Do we have an advantage over the Texans and Jags?

[bradgt04]

This may be a simple minded way of looking at our team.  But We have like 10-12 new coaches including a new offensive coordinator (didn't get to see much of Chuds Offense last year if any) and a new defensive coordinator, albeit unproven.  But the Jags and Texans don't know too much about our approach/scheme/philosophy.  

 

I don't claim to be an expert at football on any level but it just seems like an advantage to me.  It may be an advantage for a few games until they can study tape.  

It was just a thought.  What do you guys and gals think?  Is it a major advantage,. A small one,. Or just as much a disadvantage?

[Iancolts]

We have one advantage and that's Luck!  The NFL is based on QB play now.  If you have an elite QB you have an advantage!

[Carlos Danger]

If it is an advantage, it would be gone before we could really take advantage of it, most likely. 

 

Also, most of our new coaches have a lot of tape in the league... 

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

5 minutes ago, Iancolts said:

We have one advantage and that's Luck!  The NFL is based on QB play now.  If you have an elite QB you have an advantage!

 

Your right in my book , Here is a link the oddsshark believes so as well ..

 

http://www.oddsshark.com/nfl/afc-south-season-odds-preview

[2006Coltsbestever]

30 minutes ago, ÅÐØNϧ 1 said:

 

Your right in my book , Here is a link the oddsshark believes so as well ..

 

http://www.oddsshark.com/nfl/afc-south-season-odds-preview

Vegas picks the Colts to win the Division as well and they usually are right. They haven't built those hotels/casino's on being wrong. If I did bet, I would bet on the Colts going 10-6 or better, winning the Division, and winning 1 Playoff game. That would be my 3 play bet in Vegas and I would put $100 on it. I bet the odds would be a decent pay out as well on something like that because many think we wont even win the Division and possibly be 8-8 again. I would have to get all 3 to nail my bet so on something like that the payout might be close to a Thousand?? A win in the Playoffs is where I get really gutsy. I doubt Vegas has us winning a Playoff game.

[sixfive]

IMO the team still has its core of players.  The O line blocking scheme has been changed up.  But with the players we have the Colts will win the division.  The Texans still do not have a proven QB and their running game has been depleted do to Fosters departure.  The Texans D I feel will be more productive then their offense.  As for the Jag, they are a couple of players away from being a force to deal with in the division.  Bortles has been improving every year.  He just needs a reliable target , moreover the Jags defense has some horses to deal with.

[jskinnz]

1 hour ago, bradgt04 said:

This may be a simple minded way of looking at our team.  But We have like 10-12 new coaches including a new offensive coordinator (didn't get to see much of Chuds Offense last year if any) and a new defensive coordinator, albeit unproven.  But the Jags and Texans don't know too much about our approach/scheme/philosophy.  

 

I don't claim to be an expert at football on any level but it just seems like an advantage to me.  It may be an advantage for a few games until they can study tape.  

It was just a thought.  What do you guys and gals think?  Is it a major advantage,. A small one,. Or just as much a disadvantage?

 

A Jag or Texans fan could claim an advantage of the experience of their coaches over the inexperience of the Colts' staff.

 

I really don't think it means anything. 

[Gavin]

Our advantage over the Texans is Luck. Our advantage over the Jags.? well if Bortles has a repeat of last year or something remotely similar or better then they might actually have an advantage over us as possibly a more well rounded team. Bortles had a very good year overall last year. Now its about consistency but the same can be said about Luck. The Titans don't concern me just yet

[GoColtsWin]

7 minutes ago, Gavin said:

Our advantage over the Texans is Luck. Our advantage over the Jags.? well if Bortles has a repeat of last year or something remotely similar or better then they might actually have an advantage over us as possibly a more well rounded team. Bortles had a very good year overall last year. Now its about consistency but the same can be said about Luck. The Titans don't concern me just yet

QFT^

[Boiler_Colt]

There have been several years when I would say either the Jags or the Texans had much better rosters than the Colts and still couldn't overtake them. The Colts are still the only organization in the division with a consistent winning culture. Houston's D is supposed to be so great, yet Luck has routinely shredded them. Their offense is no where near as good on paper as when Schaub,  Foster and  Johnson were in their prime IMO. Same with Jax, the D looks beter, but not quite as good as the Stroud and Henderson days. We'll see though, should be a bit more parity but I have to see it first. 

[BOTT]

13 minutes ago, Gavin said:

Our advantage over the Texans is Luck. Our advantage over the Jags.? well if Bortles has a repeat of last year or something remotely similar or better then they might actually have an advantage over us as possibly a more well rounded team. Bortles had a very good year overall last year. Now its about consistency but the same can be said about Luck. The Titans don't concern me just yet

Bortles was on fire on the way to 5 wins.

[Qwiz]

1 hour ago, sixfive said:

IMO the team still has its core of players.  The O line blocking scheme has been changed up.  But with the players we have the Colts will win the division.  The Texans still do not have a proven QB and their running game has been depleted do to Fosters departure.  The Texans D I feel will be more productive then their offense.  As for the Jag, they are a couple of players away from being a force to deal with in the division.  Bortles has been improving every year.  He just needs a reliable target , moreover the Jags defense has some horses to deal with.

The Texans run game hasn't been depleted. Some would argue they've made upgrades at the position, as well as in the receiving corps. And I'm not sure what you mean when you say Blake needs a reliable target. The Allen Brothers are no amateurs and he also has Julius Thomas, as well as what could be a really good defense to complement the offense. I'd say the division is as wide open as its been in a while.

[NorthernBlue]

1 hour ago, sixfive said:

Bortles has been improving every year.  He just needs a reliable target , moreover the Jags defense has some horses to deal with.

Hurns and Rob?

[Gavin]

17 minutes ago, BOTT said:

Bortles was on fire on the way to 5 wins.

Yep but he played well overall

[BOTT]

1 hour ago, sixfive said:

IMO the team still has its core of players.  The O line blocking scheme has been changed up.  But with the players we have the Colts will win the division.  The Texans still do not have a proven QB and their running game has been depleted do to Fosters departure.  The Texans D I feel will be more productive then their offense.  As for the Jag, they are a couple of players away from being a force to deal with in the division.  Bortles has been improving every year.  He just needs a reliable target , moreover the Jags defense has some horses to deal with.

Bortles probably has the best group of receives in the south

[WoolMagnet]

2 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

A Jag or Texans fan could claim an advantage of the experience of their coaches over the inexperience of the Colts' staff.

 

 

Like we care what they think.

haha.

[WoolMagnet]

1 hour ago, BOTT said:

Bortles probably has the best group of receives in the south

Yea, and a defense that could be sick, and Bortles (last year) looked every bit as good as Andrew's best. Bortles looks like the real deal.  He reminds me of Big Ben for some reason. I'll tell ya, the Jags organization has turned it around:. I think they worry me much more than the Texans. Its gonna be an interesting year.

[JPPT1974]

Blake really could go from really good to elite in 2016. As really he is indeed the big deal!

[BOTT]

45 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:

Yea, and a defense that could be sick, and Bortles (last year) looked every bit as good as Andrew's best. Bortles looks like the real deal.  He reminds me of Big Ben for some reason. I'll tell ya, the Jags organization has turned it around:. I think they worry me much more than the Texans. Its gonna be an interesting year.

If Bortles played as good as Luck's best they would have won the division, not a measly five games.  Every team in the south had misfortune at the QB position except one, the jags, and again, 5 wins.

 

and that defense won't be sick, it doesn't have enough difference makers....as of yet.

[BOTT]

3 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

A Jag or Texans fan could claim an advantage of the experience of their coaches over the inexperience of the Colts' staff.

 

I really don't think it means anything. 

Not sure how the jags have a more experienced staff.

[WoolMagnet]

25 minutes ago, BOTT said:

If Bortles played as good as Luck's best they would have won the division, not a measly five games.  Every team in the south had misfortune at the QB position except one, the jags, and again, 5 wins.

 

and that defense won't be sick, it doesn't have enough difference makers....as of yet.

We'll see.

one player (bortles) can't. make the team successful.  Like Giselle would say... "He can't throw it AND catch it."

Manning had MANY More weapons than bortles and couldn't win a playoff game for a while.

and they have arvuably more differencecmakers on D than we do. They got some real talent on D in this and last year's drafts.

he's the real deal .  Wait and see. 

that said, of course i'd rather have a (lil) Luck.

[WoolMagnet]

56 minutes ago, JPPT1974 said:

Blake really could go from really good to elite in 2016. As really he is indeed the big deal!

Very possible. 

The "overweight red-headed stepchild" that was the Jags could look like they spent a year in the gym; dyed their hair black, and got some tats and piercings.

[BOTT]

4 hours ago, WoolMagnet said:

We'll see.

one player (bortles) can't. make the team successful.  Like Giselle would say... "He can't throw it AND catch it."

Manning had MANY More weapons than bortles and couldn't win a playoff game for a while.

and they have arvuably more differencecmakers on D than we do. They got some real talent on D in this and last year's drafts.

he's the real deal .  Wait and see. 

that said, of course i'd rather have a (lil) Luck.

you keep comparing Bortles to quarterbacks who led their team to the playoffs and playoff victories....not five wins.  Luck and Manning had mediocre talent early in their career and made it to the playoffs.....not five wins.

 

yes, the jags have more talent on D than the colts, but that's not really saying much.

[WoolMagnet]

1 hour ago, BOTT said:

you keep comparing Bortles to quarterbacks who led their team to the playoffs and playoff victories....not five wins.  Luck and Manning had mediocre talent early in their career and made it to the playoffs.....not five wins.

 

yes, the jags have more talent on D than the colts, but that's not really saying much.

I was really only comparing him to Luck, and didn't really try to do that either.

I used Peyton as an example of how it can take a while for talent to show in success.  Sometimes it never does.  There have been some elite level QBs  that never "arrived". some we know had the talent, some never had pieces around them or didnt get a chance. Sometimes i think about how many 2nd or 3rd string QBs could have reached that level but never got the reps or gametime to develop and show it. There are "can't miss" busts, and there are also 6th round surprises.

who really knows how Bortles and Luck will end their careers? 

I really didn't mean to say Bortles was as good as Peyton or Luck.  All i know is, whenever i watch him play, (granted not nearly as much as Luck) he passes my eye test.  He's big, strong, mobile, extremely calm and collected in the pocket, throws a nice ball, seems to have the confidence of his team, and , like Luck, makes plays.

in fact, if Luck wasn't an option, he'd be high on my list of promisibg youbg QBs.

i wasn't saying you were wrong, he's probably somewhere between what we are saying.

oh, and i seem to remember Peyton having 3 wins.  And Luck has thrown like record nunber interceptions, not unlike Peyton, or Favre.  So who really knows.  If we really knew how to spot talent, we might be working for Irsay.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

9 hours ago, BOTT said:

If Bortles played as good as Luck's best they would have won the division, not a measly five games.  Every team in the south had misfortune at the QB position except one, the jags, and again, 5 wins.

 

I've been saying this for months, and no one really seems to agree with me, except for you.

 

Aside from the obvious advantage we have at QB over both of those teams, we also have the advantage of those 2 teams patting themselves on the back like they've done something meaningful. The Texans are hanging their hats on their big 9 win season last year, even though the Chiefs trashed them in the first round of the playoffs. The Jags apparently think they're already penciled in as South champs without playing a down of football, all because they had an ok offseason, and Blake Bortles.

 

Those 2 teams are in for a rude awakening in my opinion. Jags are DEFINITELY trending in the right direction, but they're still a year away from making any noise. The Texans, although "improved," are still relying on the same formula from years past... mediocre QB, decent run game, 1 good receiver, and JJ Watt. I don't think either of those 2 teams have enough at their disposal to displace the Colts with a healthy Andrew Luck.

[krunk]

12 hours ago, QwizBoy said:

The Texans run game hasn't been depleted. Some would argue they've made upgrades at the position, as well as in the receiving corps. And I'm not sure what you mean when you say Blake needs a reliable target. The Allen Brothers are no amateurs and he also has Julius Thomas, as well as what could be a really good defense to complement the offense. I'd say the division is as wide open as its been in a while.

I like the diversity of the Texans run game between the 3 backs, although I don't think Miller is near as good a back as Arian Foster.  Miller we've really never had a problem shutting down. Foster was on a whole other level.  Miller is a solid back though and I really like the pick up of Tyler Ervin for that Shane Vereen/Kevin Faulk type of role.  Alfred Blue is kind of similar to Steven Ridley to me.  There's a lot of damage you can do with those backs in the passing game too.

[BrentMc11]

12 hours ago, Gavin said:

Our advantage over the Texans is Luck. Our advantage over the Jags.? well if Bortles has a repeat of last year or something remotely similar or better then they might actually have an advantage over us as possibly a more well rounded team. Bortles had a very good year overall last year. Now its about consistency but the same can be said about Luck. The Titans don't concern me just yet

Color me 'not concerned with the Jags or Houston.  The divisional games are going to be bloody battles.  I think we are up to the challenges we face!!

[krunk]

I call that Jags vs Colts came in Jacksonvile from last year "Self Inflicted Wounds".  Even with a broken ribbed/broken shoulder 40 year old QB who limped around for most of the game we were winning at half time and then we come out with all kind of mistakes.  Fumbles, interceptions,  Geathers playing cover 2 and over running a pass that should have been a pick or a PBU at the least.  Instead he over runs it and let's it go for a long completion or a touchdown(can't remember).  Strip sack given up by Good.  We were in the red zone I don't know how many times and couldn't come up with any points.  We played absolutely terrible and we had all kinds of people who didn't even play in the game on defense.  I never really felt like that game was the result of us playing a superior opponent.  Not once did I feel that way. 

[krunk]

4 hours ago, BOTT said:

you keep comparing Bortles to quarterbacks who led their team to the playoffs and playoff victories....not five wins.  Luck and Manning had mediocre talent early in their career and made it to the playoffs.....not five wins.

 

yes, the jags have more talent on D than the colts, but that's not really saying much.

The funny thing is on the Jags board they all seem to be of he opinion that Bortles is better than Luck.  I know you are supposed to feel good about your own QB but that's pushing it to me.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

1 minute ago, krunk said:

The funny thing is on the Jags board they all seem to be of he opinion that Bortles is better than Luck.  I know you are supposed to feel good about your own QB but that's pushing it to me.

 

That's not "pushing it." That's *ic. We've been beating them like they stole something ever since Luck came into the league, but Bortles is better? Give me a break. I may have to go over there, set up an account, and wreak havoc on Luck's behalf.

[krunk]

Just now, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

That's not "pushing it." That's *ic. We've been beating them like they stole something ever since Luck came into the league, but Bortles is better? Give me a break. I may have to go over there, set up an account, and wreak havoc on Luck's behalf.

Let them show me some 11-5 seasons, playoffs along with AFC Championship appearance from Bortles and then we'll talk.   Luck did all of that with holes all on the team.  They surrounded Bortles with good talent last year and he came up with 5 wins. With what they've got this year that will probably get them to 8 wins max under Bortles.

[JPFolks]

13 hours ago, sixfive said:

IMO the team still has its core of players.  The O line blocking scheme has been changed up.  But with the players we have the Colts will win the division.  The Texans still do not have a proven QB and their running game has been depleted do to Fosters departure.  The Texans D I feel will be more productive then their offense.  As for the Jag, they are a couple of players away from being a force to deal with in the division.  Bortles has been improving every year.  He just needs a reliable target , moreover the Jags defense has some horses to deal with.

I think the Texans majorly upgraded their run game with the addition of Lamar Miller.  He's far superior to Foster of recent times.  In fact all our rivals in our division will have far superior run games to us.  Why we could have gotten one of the backs those three got is a head scratcher.  Gore is not better than any of those guys at this stage.  Let's hope our UDFA rookie steps up big.  I think he's our only hope of having a top of the division run game.  Gore and whoever else makes the team just aren't as good.  

[Boiler_Colt]

I have seen absolutely nothing from Bortles to convince me he is or can be an elite QB. Maybe he can, I just haven't seen it in him. For 6 quarters vs. the Colts he was downright terrible. He has worse turnover issues than Andrew Luck does, yet no one seems to mention that. He got a ton of his stats in garbage time when his team was being blown out, by bad teams no less.  Can he put a team on his back and come through in the clutch? He hasn't shown it yet.

[krunk]

9 minutes ago, JPFolks said:

I think the Texans majorly upgraded their run game with the addition of Lamar Miller.  He's far superior to Foster of recent times.  In fact all our rivals in our division will have far superior run games to us.  Why we could have gotten one of the backs those three got is a head scratcher.  Gore is not better than any of those guys at this stage.  Let's hope our UDFA rookie steps up big.  I think he's our only hope of having a top of the division run game.  Gore and whoever else makes the team just aren't as good.  

No way is Lamar Miller as good as Arian Foster in his prime.  If Arian stayed healthy in the past few years I'd take him over Miller.  Miller is a good back but he's not Arian Foster.  I don't think they'll get the same return on their investment that they got out of Foster.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

Let them show me some 11-5 seasons, playoffs along with AFC Championship appearance from Bortles and then we'll talk.   Luck did all of that with holes all on the team.  They surrounded Bortles with good talent last year and he came up with 5 wins. With what they've got this year that will probably get them to 8 wins max under Bortles.

8 wins would be a huge step in the right direction for that team, and is probably the most realistic outcome their fans should expect. I have a feeling though that all the preseason hype is going to impact the Jags in a negative way. See Colts 2015 season for reference.

[Qwiz]

3 hours ago, krunk said:

No way is Lamar Miller as good as Arian Foster in his prime.  If Arian stayed healthy in the past few years I'd take him over Miller.  Miller is a good back but he's not Arian Foster.  I don't think they'll get the same return on their investment that they got out of Foster.

I think Miller will do just fine. I'm not saying he's on Arian's level yet but it's clear he was severely under utilized in Miami. Arian was a huge blessing for us, being an undrafted gem. It's a shame he couldn't be more available (not injured), but that's football I guess. 

[Qwiz]

4 hours ago, Boiler_Colt said:

I have seen absolutely nothing from Bortles to convince me he is or can be an elite QB. Maybe he can, I just haven't seen it in him. For 6 quarters vs. the Colts he was downright terrible. He has worse turnover issues than Andrew Luck does, yet no one seems to mention that. He got a ton of his stats in garbage time when his team was being blown out, by bad teams no less.  Can he put a team on his back and come through in the clutch? He hasn't shown it yet.

He's only a third year player. He's shown tremendous improvement from year one to year two. I think he is the franchise guy they've been looking for for so long, and he could lead them to the playoffs as soon as next season. 

[krunk]

2 minutes ago, QwizBoy said:

I think Miller will do just fine. I'm not saying he's on Arian's level yet but it's clear he was severely under utilized in Miami. Arian was a huge blessing for us, being an undrafted gem. It's a shame he couldn't be more available (not injured), but that's football I guess. 

I think he'll produce, I just don't think it will be Arian Foster production.

[krunk]

2 minutes ago, QwizBoy said:

He's only a third year player. He's shown tremendous improvement from year one to year two. I think he is the franchise guy they've been looking for for so long, and he could lead them to the playoffs as soon as next season. 

You guys(Houston) usually put a good wrap on Bortles when you play.  And they still havent done anything with that offensive line for the most part.

[Qwiz]

Just now, krunk said:

I think he'll produce, I just don't think it will be Arian Foster production.

I think it could be potentially better. He's a young guy with a lot of years ahead of him, and in an offense that will be very explosive. We'll see.