drafting. When you continually miss on draft picks you are left trying to fix the problem again later with more draft picks, either that or you are just stuck with playing with a bad player which we have been doing a lot lately.

[GoColts8818]

Polian choosing to sit our starters the year we almost went 16-0. It totally split the relationship between the players and the organization.

Plus the busted o-line picks.

I don't buy this. I think some fans wish it was true because it's how they felt. I think the team did exactly what Peyton said they did, they moved on from it. It doesn't mean they liked it but they did something a lot of fans were not able to do. They got over it. Had they not they would not have shown up and played extremely well in two playoff games after that and gotten off to a hot start in the Super Bowl. Also since that team went on to win two more playoff games and get to a Super Bowl I don't think that was a move that set us back. It's just an extremely unpopular move.

[Jon Daily]

I don't buy this. I think some fans wish it was true because it's how they felt. I think the team did exactly what Peyton said they did, they moved on from it. It doesn't mean they liked it but they did something a lot of fans were not able to do. They got over it. Had they not they would not have shown up and played extremely well in two playoff games after that and gotten off to a hot start in the Super Bowl. Also since that team went on to win two more playoff games and get to a Super Bowl I don't think that was a move that set us back. It's just an extremely unpopular move.

But don't you think after the SB loss they looked back at that and thought "

Edited September 14, 2012 by shecolt
masked profanity

[GoColts8818]

But don't you think after the SB loss they looked back at that and thought " "

I think after they lost the Super Bowl they were more disappointed that they lost the Super Bowl than they were mad about something that happened a month before hand and because they lost the Super Bowl turned out not to matter.

Again I don't think they liked it but I think they moved on from it. They are professional athletes. I don't think they let that impact their play on the field and if it had it would have shown up in the one of the two playoff games before the Super Bowl. It didn't.

[Boiler_Colt]

I want y'all opinions on what is the move of thing that was the biggest set back to franchise?

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Ugoh drafted before Glenn announced his retirement? The plan was to groom him for a year or two, but Glenn's retirement forced him to start early.

[GoColts8818]

I'd like to offer my number two move as well. Trading Rison and Hinton to the Falcons to make sure we got Jeff George when they had Chris Chandler on the roster. While Chandler was never going to be one of the NFL greats he was a pretty good NFL starting QB for a while. Had the Colts just stuck with him who knows what would have happened in the early 90s.

[Peytonparker]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Ugoh drafted before Glenn announced his retirement? The plan was to groom him for a year or two, but Glenn's retirement forced him to start early.

Not how it happened. Tarik announced his retirement shortly after the super bowl, forcing us to move up and take someone to "replace" him

[GoColts8818]

Not how it happened. Tarik announced his retirement shortly after the super bowl, forcing us to move up and take someone to "replace" him

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=2944430

He retired in July. The plan was to groom Ugoh to replace him. With that said I think Polian at least had a hunch if he didn't flat out know before the draft.

(Edited to correct the link)

[Boiler_Colt]

http://sports.espn.g...?id=2944430��He retired in July. The plan was to groom Ugoh to replace him. With that said I think Polian at least had a hunch if he didn't flat out know before the draft.

Yep, this is what I remember

[ColtJ82]

Releasing Peyton Manning

[Boiler_Colt]

Releasing Peyton Manning

Writing that $28 million poison pill into his contract

[ColtJ82]

Writing that $28 million poison pill into his contract

Yeah, if we would have won a 3rd game last year we would be really screwed

[jimirsaysdog]

set us back now? not taking an O Lineman earlier in the draft such as RG and RT while thinking that Mcglynn and Justice were good enough to start for one year (yes I know it was a low level move thats a stop gap but there were better stop gap O Linemen out there and still is)

still smarter than grigson and pagano i see.

[jimirsaysdog]

set us back now? not taking an O Lineman earlier in the draft such as RG and RT while thinking that Mcglynn and Justice were good enough to start for one year (yes I know it was a low level move thats a stop gap but there were better stop gap O Linemen out there and still is)

those two certainly weren't a problem last week. both played much better than satele.

[Gavin]

those two certainly weren't a problem last week. both played much better than satele.

did you even watch the game?

[Gavin]

those two certainly weren't a problem last week. both played much better than satele.

smart enough to sign Jake Scott

[ColtStrong]

Hindsight is too easy. I'd rather not dwell on what could have been, but what will be.

[TKnight24]

Hmmmm........ during my Time as a Fan........

I would say sending Edge to Arizona maybe? Or letting go of Marlin Jackson & Kelvin Hayden.... idk something lol

[GoColts8818]

Hmmmm........ during my Time as a Fan........

I would say sending Edge to Arizona maybe? Or letting go of Marlin Jackson & Kelvin Hayden.... idk something lol

We didn't send Edge to Arizona we let him leave as a free agent and that didn't set us back as the Colts won a Super Bowl the next season thanks in large part to the running game.

As for Jackson he was hurt and has not really played in the NFL since then. The mistake with Hayden was the contract we gave him. I'd say that was bigger than letting him go.

[Malakai432]

Well said. The poor drafts of Chris Polian were also things that set us back a few years, as did the poor choice of having Caldwell as a head coach.

Hey hey now, no low blows on Jim Caldwell. FireJimCaldwell was his most staunch supporter and admirer. He will really get on you about that crack @ Caldwell!!!

[OJl]

heck, how far do you want to go back? I'll just stick with Indy Colts history so no Art Schlister and John Elway stuff.

1. Traded the farm for Eric Dickerson. This move kept the Colts in mediocre land for several years. Dickerson was good enough to keep the Colts competitive but never better than 9-7.

2. Traded two first round picks for Fredd Young, one was a top ten pick the other was a top fifteen I think. This trade happend in 1988. After 1990 Young retired.

3. Traded Andre Rison, Hall of Fame calibre LT Chris Hinton and a bunch of other picks including QB Chris Chandler to Atlanta for ultra talented underachiever Jeff George. George was such a terrible teammate it was rumored his own O-line let pass rushers come free on purpose. Meanwhile Chandler had a very respectable career including leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 1998.

4. Colts had the first and second pick overal in the 1992 draft! Unfortunately there was no "can't miss franchise QB." They settled for the two best defensive players in the draft. Both guys crapped out. Steve Emtman was an injury bust. Quinton Coryatt was built like an All-Pro but injuries and a lack of "IT" prevented from ever being anything special. These guys set the Colts defense back ten years!

5. Giving Quinton Coryatt a monster contract after the 1995 season! Our 1995 defense was probably the best Indy Colts defense ever! But within a couple of years, all of those key guys were gone! Bill tobin had no cash left to do anything. Tony Siragusa was let to. He went on to be a key contributor for Baltimore's Super Bowl team. Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchannon were let go in successive years. Both guys became Pro Bowlers. Ray was a key leader for Atlanta's Super Bowl team. They also let go of pro bowl left tackle Will Woolford!

6. The whole Tarik Glenn/Tony Ugoh thing really hurt the team.

7. Letting Jake Scott and Ryan Lilja go without having compentent talent in place.

8. Going out of their way to make Jim Caldwell the successor to Tony Dungy. Really? I don't recall there being a long line for Caldwell's services. That whole things still baffles me. Last year was a disaster, but if we had an upper tier head coach, I don't think it would have been THAT bad.

9. Drafting Joseph Addai instead of MJD. Polian laments this as one of his greatest regrets. Imagine if Manning had MJD in the backfield with him?!!

10. Drafting Jerry Hughes instead of Roger Saffold was a big mistake.

[jbaron04]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Ugoh drafted before Glenn announced his retirement? The plan was to groom him for a year or two, but Glenn's retirement forced him to start early.

Glenn told them he was gonna retire so they talked him in to staying thru camp so they drafted ugoh know his was gonna retire

[ColtStrong]

heck, how far do you want to go back? I'll just stick with Indy Colts history so no Art Schlister and John Elway stuff.

1. Traded the farm for Eric Dickerson. This move kept the Colts in mediocre land for several years. Dickerson was good enough to keep the Colts competitive but never better than 9-7.

2. Traded two first round picks for Fredd Young, one was a top ten pick the other was a top fifteen I think. This trade happend in 1988. After 1990 Young retired.

3. Traded Andre Rison, Hall of Fame calibre LT Chris Hinton and a bunch of other picks including QB Chris Chandler to Atlanta for ultra talented underachiever Jeff George. George was such a terrible teammate it was rumored his own O-line let pass rushers come free on purpose. Meanwhile Chandler had a very respectable career including leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 1998.

4. Colts had the first and second pick overal in the 1992 draft! Unfortunately there was no "can't miss franchise QB." They settled for the two best defensive players in the draft. Both guys crapped out. Steve Emtman was an injury bust. Quinton Coryatt was built like an All-Pro but injuries and a lack of "IT" prevented from ever being anything special. These guys set the Colts defense back ten years!

5. Giving Quinton Coryatt a monster contract after the 1995 season! Our 1995 defense was probably the best Indy Colts defense ever! But within a couple of years, all of those key guys were gone! Bill tobin had no cash left to do anything. Tony Siragusa was let to. He went on to be a key contributor for Baltimore's Super Bowl team. Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchannon were let go in successive years. Both guys became Pro Bowlers. Ray was a key leader for Atlanta's Super Bowl team. They also let go of pro bowl left tackle Will Woolford!

6. The whole Tarik Glenn/Tony Ugoh thing really hurt the team.

7. Letting Jake Scott and Ryan Lilja go without having compentent talent in place.

8. Going out of their way to make Jim Caldwell the successor to Tony Dungy. Really? I don't recall there being a long line for Caldwell's services. That whole things still baffles me. Last year was a disaster, but if we had an upper tier head coach, I don't think it would have been THAT bad.

9. Drafting Joseph Addai instead of MJD. Polian laments this as one of his greatest regrets. Imagine if Manning had MJD in the backfield with him?!!

10. Drafting Jerry Hughes instead of Roger Saffold was a big mistake.

TLDR. Besides, any longtime colts fan knows the history.

[turner46992]

Irsay unloading all of his money into 1 or 2 players instead of understanding that football is still a team sport and we need a team, not individual players to maintain high success. that goes for all acrossed the team, offense to defense.

Give money where it is due, but dont make it a goal to have the "highest paid players" in there respective positions.

[Fx Stryker]

Drafting Elway.

Even though it kind of worked out, we got Harbaugh a few years and Peyton.

[BOTT]

not taking advantage of that * mike ditka

[BOTT]

Irsay unloading all of his money into 1 or 2 players instead of understanding that football is still a team sport and we need a team, not individual players to maintain high success. that goes for all acrossed the team, offense to defense.

Give money where it is due, but dont make it a goal to have the "highest paid players" in there respective positions.

i'm sure irsay didn't tell polian to over pay guys like hayden, brackett, and clark