Why did so many expect the Colts to hit FA hard?

[ProblChld32]

i expected us to atleast get 2-3 guys, not necessarily impact players but solid contributors and depth. we still have alot of time left i guess. But with the limited amount of picks and holes we still have, whats with the wait?

[Flash]

2 hours ago, RockThatBlue said:

I seriously wanna know.

 

Months ago Irsay and Grigson hinted that we would try to get younger and that the main focus will be on the draft. Not only that, but I saw someone post on here that we only had 15-20 million in cap space, which isn't exactly a lot. You can't buy many free agents with that cap space. 

I think that you may be looking at the forum's reaction and basing it on this year alone?

 

Thanks to Grigson and Co. we've have had good cap management and we've had money to spend in previous years. However, Grigson decided to spend the money unwisely in some cases. So although we had plenty of money, we do not necessarily have the added talent to show for it and there are still holes to fill. Last year, Grigson added players like Herremans, Johnson, and Gore through FA --none of which are a part of our future plans. Gore may be done after this season.

 

So coming into this year, and understanding that we were players in FA in recent years and that we have holes to fill, many of us expected to partake in FA, but not be major players due to cap restrictions. Adding a few pieces through FA (1 or 2 signings - aside from Tolzien) and then through the draft was what we had in mind. 

 

How is that unreasonable?

[Archer]

I did the math and it really seemed like there was easily enough money to get big upgrades at RG and CB, as well as a few low level, economical depth moves (OLB, QB, WR, RB etc.)  My current estimates have Luck counting $25 million against the 2016 cap, Upshaw counting $3.5 million, and a new possible CB starter counting $4 million, and we still have $10 million of cap space after signing draft picks (about $4 million).  Makes me wonder how historic we're planning Luck's contract to be...

[OffensivelyPC]

25 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I don't follow a lot of college, but i do watch a ton of tape. I guess you could say it gives me some form of control temporarily and makes me more informed on who we could get. Grigson has taken 6 players I have wanted in the past 4 years, so I guess we are close on our scouting. This is like christmas time. Lots of new players are available and we don't know which ones we'll unwrap.

Depending on who you ask, the fact that Grigs has taken 6 players you've wanted could be a good thing or a bad thing lol.  

[MasterCrief]

I think there's a big difference between going hard in FA, and making a few smart, mid-level signings. I doubt anyone in this forum actually thought we were going to be the former, but most of us expected us to at least be the latter. I for one didn't expect us to sign more than a couple of starters (CB2 and either a C or a G), and maybe a few depth guys after that. What has people surprised with the offseason is that we haven't done anything, unless you count signing a backup QB, which I don't. Like others have said, there are just too many holes on this roster to fill in a single draft, and we're hurting our chances to compete this year by not using some of the resources (cap space) that we have to improve this team.

[21isSuperman]

I didn't expect us to go hard after big name free agents, but I definitely expected us to be bigger players than what we've shown thus far.  Why?

1. We have lots of cap space (and could have more if we release DQ and Cole)

2. We have a lot of needs on this team, more than what you can fill through just the draft

3. Let's say, by some miracle, you manage to fill all your needs in the draft.  The chance that all of those rookies are going to come in and make impacts is low.  Instead, you can sign a few free agents who can make an impact, be a mentor to the rookies, and it will allow the rookies to get used to the speed and complexity of the pro game.

4. There was/is a lot of good talent available, a lot of which could have been/can be had for reasonably cheap.  4 year, $18 mil for Derrick Shelby; 2 year, $7 mil for Nigel Bradham; plenty of others.

[Colts_Fan12]

Not many said they had to hit it hard just get someone we didn't do any thing but get worse 

[throwing BBZ]

5 hours ago, RockThatBlue said:

I seriously wanna know.

 

Months ago Irsay and Grigson hinted that we would try to get younger and that the main focus will be on the draft. Not only that, but I saw someone post on here that we only had 15-20 million in cap space, which isn't exactly a lot. You can't buy many free agents with that cap space. 

 

 Obviously these people didn`t think that was all the money we would have to spend.
 You would know that if you read their endless posts regarding the cuts they thought would be made.
 It really is that simple.

[smittywerb]

We didn't have to make a big splash, but signing a 2nd corner and a guard/center would have been enough for most of us.  Not to mention, spending money on a backup when we could have drafted one in the later rounds.

 

Meh, I'm no GM so as a fan, all I can do is trust that Irsay and Grigs have a plan.  Otherwise, I hope Luck is in it for the long haul.  

[RockThatBlue]

6 hours ago, SilentHill said:

 

I hope Grigson doesn't concede defeat as fast as you.

I'm not conceding anything. I'm just being realistic. If anyone really thought we would fix all of our holes this off season, I don't know why. 

[RockThatBlue]

5 hours ago, jchandler7 said:

Nobody was expecting the Colts to go all out in free agency,  not sure where your getting that from. We all know that building through the draft is smart. However, many of us are just upset we didn't address 1 or 2 needs in FA because everyone knows we cant address everything through the draft. We have several holes on this team.

I've seen people in other threads listing 6+ players the colts should have signed. So yes, some did think that we should have.

[jskinnz]

6 hours ago, SilentHill said:

I don't think any of us expected FA to be hit hard, but it's a FACT that we cannot address all of the needs on this team in the draft. We need some pieces from FA this season to compete.

 

We also have 21-23m in cap space (depending on what site you use)

I don't necessarily buy into this notion.  First off, FA is not over.  There are still decent players out there who are now in a team-friendly negotiating position.  The draft will certainly address some needs but there are players already on the roster that they think can fill in just fine for those who have left.  Geathers, Irving, Swoope, Slyvestre to name a few.

 

I think Carolina is a great case study.  Their 2014 record was 7-9 and yet they did not go wild in free agency. They got some good play from some of their draft picks but mostly they developed their own and had a QB play at a very high level.  

 

I believe the Colts will sign a few FA's.  I believe that they will take the BPA philosophy into the draft and strongly believe that if Luck plays to his level, they will be competitive once again.

 

[RockThatBlue]

4 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

Yes - they told us as much.  I don't understand the outrage.

I  guess everyone had their ears closed when they said it.

[icf]

I never expected them to throw around loads of $$, but the truth is -- the team is worse now then it was at the end of the year.

 

They haven't signed anyone but a b/u QB -- who is worse than the last b/u QB.  The TE position is worse....the OLine is not improved, etc.....

 

Sure, they should get better in the draft (we hope) assuming Grigs doesn't take a WR for no real reason again -- but this team has more holes then can be addressed next month.

 

They likely will spend some FA money before camp starts -- but at that point, it may be more role guys and less anyone that can actually make the team better.

[COLTS449]

10 hours ago, SilentHill said:

 

This is the NFL, and we have a top 5 QB.

 

We need to compete now. Grigson needs to make it happen. I don't want to hear that it's two years off, that is just making excuses for poor talent acquisition.

 

Thank you. 2 years....Pfft. We could have signed 2 impact players. A G and a Corner, then went into the draft and gotten a EDGE rusher, C, and ILB or DT or S in the 3rd. And you know what? As long as we had a good draft. Most of our holes would have been FIXED. I'm glad to see somebody who gets it SilentHill. Why would you be content waiting a year to compete for a SB when you could load up and do it now???? That 2-3 year plan is the most ignorant thing a GM could do when you have an elite, franchise QB. We can worry about 2-3 years from now when that time comes, and like I've said over and over. As long as we draft well everything would take care of itself. Also. Had we signed 2 impact players and had a good draft. We wouldn't really need to spend big on any free agents next year or even the next. We'd have fewer holes to fill and could address whatever they were through that draft.

[Blueblazes]

I'm not one for spending foolishly. Having said that, I am also a realist regarding the draft-by the numbers only 50% of the top 10 draft picks achieve their potential and only 40% of the entire first round will attain more than mediocrity. So building through the draft is a crap shoot as well. At least with free agents you have an idea of how they have performed already vs. NFL players--you don't even get that with draftees. Now, the draftees come with a much lower price tag. The answer is that you can not give up on either way to build a team. We apparently are not thinking we can get our main needs in free agency which are offensive line and pass rushers. Here's hoping there are a lot of hidden gems in the draft that Grigs sees that I do not see at this point. We must plug at least one or two holes with good free agents.

[JColts72]

I did not except bold FA moves, due to cap issue, and seeing how things did not work out last year minus Gore. But did not expect them to go shopping off the rack for bad sales either. Don't like any of the moves made except resigning Adam. Will be lucky of Allen last half a season.  

[krunk]

We've been very active in free agency if you ask me. It's just been in a different way. Our biggest free agent acquisitions have been at the coaching level. Firing all the old staff and bringing in more experienced coaches who are proven in this league or who can be vouched for by proven coaches. Guys like Philbin who has years of success coaching the O line himself. Outstanding offensive mind. Guys like Ted Monachino who is a proven linebacker and D line coach who can be vouched for as a good hire for DC. It was also smart to retain Chud. Not to mention bringing in the new linebackers coach from New York that's got years of experience building solid defenses between Michigan and the NFL. The DB coach from San Diego is good too. Plus you have the running backs coach we brought in from Arkansas which was one of the best rushing teams in the country. One of the major performance issues with this team was BAD COACHING and we addressed the issue heavily in free agency. I'd say that issue was bigger than the personnel issue. Just those moves alone should reap large dividends for the Colts. We've been aggressive in free agency. It's just been in a different way. We have signed our own where possible and brought in what seems to be much better coaches to eradicate this brand of sloppy execution we have seen from the colts.

[krunk]

Between Chud and Joe Philbin alone I think those two should have the offense operating at a very high level. There's so much experience there that Pagano can spend a great deal of his time working with Monachino on the defense. Execution wise I'm expecting great things from the Colts this year.

[Defjamz26]

On March 15, 2016 at 9:38 AM, RockThatBlue said:

Most of the holes can't be fixed by free agency either. I think it's a pretty good bet that it may take at least 2 off seasons to address most of the holes 

This is part of the answer the original poster was looking for. Most people think that we're a Super Bowl contender, so we have to be in win now mode and plug all our holes.

 

But that's not what Offseasons are for. It's about getting better at good value so your  team can stay competitive and be better. It's not about trying to sign a bunch of players and then drafting just to fill holes.

 

Not to mention some people don't realize their plans and needs for the Colts aren't necessarily shared by the organization. People keep screaming we need a #2 CB but probably don't realize the Colts are probably going to start Smith on the outside. Also, the Colts might not upgrade C and RG in the early rounds. Also, we're seeing reports that the Colts are interested in Ragland and people are wondering why because they feel ILB isn't as big a need, and we're fine with Irving and Sio. But the staff may feel differently.

[csmopar]

2 hours ago, krunk said:

We've been very active in free agency if you ask me. It's just been in a different way. Our biggest free agent acquisitions have been at the coaching level. Firing all the old staff and bringing in more experienced coaches who are proven in this league or who can be vouched for by proven coaches. Guys like Philbin who has years of success coaching the O line himself. Outstanding offensive mind. Guys like Ted Monachino who is a proven linebacker and D line coach who can be vouched for as a good hire for DC. It was also smart to retain Chud. Not to mention bringing in the new linebackers coach from New York that's got years of experience building solid defenses between Michigan and the NFL. The DB coach from San Diego is good too. Plus you have the running backs coach we brought in from Arkansas which was one of the best rushing teams in the country. One of the major performance issues with this team was BAD COACHING and we addressed the issue heavily in free agency. I'd say that issue was bigger than the personnel issue. Just those moves alone should reap large dividends for the Colts. We've been aggressive in free agency. It's just been in a different way. We have signed our own where possible and brought in what seems to be much better coaches to eradicate this brand of sloppy execution we have seen from the colts.

I must say you have a point.  Wonder if we'll finally stop coming out flat to start games?  Seems to me anyway that this past season, the D came out hot in the first half while the O did squat, then by the time the O got going, we were either too far behind or the D was gassed.  Now part of that was Luck's injury and playing 5 QBs but alot was miserable play calling too.  Should be interesting going forward, though I still feel we've missed on chances to upgrade personell too

[NewColtsFan]

 

The only people who thought we'd hit Free Agency hard are "the usual suspects"     The kids who don't understand two words:     Salary Cap.

 

The kids who don't recognize that we've never bought a free agent for 10 Mill + a year and they publicly said that's what they wanted the team to do.     They say the same thing every year and never learn.    So, they're the most shocked and outraged by what we've done.

 

All that said.....

 

The team publicly said we'd still be going after some players, just not as many or as pricey.     Fine.    But they didn't hint that they'd take the approach where we likely won't be investing until June or so when FA's that are signed don't impact the possible compensatory draft picks that a team can collect.

 

We're taking a whole new approach to FA and teams don't broadcast that info....    fans don't know it until their team is actually NOT signing anyone the first few weeks and then it becomes apparent.     Now we can all figure it out.      We won't be signing any mid-priced guys (maybe at all)  at least until June.    We'll be shopping in the 99-cent stores looking for picked-over bargains.
 

This has been done with Irsay's approval.    So, it's whole new world that we're now living in.....

 

[JPFolks]

I had simply hoped they'd find an upgrade Corner from a solid market and perhaps one other perennial starter in FA.  We didn't need to pay at the top, but now I am unsure who would be a significant upgrade there.  D'joun Smith is unproven and must stay healthy.  Adams is ridiculously long lasting but father time is going to catch him this year and Art Jones, D. Jackson, R Mathis (if he's still going to be around) and the Philly reject are taking us nowhere.  We have gaping holes everywhere.  

[jameszeigler834]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 11:59 AM, Flash said:

I think that you may be looking at the forum's reaction and basing it on this year alone?

 

Thanks to Grigson and Co. we've have had good cap management and we've had money to spend in previous years. However, Grigson decided to spend the money unwisely in some cases. So although we had plenty of money, we do not necessarily have the added talent to show for it and there are still holes to fill. Last year, Grigson added players like Herremans, Johnson, and Gore through FA --none of which are a part of our future plans. Gore may be done after this season.

 

So coming into this year, and understanding that we were players in FA in recent years and that we have holes to fill, many of us expected to partake in FA, but not be major players due to cap restrictions. Adding a few pieces through FA (1 or 2 signings - aside from Tolzien) and then through the draft was what we had in mind. 

 

How is that unreasonable?

Its not unreasonable but you can't fill every hole in one draft so he could have upgraded a position or two through FA then go for the rest in the draft at this point I have now idea what he is doing but whatever it is I hope it works and we have a decent season this year maybe get back to the postseason.

[bellboys]

Have to remember that we will need around 7 million to sign our draft picks so that drops to  about 13 million left. then if anyone gets put on ir for some reason we'll need that money to sign other players to replace them. And also if we get Luck signed to a new contract we'll need some of that cap for his new contract as well. I think that yes we have holes to fill but we do have some quality players that can play. The biggest problem is the o-line. If we  can keep luck upright and extend plays and keep the defense off the field longer we will be alright. The defense was just on the field to much last season which just worn them down at the end of games. We will have about 75 mil next year depending on Luck's new contract to spend then it could drop to around 50 mil if his contract is what I think it going to be

[TheRustonRifle#7]

15 minutes ago, bellboys said:

Have to remember that we will need around 7 million to sign our draft picks so that drops to  about 13 million left. then if anyone gets put on ir for some reason we'll need that money to sign other players to replace them. And also if we get Luck signed to a new contract we'll need some of that cap for his new contract as well. I think that yes we have holes to fill but we do have some quality players that can play. The biggest problem is the o-line. If we  can keep luck upright and extend plays and keep the defense off the field longer we will be alright. The defense was just on the field to much last season which just worn them down at the end of games. We will have about 75 mil next year depending on Luck's new contract to spend then it could drop to around 50 mil if his contract is what I think it going to be

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/indianapolis-colts/cap/

 

Here is a good breakdown of what the Colts Cap looks like as of today.

 

Available cap space (top 51): $22,981,994.00

 

Anticipated Rookie Pool Cap: $4,908,948.00