we dont need a lot to be a championship team

[CR91]

people here keep saying we need this and we need that when mostly we are a couple of moves away from being a championship team and ill explain

 

weapons for andrew- no andrew has all the weapons he needs and hes getting three back next year in wayne allen and ballard. rogers brazil and whalen all proofed their more then capable of making plays. fleener has become that weapon that we all expected him too. richardson will become the back we all envisioned him to be once he has a full camp under him and more time to learn the offense properly.

 

fix the o-line no the line is fine. satale will be gone because it makes too much sense not too as we save 4 million if we do. honestly I think the only reason holmes wasnt starting was because grigs didnt want two rookie lineman starting. we also get thomas back who was playing really well before he got hurt. a line of canstanzo thomas holmes thornton and cleius will protect luck just fine

 

fix the defense- a lot of people wanna blame the defense for the pats game because all they focus on is the score board when in reality the defense had I believe 5 3 and outs. what more can you ask for? what we really need to fix our defense is a cover safety and another pass rusher. an ILB dual of freeman and mcnary sounds pretty good to me. franklin I dont expect to be resigned so we really can see what chapman can do as the starter and also more playing time for hughes will help improve our d-line. hopefully toler can stay healthly and we resign davis and we have a very good defense.

 

keep in mind we won a playoff game with 17 players on IR and we were only down 7 going into the fourth with the pats. we are a dangerous team on the rise

[jameszeigler834]

I think you hit the nail on the head fix the o-line and the defense add some depth that can play if needed and this team is good to go.

[backshoulderfade]

Agree with this, except we definitely do need upgrades on d. Look at our stats through the season.

[Superman]

Your post is like saying "that guy with brain cancer doesn't need a lot to be healthy; you just have to get the malignant tumor out of his head." Yeah, it sounds simple, but it's actually a very involved and tricky process.

 

1) I do believe we'll have some nice weapons next year, but you're assuming that Wayne, Ballard and Allen all come back 100%. I'm assuming they all come back at 60-70%, and in that case, I think we need depth at WR and TE, and I'd like to add a scat back / returner as well.

 

2) We've been "fixing the o-line" for years now. I don't agree that Holmes didn't play just because he's a rookie; I think he didn't play because he's not ready. And I'm not comfortable wrapping the hopes for our interior line play up in him, when he's not played a single snap at center as a pro. I'd rather fix the problem at center, and keep Holmes in the mix for depth while he gets groomed to eventually start. Also, I'm assuming Donald Thomas comes back at 60-70% as well. Nothing is guaranteed. So I'd like us to add a couple veteran linemen for depth and competition in the interior.

 

3) Yeah, I can't agree with this. I don't think the defense was as bad as advertised, but it needs to improve. ILB is the weakest spot, we need more depth on the line and some help rushing the passer, and we need depth/help in the secondary. We probably need a new starting safety as well. 

 

Lots of steps this team needs to take before we can expect to contend for a conference title next year. We don't need to get rid of a bunch of people and start over; that's ridiculous. But we do need some difference makers. The past two years have been about plugging holes and fielding a full roster. I think we need to add some real standout players this offseason.

[dudeski]

Yep. Just better coaching and better players

[bestQBever]

people here keep saying we need this and we need that when mostly we are a couple of moves away from being a championship team and ill explain

 

weapons for andrew- no andrew has all the weapons he needs and hes getting three back next year in wayne allen and ballard. rogers brazil and whalen all proofed their more then capable of making plays. fleener has become that weapon that we all expected him too. richardson will become the back we all envisioned him to be once he has a full camp under him and more time to learn the offense properly.

 

fix the o-line no the line is fine. satale will be gone because it makes too much sense not too as we save 4 million if we do. honestly I think the only reason holmes wasnt starting was because grigs didnt want two rookie lineman starting. we also get thomas back who was playing really well before he got hurt. a line of canstanzo thomas holmes thornton and cleius will protect luck just fine

 

fix the defense- a lot of people wanna blame the defense for the pats game because all they focus on is the score board when in reality the defense had I believe 5 3 and outs. what more can you ask for? what we really need to fix our defense is a cover safety and another pass rusher. an ILB dual of freeman and mcnary sounds pretty good to me. franklin I dont expect to be resigned so we really can see what chapman can do as the starter and also more playing time for hughes will help improve our d-line. hopefully toler can stay healthly and we resign davis and we have a very good defense.

 

keep in mind we won a playoff game with 17 players on IR and we were only down 7 going into the fourth with the pats. we are a dangerous team on the rise

did you even try with cherilus's name...

[Smonroe]

Also keep in mind all the injuries, lack of WRs and not to mention Hernadez, that the Pats went through. They have average RBs, a couple good possession receivers, and a few nice pieces on D. As well as a great QB.

The big difference is their O line. BB has always had great lines. That line imposed their will.

Holmes may turn out decent, but we need a great C. We can't have two average players next to each other. Forget that garbage about getting a WR FA. Spend that money on the best Center we can find.

[Neckbeard94]

I also like our weapons with TY, Reggie, Rogers, Brazill, Whalen, Allen and Fleener. I believe that if they can stay healthy for the most part that we have one of the better groups in the league. I also hope we resign Brown because he looks as if hes finally bringing what we hoped he would. I am not ready to give up on Trent and when we get Ballard back I also like our stable of backs. I do not however want to continue to field this o-line. We need to sign a free agent or two to fill the holes at center and guard. Im ok with Thornton starting because he seemed to be improving and is only a rookie, but Thomas has been injured twice that I know of in not many games and Id rather him be a backup to a free agent gaurd (Asamoah). The defense needs a lineman (preferably one that can rush the passer) a second corner, and a cover safety (Byrd would be ideal). An inside linebacker would also be an upgrade, though I do like what McNary brings.

[Rob Lowe]

Agree with your analysis entirely. Would like to see some productive LB and d-linemen added, whether through the draft or free agency/trade. Offense has a lot of potential to grow the other over the next 3-7 years. If we can field an o-line capable of getting a push when we run the ball then we will be scary good on that side of the ball

[CR91]

did you even try with cherilus's name...

is it that obvious

[Bluefire4]

Though the defense had five 3 and outs I'm tired of opposing quarterbacks having ALL DAY in the pocket for most of the game. Other teams at least get pressure on the quarterback and force them to throw quick. They're are too many games where the defense alone has given up too many points. 

[lennymoore24]

people here keep saying we need this and we need that when mostly we are a couple of moves away from being a championship team and ill explain

 

weapons for andrew- no andrew has all the weapons he needs and hes getting three back next year in wayne allen and ballard. rogers brazil and whalen all proofed their more then capable of making plays. fleener has become that weapon that we all expected him too. richardson will become the back we all envisioned him to be once he has a full camp under him and more time to learn the offense properly.

 

fix the o-line no the line is fine. satale will be gone because it makes too much sense not too as we save 4 million if we do. honestly I think the only reason holmes wasnt starting was because grigs didnt want two rookie lineman starting. we also get thomas back who was playing really well before he got hurt. a line of canstanzo thomas holmes thornton and cleius will protect luck just fine

 

fix the defense- a lot of people wanna blame the defense for the pats game because all they focus on is the score board when in reality the defense had I believe 5 3 and outs. what more can you ask for? what we really need to fix our defense is a cover safety and another pass rusher. an ILB dual of freeman and mcnary sounds pretty good to me. franklin I dont expect to be resigned so we really can see what chapman can do as the starter and also more playing time for hughes will help improve our d-line. hopefully toler can stay healthly and we resign davis and we have a very good defense.

 

keep in mind we won a playoff game with 17 players on IR and we were only down 7 going into the fourth with the pats. we are a dangerous team on the rise

 

Good breakdown.  I do disagree in a few places:

 

1) I don't think the offensive line is good if we just use Holmes and Thornton with Thomas coming back.  Thomas looked good, but he only played like 2 games.  I would say the jury is out on him.  Thornton had growing pains and Holmes we don't know about.  I HOPE they are good.  But I really would like to see at least two more lineman added to the bunch for competition and in case someone is hurt, because someone all likely WILL get hurt.   I don't want to take a chance of having another bad offensive line.  Has to end next year.

 

2) I agree with that that the defense needs another pass rusher.  I also think more speed at safety.  I think a healthy Angerer (if healthy) and McNary will do well inside.  Its interesting that McNary was an outside guy in college.  With his speed I'm surprised they didn't try him there.   I think we likely have to replace Toler, who is always injured, and add more speed.

 

3) WRs.  Again, I think we need to add at least one for depth and competition. Hopefully Rodgers continues to grow.

[lennymoore24]

Though the defense had five 3 and outs I'm tired of opposing quarterbacks having ALL DAY in the pocket for most of the game. Other teams at least get pressure on the quarterback and force them to throw quick. They're are too many games where the defense alone has given up too many points. 

 

We definitively need more of a pass rush.  It is amazing how good secondaries suddenly look when QBs are getting pressure.

[OLD FAN MAN]

we have a good core group, but do we have anyone at nt who can clog up the middle?

[IndyD4U]

Health would be nice too

[BPM_Colt]

Assuming that all our injured players come back 100%, I think all we need on O is a center and another guard..

 

Defense needs work.. Would love to add another MLB and some d line that can get some push and beef up the front

[CS Colts Fan]

Need in FA... C  Mack or Dietrich-Smith  my preferences... G Jon Asamough.. should be able to get him reasonably.. Schwartz replaced him and signed a new contract.   Would love to get Author Jones... Replace Toler with Shields.. replace Landry with TJ Ward

'

Draft...2nd..OLB  Noy my first choice but doubt if he is there... Sam would be ok... didn't pick Attaochu and other's will be gone

           3rd.. Deandre Coleman DT (Cal) there is our new DT/NT bring in Chappy and Hughes for Breaks

           5th..  Bulloigh ILB Mich St

           6th..  Smith Safety from Louisville

           7th,,  Marcus Williams CB N.Dakota St

[NewColtsFan]

I think we're further away from a championship caliber team than some people in this thread think.

 

We played 6 poor quarters of defense in the post-season.

 

And only played 3 good quarters of offense.

 

That's not a few tweaks and fixes away from a championship caliber team.  

 

We'll be a playoff caliber team again next year.    

 

But we're not ready for a deep run in the post-season just yet.    

 

It's going to take more than one more off-season to build this monster........

 

And I'll enjoy the ride along the way!      

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

We just need a bit of luck and some injury free team.

[SteelDragon]

Grigs is only two years into the process.  Look at the improvements already.  I think he can make significant strides by next year.  I think the key is being able to jettison players and absorbing minimal cap hits that aren't working out. So far it seems like our GM has done that- Franklin, Toler, Bradshaw, DHB. etc- those guys ended up being nothing more than one-year rentals. 

[Track Guy]

Also keep in mind all the injuries, lack of WRs and not to mention Hernadez, that the Pats went through. They have average RBs, a couple good possession receivers, and a few nice pieces on D. As well as a great QB.

The big difference is their O line. BB has always had great lines. That line imposed their will.

Holmes may turn out decent, but we need a great C. We can't have two average players next to each other. Forget that garbage about getting a WR FA. Spend that money on the best Center we can find.

This. Our O-line is not fine. I can sort of agree with the OPs first point on weapons, while I do think we're a mite short here adding a WR would be a luxury. Adding a star C (and good RG) would give this offense such a better chance than just assuming Holmes (who didn't even start ahead of Satele) is a good NFL starter and that Thorton makes tons of progress. I like keeping Thorton as a 3rd G. What if Thomas goes down again? Well if we add a good G Thorton would be there to fill in. If we don't add another G? Someone likely worse than Thorton will be filling in. I have no idea what Holmes is capable of, but I think signing Mack would be well worth the upgrade over Satele. As far as WR goes, I think we could definitely add one but I'm leaning towards the idea that drafting a guy might be better than signing one (as always depending who would fall to us in the draft and which FA prospects want how much money. I do think we should consider both, but not until after the O-line is fixed, and defense is even a greater need than WR).

[Track Guy]

I think we're further away from a championship caliber team than some people in this thread think.

 

We played 6 poor quarters of defense in the post-season.

 

And only played 3 good quarters of offense.

 

That's not a few tweaks and fixes away from a championship caliber team.  

 

We'll be a playoff caliber team again next year.    

 

But we're not ready for a deep run in the post-season just yet.    

 

It's going to take more than one more off-season to build this monster........

 

And I'll enjoy the ride along the way!      

I'd say if we can swing a good addition at C, RG, and maybe a WR, our offense will definitely be Superbowl caliber next season. Defense, I'm less sure exactly what pieces you would have to add to make this so, so we're probably further away on that side of the ball. But the offense (when the O-line gets fixed and we can finally run and pass protect) is just about there.

[braveheartcolt]

We don't need to change anything. Rogers will win the Lombardi all on his own.

Best of luck next year. I am an alien from a galaxy far far away, and from the comments on this board this past month, this guy Rogers is the second comming of Jerry Rice....squared.

[Johnny Bui]

McNary is a good backup i don't see him starting beside freeman. 

It's pretty clear that we are going to fix the Oline and entire defense.

A veteran or above avg WR would sorta help.  Depends how much we have left after upgrading the Oline n Defense.

Injuries are unknown so its good to have depth.

Next Year is our Year! Book it!

[bap1331]

Well I'm sure grigson will make these fixes in the off season. The first season was kind of like chess, how is this going to work. Then the second was like okay we need to make these changes. 3rd year is like, okay let's fix the gaps.

I'm sure we have the potential now. We learned how to adjust the team in emergency situations now we just have to play. But the biggest component is who's gone and who's coming back. Who do we need to add?

[Deathiltis]

In general hopefully our draft looks something like this.

2. Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi State

3. Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee

5. Deandre Coleman, DT, Cal

6. Deion Belue, CB, Alabama

7. Preston Brown, ILB, Louisville 

As well as signing a solid ILB and Center, hopefully Spikes and De La Puente.

[Dark Superman]

I think we need to add another corner opposite of Davis [ I'm guessing we resign him] and place Toler in the slot. And keep Butler for insurance policies and depth.

We need a playmaker in the middle with Freeman. I wouldn't mind a guy like Karlos Dansby or Brandon Spikes. We need more playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.

What we do with Bethea is anyone's guess..

The defensive front needs much more.. There's a lot of question marks behind Robert Mathis.. Will Werner live up to potential? Can Chapman be that big run stuffer that we need? We need more pass rushers and guys who can fill holes and get some pressure.

[Valpo2004]

Your post is like saying "that guy with brain cancer doesn't need a lot to be healthy; you just have to get the malignant tumor out of his head." Yeah, it sounds simple, but it's actually a very involved and tricky process.

 

1) I do believe we'll have some nice weapons next year, but you're assuming that Wayne, Ballard and Allen all come back 100%. I'm assuming they all come back at 60-70%, and in that case, I think we need depth at WR and TE, and I'd like to add a scat back / returner as well.

 

2) We've been "fixing the o-line" for years now. I don't agree that Holmes didn't play just because he's a rookie; I think he didn't play because he's not ready. And I'm not comfortable wrapping the hopes for our interior line play up in him, when he's not played a single snap at center as a pro. I'd rather fix the problem at center, and keep Holmes in the mix for depth while he gets groomed to eventually start. Also, I'm assuming Donald Thomas comes back at 60-70% as well. Nothing is guaranteed. So I'd like us to add a couple veteran linemen for depth and competition in the interior.

 

3) Yeah, I can't agree with this. I don't think the defense was as bad as advertised, but it needs to improve. ILB is the weakest spot, we need more depth on the line and some help rushing the passer, and we need depth/help in the secondary. We probably need a new starting safety as well. 

 

Lots of steps this team needs to take before we can expect to contend for a conference title next year. We don't need to get rid of a bunch of people and start over; that's ridiculous. But we do need some difference makers. The past two years have been about plugging * and fielding a full roster. I think we need to add some real standout players this offseason.

 

I'd put DL as being weaker then ILB on the defense but I agree, we need upgrades at several spots on the defense, a better pass rush (which needs to come from a better DL).  We also need an upgrade at free safety.  

 

On offense we need new huge upgrades on the interior of the line to make this whole power run game a thing.  We're not going to be to able to compete against the top teams in the NFL with Andrew's arm alone.  

 

We can hold off on WR for another year, but eventually we need to plan for life without Reggie Wayne.  If a good receiver falls to us in the draft we should take him and keep 6 on the roster just for that year.

 

I think we are still 2 or 3 starters on offense and a good 5 or 6 starters on defense away.

[schwamm]

I think we are still 2 or 3 starters on offense and a good 5 or 6 starters on defense away.

So... according to this, the Colts need to find 7-9 starters this offseason. Usually only the first 2-3 rounds of any given draft are good for finding starters, so Grigs might find 1 or 2 there. After resigning current Colt FAs, where do you see the money coming from to afford another 6+ starters?

IMO, Grigs will likely focus on C, ILB, and S (assuming Bethea is gone) for the starters, and will aim to find depth/future starters at DE, OLB, G, possibly CB, and if/only if the stars align just so... WR.

This is the same way Grigs has approached the last 2 seasons too. Fill immediate needs through FA as much as possible, then use the draft to fill remaining needs and add depth. Year 1 was all needs. Year 2 still had a large number of needs, so Grigs had to spread the money around (moneyball approach). Next year, the immediate needs are fewer, so I expect a more aggressive approach to grabbing top tier players (but only at C, ILB, and S).

[Valpo2004]

So... according to this, the Colts need to find 7-9 starters this offseason. Usually only the first 2-3 rounds of any given draft are good for finding starters, so Grigs might find 1 or 2 there. After resigning current Colt FAs, where do you see the money coming from to afford another 6+ starters?

IMO, Grigs will likely focus on C, ILB, and S (assuming Bethea is gone) for the starters, and will aim to find depth/future starters at DE, OLB, G, possibly CB, and if/only if the stars align just so... WR.

This is the same way Grigs has approached the last 2 seasons too. Fill immediate needs through FA as much as possible, then use the draft to fill remaining needs and add depth. Year 1 was all needs. Year 2 still had a large number of needs, so Grigs had to spread the money around (moneyball approach). Next year, the immediate needs are fewer, so I expect a more aggressive approach to grabbing too tier players (but only at C, ILB, and S).

 

I don't think he will or needs to find all the starters this year.  For example I was counting Reggie Wayne as a starter that needs to be replaced.  Not because of poor play but based on his age and contract one has to think he's likely going to be considering retirement after this year is up.  Grigs doesn't have to replace him this year.

 

This is also making a couple of assumptions

 

Richardson & Ballard with a good O-line turn into a good RB duo with maybe a 3rd guy as a change of pace back.  That could be Donald Brown or someone else.

 

Da'Rick Rodgers turns into at the very least a decent #2 or #3 WR

 

With the starters on defense he needs to upgrade the DL, ILB, FS, and #2 CB.  

 

With DL we need at least someone who can rush the passer a bit.  We've got a bunch of mediocre run stuffers.  

 

ILB I say we keep Freeman, but we could really use a star player here.  We'll likely have to get them through the draft though.  

[theanarchist]

people here keep saying we need this and we need that when mostly we are a couple of moves away from being a championship team and ill explain

 

weapons for andrew- no andrew has all the weapons he needs and hes getting three back next year in wayne allen and ballard. rogers brazil and whalen all proofed their more then capable of making plays. fleener has become that weapon that we all expected him too. richardson will become the back we all envisioned him to be once he has a full camp under him and more time to learn the offense properly.

 

fix the o-line no the line is fine. satale will be gone because it makes too much sense not too as we save 4 million if we do. honestly I think the only reason holmes wasnt starting was because grigs didnt want two rookie lineman starting. we also get thomas back who was playing really well before he got hurt. a line of canstanzo thomas holmes thornton and cleius will protect luck just fine

 

fix the defense- a lot of people wanna blame the defense for the pats game because all they focus on is the score board when in reality the defense had I believe 5 3 and outs. what more can you ask for? what we really need to fix our defense is a cover safety and another pass rusher. an ILB dual of freeman and mcnary sounds pretty good to me. franklin I dont expect to be resigned so we really can see what chapman can do as the starter and also more playing time for hughes will help improve our d-line. hopefully toler can stay healthly and we resign davis and we have a very good defense.

 

keep in mind we won a playoff game with 17 players on IR and we were only down 7 going into the fourth with the pats. we are a dangerous team on the rise

I like a lot of you points but I also want to add that we need to bring back key free agents: Vontae Davis first a foremost, McAfee, Vinatieri, etc etc.

 

I think you can say that with the fact that we beat SF and Seattle with most of the pieces healthy. Without key players we still made it to the divisional playoffs and I feel like if we were healthy we may have had a shot at the AFC champ game and then who knows. The sky isn't falling. Sign key guys, and bring in a couple more pieces and then STAY HEALTHY!

[oldunclemark]

people here keep saying we need this and we need that when mostly we are a couple of moves away from being a championship team and ill explain

 

weapons for andrew- no andrew has all the weapons he needs and hes getting three back next year in wayne allen and ballard. rogers brazil and whalen all proofed their more then capable of making plays. fleener has become that weapon that we all expected him too. richardson will become the back we all envisioned him to be once he has a full camp under him and more time to learn the offense properly.

 

fix the o-line no the line is fine. satale will be gone because it makes too much sense not too as we save 4 million if we do. honestly I think the only reason holmes wasnt starting was because grigs didnt want two rookie lineman starting. we also get thomas back who was playing really well before he got hurt. a line of canstanzo thomas holmes thornton and cleius will protect luck just fine

 

fix the defense- a lot of people wanna blame the defense for the pats game because all they focus on is the score board when in reality the defense had I believe 5 3 and outs. what more can you ask for? what we really need to fix our defense is a cover safety and another pass rusher. an ILB dual of freeman and mcnary sounds pretty good to me. franklin I dont expect to be resigned so we really can see what chapman can do as the starter and also more playing time for hughes will help improve our d-line. hopefully toler can stay healthly and we resign davis and we have a very good defense.

 

keep in mind we won a playoff game with 17 players on IR and we were only down 7 going into the fourth with the pats. we are a dangerous team on the rise

The post says 'we don't need a lot'; but you accurately detail that we DO need a lot....

 

..with the returning injured players..we will have a championship offense...

 

..we aren't close defensively.....if we're being honest

[Superman]

I'd put DL as being weaker then ILB on the defense but I agree, we need upgrades at several spots on the defense, a better pass rush (which needs to come from a better DL).  We also need an upgrade at free safety.  

 

On offense we need new huge upgrades on the interior of the line to make this whole power run game a thing.  We're not going to be to able to compete against the top teams in the NFL with Andrew's arm alone.  

 

We can hold off on WR for another year, but eventually we need to plan for life without Reggie Wayne.  If a good receiver falls to us in the draft we should take him and keep 6 on the roster just for that year.

 

I think we are still 2 or 3 starters on offense and a good 5 or 6 starters on defense away.

 

I think that's waay overboard. We're 1-2 starters away on offense, assuming Donald Thomas comes back. Thornton should be penciled in at RG, Thomas at LG, we have starters at the skill positions already. The only real question marks are center and health, with Reggie and Vick Ballard. So I'll give you an extra, just in case.

 

On defense, I don't know how you get to 5-6. The line will be Redding, Chapman, RJF. Backers will be Mathis, Freeman, ?, Walden/Werner. Secondary will be Davis (assuming he's re-signed), Landry, ?, ?. At most, that's three starters. If Toler comes back, that's 2 starters. If Bethea comes back, that's 1. I wouldn't mind bringing in new competition at CB, but I doubt Toler will be cut. I'd like a new safety and a new ILB. 

 

I disagree that the defensive line is a bigger problem than ILB. Unlike most people, I think the defensive line played well this year. I'd like to see more of a pass rush threat, but moving Chapman into the starting lineup and giving Montori Hughes more reps with the second unit is a big plus already. We need depth, absolutely, assuming Moala and Mathews are gone. 

[CR91]

..we aren't close defensively.....if we're being honest

 

not true. as I already mentioned all we really need is a cover safety and another pass rusher. we have the pieces everywhere else as long as we resign davis and toler can stay healthy

[Valpo2004]

I think that's waay overboard. We're 1-2 starters away on offense, assuming Donald Thomas comes back. Thornton should be penciled in at RG, Thomas at LG, we have starters at the skill positions already. The only real question marks are center and health, with Reggie and Vick Ballard. So I'll give you an extra, just in case.

 

On defense, I don't know how you get to 5-6. The line will be Redding, Chapman, RJF. Backers will be Mathis, Freeman, ?, Walden/Werner. Secondary will be Davis (assuming he's re-signed), Landry, ?, ?. At most, that's three starters. If Toler comes back, that's 2 starters. If Bethea comes back, that's 1. I wouldn't mind bringing in new competition at CB, but I doubt Toler will be cut. I'd like a new safety and a new ILB. 

 

I disagree that the defensive line is a bigger problem than ILB. Unlike most people, I think the defensive line played well this year. I'd like to see more of a pass rush threat, but moving Chapman into the starting lineup and giving Montori Hughes more reps with the second unit is a big plus already. We need depth, absolutely, assuming Moala and Mathews are gone. 

 

I was counting Wayne in there since he's likely done after 2014.  You need a guard and a center still.  

 

Redding won't be around for much longer, RJF I wasn't impressed with.  We need one other ILB besides Freeman, Another CB because I don't believe in Toler, a FS, and though I don't think it's a priority now, I think we should also consider if we can do better then Walden.

[Superman]

I was counting Wayne in there since he's likely done after 2014.  You need a guard and a center still.  

 

Redding won't be around for much longer, RJF I wasn't impressed with.  We need one other ILB besides Freeman, Another CB because I don't believe in Toler, a FS, and though I don't think it's a priority now, I think we should also consider if we can do better then Walden.

 

You said we need 7-9 starters. I'm assuming you're talking about for the 2014 season. I agree that we need to replace Wayne eventually, and Redding as well. But they'll be starters in 2014, assuming health.

 

I think Donald Thomas and Hugh Thornton will be penciled in at either guard spot. I'd like to add some veteran depth/competition, but I think we have starters already. We do need a center.

 

I don't know why people like to pick on RJF. I keep asking for a reason, and no one will give me one. Maybe you will. To me, RJF was just fine. Not a world-beater, but a strong piece, particularly for a line that is asked to contain more than penetrate. I'm fine with RJF as a starter. I agree that we need a starter alongside Freeman. It's fine if you don't believe in Toler; I'll give you that one. We obviously need a safety. Walden is fine, and Werner is probably next in line for him. Depth is necessary, absolutely, but we have the starter.

 

At most, we'll have 4-5 new starters next season. C, S, ILB, maybe CB and G.

[OLD FAN MAN]

I agree, if we can greatly upgrade any position do it, but the more the same players stay together the better they will be.

[IndyTrav]

Assume about 65% of your 'stars' are going to be injured next year. It happens to every team. 

 

Plenty of spots to fill. Where we have 'depth' now, wont be the case next year. Such is life in the NFL...Stock pile as many acceptable players as you can, and hope its enough. 

[Valpo2004]

You said we need 7-9 starters. I'm assuming you're talking about for the 2014 season. I agree that we need to replace Wayne eventually, and Redding as well. But they'll be starters in 2014, assuming health.

 

I think Donald Thomas and Hugh Thornton will be penciled in at either guard spot. I'd like to add some veteran depth/competition, but I think we have starters already. We do need a center.

 

I don't know why people like to pick on RJF. I keep asking for a reason, and no one will give me one. Maybe you will. To me, RJF was just fine. Not a world-beater, but a strong piece, particularly for a line that is asked to contain more than penetrate. I'm fine with RJF as a starter. I agree that we need a starter alongside Freeman. It's fine if you don't believe in Toler; I'll give you that one. We obviously need a safety. Walden is fine, and Werner is probably next in line for him. Depth is necessary, absolutely, but we have the starter.

 

At most, we'll have 4-5 new starters next season. C, S, ILB, maybe CB and G.

 

Actually in my OP I didn't mean to imply I ment for 2014.  I mean that we need that many people to build a championship team.  I think we're still a little ways out from that and it won't be quite there next year.  

 

We had some good games this year and played some good teams tough.  But at the same time we where inconsistent and let ourselves get blown out in a couple of games.  I don't see championship teams getting blown out like that.

 

And let's be honest, it helped us that our division is probably the weakest division in the NFL top to bottom.  I mean we have 2 teams in our division picking in the top 5 and the Titans at #11.  

 

We where lucky getting KC as the draw in the playoffs, there is no question in my mind that despite their lower seeding the chargers where the tougher team.

 

Basically I think we're a weaker team then our record indicates and I don't think we're as close as it might appear.  We were probably the 2nd worst team in the AFC playoff bracket, and we drew the worst team in the wild card round.  

[Superman]

Actually in my OP I didn't mean to imply I ment for 2014.  I mean that we need that many people to build a championship team.  I think we're still a little ways out from that and it won't be quite there next year.  

 

We had some good games this year and played some good teams tough.  But at the same time we where inconsistent and let ourselves get blown out in a couple of games.  I don't see championship teams getting blown out like that.

 

And let's be honest, it helped us that our division is probably the weakest division in the NFL top to bottom.  I mean we have 2 teams in our division picking in the top 5 and the Titans at #11.  

 

We where lucky getting KC as the draw in the playoffs, there is no question in my mind that despite their lower seeding the chargers where the tougher team.

 

Basically I think we're a weaker team then our record indicates and I don't think we're as close as it might appear.  We were probably the 2nd worst team in the AFC playoff bracket, and we drew the worst team in the wild card round.  

 

I agree, overall. With all the injuries and changes, we overachieved a bit. 

 

But I also think we showed how good we can be, even with some injuries and setbacks. Beating the Niners, Broncos and Seahawks is a big deal, and we did that without Ballard, Allen, Thomas, etc. We hung tough with the Pats, despite being flawed in many ways. 

 

I don't know how to quantify whether we'll be a championship caliber team or not, other than to compare how we matchup against other teams of that caliber. And for whatever reason, we're able to beat those teams already. If we improve at two or three spots, I think that puts us in the conversation. We need to run the ball better, first of all. And on defense, we need to be more consistent up front and in the secondary, and we need to improve our pass rush. The ability is there, the scheme and coaching is sound (IMO; I know some disagree).

 

We'll play the Broncos and the Pats in the regular season next year. The division should be better, with the coaching changes (I think the Titans and Texans hired the two best candidates out there, aside from Jay Gruden). The NFC division we face isn't as good, but still should be a challenge; same for the AFC division. The Colts will have plenty of opportunities to prove what they really are, and if we patch some holes, I think we'll hang tough in those matchups.

 

What we need to do beyond 2014 is impossible to tell at this point. I just hope we're not here talking about the offensive line again.