Colts will rely on the draft instead of being big free-agent spenders

[krunk]

“Obviously last year was unusual in terms of the type of excitement that went on, the type of offensive guys that were playmakers and virtually Hall of Fame-type of guys, potential Pro Bowl guys in the past,” Irsay said. “There’s going to be some key guys we’re going to have to identify that you get for the right price .… This isn’t the same type of cap room. 2013, '14, '15, we were decent and had some room. This is going to be a little more difficult.”

 

“The draft is where we’re really going to get better," Irsay said. "I think over the next two drafts, continue to identify guys, particularly defensively, that are going to be key guys going forward.”   (More evidence this will be a defensive draft)

http://espn.go.com/blog/indianapolis-colts/post/_/id/15805/colts-will-rely-on-the-draft-instead-of-being-big-free-agent-spenders

[GoColts8818]

Irsay is pushing the team back to what worked so well during the previous era and what has been proven to work around the NFL if you draft well.  

[DaColts85]

This is always the smartest method.  If you want to continue to over spend on majority of mediocre talent then be big spenders in FA.  Bottom line is there is always a reason why the previous team did not sign the player.  Some times it is just because the price is ridiculous (Suh last year).  We need to continue to look at the draft as BPA but also in line with needs.  This year we can go for a #2 CB and maybe a solid o-line replacement but other then that use the draft to its potential.

[richard pallo]

I think that's the perfect approach.  Quality free agents and younger not quantity.  Maybe Alex Boone or Osmele on the OL.  OLB Courtney Upshaw from the Ravens who played for Monachino.  And a corner like Trumaine Johnson from the Vikings.  They all might be available and all would be starters.  Then two or three starters from the draft.  

[BullsColtsFan1]

This should mean the Colts will not overpay for older veterans.  I think it's a good idea to build through the draft.

[TheRustonRifle#7]

It won't be very popular amongst some of the posters on here as they already have visions of Von Miller and Kelechi Osemele wearing the horseshoe dancing in their heads.....

[Smonroe]

4 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

This should mean the Colts will not overpay for older veterans.  I think it's a good idea to build through the draft.

 

Except for Gore, none of the older vets were worth their contracts if I'm not mistaken.  I think that Irsay is saying we need to be smarter in Free Agency. 

 

All I know is that we better address the O line, somehow.  And not with old vets or 5th round picks.  Guys were available last year that could have started day one (like Cognito), but we went with a guy who didn't even finish the season on the team.  Can't fail like that again.

 

[Smonroe]

4 minutes ago, TheRustonRifle#7 said:

It won't be very popular amongst some of the posters on here as they already have visions of Von Miller and Kelechi Osemele wearing the horseshoe dancing in their heads.....

 

I think there's plenty of cap space to get at least one big name FA.  But it/they have to be guys that aren't in the final years of their career and can make an immediate impact.  Except for Gore, none of the FA's we brought in last year qualified.

 

If people think we're going to fill all the holes playing money ball or through the draft, they're not going to be happy with the outcome.

[krunk]

Good players can be found anywhere in the draft.  I'm down with picking up two versatile OL, but I'm not wetting my pants if they are found in the 5th round or wherever.  As long as he selects a Good Player.    Many people in the Hall Of Fame who came out of the lower rounds.  Just make sure that whomever you select you are certain they are a good player.  The Draft to me is not much different from the Real Estate market or other markets.  You can find deals that put money in your pocket in a good or bad neighborhood if you do your dilligence properly.

[krunk]

10 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Except for Gore, none of the older vets were worth their contracts if I'm not mistaken.  I think that Irsay is saying we need to be smarter in Free Agency. 

 

All I know is that we better address the O line, somehow.  And not with old vets or 5th round picks.  Guys were available last year that could have started day one (like Cognito), but we went with a guy who didn't even finish the season on the team.  Can't fail like that again.

 

 

Well you had the character and locker room concerns with Cognito, but using hind sight it turned out to be a good risk for Buffalo.  Herremans didn't turn out well I must say.

[12isthenew18]

Finally

[Ja'Crispy]

51 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Irsay is pushing the team back to what worked so well during the previous era and what has been proven to work around the NFL if you draft well.  

If it ain't broke...

[COLTS449]

We'll still sign a couple young impact players. We cant fill every need in the draft this year. What we don't need to do it sign older guys like we did last year. This doesn't mean we aren't going to sign any good players in free agency guys. It means our primary focus is going to be building through the draft.

[krunk]

2 minutes ago, COLTS449 said:

We'll still sign a couple young impact players. We cant fill every need in the draft this year. What we don't need to do it sign older guys like we did last year. This doesn't mean we aren't going to sign any good players in free agency guys. It means our primary focus is going to be building through the draft.

 

That's what Irsay said. The right guy at the right price in FA, but the main focus is on the draft.

[bababooey]

Would like a veteran OL and a veteran defenseman in FA then just go nuts on defensive guys pls.

[PeterBowman]

also have to remember that the past couple years the Colts were flush with cash and had to spend most of it.

 

But I also agree that it's always best to use the draft to get your best players, but use FA to plug holes until you can draft some of those people.

[Jason_]

18 minutes ago, krunk said:

 

That's what Irsay said. The right guy at the right price in FA, but the main focus is on the draft.

 

thing is though, that's pretty much been their approach since Grigson got here. 

[TheRustonRifle#7]

8 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

thing is though, that's pretty much been their approach since Grigson got here. 

Bingo!

[krunk]

12 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

thing is though, that's pretty much been their approach since Grigson got here. 

 

There will be a lot less of that

[Jason_]

3 minutes ago, krunk said:

 

There will be a lot less of that

 

a lot less of what?  Finding the right guy for the right price?

[crazycolt1]

13 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

thing is though, that's pretty much been their approach since Grigson got here. 

Some seem not to know some of the free agent signings were just band aids to cover what was needed at the time. I know there were a lot of fans who thought Grigson done a bad job but I still like his attitude on putting the team in cap hades like it was when he took the job.

[krunk]

3 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

a lot less of what?  Finding the right guy for the right price?

 

No.  There will be a lot less players brought in on Free Agency period.  If a guy is brought in it will be because he's clearly a great fit.  Probably won't be some of the middling level guys, but if so the amount of middling level guys will be less so it effects the team less.

[Jason_]

3 minutes ago, krunk said:

 

No.  There will be a lot less players brought in on Free Agency period.  If a guy is brought in it will be because he's clearly a great fit.  Probably won't be some of the middling level guys, but if so the amount of middling level guys will be less so it effects the team less.

 

the amount of mid level guys will decrease as they continue to build a foundation of youthful talent through the draft.  Until then, they're still going to need mid level FAs as stop gaps.  

[crazycolt1]

1 minute ago, Jason_S said:

 

the amount of mid level guys will decrease as they continue to build a foundation of youthful talent through the draft.  Until then, they're still going to need mid level FAs as stop gaps.  

I think the key to that is where the scouting department needs to do a better job. Finding those players who can contribute off of other teams practice squads would be a good start.

[krunk]

11 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

the amount of mid level guys will decrease as they continue to build a foundation of youthful talent through the draft.  Until then, they're still going to need mid level FAs as stop gaps.  

 

Yes we will need them but not so many of them.  They'll probably lay more scrutiny into whomever they bring in.

[Superman]

Irsay draws a contrast between the last three years and moving forward, so I figure there will be some difference. However, building through the draft with a 'right guy for the right price' free agency approach has been the model all along. The problem is that they haven't maximized their resources in either area.

[dw49]

I don't get what many of you are talking about. You are saying "we need to build through the draft and not free agency." That would imply that we draft differently because of the free agents we signed ? If true , that would be pretty much buffoonery. 

 

Bottom line is this . You have "X" amount of cap room each year. You have 3 ways to spend it.

 

1) Sign free agnets

2) Resign your own players

3) Extend contracts of players nearing the end of their deals.

 

You always want to draft as efficiently as possible. I don't see how signing free agents effects your draft in a negative way. Unless there is some way to trade cap money for draft picks ? I think not.

 

I believe all Irsay is saying the cap room will not be there for free agents as it's been for the past 3 seasons. Thus they need to do a better job with the draft as this is how they will need to improve the present roster.

[Dustin]

Now we're back to the FA is bad meme. Ask the Broncos how much spending big in FA set them back. 

[Superman]

6 minutes ago, dw49 said:

I believe all Irsay is saying the cap room will not be there for free agents as it's been for the past 3 seasons. Thus they need to do a better job with the draft as this is how they will need to improve the present roster.

 

Agreed.

[Colts_Fan12]

FA isn't a bad thing like some fans think. Grigson just sucks at finding the right players he's spent his whole time here wasting our cap on mediocre or old FAs. 

[Colts_Fan12]

14 minutes ago, Dustin said:

Now we're back to the FA is bad meme. Ask the Broncos how much spending big in FA set them back. 

Thank you!! Of course FA will seem bad when you sign Greg Toler,Todd Herramans, Donald Thomas, and Gosder Cherilus 

 

how can anyone forget making Gosder the highest paid RT

[Dustin]

12 minutes ago, Dustin said:

Now we're back to the FA is bad meme. Ask the Broncos how much spending big in FA set them back. 

 

Time is a flat circle. 

[shakedownstreet]

i am about to draught a nice pint of the amber

[ztboiler]

29 minutes ago, Superman said:

Irsay draws a contrast between the last three years and moving forward, so I figure there will be some difference. However, building through the draft with a 'right guy for the right price' free agency approach has been the model all along. The problem is that they haven't maximized their resources in either area.

I think he is differentiating the approach we used in 15 from the approach they will use moving forward moreso than 13 or 14.  

 

Our free agent spending in 13 and 14 is so grossly overstated on this board and in the media that it has simply become an uninformed narrative.

 

Prior to 15 we have signed exactly zero UFAs who's contracts exceeded 7M per year...by my recall.  In 15 we "splurged" with AJ and Cole who approached 8M per on pay as you go deals.  Neither of which will be here in 16 nor did they damage the cap.

 

They will make different choices on the same conservative free agent philosophy they've always had....because the roster needs are much different now.

 

The biggest change may be draft related in holding 1st round pick usage to a higher standard.

 

 

[Jason_]

47 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

FA isn't a bad thing like some fans think. Grigson just sucks at finding the right players he's spent his whole time here wasting our cap on mediocre or old FAs. 

 

Not true.  He's brought in many mid level FA's that helped the team out for the duration of time that they expected.  Now if we want to clarify that to specify he's sucked at finding the right offensive linemen, well there's a better case to make for that than there is that he sucks in general.

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Except for Gore, none of the older vets were worth their contracts if I'm not mistaken.  I think that Irsay is saying we need to be smarter in Free Agency. 

 

All I know is that we better address the O line, somehow.  And not with old vets or 5th round picks.  Guys were available last year that could have started day one (like Cognito), but we went with a guy who didn't even finish the season on the team.  Can't fail like that again.

 

 

I think you're mistaken -- twice.

 

Kendall Langford, who I think was 29?  

 

And Dwight Lowery,   who I think was around the same age?   Maybe a year older?

 

Both easily worth their contracts.     

 

And there may be others,  that was just off the top of my head.....

 

Obviously AJ and Cole and Herremans were very bad investments.

 

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, krunk said:

“Obviously last year was unusual in terms of the type of excitement that went on, the type of offensive guys that were playmakers and virtually Hall of Fame-type of guys, potential Pro Bowl guys in the past,” Irsay said. “There’s going to be some key guys we’re going to have to identify that you get for the right price .… This isn’t the same type of cap room. 2013, '14, '15, we were decent and had some room. This is going to be a little more difficult.”

 

“The draft is where we’re really going to get better," Irsay said. "I think over the next two drafts, continue to identify guys, particularly defensively, that are going to be key guys going forward.”   (More evidence this will be a defensive draft)

http://espn.go.com/blog/indianapolis-colts/post/_/id/15805/colts-will-rely-on-the-draft-instead-of-being-big-free-agent-spenders

 

Two points.....    some of us here have been predicting exactly this for months now....    this was NOT HARD to see coming.

 

Second,   just to be clear,  I don't think Irsay is saying we will avoid Free Agency.    Just that we won't be major players in it as we've been.

 

That leaves a gray area.     How many players for how much money?    That's the unknown....?

 

[GoColts8818]

3 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Except for Gore, none of the older vets were worth their contracts if I'm not mistaken.  I think that Irsay is saying we need to be smarter in Free Agency. 

 

All I know is that we better address the O line, somehow.  And not with old vets or 5th round picks.  Guys were available last year that could have started day one (like Cognito), but we went with a guy who didn't even finish the season on the team.  Can't fail like that again.

 

Mike Adams and Matt Hasselbeck are on line one for you. Langford wasn't "older" but was a good pickup.  I happen to like Jackson and thought he has done what he was brought here to do.  People knock him for not being able to cover well but he was never good at that.  Also Redding gave them three solid years at DE.  also while not pick ups but the decisions to keep guys like AV and Reggie when Grigson got here can't be overlooked if we are talking older vets.  

 

So like most things Grigson has done there has been good mixed with bad.  People tend to like to focus on the bad though and over look the good.

 

With that said I agree focusing on the draft is the way to go as long as they hit in the draft.  It's kinda ironic that's what people want to go back to as when Polian was fired one of the things people complained about was how Polian would never go out and get big name free agents (which wasn't true he was just more selective about it).

[MTC]

If this is the case, then I'd expect Allen, Vinatieri, Hasselbeck, Fleener, and Freeman to be all re-signed.

[MTC]

Irsay hinted he wants to draft mostly all defense. Jalen Ramsey, Mackensie Alexander, or Jaylon Smith for first round please.