The Colts O could be unstoppable if Wayne accepts being a 3rd wr

[Jay Kirk]

I think that there is too much concern about the designation of 1-2-3 etc. JMO

 

What a wonderful dilemma to be in, we have a WR set that is maybe 3-4-5 players deep all with skills to burn.

We two solid TE's that are going to put a hurt on opposing D's.

We are three deep at RB who can rotate and stay fresh.

And, Oh Yeah, we got a young QB who I think is just beginning to tap his true potential!

 

Not a Bad situation to be in.

My concern is, How is the O-line going to shape up?

How good can the D be in getting other teams off the field to give the O more chances?

And keep the scores down so there is not so much pressure on Andrew and the boys.

 

This is going to be fun to watch!

Cant wait ,already chomping at the bit !

[Jay Kirk]

In all honesty we have at least 3 that would be #1 go to guy on a lot  of teams.

[BrentMc11]

In all honesty we have at least 3 that would be #1 go to guy on a lot  of teams.

Amazing the difference in a year....

 

Lets go all WRs, RBs and TEs......Air Luck with no linemen

[Jay Kirk]

Amazing the difference in a year....

 

Lets go all WRs, RBs and TEs......Air Luck with no linemen

Lol hoping we have a line and strong running game with it ,then weve created the Offensive side of a 3 headed  Monster .

[jmac_48]

Lets go all WRs, RBs and TEs......Air Luck with no linemen

 

Tried that last year....

Didn't Work!

[Jay Kirk]

Tried that last year....

Didn't Work!

Lol he was kidding ,wants a line just as bad as anyone ,and understands that's where a great offense begins .

[BrentMc11]

Tried that last year....

Didn't Work!

Good one!  

[LockeDown]

Carolina plays with a short #1 WR and a TE and thats it. They still make the playoffs. We have a boatload of offense talent.

[TKnight24]

Carolina plays with a short #1 WR and a TE and thats it. They still make the playoffs. We have a boatload of offense talent.

Cause they have/had a Top 5 defense & a Top 5 MLB in Luke Keuchly

Also doesn't hurt that they had a dominate running game & a QB the size of a LB running wild on defenses

Andrew Luck has neither a dominant defense nor a running game (yet)

And the comparison between Hilton & Smitty need to stop. Hilton isn't half the aggressive, physical, or feisty that Smitty is

[Jay Kirk]

Cause they have/had a Top 5 defense & a Top 5 MLB in Luke Keuchly

Also doesn't hurt that they had a dominate running game & a QB the size of a LB running wild on defenses

Andrew Luck has neither a dominant defense nor a running game (yet)

And the comparison between Hilton & Smitty need to stop. Hilton isn't half the aggressive, physical, or feisty that Smitty is

2 tottaly different teams but we will have the upper hand on this easily if we stay healthy IMO

[bestQBever]

Size has nothing to do with being a #1 receiver, if you can consistently make plays for your team, you can be a #1.

This. I think the number 1 receiver is the best receiver on the team... Which right now, is TY hilton. ( I'm talking at this very moment. Not disrespecting Reggie at all.)

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Nicks is looking good from the vids I saw. If he can just stay healthy, he's going to be deadly. Big if. But TY needs a bigger role going into this season. He should start camp as the #1 wr. I feel he's earned it.

And if the best RB on the roster(Vic Ballard) gets healthy

I won't be surprised if Vick Ballard doesn't make our 53 man roster. He is an average back coming off a major injury.

 

I also don't think it matters who our 'number 1' is -- if Reggie and others are healthy, our WR corps are top 3 in the league -- there should be plenty of balls to go around and defenses will have to pick their poison -- some weeks TY will probably go off, other weeks he will probably be shut down and that should allow for Reggie, Hakeem, Da'Rick, Levon, Donte, Coby, and Dwayne to go off.

[Jay Kirk]

I won't be surprised if Vick Ballard doesn't make our 53 man roster. He is an average back coming off a major injury.

 

I also don't think it matters who our 'number 1' is -- if Reggie and others are healthy, our WR corps are top 3 in the league -- there should be plenty of balls to go around and defenses will have to pick their poison -- some weeks TY will probably go off, other weeks he will probably be shut down and that should allow for Reggie, Hakeem, Da'Rick, Levon, Donte, Coby, and Dwayne to go off.

Laughable Vic Ballard not making 53

[BlueCollarColts]

I won't be surprised if Vick Ballard doesn't make our 53 man roster. He is an average back coming off a major injury.

 

I also don't think it matters who our 'number 1' is -- if Reggie and others are healthy, our WR corps are top 3 in the league -- there should be plenty of balls to go around and defenses will have to pick their poison -- some weeks TY will probably go off, other weeks he will probably be shut down and that should allow for Reggie, Hakeem, Da'Rick, Levon, Donte, Coby, and Dwayne to go off.

Vick is pretty much a lock to make it 

[Superman]

Vick is pretty much a lock to make it 

 

Yes he is. The only way he's not on the 53 man roster is if he's on PUP to start the season.

[Stephen]

That's not true following the denver game ty had a big performance versus texans then he was dealing with a shoulder injury that slowed him down for a few games before he came back at end of season and playoffs

So what happened during that 5 game stretch after Reggie got hurt in the Denver game? To me, being a #1 WR has nothing to do with size, but rather can you still produce when you're the one the defense is focusing on, and when Reggie got hurt and teams started focusing on Hilton they were able to shut him down. That's why I don't believe that Hilton is capable of being a #1 WR at this point.

[Stephen]

Donte will be a beast

[throwing BBZ]

People misunderstand how WRs are charted these days... In the past it always was about one outside left, one outside right and then 3rd man was slot. 

 

Nowadays, its all about number of snaps that signify importance/importance... No matter where T.Y. is on the depth chart, he will get the most snaps out of all the wide receivers (Nicks might overtake if Wayne gets injured). The man might not be big but he has shown the coaching staff that he can play everywhere, everything from his natural slot burner slot to outside against top CBs. I am simply excited to see how the staff looks at mixing up looks for the top three wide outs this year as last year T.Y. had to play man outside every time after Wayne went down.

 

The most talent RB on our roster currently is Bradshaw but the highest ceiling is, like it or not, Richardson....I know he won't be a ProBowler or a future HoF at this point but just give the guy a chance. If by Week 6-7, he doesn't show up THEN call him a bust and murder Grigson. Ballard is a solid RB that can get you good yards but nothing in terms of large chunks or anything special on pass protection....and his knee has to show up right.

 

Don`t forget about Ballard having 6 blow them ups in his 1 game last season. His blocking was AWESOME!

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Laughable Vic Ballard not making 53

 

 

Vick is pretty much a lock to make it 

 

 

Yes he is. The only way he's not on the 53 man roster is if he's on PUP to start the season.

Superman could be right that there is a chance Vick starts season on PUP.

 

I think T-Rich and Bradshaw are locks over Ballard.  Ballard is a similar running back to the 2 of them, coming off knee surgery.  Bradshaw is also coming off surgery, but his should be less likely to have any impact on his mobility/agility/power/speed.

 

If healthy, I think Boom Herron can compete well against Ballard.  I also think Chris Rainey is interesting as he can return kicks and he is much more of a 'change of pace' type back than any other on our roster -- Donald Brown had good success last year in that role and I think it helps to have a speedster who is capable of breaking a long TD run anytime he touches the ball on the roster if all our other RBs are bruisers. 

 

There are several factors going that will really affect our RB choices for our 53 -- #1) The health of Bradshaw, Ballard, Rainey, Herron #2) Trent's improvement -- if he emerges as a "rolling ball of butcher knives" and proves he is ready to be our workhorse I think it makes Ballard expendable because he won't bring any more dimensions to our offense than what T-Rich and Bradshaw do as a 1-2 punch  #3) Our WR decision -- if we keep Brazzill and/or Whalen, Rainey's value is decreased since they can both return kicks and Ballard's value therefore increases #4) Fullback -- if we keep Havili, which I think we will, I think it makes it more likely for us to carry 3 instead of 4 RB's, if we decide to use one of our TE's in the FB role, we may see 4 RB's on the final 53.

 

Call me crazy, but I don't think Ballard is by any means a 'lock' to make our 53.  I think he is going into training camp as our #3 RB - behind Richardson and Bradshaw - and I think he will have some very strong competition from Rainey and Herron.

 

On a side note, I think Zurlon Tipton will make our practice squad if he stays healthy -- he is another bruiser and I think he is good health insurance if anyone goes down during the regular season.

[TKnight24]

I won't be surprised if Vick Ballard doesn't make our 53 man roster. He is an average back coming off a major injury.

I also don't think it matters who our 'number 1' is -- if Reggie and others are healthy, our WR corps are top 3 in the league -- there should be plenty of balls to go around and defenses will have to pick their poison -- some weeks TY will probably go off, other weeks he will probably be shut down and that should allow for Reggie, Hakeem, Da'Rick, Levon, Donte, Coby, and Dwayne to go off.

The word average doesn't belong in the same sentence as Vick Ballard

[Jay Kirk]

Superman could be right that there is a chance Vick starts season on PUP.

 

I think T-Rich and Bradshaw are locks over Ballard.  Ballard is a similar running back to the 2 of them, coming off knee surgery.  Bradshaw is also coming off surgery, but his should be less likely to have any impact on his mobility/agility/power/speed.

 

If healthy, I think Boom Herron can compete well against Ballard.  I also think Chris Rainey is interesting as he can return kicks and he is much more of a 'change of pace' type back than any other on our roster -- Donald Brown had good success last year in that role and I think it helps to have a speedster who is capable of breaking a long TD run anytime he touches the ball on the roster if all our other RBs are bruisers. 

 

There are several factors going that will really affect our RB choices for our 53 -- #1) The health of Bradshaw, Ballard, Rainey, Herron #2) Trent's improvement -- if he emerges as a "rolling ball of butcher knives" and proves he is ready to be our workhorse I think it makes Ballard expendable because he won't bring any more dimensions to our offense than what T-Rich and Bradshaw do as a 1-2 punch  #3) Our WR decision -- if we keep Brazzill and/or Whalen, Rainey's value is decreased since they can both return kicks and Ballard's value therefore increases #4) Fullback -- if we keep Havili, which I think we will, I think it makes it more likely for us to carry 3 instead of 4 RB's, if we decide to use one of our TE's in the FB role, we may see 4 RB's on the final 53.

 

Call me crazy, but I don't think Ballard is by any means a 'lock' to make our 53.  I think he is going into training camp as our #3 RB - behind Richardson and Bradshaw - and I think he will have some very strong competition from Rainey and Herron.

 

On a side note, I think Zurlon Tipton will make our practice squad if he stays healthy -- he is another bruiser and I think he is good health insurance if anyone goes down during the regular season.

Apparently you don't read much into Colts com and what the staff and coaches have to say.Ballard will be there from what I hear he will be very much healthy.He makes 53 hands down and lol don't know why I even bother discussing it ,im not worried about it.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

The word average doesn't belong in the same sentence as Vick Ballard

 

He averaged 3.9 yards per carry (27th overall for RB's with 80 or more carries) and scored 2 rushing TD's in his only full year in the league  -- yea, the ypc is better than T-Rich's was for us last year and he didn't have a great o-line -- but he averaged 50.9 yards per game on the ground -- I am not sure of a better word to describe him -- he certainly isn't a 'great one', 'elite', 'the cream of the crop' ... maybe 'slightly above average'?

 

Apparently you don't read much into Colts com and what the staff and coaches have to say.Ballard will be there from what I hear he will be very much healthy.He makes 53 hands down and lol don't know why I even bother discussing it ,im not worried about it.

 

Coaches and staff are not going to say anything bad about any of the players on our team to the media -- not if they are injured, not if they fail a drug test, not if they get arrested on gun charges, not if they are as bad as Samson Satele, etc.  Colts.com represents the 'horseshoe', it's not the place where you are going to find any quotes negatively reflecting anyone associated with our organization.

 

Ballard didn't participate in OTA's and said himself "I've got tendinitis, keep the tendinitis down and get the strength back up".  Yes, he might be trending in the right direction towards becoming healthy, but he isn't fully healthy now and if you've ever had tendinitis, you would know it is not easy to get your strength back up while dealing with that.  I am not saying he's a lock to get cut, all I am saying is I won't be surprised if Ballard isn't on our 53 to start the season -- Bradshaw has been a better RB than Ballard and we have a lot invested in T-Rich who has a bigger ceiling than Ballard, plus Ballard still has lingering issues with his knee -- I am not predicting he will get cut, I just won't be surprised if he does get cut or spends a chunk of time on the PUP list, by no means do I see him as a lock to make our 53.

[TKnight24]

He averaged 3.9 yards per carry (27th overall for RB's with 80 or more carries) and scored 2 rushing TD's in his only full year in the league -- yea, the ypc is better than T-Rich's was for us last year and he didn't have a great o-line -- but he averaged 50.9 yards per game on the ground -- I am not sure of a better word to describe him -- he certainly isn't a 'great one', 'elite', 'the cream of the crop' ... maybe 'slightly above average'?

Coaches and staff are not going to say anything bad about any of the players on our team to the media -- not if they are injured, not if they fail a drug test, not if they get arrested on gun charges, not if they are as bad as Samson Satele, etc. Colts.com represents the 'horseshoe', it's not the place where you are going to find any quotes negatively reflecting anyone associated with our organization.

Ballard didn't participate in OTA's and said himself "I've got tendinitis, keep the tendinitis down and get the strength back up". Yes, he might be trending in the right direction towards becoming healthy, but he isn't fully healthy now and if you've ever had tendinitis, you would know it is not easy to get your strength back up while dealing with that. I am not saying he's a lock to get cut, all I am saying is I won't be surprised if Ballard isn't on our 53 to start the season -- Bradshaw has been a better RB than Ballard and we have a lot invested in T-Rich who has a bigger ceiling than Ballard, plus Ballard still has lingering issues with his knee -- I am not predicting he will get cut, I just won't be surprised if he does get cut or spends a chunk of time on the PUP list, by no means do I see him as a lock to make our 53.

Hard to get great rushing numbers in an air raid offense. You're not gonna be a good RB when your QB is throwing 40+ times a game. Not much room there for rushing the football

[Jason_]

Well, the two games immediately after he did very well but then defenses focused on him more and there was an adjustment period for Hilton and Luck.  he had to learn what it meant to be the main focus at receiver. It took him about 4 games to figure it out and once he did he was amazing.  As proof before the NE playoff game BB stated that the defense was going to focus on shutting down Hilton and after the game they claimed to have succeeded in that.. he had 4 catches for 101 yards... and NE considered that shutting him down.

 

No, Hilton has the tools, the field awareness, savvy and confidence to be a number 1 receiver for just about any team in the league.  Unfortunately for him if Wayne is on the field Wayne is the number 1 receiver.  People act like WRs should catch 100 yards per game no matter what.  Even megatron had 4 games last year where he had 52 yards or fewer.  Thomas had 3 games with 60 yards or fewer.  

 

;thing is though that after those 4 games, the coaches had also promoted Rogers and put him in the starting lineup.  Teams had to focus more on Rogers than they did DHB because Rogers could actually catch the ball.  so did Hilton actually progress that much in a 4 week span or did he benefit from teams having to shift some of their focus to Rogers?  it seems to me the more likely explanation would be the latter. that's why I can't conclusively say that I think Hilton is capable of being a #1 WR right now.

[USAFHoosier]

If Reggie and Nicks return to form then there is 3 possible #1 receivers including TY. Not to mention Darick and Moncrief who have big upside but are a work in progress. It's all on the Oline for the offense to realize its potential.

[Coffeedrinker]

;thing is though that after those 4 games, the coaches had also promoted Rogers and put him in the starting lineup.  Teams had to focus more on Rogers than they did DHB because Rogers could actually catch the ball.  so did Hilton actually progress that much in a 4 week span or did he benefit from teams having to shift some of their focus to Rogers?  it seems to me the more likely explanation would be the latter. that's why I can't conclusively say that I think Hilton is capable of being a #1 WR right now.

Wow!  I've seen my fair share of reaches on this forum and I am probably guilty of making my fair share as well but you must have some of the longest arms in creation to come up with this one.  Teams did not pull coverage from one of the most electric young receivers in the game because they were worried about an undrafted free agent.

 

I'm not sure what you have against Hilton, I don't really care, but give credit where credit is due please don't try to claim that Roger's 14 receptions and 2 TDs is the reason Hilton did well.

[Superman]

;thing is though that after those 4 games, the coaches had also promoted Rogers and put him in the starting lineup.  Teams had to focus more on Rogers than they did DHB because Rogers could actually catch the ball.  so did Hilton actually progress that much in a 4 week span or did he benefit from teams having to shift some of their focus to Rogers?  it seems to me the more likely explanation would be the latter. that's why I can't conclusively say that I think Hilton is capable of being a #1 WR right now.

 

He mentioned the first two games without Reggie. I don't think it was an issue of Hilton progressing as much as it was the entire offense going into a funk without the best receiver. I do think getting DHB out of the lineup helped; you're only as good as your worst player. But Hilton was never the problem.

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

1. Ty Hilton is too small to be a #1. Disappears from games from time to time. Better fitted in the slot & #2 WR. Don't believe he's ready to go against the opponents top CB week after week. Not taking anything from him, he's amazing. But not ready to carry the WR core

2. Vick Ballard is NOT the best RB on our team

Agree on number 1 Number 2 if Ballard is healthy he might be the best back!

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

Healthy Wayne equals he is the #1 wide out! PERIOD DONE!!

[TKnight24]

Agree on number 1 Number 2 if Ballard is healthy he might be the best back!

When healthy; Bradshaw is our best RB. The San Francisco game proved that. When was the last time you saw a RB gash the 49ers defense the way Bradshaw did?

Ballard is good no question, but out of the RB group we have...... Bradshaw stands above them all

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

He averaged 3.9 yards per carry (27th overall for RB's with 80 or more carries) and scored 2 rushing TD's in his only full year in the league  -- yea, the ypc is better than T-Rich's was for us last year and he didn't have a great o-line -- but he averaged 50.9 yards per game on the ground -- I am not sure of a better word to describe him -- he certainly isn't a 'great one', 'elite', 'the cream of the crop' ... maybe 'slightly above average'?

 

 

Coaches and staff are not going to say anything bad about any of the players on our team to the media -- not if they are injured, not if they fail a drug test, not if they get arrested on gun charges, not if they are as bad as Samson Satele, etc.  Colts.com represents the 'horseshoe', it's not the place where you are going to find any quotes negatively reflecting anyone associated with our organization.

 

Ballard didn't participate in OTA's and said himself "I've got tendinitis, keep the tendinitis down and get the strength back up".  Yes, he might be trending in the right direction towards becoming healthy, but he isn't fully healthy now and if you've ever had tendinYOUR HIGHitis, you would know it is not easy to get your strength back up while dealing with that.  I am not saying he's a lock to get cut, all I am saying is I won't be surprised if Ballard isn't on our 53 to start the season -- Bradshaw has been a better RB than Ballard and we have a lot invested in T-Rich who has a bigger ceiling than Ballard, plus Ballard still has lingering issues with his knee -- I am not predicting he will get cut, I just won't be surprised if he does get cut or spends a chunk of time on the PUP list, by no means do I see him as a lock to make our 53.

YOUR HIGH THERE IS NO WAY BALLARD GETS CUT!! BANK IT!!

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

When healthy; Bradshaw is our best RB. The San Francisco game proved that. When was the last time you saw a RB gash the 49ers defense the way Bradshaw did?

Ballard is good no question, but out of the RB group we have...... Bradshaw stands above them all

I Like Bradshaw but have no confidence in him staying healthy. If Richardson pulls his head out of his butt I think we could have 3 physical gashers like that!!

[In Luck We Trust]

you make it seem so bad. When you put it that way; makes you wonder should we all send the video of the play to Richard Sherman's Twitter when he tweets ahout being the #1 CB

I'll do it! lol

[jvan1973]

What I mean by "better fitted" is he's DEADLY in open space. There's more open space in the slot role than the outside role imo

then why were most of his catches and yards outside the numbers?

[crazycolt1]

Some people may hate me for this but some recievers are just not made to be #1 receivers WHY... I was a Center my whole football career and I still realize being a #1 or a #2 receiver doesn't mean your for sure better!!

Some recievers are just a built to be #2 or 3's their career and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it at all! They still get starts and plenty of playing time! It's not like just Becuase they are not #1 Andrew Luck or Any Quarterback will be like "Ohhh he's open but he's a #3 receiver.. I'm not going to pass it to him" being 1-3 doesn't have a super great importance on teams with stacked talent! #4 and #5 does matter Becuase they are technically "backups"

But PLEASE UNDERSTAND that just because T.Y. Isn't #1 doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it! #1 #2 and #3 can all start! They mainly all get the same looks depending on play type.

Ty should be a #3 or a good #2!!! The #3 sometimes plays slot (not all of the time) and T.Y. Is a SUPERSTAR SLOT reciever!

Reggie was a great #1 becuase he is more a possession reciever, good for last second looks.

Nothing is wrong with Reggie at #1 Nicks at #2 and T.Y. At #3... They could all technically start and they all will get the ball! #1 does not give you any special privileges ecspecialy in a very talented and crowded offense like the Colts have! People may hate me for saying it but it's true!

Ohhh.. And Ballard May or may not be the best TB on our roster but I don't know how anyone can say he should be the starting running back after he hasn't played a snap with pads on in almost 9 months.

Okay rant is over!

I agree. If Luck gets the protection he needs it could be anyone of the receivers being #1. That would be on a week to week bases. It would all depend on what the coverage was doing. We seen Manning for years take turns at making a receiver #1 from week to week. We also cant leave out one of the TEs being the #1 receiver for a week. I don't quit understand why the big deal or debate on who is or going to be #1. It's a pretty good position to be in but as always fans want to bicker about who is this and who is that. Who cares as long as the Colts win.

[crazycolt1]

I Like Bradshaw but have no confidence in him staying healthy. If Richardson pulls his head out of his butt I think we could have 3 physical gashers like that!!

Pulls his head out of his butt? How about some blocking? How about not getting hit in the backfield 60% of the time he touched the ball? I understand some of the criticism but after all it does take the whole offensive line to block. If Luck wouldn't have been so good at avoiding the rush he would have been the top sacked QB is the league. Laying all the blame for the lack of a running game all on TRich is being blind to the real problems. Hopefully they got this corrected this season.

[Bravo]

I agree. If Luck gets the protection he needs it could be anyone of the receivers being #1. That would be on a week to week bases. It would all depend on what the coverage was doing. We seen Manning for years take turns at making a receiver #1 from week to week. We also cant leave out one of the TEs being the #1 receiver for a week. I don't quit understand why the big deal or debate on who is or going to be #1. It's a pretty good position to be in but as always fans want to bicker about who is this and who is that. Who cares as long as the Colts win.

Well said!!

[TKnight24]

I agree. If Luck gets the protection he needs it could be anyone of the receivers being #1. That would be on a week to week bases. It would all depend on what the coverage was doing. We seen Manning for years take turns at making a receiver #1 from week to week. We also cant leave out one of the TEs being the #1 receiver for a week. I don't quit understand why the big deal or debate on who is or going to be #1. It's a pretty good position to be in but as always fans want to bicker about who is this and who is that. Who cares as long as the Colts win.

We debate cause this is a great "problem" to have.Chuck Pagano said that. When we can argue over who'll get the most targets, we have a pretty darn good arsenal imo

[dudeski]

1. Ty Hilton is too small to be a #1. Disappears from games from time to time. Better fitted in the slot & #2 WR. Don't believe he's ready to go against the opponents top CB week after week. Not taking anything from him, he's amazing. But not ready to carry the WR core

2. Vick Ballard is NOT the best RB on our team

too small to be a #1?

Where do you come up with this nonsense

[dudeski]

You're not hearing me. Talent wise, he can be a #1. But field maturity/knowledge of the game like Reggie has is what Hilton is missing. He still has a lot to learn before I'd trust him lining up outside consistently

And Vick is good, but if we're talking healthy..... Bradshaw is the best & hardest runner in a Colts uniform

And my personal preference is having tall WR's outside & the little/shifty guys in the slot

he lines up mostly outside. Always has.

Actually watching some games would do wonders to the quality of your posts