Which potential starting rookie are you most worried about?

[Lawrence Owen]

http://cbs4indy.com/2016/08/10/risky-or-not-colts-likely-will-rely-on-rookie-starters/

 

In this write-up, they have 4 rookies potentialy starting week 1.

 

1: Ryan Kelly - Obvious choice, no quams here.

 

2: T.J. Green - With Injury to Geathers...he may have to start.  Mike will be back there with him, so i don't have too much worry,...mike should help him if something comes up. Plus, he's gotten a LOT of praise thus far from coaches.

 

3: Hassan Ridgeway - My biggest worry.He may have to start at DT if Langford is not back by week 1.  All indicators I've read say he's not ready.  Not as a starter.

 

4: Joe Haeg - My second biggest worry.  But not near the level of Ridgeway.  Been some good things said about Joe, but is he really ready to stop some of the NFL's best pass rushers if Rietz is not fully healed by week 1?....

 

So what's your thoughts?

[Valpo2004]

I'm worried about TJ Green.  Everything about him after the draft indicated he was a project.

 

We've heard some good things about him in camp but it seems odd to me that a "project" player could go that far and be ready to start week 1 as a rookie in that short of a time.

 

I think Ridgeway would be my 2nd biggest worry.  

 

As far as Haeg . . . here is the way I see it.  We have Denzelle Good on the roster as it is who did decent playing RT last year for a few games.  

 

If Haeg legitimately beat out Goode to backup Joe Reitz at RT then the coaching staff must be confident in him.  

 

With Green and Ridgeway . . . those guys don't have guys behind them that have played starter minutes. 

 

But we have Goode out there and if the coaching staff has determined that Joe Haeg gives us a better chance to win then Denzelle Goode (who we've already seen do a solid job in games that count.) that calms my fears.  

 

Certainly not worried much about Ryan Kelly. . . It's hard to get much worse play at center then what we've seen over the past 4 seasons.  So as far as I'm concerned he can only improve our team.  

[lollygagger8]

Griff Waaaaaaaaaaaiiit a minute. 

[NorthernBlue]

TJ. Rookie Dbacks tend to struggle a bit in their first season, let alone projects like Green. I think he'll develop into a fine player, but not sure how he's gonna do out there in his debut and beyond.

[JPFolks]

I hadn't even heard that Reitz was hurt...we're starting to look like a non playoff team at least the first 4 games...can we stay healthy and win enough late to make up for it is the question...

[theanarchist]

1 hour ago, Valpo2004 said:

I'm worried about TJ Green.  Everything about him after the draft indicated he was a project.

 

We've heard some good things about him in camp but it seems odd to me that a "project" player could go that far and be ready to start week 1 as a rookie in that short of a time.

 

I think Ridgeway would be my 2nd biggest worry.  

 

As far as Haeg . . . here is the way I see it.  We have Denzelle Good on the roster as it is who did decent playing RT last year for a few games.  

 

If Haeg legitimately beat out Goode to backup Joe Reitz at RT then the coaching staff must be confident in him.  

 

With Green and Ridgeway . . . those guys don't have guys behind them that have played starter minutes. 

 

But we have Goode out there and if the coaching staff has determined that Joe Haeg gives us a better chance to win then Denzelle Goode (who we've already seen do a solid job in games that count.) that calms my fears.  

 

Certainly not worried much about Ryan Kelly. . . It's hard to get much worse play at center then what we've seen over the past 4 seasons.  So as far as I'm concerned he can only improve our team.  

agreed

[theanarchist]

6 minutes ago, JPFolks said:

I hadn't even heard that Reitz was hurt...we're starting to look like a non playoff team at least the first 4 games...can we stay healthy and win enough late to make up for it is the question...

Im pretty sure Reitz has returned to practice. It must not have been very serious

[krunk]

Not really worried about anybody on that list.  TJ Green should be fine with Mike Adams starting right next to him.  Mike will make sure he's lined up in the right spot as far as any alignment issues.   Haeg seems like a pretty good player so I'm not that worried about that. Plus I think Good/maybe Thornton will be the starter unless there is an injury.

[will426]

Well for dline we have other options other than ridgeway to start so no worries there...the line should be fine good was good last year he was just antsy and had a few false start penalties..and I'm a bit worried about green because it doesn't matter if Adams is with him qbs pick on the rookies in the backfield and he'll get tested with deep balls unless the corners lock that up which Robinson and Davis are good at.....and also I'm sorry I don't  care for punctuation and grammar when I'm on my phone so yes I know it's all bunched up lol

[krunk]

With all the injuries we have, if Langford is not back for the Lions game I'm expecting a lineup of:

 

Mcgill  Parry  Kerr

Quarles   Ridgeway

 

 

And we'll probably have Okine playing a little DE to go along with his OLB spot.

[krunk]

I think that's a decent enough lineup to get the job done against the Lions. Langford should be back after the Lions game if he's not already back to play in the Lions game.  Wouldn't be surprised to get Henry Anderson and Art Jones back at the same time during Week 5.  That's when I think the D Line will start shaping up and moving in the right direction as the year progresses.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

3 hours ago, Lawrence Owen said:

http://cbs4indy.com/2016/08/10/risky-or-not-colts-likely-will-rely-on-rookie-starters/

 

In this write-up, they have 4 rookies potentialy starting week 1.

 

1: Ryan Kelly - Obvious choice, no quams here.

 

2: T.J. Green - With Injury to Geathers...he may have to start.  Mike will be back there with him, so i don't have too much worry,...mike should help him if something comes up. Plus, he's gotten a LOT of praise thus far from coaches.

 

3: Hassan Ridgeway - My biggest worry.He may have to start at DT if Langford is not back by week 1.  All indicators I've read say he's not ready.  Not as a starter.

 

4: Joe Haeg - My second biggest worry.  But not near the level of Ridgeway.  Been some good things said about Joe, but is he really ready to stop some of the NFL's best pass rushers if Rietz is not fully healed by week 1?....

 

So what's your thoughts?

 

We had the same concerns along the d-line last year with Anderson and Parry, and it seemed to work out fine. And where did you hear that he wasn't ready? Everything I've read suggests the opposite.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

3 hours ago, Valpo2004 said:

I'm worried about TJ Green.  Everything about him after the draft indicated he was a project.

 

The media said he was a project. I don't think Pagano/Grigson view him as such, or they wouldn't have used a 2nd round pick on him, they've learned their lesson after Bjoern Werner. Either way, he's a rookie, so there will be some growing pains. But after everything I've read the past 3 weeks, along with seeing some camp highlight videos, I think it's safe to say he's more than just a project.

[a06cc]

I have a huge hunch we'll be fine regardless of who is starting. You can't even trust some of our regular starters as it is. 

[ColtsFanMikeC]

The nice thing about DLine is that we are going to be using a rotation and have a pretty good amount of solid players there (Langford, Anderson and Jones may be the best 3.... but Kerr, Parry, TY McGill, Quarles, and Lumpkin all have NFL experience and it sounds like Sterling Bailey is doing pretty well).  I don't think Ridgeway, whether he is in the line-up as a starter or not, is going to be asked to be much more than a rotational guy until he's really comfortable with the system.

 

Ryan Kelly, not worried about -- can't be any worse than what we've dealt with at C for the past few years.

 

Joe Haeg sounds like he could be our starting RT(don't know how badly Reitz is hurt).  Regardless.... Haeg has played a lot of football and seems to be a very good football player (granted he was in the FCS).  Heck, Howard Mudd even went out of his way to comment on this kid's ability.  Also, given the line woes the past few years...he may be a little worrisome, but probably not worse than what we've already been dealing with, and I'm glad if he does have to start week 1 it's at RT, not LT.

 

TJ Green -- I think he'll be fine, and am glad Megatron is retired before we have to face the Lions.  I could see him making a few stupid mistakes, but the kid has trackstar speed and hopefully can make up for it... plus with the leadership of Adams back there at S, he should have an advantage.

 

Overall, not really worried about any of the rookies who may start or get significant playing time.  I'm sure they may all have a bad play or blunder here and there, but as long as we have our 53 best on the field, I think the improvements to the coaching staff and the overall talent to this roster will keep us in a good position.

[Smonroe]

20 minutes ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

The nice thing about DLine is that we are going to be using a rotation and have a pretty good amount of solid players there (Langford, Anderson and Jones may be the best 3.... but Kerr, Parry, TY McGill, Quarles, and Lumpkin all have NFL experience and it sounds like Sterling Bailey is doing pretty well).  I don't think Ridgeway, whether he is in the line-up as a starter or not, is going to be asked to be much more than a rotational guy until he's really comfortable with the system.

 

Ryan Kelly, not worried about -- can't be any worse than what we've dealt with at C for the past few years.

 

Joe Haeg sounds like he could be our starting RT(don't know how badly Reitz is hurt).  Regardless.... Haeg has played a lot of football and seems to be a very good football player (granted he was in the FCS).  Heck, Howard Mudd even went out of his way to comment on this kid's ability.  Also, given the line woes the past few years...he may be a little worrisome, but probably not worse than what we've already been dealing with, and I'm glad if he does have to start week 1 it's at RT, not LT.

 

TJ Green -- I think he'll be fine, and am glad Megatron is retired before we have to face the Lions.  I could see him making a few stupid mistakes, but the kid has trackstar speed and hopefully can make up for it... plus with the leadership of Adams back there at S, he should have an advantage.

 

Overall, not really worried about any of the rookies who may start or get significant playing time.  I'm sure they may all have a bad play or blunder here and there, but as long as we have our 53 best on the field, I think the improvements to the coaching staff and the overall talent to this roster will keep us in a good position.

 

Reitz hasn't been ruled out Saturday night, so he can't be that injured.  You're right, Ridgeway may be forced into the rotation more than they wanted.  But I'm sure they'll only put him in situations they think he can handle.

 

So that leaves Kelly (for sure) and Green (possibly).  No issues with Kelly.  Guy and Butler would probably play before Green.  At least in certain sets.

 

Overall, very little worries about rookie starters.  Now depth... that's another story.

[Gavin]

To early to worry. Not even 2 games into the preseason. Ill worry maybe when the starters are officially set for game 1. Ill play along however:

 

TJ Green-Coaches can say all the good things they can think up about players but the fact of the matter is what does the player do on game day? Its nice and all that he is playing well in practice and TC but if it doesn't translate to game day then it means nothing. I got concerns there if he has to start right off the bat unless he is used down in the box often

 

Haeg-He is not strong enough and his technique is a bit of a mess at times. Good athleticism however

 

Those 2 are the players that should bring the most concern I believe. At least to me

 

Ridgeway is a 1st-2nd round talent who went in the 4th because of conditioning concerns primarily. He will be just fine in a rotational role I expect

[Pacergeek]

12 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

The media said he was a project. I don't think Pagano/Grigson view him as such, or they wouldn't have used a 2nd round pick on him, they've learned their lesson after Bjoern Werner. Either way, he's a rookie, so there will be some growing pains. But after everything I've read the past 3 weeks, along with seeing some camp highlight videos, I think it's safe to say he's more than just a project.

Exactly. You don't draft projects in the second round. You draft Rookies expected to start in the second round. It's a nice story from the media, being converted from WR to Safety, and project fits the narrative. I don't trust Grigson, but I trust that he didn't draft a guy in the second round to help in 3-4 years. 

[GoColts8818]

Green if he can't play that's going to cost TDs where as they can probably over come one of the others if they struggle.

[Gavin]

9 minutes ago, Pacergeek said:

Exactly. You don't draft projects in the second round. You draft Rookies expected to start in the second round. It's a nice story from the media, being converted from WR to Safety, and project fits the narrative. I don't trust Grigson, but I trust that he didn't draft a guy in the second round to help in 3-4 years. 

In all likelihood this will be Mike Adams last year as a Colt. He is 35 and is in the last year of his deal. Green will get his shot next year in all probability. In the mean time he gets his chance to work on his tackling in the open field. He also was not asked to actually do much the 1 year he played Safety other than play single high safety. It wont be 3-4 years before he gets his shot

[AZColt11]

Too early to tell until we see games.

[throwing BBZ]

8 hours ago, Pacergeek said:

Exactly. You don't draft projects in the second round. You draft Rookies expected to start in the second round. It's a nice story from the media, being converted from WR to Safety, and project fits the narrative. I don't trust Grigson, but I trust that he didn't draft a guy in the second round to help in 3-4 years. 

 

 Except that they are ALL projects. Just that a 2nd rounder is Expected to become a Quality Starter at some point. And CERTAINLY Not always in year one. Get a grip!

[krunk]

8 hours ago, Gavin said:

In all likelihood this will be Mike Adams last year as a Colt. He is 35 and is in the last year of his deal. Green will get his shot next year in all probability. In the mean time he gets his chance to work on his tackling in the open field. He also was not asked to actually do much the 1 year he played Safety other than play single high safety. It wont be 3-4 years before he gets his shot

Wouldn't surprise me for Green to be the starter if he showed proficient enough this year.  If Adams goes down a couple games with injury and Green plays well they may decide to let him remain the starter as crazy as it may sound.  Hey may provide some things coverage wise that Adams doesn't have.

[Defjamz26]

I'm not worried about any of them. Most Colts rookies excel when forced to start early. And it's not like we have scrub prospects projected to start.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

10 hours ago, Pacergeek said:

I don't trust Grigson, but I trust that he didn't draft a guy in the second round to help in 3-4 years. 

 

It should also be noted that Irsay's just not gonna let stuff like that fly from here on out. You draft someone in the second round, they better be able to contribute at some point of their rookie year. Maybe not be a day 1 starter, but he should definitely be competing for a starting job before season's end.

[Iancolts]

I honestly want to see TJ green become our Big safety/Lber.  What's his name that plays for Seahawks.  The safety can't get the name but not the smaller lol.  I hope TJ becomes that shutdown enforcer at safety for years to come.  Ryan our center I belive the kid is way too smart to fail.  I'm also hoping the guard from Texas plays really well.  At least be a backup guard for this season and I'll be excited!

[Dark Superman]

Probably TJ Green..

 

But I'm loving that the kid is getting all of the first team reps. This could pay off for us down the stretch. The kid definitely has the tools..

[Lawrence Owen]

4 hours ago, SupermanLuck12 said:

Probably TJ Green..

 

But I'm loving that the kid is getting all of the first team reps. This could pay off for us down the stretch. The kid definitely has the tools..

I agree, like i said, Green is my 2nd worry, and he is so raw, having so little Safety experience period.  But he may have the biggest ceiling of all the rookies we have.  Just takes time practice and hard work to get there.

Taking all those reps could spell great things for us in the future.

[NewColtsFan]

On August 11, 2016 at 10:23 PM, Pacergeek said:

Exactly. You don't draft projects in the second round. You draft Rookies expected to start in the second round. It's a nice story from the media, being converted from WR to Safety, and project fits the narrative. I don't trust Grigson, but I trust that he didn't draft a guy in the second round to help in 3-4 years. 

 

I hate to break it to you,  but there are plenty of teams who draft projects in the 2nd round.

 

And just so we're clear,  there are teams who draft projects in the first round.    Even high in the first round.

 

And your last line about helping in 3-4 years is a complete straw man.     No one said that or hinted at that.

 

But guys like Green and Clark and Morrison might not help much until their 2nd year.   

 

There are plenty of projects going in the 1st two rounds.

 

[Lawrence Owen]

1 minute ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I hate to break it to you,  but there are plenty of teams who draft projects in the 2nd round.

 

And just so we're clear,  there are teams who draft projects in the first round.    Even high in the first round.

 

And your last line about helping in 3-4 years is a complete straw man.     No one said that or hinted at that.

 

But guys like Green and Clark and Morrison might not help much until their 2nd year.   

 

There are plenty of projects going in the 1st two rounds.

 

Like last years 1st for Indy,...Everyone and thier mother knew with Montcrief, Hilton, and T.Y. as the top 3...Dorsett was not going to provide much help in year 1 (other than the 'hope' he could return punts.....)  They knew he was raw...but his upside was just to high not to take a chance on.  Yes a lot of people bashed the decision then AND now...but the fact is...he will be relied on heavily this year and hopefully many more down the road.

[NewColtsFan]

11 minutes ago, Lawrence Owen said:

Like last years 1st for Indy,...Everyone and thier mother knew with Montcrief, Hilton, and T.Y. as the top 3...Dorsett was not going to provide much help in year 1 (other than the 'hope' he could return punts.....)  They knew he was raw...but his upside was just to high not to take a chance on.  Yes a lot of people bashed the decision then AND now...but the fact is...he will be relied on heavily this year and hopefully many more down the road.

 

 

Honestly,   I didn't have Dorsett in mind.....    but even without him as an example....   it's not hard to fine many of them....     if the Pacergeek wants me to list some,  I'm happy to.....     it doesn't take much effort to list a large number of them....

 

[MTC]

Worried about TJ Green and Hassan Ridgeway starting right away. They need a year or two to develop. 

[jseg18]

I'm not sure TJ Green needs a year. If he does his assignment well, he should be fine. I believe we went into our championship year with a late draft pick starting at safety. I'd be worried about losing any veteran starter on the offensive line. That would leave us with 2 rookies on the the line, depending on who goes down.

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