Never Thought I Would Say This...

[Jason_]

the colts will never get peyton the help he needs. why have they not done it yet????? justin blaylock lg from the falcons why didnt we sign him???? he is a good team player and we have cap room harry dahl why not sign him another good o lineman and a huge upgrade why not him????? this undrafted rookie crap is not helping manning its polian trying to make sugar out of sh....we hav not stopped the run since 99 remember we went 13-3 and eddie george ran over us in the playoffs???the same thing happens every yr other then our super bowl year and ima call that a lucky fluke....front office is horrible bottom line

Our defense begin better against the run in the 06 playoff run was not a fluke. It was largely in part to us getting Booger McFarland and actually getting effective play from the NT position...something we never had prior to that and we haven't had since until this year. We are still not set at NT but we're in a better position than we've been in since Booger.

I think our OL played much better this week but we need to upgrade RT. Link was the reason for so many negative plays I couldn't keep track. I don't know what the coaches are waiting for with Ijalana but I don't see how he could do much worse than Link.

However to your undrafted rookie comment, while true when Dungy was here, is not the case now. They spent a 4th round pick in '10 on the OL and the 1st and 2nd round picks this past draft to upgrade the OL. Plus don't forget that they traded up to get Ugoh. Colts don't usually trade up for players so this was a very aggressive move to fill a position of need with a guy they thought would work out. Unfortunately he didn't transition as well. That is a risk you run with any draft pick in any round but the point is they made an aggressive move to try to improve the OL.

[natelombardi]

well if u watched the colts that 06 year we didnt stop the run that whole year then in the playoffs all of a sudden we got hot for the record and any real colts fan who watches every game we agree with this. u wont bluff me our run d was horrible that year just like every year we just got a fluke 4 gm run out of them in the playoffs

[chrisfarley]

theres not a chance in the world we go winless, or anywhere close to it. so you might as well forget getting andrew luck of stanford. it aint gonna happen. besides, manning will be back around end of november and we'll be winning again.

[Steagles]

I still think we can win a few games

[natelombardi]

o yea if we dont get andrew luck there is this wr from ok state who is a beast im just sayin. the defence is in too deep of a hole to be fixed in 1 or drafts since the colts dont sign free agents

[presto123]

theres not a chance in the world we go winless, or anywhere close to it. so you might as well forget getting andrew luck of stanford. it aint gonna happen. besides, manning will be back around end of november and we'll be winning again.

Disagree. Why would you rush an all world QB back with no shot at the playoffs? He MIGHT be able to take the field by then but I doubt he would be 100%. Not worth the risk at all and as you know the Colts historically err on the side of caution. I guess I'll have to eat my words if the team turns it around and we do have a shot by then:)

[natelombardi]

i give us a 5% chance of winning over 3 games

[Jason_]

well if u watched the colts that 06 year we didnt stop the run that whole year then in the playoffs all of a sudden we got hot for the record and any real colts fan who watches every game we agree with this. u wont bluff me our run d was horrible that year just like every year we just got a fluke 4 gm run out of them in the playoffs

Now don't go putting words in my mouth I specifically said

Our defense begin better against the run in the 06 playoff run was not a fluke.

. Yes they were terrible during the regular season but turned it completely around in the playoffs. However, we didn't acquire Booger until 6 games into the season so it was going to take some time for him to work in and develop chemistry with the rest of the defense. I also think a big part of what helped was that Freeney and Mathis stopped going all out after the QB on every down. There was even more to it than that I'm sure so my saying that it wasn't a fluke and was rather due to the upgrade we got at NT was an over-simplification...I'll admit to that. However I do think that was a big part of it.

And if you think about it, that also explains why we couldn't stop the run before or after that because we never found a suitable replacement for Booger when we lost him.

[Moose Of Woe]

theres not a chance in the world we go winless, or anywhere close to it. so you might as well forget getting andrew luck of stanford. it aint gonna happen. besides, manning will be back around end of november and we'll be winning again.

You'd best hope KC or the Bengals field more inept teams than us. (Possibly Jax as well) Otherwise, you might want to rethink that statement.

[deedub75]

The sad part is they don't have to TRY to tank the season. All they have to do is continue playing this way without Manning and they automatically tank the season. I'm trying to be optimistic but I just don't see them turning things around. Offense is horrible, defense is suspect and special teams are still special. Tackling is also atrocious. I will still be cherring them on but if they get the first pick I would rather them trade down and get some o line and d line help.

[HouFan]

Teams go through cycles. How do you think you GOT manning in the first place. Get some good draft picks on defense, get some O-Line free agents, and make Manning re-neg his contract.

[Moncrief]

Me being an offensive type of guy, I would much rather trade out of our already projected 1st overall pick and try to acquire some more picks that would hopefully be used on defensive players and then wait for Tyler Bray in a couple of years.

In no order:

Quinton Coples, DE Best Defensive end in the draft

Donte Paige-Moss, DE

Jared Crick, DE

Devin Taylor, DE

Alex Okafor, DE

Melvin Ingram, DE

Andre Branch, DE

Jacquies Smith, DE

Brandon Thompson, DT Favorite defensive tackle

Jerel Worthy, DT

Devin Still, DT

Alameda Ta'amu, DT Huge nose tackle

Josh Chapman, DT

Kheeston Randall, DT

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB We need him

Alfonzo Dennard, CB

Morris Claiborne, CB

Janoris Jenkins, CB

Cliff Harris, CB

Brandon Boykin, CB

Jayron Hosely, CB

Trumaine Johnson, CB

Ray Ray Armstrong, SS Want him to replace Bullitt

Mark Barron, SS Want him to replace Bullitt

Courtney Armstrong, ILB

Vontaze Burfict, ILB Favorite Linebacker

Manti Te'o, ILB

Don'ta Hightower, ILB

Luke Kuechly, ILB

Emmanuel Acho, ILB

James-Michael Johnson, ILB

Zach Brown, OLB He fits our system to a T

Bruce Irvin, OLB Another guy we should take a look at.

Keenan Robinson, OLB I might be biased but a good player

Sean Spence, OLB

Kenny Tate, OLB

Travis Lewis, OLB

Lavonte David, OLB

Nico Johnson, OLB

Brandon Lindsey, OLB

[colts52761]

I have seen mock drafts giving us LT Matt Kalil from USC and moving Castonzo to RT.

[wanabecoach]

I will take a cerebral QB over a more physically gifted athlete anyday of the week.

[Peytonparker]

This is a horrific scenario IMO. I do not want he Colts to be looking at Andrew Luck and then pick him and have to watch him sit on the bench for the next few years.

If Indy lands the top pick I say trade it. Luck will command a "HUGE" price and Indy could help itself in the short term by leaps and bounds.

Luck can not command to high of a salary because of the new rookie pay scale. Also I believe Aaron Rodgers sat behind a future hall of fame QB and it seems to have worked out ok for him. Just saying

[Jason_]

Luck can not command to high of a salary because of the new rookie pay scale. Also I believe Aaron Rodgers sat behind a future hall of fame QB and it seems to have worked out ok for him. Just saying

And Manning, Marino and many others started from day one and things worked out pretty well for them too. ;)

[Jason_]

Me being an offensive type of guy, I would much rather trade out of our already projected 1st overall pick and try to acquire some more picks that would hopefully be used on defensive players and then wait for Tyler Bray in a couple of years.

In no order:

Quinton Coples, DE Best Defensive end in the draft

Donte Paige-Moss, DE

Jared Crick, DE

Devin Taylor, DE

Alex Okafor, DE

Melvin Ingram, DE

Andre Branch, DE

Jacquies Smith, DE

Brandon Thompson, DT Favorite defensive tackle

Jerel Worthy, DT

Devin Still, DT

Alameda Ta'amu, DT Huge nose tackle

Josh Chapman, DT

Kheeston Randall, DT

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB We need him

Alfonzo Dennard, CB

Morris Claiborne, CB

Janoris Jenkins, CB

Cliff Harris, CB

Brandon Boykin, CB

Jayron Hosely, CB

Trumaine Johnson, CB

Ray Ray Armstrong, SS Want him to replace Bullitt

Mark Barron, SS Want him to replace Bullitt

Courtney Armstrong, ILB

Vontaze Burfict, ILB Favorite Linebacker

Manti Te'o, ILB

Don'ta Hightower, ILB

Luke Kuechly, ILB

Emmanuel Acho, ILB

James-Michael Johnson, ILB

Zach Brown, OLB He fits our system to a T

Bruce Irvin, OLB Another guy we should take a look at.

Keenan Robinson, OLB I might be biased but a good player

Sean Spence, OLB

Kenny Tate, OLB

Travis Lewis, OLB

Lavonte David, OLB

Nico Johnson, OLB

Brandon Lindsey, OLB

I agree and the ones in red text are players that I've been paying close attention to as well. I'm about ready to say take Devon Still off the list. He takes too many plays off. When he goes 100% he's lethal but he doesn't do it all the time. In fact I would be close to saying he doesn't even half the time.

Right now my dream scenario is to get Alameda Ta'amu in the first round and I think either Morris Claiborne or Dre Kirkpatrick could slip to the second and whichever does we take him...preferably Kirkpatrick. There are a lot of good DT's but we need a true NT and there are significantly less of those with Ta'amu being the elite. If we could work out some kind of deal or trade down and also pick up a Nico Johnson or Manti Te'o then yeah....our defense just got way better.

I have seen mock drafts giving us LT Matt Kalil from USC and moving Castonzo to RT.

I've seen the same. I've checked several mocks so far..1 had us at #1 and taking Luck, a couple had Kalil and the rest were torn between CB and DT.

[OLD FAN MAN]

o yea if we dont get andrew luck there is this wr from ok state who is a beast im just sayin. the defence is in too deep of a hole to be fixed in 1 or drafts since the colts dont sign free agents

we do sign undrafted free agents, just not any household names

[Jason_]

we do sign undrafted free agents, just not any household names

when was the last time a "household name" fell so hard in the draft that he didn't even get drafted? Or did I misunderstand what you were trying to say?

[presto123]

when was the last time a "household name" fell so hard in the draft that he didn't even get drafted? Or did I misunderstand what you were trying to say?

Maybe he meant unrestricted?

[FireJimCaldwell]

I doubt Vince Young could even fill out the application to Stanford properly much less sniff getting in.

[chad72]

I have seen mock drafts giving us LT Matt Kalil from USC and moving Castonzo to RT.

No thanks, I am not sold on Pac-10 O-linemen due to the lack of quality speed rushers they face. Castanzo faced very good edge rushers in Robert Quinn and DaQuan Bowers (when he was healthy) in the ACC, both first round picks. Plus, Castanzo seems to have the frame to put on another 10-20 lbs and end up like a solid Tarik Glenn for years to come.

If I am choosing an O-lineman, I am drafting for Center or RT. Otherwise, I will shore up our secondary first by trading down and getting that Morris Claiborne guy from LSU. Or get a playmaking WR for a new QB after Peyton in Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, who has been compared to Brandon Marshall in talent, 6'4", 230 lbs.

[Jason_]

No thanks, I am not sold on Pac-10 O-linemen due to the lack of quality speed rushers they face. Castanzo faced very good edge rushers in Robert Quinn and DaQuan Bowers (when he was healthy) in the ACC, both first round picks. Plus, Castanzo seems to have the frame to put on another 10-20 lbs and end up like a solid Tarik Glenn for years to come.

If I am choosing an O-lineman, I am drafting for Center or RT. Otherwise, I will shore up our secondary first by trading down and getting that Morris Claiborne guy from LSU. Or get a playmaking WR for a new QB after Peyton in Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, who has been compared to Brandon Marshall in talent, 6'4", 230 lbs.

I wouldn't mind seeing what Peyton could do with a weapon like Alshon Jeffrey. That's the type of receiver he's never had before and I think it would be quite interesting. In the grand scheme of things I'd still prefer a NT and CB in the first 2 rounds.

[mr. football]

Even if we went 0-16 and had the 1st pick, there is no way i would draft luck or any other qb. I really believe peyton is gonna make a full recovery. If we had the first pick i would use it on a true difference maker to help peyton or i would trade it for multiple picks that could help. I bet There are some teams that would overpay with draft picks to get andrew luck. I would definetly take advantage of that if it happened. I feel like alot of you guys that are wanting us to draft a quarterback are giving up on manning. We have one of ..if not THE greatest quarterback to ever play the game on our team. He could and should have another 4 years left. Atleast. Who knows ,maybe he even plays 5 if he is able. We got to surround him with every piece we can to help HIM win. Another qb doesnt help peyton. I dont care what anyone says....we owe #18. He has single handedly put indianapolis on the map. We have a new stadium because of him. Give the guy whatever he needs to make his last years the best possible!! Spend a high pick on a qb AFTER he retires.

[Jason_]

Even if we went 0-16 and had the 1st pick, there is no way i would draft luck or any other qb. I really believe peyton is gonna make a full recovery. If we had the first pick i would use it on a true difference maker to help peyton or i would trade it for multiple picks that could help. I bet There are some teams that would overpay with draft picks to get andrew luck. I would definetly take advantage of that if it happened. I feel like alot of you guys that are wanting us to draft a quarterback are giving up on manning. We have one of ..if not THE greatest quarterback to ever play the game on our team. He could and should have another 4 years left. Atleast. Who knows ,maybe he even plays 5 if he is able. We got to surround him with every piece we can to help HIM win. Another qb doesnt help peyton. I dont care what anyone says....we owe #18. He has almost single handedly made the colts into the team we all love. We have a new stadium because of him. Give the guy whatever he needs to make his last years the best possible!! Spend a high pick on a qb AFTER he retires.

Agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed and...agreed. After seeing what Atlanta gave up last year to get Julio Jones and what Cleveland gave up a few years back to get Brady Quinn (they also have 2 first round picks this year ;) ) I could see another more needy team giving up an arm and a leg to move up for Luck. If he's on the board when we're up to pick I would without hesitation cash in on that.

And there are so many people who complain that we never put a good defense or a good running game around Manning. Both of those things are improving right now but there are still multiple holes. If we could shore up those holes and build a formidable defense and an effective running game and THEN draft our new franchise QB. Imagine how much easier that would make things for our future QB.

[presto123]

One thing is for sure if we did get the no.1 pick by the time the draft rolls around we should have a lot better idea of how much time Peyton may have left. So that would influence the pick as well.

[chad72]

Get a stud CB/LB/WR in round 1 by moving down, and concentrate on O-line and D-line the rest of the way:). I do not see any stud DTs like Suh in next year's draft. Jerel Worthy is good but not Suh good, you know what I mean.

[CR91]

what is wrong with getting the future of our franchise in luck? you want to suck when peyton is gone? atleast if we do pick luck if we are in that position we have our qb for the future and we can continue to dominant for the next 15 years. the guy is considered the surest pick since peyton and he backs that up with his play and film study. how are you not sold on the guy?

[mr. football]

[quote name='Jason' timestamp='1316409739' post='35252' cleveland would work! i would love to kn

Agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed and...agreed. After seeing what Atlanta gave up last year to get Julio Jones and what Cleveland gave up a few years back to get Brady Quinn (they also have 2 first round picks this year ;) ) I could see another more needy team giving up an arm and a leg to move up for Luck. If he's on the board when we're up to pick I would without hesitation cash in on that.

And there are so many people who complain that we never put a good defense or a good running game around Manning. Both of those things are improving right now but there are still multiple holes. If we could shore up those holes and build a formidable defense and an effective running game and THEN draft our new franchise QB. Imagine how much easier that would make things for our future QB.

[mr. football]

One thing is for sure if we did get the no.1 pick by the time the draft rolls around we should have a lot better idea of how much time Peyton may have left. So that would influence the pick as well.

Thats true.

[mr. football]

what is wrong with getting the future of our franchise in luck? you want to suck when peyton is gone? atleast if we do pick luck if we are in that position we have our qb for the future and we can continue to dominant for the next 15 years. the guy is considered the surest pick since peyton and he backs that up with his play and film study. how are you not sold on the guy?

Actually peyton wasnt the surest pick. Alot of people thought ryan leaf was the surest pick. Look what happened to him. There just isnt really a sure pick for a quarterback entering the nfl imo. You just cant tell who is gonna be "good" or who is gonna be "great"

[CR91]

Actually peyton wasnt the surest pick. Alot of people thought ryan leaf was the surest pick. Look what happened to him. There just isnt really a sure pick for a quarterback entering the nfl imo. You just cant tell who is gonna be "good" or who is gonna be "great"

leaf was the fancy pick. peyton was the sure pick just like luck is

[chad72]

Actually peyton wasnt the surest pick. Alot of people thought ryan leaf was the surest pick. Look what happened to him. There just isnt really a sure pick for a quarterback entering the nfl imo. You just cant tell who is gonna be "good" or who is gonna be "great"

Yes. But based on talking to their coaches, their body of work etc., you can figure out who is the most dedicated one for the same level of talent. That is why, when the Rams talked to the Oklahoma coaches, despite having 2 shoulder injuries, they felt good about Sam Bradford. So far so good for that young man. There has got to be something about 4 yr. QBs, I guess. Some of the most successful ones have been 4 yr. QBs in college.

Michael Vick, for all the talent he had, was never as dedicated till he somewhat devoted more time to film study when he got to the Eagles. So based on what I have been hearing and seeing about Andrew Luck, he has all the right qualities you need in a young QB. If he could be as good as Matt Ryan is now, would you not consider him? I would.

[Jason_]

what is wrong with getting the future of our franchise in luck? you want to suck when peyton is gone? atleast if we do pick luck if we are in that position we have our qb for the future and we can continue to dominant for the next 15 years. the guy is considered the surest pick since peyton and he backs that up with his play and film study. how are you not sold on the guy?

I've already answered this

And there are so many people who complain that we never put a good defense or a good running game around Manning. Both of those things are improving right now but there are still multiple holes. If we could shore up those holes and build a formidable defense and an effective running game and THEN draft our new franchise QB. Imagine how much easier that would make things for our future QB.

cleveland would work. i would love to know what it feels like to be new england on draft day with multiple 1st,2nd, and 3rd round picks! Wow that would be unreal.

I know exactly what you mean. We pull off a deal like that and draft day would become a mini-superbowl. lol

[GoColts8818]

If we end up with the first pick the Colts are going to have a hard choice to make. If the Colts honestly think he's the next Peyton Manning you honestly can't pass on that. We've seen what a super star QB means to this team. If you have a chance to set yourself up back-to-back on that you have to take it because there is no promise as to when you are going to have another shot at one and as we can see they aren't in the draft every year. Also based on what Polian said last week about how when he did this deal with Peyton he told him it's time to start looking at QBs in the draft like they can be a starter for the Indianapolis Colts I think the Colts would pull the trigger on one if he's there.

Now with that said if they don't think Luck is the next Manning or they don't have a shot at Luck then I would say yes by all means listen to trade offers and try to set yourself up with more picks for the future to address more needs.

Clearly taking Luck with a high pick has a really big down side. While he might very well help us down the road he doesn't really address any major issues right now. Where as if we trade the pick or draft another poistion we are almost a lock to get a really good player who is going to be able to come in and give us help at a poistion of need right away.

I do think if we have a bad season it's worth keeping in mind we sorta have two first round picks next year. Clearly our first round pick would be one and having an early second pick would be only a handful of spots behind where we normally draft and there is a very good chance we would get a first round talent player on par with our normal first round type of player we have drafted in recent years (although hopefully a little better than those picks).

[Jason_]

If we end up with the first pick the Colts are going to have a hard choice to make.

You're absolutely right, and I don't think there's any such thing as a definite right or wrong answer as to what they should do though some people will disagree. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again, I don't think we're in such a dire need that we have to go for an elite QB in the first round this coming year.

I guess the thing I don't get most is why everyone feels like we have to go out and find the next very best QB to succeed Manning? Maybe everyone is simply use to having that elite QB who is the best in the league. Yes it's been great having him and I wouldn't change it for the world, but it's also not the only way to win. We also don't necessarily have to go out and find the #1 guy. There are other good QB prospects that are projected for the later 1st round and 2nd round. Here's a guy who is the #4 QB prospect according to CBSSports.com. His name is Ryan Tannehill. He's 6'4" and 219 lbs.

http://nfldraftmonsters.com/scouting/scouting-report-ryan-tannehill/

I don't know who the guy is who wrote that scouting report on Tannehill but it was very favorable. I'm not saying Tannehill is the guy just that there are other options. There's also the option of looking at one of the top backups around the league. There always seems to be at least 1 or 2 backups that people tab as the next great QB who only needs to be given a chance. A lot of people just before the season started wanted us to trade for Matt Flynn not only as the new backup but as the heir apparent. Also let's not forget that NE picked up Ryan Mallett and the general consensus there is that they have no long term plans for him but rather plan to groom and then trade him. I'm also willing to bet that any future plans the Panthers had for Jimmy Clausen are now out the window.

People talk about Favre grooming Aaron Rodgers who the Packers drafted to be Favre's replacement, and then Montana grooming Steve Young. What no one ever mentions, however is that Favre wasn't drafted by the Packers, he was riding the bench in Atlanta. And the 49'ers didn't draft Steve Young to be Montana's replacement...they found him holding a clipboard in Tampa. There are a lot of teams that find their franchise QB by scouting the better quality backups around the league. Matt Schaub, Matt Cassell, and Kevin Kolb immediately come to mind. The jury is still out on Cassell and Kolb simply hasn't been in ARI long enough to have any idea but even Philly was high on him and had planned on him to be their next QB of the future until Vick revived his career.

I know the Colts have the reputation of building through the draft and they've also put the highest emphasis on QB but that's simply not the only way to find your next future QB. We don't have to go for broke on Andrew Luck. There will multiple great QB prospects for the next few years just like there have been for the past few years. I had to go back to 2007 to find the last "weak" QB draft class and even that's debatable. Of course there's no debate about Jamarcus Russell but there was also Brady Quinn (done nothing yet but who's to say he can't break out with the right team and circumstances?), Kevin Kolb (now a starter with ARI), John Beck (no not a household name but did compete for the starting job in Wash), Drew Stanton (another guy who many people were asking for when Peyton's health started to be questioned) and Trent Edwards.

Ultimately this all comes down to personal preference and nothing more. Andrew Luck would be the sexy pick that's for sure, but in my own personal and humble opinion I think that trading down and adding some much needed pieces on defense and shore up the OL. Maybe even through in a WR somewhere.

I do think if we have a bad season it's worth keeping in mind we sorta have two first round picks next year. Clearly our first round pick would be one and having an early second pick would be only a handful of spots behind where we normally draft and there is a very good chance we would get a first round talent player on par with our normal first round type of player we have drafted in recent years (although hopefully a little better than those picks).

I agree...picking early in the second round is only a few spots behind where we're used to having our first round pick. So now let's take it a step further...there are 2 teams as of now with 2 first round picks next year (as far as I know only 2)....NE with their extra pick from NO and Cleveland with their extra pick from Atlanta. If we wind up in the 1-5 range then there's always the possibility we could trade back and pick up 2 first round picks from one of these teams. NE would be less likely due to their tendency to draft down instead of up but you never know, maybe they've been doing this for the past couple of years waiting for the right prospect to come along that fills an area of huge need for them. They could decide there's an elite pass rusher or WR that they covet enough to move up for. Cleveland has already shown the propensity after the Brady Quinn trade a few years ago. We could go from our normal 1 pick late in the first round to having essentially 3 first round picks due to the 2 acquired in trade and the early pick in the second round. That's the potential to fill 3 holes instead of just 1.

And this could all become a moot point anyway if the unthinkable were to happen and Luck winds up getting hurt or decides to stay in school since he's only a JR...though everything I've read about him says he will most likely graduate early.

I guess the bottom line is I see this whole "we must take Luck" attitude as being very similar to the 2010 draft when drafted Hughes. Freeney had gotten hurt and we decided to draft a DE in the first to provide depth. It was to some degree an over-reaction of his injury and people realizing how much less effective the Colts D is without an elite pass rush. So instead of maybe shoring up another position on the line at DT or looking into a CB which was also an area of need they went for that third pass rusher so we'd be ok in case Freeney or Mathis got hurt again. Now we've seen what life is like without Manning, but that's with our OL and defense in its current state. I've already detailed how our D can improve by changes in scheme but being able to possibly add 3 new starters would also make a huge difference. Take another step or 2 to upgrade the OL and we now have a much more balanced team with a more formidable defense and the need for that greatest QB in the league goes down and we can win just as many games with a smart, solid QB and not necessarily another potential GOAT. And before anyone jumps down my throat saying I'm comparing Hughes to Luck...don't. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying the circumstances surrounding the situations are similar and that's it.

[Bdg57]

but I would almost rather see the Colts lose at this point. I can already tell the Colts have virtually no shot at a playoff birth even with some improvement. I won't be actually rooting against them but I won't mind if they lose as many games as possible if it accomplishes two things I want this year.b That we will win the Luck sweepstakes and that we will get an entire new coach and coaching staff which will hopefully lead to a whole new defensive philosophy. I don't expect Manning back this year at all but if those couple of things happen next year this won't totally be a wasted season. Go ahead and slam me but I think losing a lot is the only way we are going to get rid of the current coaching staff so every loss puts us closer to that possibility IMO.

The coaching staff will not be blamed for any failure this year,do to the fact PM is not there,the front office will over look any thing they do ..If they win it'll be the coaching,if they lose,it'll be PM isn't there.The coaching staff will stay another year,unfortunatly.

[Jason_]

The coaching staff will not be blamed for any failure this year,do to the fact PM is not there,the front office will over look any thing they do ..If they win it'll be the coaching,if they lose,it'll be PM isn't there.The coaching staff will stay another year,unfortunatly.

I think Caldwell and Christiansen could get that pass, but I'm not so sure about Coyer. The one thing I could see doing in Caldwell is not pulling the trigger on doing anything about Coyer if the time comes. If it becomes clear that the defensive woes continue then Caldwell needs to make a decision. If he's not able to make the decision then the Polians should make it for him and include him in the dismissals.

Hopefully things get righted and none of that will be necessary but I'm not holding my breath.

[King Colt]

STUPID...to jump on any college QB...remember Art Schictler (sp) or the clown the Chargers drafted and is now considered the greatest flop in NFL history? Would it not be a tragedy if Manning's fate was sealed so he is never allowed to play again and the Colts snag Luck and he turns out to be a flop?!. How would the organization live that down? What are the odds of a Cam Newton type QB happening again in the next 20 years?

[chad72]

What are the odds of a Cam Newton type QB happening again in the next 20 years?

In fact, if you use Cam Newton as a reference, the odds are very good, IMO. In the current passing league, if you have the right OC and personnel around a rookie QB, a rookie QB can put up numbers. The current OC for the Panthers used to be with the U, I think. He uses TEs a lot for his offense, that is why you saw the Panthers pick up both Olsen and Shockey, both from the U. Ron Rivera is at least decent in game planning for a passing offense but he does not have the talent he had with the Chargers though at Carolina.

Heck, Bradford threw for 50 times in his first game and was 1 game away from winning the division last year. So, yes, the odds are high. You talk about Cam Newton like he is the greatest thing since sliced bread .